Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 1049
Proper of Saints: 1486
Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I, 688

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Proper of Saints: 1174
Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I, 706

Morning Prayer for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

God, come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.

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.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 You shall name the child John, and many will rejoice at his birth.

Psalm 63:2-9
A soul thirsting for God
Whoever has left the darkness of sin yearns for God.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you.
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

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.

Ant. You shall name the child John, and many will rejoice at his birth.

Ant. 2 In the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before the Lord to prepare a people worthy of him.

Canticle – Daniel 3:57-88, 56
Let all creatures praise the Lord
All you servants of the Lord, sing praise to him (Revelation 19:5).

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.

O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all for ever.

Ant. In the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before the Lord to prepare a people worthy of him.

Ant. 3 You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

Psalm 149
The joy of God’s holy people
Let the sons of the Church, the children of the new people, rejoice in Christ, their King (Hesychius).

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, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

READING Malachi 3:23-24

Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the Lord comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

He will be great in the eyes of the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
— He will be great in the eyes of the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

He will go before the Lord to prepare a people worthy of him.
— And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— He will be great in the eyes of the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. The mouth of Zechariah was opened, and he spoke this prophecy: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.

Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner

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, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The mouth of Zechariah was opened, and he spoke this prophecy: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.

INTERCESSIONS

In faith let us call upon Christ who sent John to prepare for his coming:
Dawn from on high, break upon us.

Your coming caused John the Baptist to leap for joy in his mother’s womb,
— help us to rejoice at your coming among us.
Dawn from on high, break upon us.

Through the life and preaching of the Baptist, you showed us the way to repentance,
— turn our hearts to follow the commandments of your kingdom.
Dawn from on high, break upon us.

You willed that your coming among men should be announced by John the Baptist,
— send new heralds to proclaim you throughout the world.
Dawn from on high, break upon us.

You wished to be baptized by John in the Jordan to fulfill all that the Father required,
— help us to do the Father’s will.
Dawn from on high, break upon us.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer

Grant,
we pray, almighty God,
that your family may walk in the way of salvation and,
attentive to what Saint John the Precursor urged,
may come safely to the One he foretold, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
— Amen.