PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29)
Prayer for the Morning
God is our strong salvation:
let us call upon the name of the Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!
HYMN
There is no friend like Jesus,
So constant and so kind;
He heals the wounded spirit,
And calms the troubled mind.
The hungry soul he feedeth
With manna from his store;
And of his living water
We drink to thirst no more.
When weary is our journey,
And heavy is our load,
This constant Friend is with us,
To cheer our toilsome road.
There is no friend like Jesus,
So constant is his love;
The earth has seen his kindness,
’Twill be enjoyed above.
PSALM 142
Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” (Mt 19:26)
Psalms such as this one are not reserved for those who are persecuted by visible enemies. They are given to us to pray whenever life’s troubles threaten to overwhelm us. If we are not suffering tribulation ourselves, we can pray in the name of all those who are burdened with problems that seem insuperable.
With all my voice I cry to the Lord,
with all my voice I entreat the Lord.
I pour out my trouble before him;
I tell him all my distress
while my spirit faints within me.
But you, O Lord, know my path.
On the way where I shall walk
they have hidden a snare to entrap me.
Look on my right and see:
there is not one who takes my part.
I have no means of escape,
not one who cares for my soul.
I cry to you, O Lord.
I have said: “You are my refuge,
all I have left in the land of the living.”
Listen, then, to my cry
for I am in the depths of distress.
Rescue me from those who pursue me
for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of this prison
and then I shall praise your name.
Around me the just will assemble
because of your goodness to me.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Exodus 3:7-8)
The Lord said, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.”
What is impossible for human beings
is possible for God. (Lk 18:27)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
God is a deliverer and savior,/ working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth. (cf. Dn 6:28)
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet
of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father…
INTERCESSIONS
Through the intercession of all the saints who have sought refuge in God in time of trouble, let us pray:
R/Listen to our cry!
You delivered your people from slavery in Egypt:
– deliver all those in bondage to sin and oppression. R/
You delivered your people from exile in Babylon:
– deliver all those who endure or fear the loss of home and livelihood. R/
You delivered the world from sin and death:
– deliver all those whose minds and hearts are wrapped in the darkness of fear and anxiety over the
burdens they must bear. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
Lord our God, our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, you brought life from death through the mystery of the cross. Deliver your people in time of suffering and need, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
