Prayer for the Morning
Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
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
Saint Martha, we recall the joy
Of which your energy gave proof,
When opportunity was yours
To welcome Christ beneath your roof.
Alert and eager with much care,
Your ardent soul could find no rest,
In many things solicitous
To please so greatly loved a Guest.
While you prepare a festal board
At which he will have honored place,
Your brother and your sister draw
From him the food of life and grace.
O blessed hostess of your Lord,
Make our hearts ready like your own,
To welcome him to their abode
To find in them true friendship’s throne.
CANTICLE (Zephaniah 3:14-18a)
Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? (Mt 24:45)
The Lord is most extravagant in his love for us, sometimes his most unreliable servants. How foolish to give our lives—our time, our attention, our obedience—to mere idols who can love no one. Martha was rebuked not for her work but for allowing her work to make her lose sight of love.
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Isaiah 44:1-2)
Hear then, O Jacob, my servant,/ Israel, whom I have chosen./ Thus says the Lord who made you,/ your help, who formed you from the womb:/ Fear not, O Jacob, my servant,/ the darling whom I have chosen.
I am your servant. (Ps 143:12)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Give her a reward of her labors,/ and let her works praise her at the city gates. (Prv 31:31)
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
With confidence in God’s love for us, let us pray:
R/Look kindly on the prayer of your servants,
O Lord, our God.
You have called some to the service of work and some to the service of prayer:
– grant us mutual respect and support as we seek to further your Kingdom. R/
You have called some to serve in public ways and some to serve in the privacy of the home:
– keep us all faithful to the tasks you have given us. R/
You have called some to serve in active ways and some to serve by suffering:
– sustain us all in faith, hope, and love. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
O Lord our God, you have called all those who bear the name of your Son to serve one another and the world around us by the works of faith and love. By the intercession of Saint Martha, renew our zeal for the tasks you have given us, that we may serve the coming of your Kingdom, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
