Opening
Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Hymn
In the stillness, one true Word Is enough to hold the soul. We do not come to master you; We come to be made whole. Open the book, open the heart. Where we have hurried, slow us down. Where we have feared, be near and kind Until your light is found.
Original – Prayer on Fire
Psalm I
Antiphon
Feed me with what endures when lesser lights fade.
Psalm 24 (23):7–10
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates. And the King of Glory shall enter. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord who is strong and powerful; the Lord powerful in battle. Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates. And the King of Glory shall enter. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of virtue. He himself is the King of Glory.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon
Feed me with what endures when lesser lights fade.
Psalm II
Antiphon
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Psalm 46 (45):2–3, 5–6
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
Our God is our refuge and strength, a helper in the tribulations that have greatly overwhelmed us. Because of this, we will not be afraid when the earth will be turbulent and the mountains will be transferred into the heart of the sea. The frenzy of the river rejoices the city of God. The Most High has sanctified his tabernacle. God is in its midst; it will not be shaken. God will assist it in the early morning.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Silence
Let the last verse rest in you.
First Reading
Sirach 6:5–17
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
A sweet word multiplies friends and mitigates enemies. And thankful words abound in a good man. Allow many to be at peace with you, but allow one out of a thousand to be your counselor. If you would obtain a friend, test him before you accept him, and do not trust him readily. For there is a friend according to his own time, but he will not remain in the day of tribulation. And there is a friend who can be turned to animosity. And there is a friend who will reveal hatred and ridicule and insults. And there is a friend who is a companion at table, but he will not remain in a day of need. A friend, if he remains steadfast, will be to you as you are to yourself, and he will act with faithfulness among those of your household. If he humbles himself before you and hides himself from your face, you shall have a noble and harmonious friendship. Distance yourself from your enemies, and pay attention to your friends. A faithful friend is a strong shelter, and whoever has found one has found a treasure. Nothing is comparable to a faithful friend, and no weight of silver or gold is worth more than the goodness of his fidelity. A faithful friend is a medicine for life and immortality; and those who fear the Lord will find one. He who fears God will have a similar good friendship, because his friend will be like him.
Responsory
This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Second Reading
From On the Unity of the Church by St. Cyprian
public domain
The Lord speaks to Peter, saying, “I say unto you, that you are Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” And although to all the apostles, after His resurrection, He gives an equal power, and says, “As the Father has sent me, even so send I you: Receive the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins you remit, they shall be copremitted unto them; and whose soever sins you retain, they shall be retained;” yet, that He might set forth unity, He arranged by His authority the origin of that unity, as beginning from one. Assuredly the rest of the apostles were also the same as was Peter, endowed with a like partnership both of honour and power; but the beginning proceeds from unity. Which one Church also the Holy Spirit designates in the Song of Songs, and says, “My dove, my undefiled, is one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her.” Does he who does not hold this unity of the Church think that he holds the faith? Does he who strives against and resists the Church trust that he is in the Church?
Intercessions
Let the first word over us today be mercy.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
For those crushed by accusation, even in their own minds.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
For the world you love, that light may find the shadowed places.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
For us, that we may not turn the Word into a weapon.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
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. Amen.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, we offer you the morning — its work, its waiting, and its hidden fears. Keep our first steps near your quiet fire. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.