This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 31. Your local date is .
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Ribbon Placement:
Ordinary: 618
Proper of Saints: 1455
Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I, 652
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Proper of Saints: 1277
Psalms and canticle from Sunday, Week I, 707
Morning Prayer for the Memorial of Guardian Angels
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
O great creator of the world,
Your Hand divine has fashioned all,
And with an equal providence
You guard us lest we fail and fall.
Be present with us while we pray,
Poor sinners, but your children too,
From dawn to dusk, most loving Lord,
enrich our souls with light anew.
Each angel whom you have assigned
To help and guide us night and day,
Be present, also, pure and strong,
To keep all harm and sin away.
May he be ever at our side
To bid the hostile fiend depart,
Lest he ensnare with his deceits
The heedless and unwary heart.
And may he shield us from the fear
Of enemies and constant strife,
Averting pestilence and woe
That peace may truly bless our life.
All glory to the Father be,
Who by his angels fear dispels,
From souls whom God the Son redeemed,
In whom the Holy Spirit dwells. Amen.
𝄞 | "O Great Creator of the World" by Kathleen Lundquist, Sara Faux • Title: O Great Creator of the World; Text: Orbis patrator optime; 16th-17th c.; Tr. St. Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK; Tune: Chant, Mode III; Liber Hymnarius; Artist: Kathleen Lundquist; Accompaniment: Sara Faux; Recording copyright 2017 by Surgeworks, Inc. |
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 The Lord will send his angel to accompany you and to guide you safely on your way.
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. The Lord will send his angel to accompany you and to guide you safely on your way.
Ant. 2 Blessed be God who sent his angels to rescue his faithful servants.
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 forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.
Ant. Blessed be God who sent his angels to rescue his faithful servants.
Ant. 3 Praise the Lord, all you heavenly hosts of angels.
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. Praise the Lord, all you heavenly hosts of angels.
READING Exodus 23:20-21a
See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and heed his voice.
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 presence of the angels, I will sing to you, my God.
— In the presence of the angels, I will sing to you, my God.
I will praise your name.
— I will sing to you, my God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— In the presence of the angels, I will sing to you, my God.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Ant. They are all ministering spirits, sent to care for those on the way to salvation.
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. They are all ministering spirits, sent to care for those on the way to salvation.
INTERCESSIONS
With one voice the choirs of angels sing their unceasing praise of the Lord. Let us join in their worship as we proclaim:
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You commanded your angels to guard us in all our ways,
— keep us from sin as you lead us in your path this day.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Father, the angels stand for ever before your face,
— nourish in us a never-failing hope of coming at last into your presence.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Your children will be like the angels in heaven,
— grant us chastity in both mind and body.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Send Michael, the prince of the heavenly hosts, to the aid of your people,
— may he defend them against Satan and his angels on the day of battle.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
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 in your unfathomable providence
are pleased to send your holy Angels to guard us,
hear our supplication as we cry to you,
that we may always be defended by their protection
and rejoice eternally in their company.
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.
The Faith Journey of our Community
Arlene on October 2nd, 2023 at 11:48
Arlene on Morning Prayer - Memorial for Guardian Angels on October 2nd, 2023 at 10:54onette de vera on October 2nd, 2023 at 6:29
“Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”Janet James on October 2nd, 2023 at 2:13
Janet James on Morning Prayer - Memorial for Guardian Angels on October 2nd, 2023 at 1:29