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Liturgy of the Hours for April 18

Morning Prayer - Memorial for Thursday in the 3rd week of Easter

Please Note

This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 31. Your local date is .

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 654
Psalter: Tuesday, Week II, 874
Common of Holy Men, Religious: 1862
Common of Holy Men: 1815
Proper of Saints: 1530

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Psalter: Tuesday, Week II, 802
Common of Holy Men, Religious: 1470
Proper of Saints: 1191

Morning Prayer for Tuesday in Ordinary Time, Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

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.

HYMN

Christ our redeemer, wondrous love you show us
Ever inspiring souls to serve the Father,
By strong attraction, varied and impelling,
Gift of the Spirit.

Many are favored with the grace unrivaled,
Making them truly children of the Father,
Few are selected for a bond of union
Even yet closer.

Gently you call them, eagerly they answer,
All things forsaking, swift of foot they follow,
Choosing the pathway, trodden by their Savior
Straight to the Father.

Searcher in earnest all his strength exerting.
Your holy servant never slackened effort,
Model of virtues, seeking for you always,
Surely he found you.

Glory and honor be to the God Almighty,
Praise in the highest, power and dominion,
Who in his wisdom rules and governs all things
His love created. Amen.

𝄞"Christ Our Redeemer, Wondrous Love - for him" by Kathleen Lundquist, Sara Faux • Available for Purchase • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Lord, send forth your light and your truth.

Psalm 43
Longing for the temple

I have come into the world to be its light (John 12:46).

Defend me, O God, and plead my cause
against a godless nation.
From deceitful and cunning men
rescue me, O God.

Since you, O God, are my stronghold,
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go mourning,
oppressed by the foe?

O send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

And I will come to the altar of God,
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, my soul,
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still,
my savior and my God.

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.

Psalm-prayer

Almighty Father, source of everlasting light, send forth your truth into our hearts and pour over us the brightness of your light.

Ant. Lord, send forth your light and your truth.

Ant. 2 Lord, keep us safe all the days of our life.

Canticle – Isaiah 38:10-14, 17-20
Anguish of a dying man and joy in his restoration

I am living, I was dead… and I hold the keys of death (Revelation 1:17-18).

Once I said,
“In the noontime of life I must depart!
To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned
for the rest of my years.”

I said, “I shall see the Lord no more
in the land of the living.
No longer shall I behold my fellow men
among those who dwell in the world.”

My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent,
is struck down and borne away from me;
you have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs the last thread.

Day and night you give me over to torment;
I cry out until the dawn.
Like a lion he breaks all my bones;
day and night you give me over to torment.

Like a swallow I utter shrill cries;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes grow weak, gazing heaven-ward:
O Lord, I am in straits; be my surety!

You have preserved my life
from the pit of destruction,
when you cast behind your back
all my sins.

For it is not the nether world that gives you thanks,
nor death that praises you;
Neither do those who go down into the pit
await your kindness.

The living, the living give you thanks,
as I do today.
Fathers declare to their sons,
O God, your faithfulness.

The Lord is our savior;
we shall sing to stringed instruments
in the house of the Lord
all the days of our life.

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. Lord, keep us safe all the days of our life.

Ant. 3 To you, O God, our praise is due in Zion.

Psalm 65
Solemn thanksgiving

Zion represents heaven (Origen).

To you our praise is due
in Zion, O God.
To you we pay our vows,
you who hear our prayer.

To you all flesh will come
with its burden of sin.
Too heavy for us, our offenses,
but you wipe them away.

Blessed is he whom you choose and call
to dwell in your courts.
We are filled with the blessings of your house,
of your holy temple.

You keep your pledge with wonders,
O God our savior,
the hope of all the earth
and of far distant isles.

You uphold the mountains with your strength,
you are girded with power.
You still the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves
and the tumult of the peoples.

The ends of the earth stand in awe
at the sight of your wonders.
The lands of sunrise and sunset
you fill with your joy.

You care for the earth, give it water,
you fill it with riches.
Your river in heaven brims over
to provide its grain.
And thus you provide for the earth;

you drench its furrows,
you level it, soften it with showers,
you bless its growth.

You crown the year with your goodness.
Abundance flows in your steps,
in the pastures of the wilderness it flows.

The hills are girded with joy,
the meadows covered with flocks,
the valleys are decked with wheat.
They shout for joy, yes, they sing.

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.

Psalm-prayer

Lord God, hope of all the earth, hear the humble prayer of your children as we sing your praises. Pour out your Spirit on us so that our lives may bear fruit abundantly.

Ant. To you, O God, our praise is due in Zion.

READING Romans 12:1-2

Brothers, I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.

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

In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.
In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.

He will never lose his way;
the law of God is his guide.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. He lived a holy life; Benedict, blessed in name and in grace.

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. He lived a holy life; Benedict, blessed in name and in grace.

INTERCESSIONS

My brothers, let us praise Christ, asking to serve him and to be holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. Let us acclaim him:
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You desired to experience everything we experience but sin,
have mercy on us, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You called us to love perfectly,
make us holy, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You commissioned us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world,
let your light shine on us, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You desired to serve, not to be served,
help us, Lord Jesus, to give humble service to you and to our neighbors.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You are in the form of God sharing in the splendor of the Father,
Lord Jesus, let us see the glory of your face.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

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

O God,
who made the Abbot Saint Benedict
an outstanding master in the school of divine service,
grant, we pray, that, putting nothing before love of you,
we may hasten with a loving heart in the way of your commands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of 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.

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Personal Reflections

The Faith Journey of our Community

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Rebecca on July 11th, 2023 at 10:11

Jesus Mary Joseph we love you, save souls. Amen. All to Jesus through Mary. Amen. And St. Benedict pray for us. Amen.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, my soul, why groan within me? Hope in God; I will praise him still, my savior and...
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Leticias Yap on July 11th, 2023 at 7:39

O Lord God you are my guide who will lead me to right path of life. Grant me the grace to be sorry for my sins and fedelity of heart. Thank you Lord for your mercy and compassion.
O Lord God you safe us the stress of life, guide us to be holy and be the glory of your kingdom. Be with us forever and now as ever. Amen.
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