PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (TUESDAY, AUGUST 18)

Prayer for the Morning

Let us sing a new song to the Lord,

his praise in the assembly of the faithful!

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

The chariots of the Lord are strong,

Their number passes ken;

Mount them and fight against the wrong,

You who are valiant men.

Where, unabashed, the power of sin

Vaunts an unhindered sway,

Ride, in the strength of God, and win

Fresh laurels in the fray.

For freedom wield the sword of might,

And cut the bands that bind;

Strike boldly in the cause of right,

And still fresh laurels find.

Ride on, the chariots of the Lord,

Dispel the hosts of sin;

You who are valiant, wield the sword,

And still fresh laurels win.

PSALM 149

God made of me, his servant, a sharp-edged sword/ and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. (cf. Is 49:2-3a)

God takes delight in his people as, armed with the two-edged sword of his living Word, we cut through all that fetters us and our world to ways of thinking and doing inspired by kingdoms not his own.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,

let Zion’s sons exult in their king.

Let them praise his name with dancing

and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people.

He crowns the poor with salvation.

Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,

shout for joy and take their rest.

Let the praise of God be on their lips

and a two-edged sword in their hand,

to deal out vengeance to the nations

and punishment on all the peoples;

to bind their kings in chains

and their nobles in fetters of iron;

to carry out the sentence pre-ordained:

this honor is for all his faithful.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Hebrews 4:12-13)

The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is ­concealed from him, but everything is naked and ­exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. (cf. Eph 6:17)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH 

Your all-powerful word from heaven’s royal throne/ bounded into the land, bearing the sharp sword of your inexorable decree. (cf. Wis 18:15-16)

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 

The Word of God is gift and demand. Let us pray:

R/Open our hearts, O Lord, to the voice of your Word.

Your Word descends from above to restore a fallen world:

– transform us by the power of the cross regardless of the cost. R/

Your Word cuts away all that is contrary to your will:

– grant us the gift of obedience. R/

Your Word enslaves the enslavers, sin and death:

– give us the courage to accept the gift of freedom. R/

Your Word brings joy to the sorrowful:

– teach us compassion toward every human need. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

O God, you sent your Word to conquer all the powers of sin and death. Make us true to your Word, that our praise and our lives might give you delight, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.