Prayer for the Morning
The Lord hears the cry of the poor:
let us give thanks and praise!
Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!
HYMN
God in his glory shall appear,
When Zion he builds and repairs;
He shall regard and lend his ear
Unto the needy’s humble prayers.
The needy’s prayer he will not scorn.
All times shall this be on record:
And generations yet unborn
Shall praise and magnify the Lord.
What grateful offering shall we bring?
What shall we render to the Lord?
Loud hallelujah let us sing,
And praise his name on every chord.
CANTICLE (1 Sm 2:1-2, 7-8b, 8d-10)
I will leave as a remnant in your midst/ a people humble and lowly,/ Who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord. (Zep 3:12)
The prophet Zephaniah makes clear that the world is in sore need of the redeeming presence of Christ who will be revealed not among the powerful who use their power for evil but among the poor and powerless who seek the Lord in poverty of heart. These are the remnant who remain faithful through all hardships.
My heart exults in the Lord,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
There is no Holy One like the Lord;
there is no Rock like our God.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,
to seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and he has set the world upon them.
He will guard the footsteps of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall perish in the darkness.
For not by strength does man prevail;
the Lord’s foes shall be shattered.
The Most High in heaven thunders;
the Lord judges the ends of the earth.
Now may he give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed!
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Isaiah 26:4-7)
Trust in the Lord forever!/ For the Lord is an eternal Rock./ He humbles those in high places,/ and the lofty city he brings down;/ He tumbles it to the ground,/ levels it with the dust./ It is trampled underfoot by the needy,/ by the footsteps of the poor.
The way of the just is smooth;/ the path of the just you make level.
Therefore, wait for me, says the Lord. (Zep 3:8a)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
In my pastures the poor shall eat,/ and the needy lie down in safety. (Is 14:30a)
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
In days when public attention concentrates powerfully on the use of money, let us pray to him who came as gift to all in need:
R/You will never forsake those who seek you.
For the poor who are oppressed by the commercialism of the season:
– may they be filled with the liberating power of your gifts. R/
For all those who are oppressed by the pressures of the season:
– may they be filled with your peace. R/
For all those who are oppressed by the prospect of loneliness at this season:
– may they be filled with the comfort of friendship and companionship and of your presence. R/
Personal intentions
Our Father….
Lord Jesus Christ, you hear the cry of the poor. Hear us in our poverty as we bring before you our need for your redeeming love, who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
