The Presentation of the Lord
Prayer for the Morning
Behold, our Lord will come with power,
to enlighten the eyes of his servants:
come, let us adore! (Roman Missal)
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
His parents to the temple bring
The Temple as an offering.
The righteousness of law he chose
Though to the law he nothing owes.
So, Mary, bring this little one,
Yours and the Father’s only Son
Through whom our offering is made,
By whom our ransom price is paid.
And forward, royal Virgin, go
And let rejoicing overflow.
With gifts bring forth your newborn Son
Who comes to rescue everyone.
Lord Jesus Christ, the Glory bright
Who guides the nations into light,
Be praised, and for eternity
Be glorified, O Trinity.
PSALM 24
The glory of the Lord entered the temple by the eastward gate, and the house of God was filled with his splendor. (cf. Ez 43:4-5)
The glory of the living God is made manifest to the eyes of faith and hope in the frail flesh of a child. In baptism we have been made the temple of the living God. Let us welcome the Lord of glory in whatever guise he comes to us, receiving him in joyful prayer, in purity of heart, and in charity toward all.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things,
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is the king of glory?
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
the Lord, the valiant in war.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is he, the king of glory?
He, the Lord of armies,
he is the king of glory.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Isaiah 60:2-3, 19c)
See, darkness covers the earth,/ and thick clouds cover the peoples;/ But upon you the Lord shines,/ and over you appears his glory./ Nations shall walk by your light,/ and kings by your shining radiance.
The Lord shall be your light for ever,/ your God shall be your glory.
Jesus Christ is the light no darkness can extinguish!
Canticle of Zechariah
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. (Zec 2:14)
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 light has come and has shone upon a world enveloped in darkness; the Dayspring from on high has visited us and given light to those who lived in darkness. Let us pray:
R/You are the king of glory.
Light from light,
– give the light of hope to those who seek your face. R/
Light of the world,
– give the light of faith to those who dwell in unbelief. R/
Light of the nations,
– give the light of the Gospel to those who live in ignorance. R/
Light triumphant over every darkness,
– give the light of love to the aged, sick, and dying who await you in patient faith. R/
Personal intentions
Our Father….
Almighty God, who dwelt among your people in your Temple and called the nations to walk no longer in darkness, dwell among us, we pray, that we may become children of light. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
