Opening
Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Hymn
First light upon the world again, And first light in the soul: Awaken us to mercy, Lord, And make the broken whole. Before the crowded hours arrive, Before the hurried word, Receive this quiet offering— Our yes, already heard.
Original, Prayer on Fire
Psalm I
Antiphon
At daybreak, kindle hope where I am weary.
Psalm 67 (66)
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
May God have mercy on us and bless us. May he shine his countenance upon us, and may he have mercy on us. So may we know your way upon the earth, your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples confess to you, O God. Let all the peoples confess to you. May the nations rejoice and exult. For you judge the peoples with equity, and you direct the nations on earth. Let the peoples confess to you, O God. Let all the peoples confess to you. The earth has provided her fruit. May God, our God, bless us. May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him.
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
At daybreak, kindle hope where I am weary.
Psalm II
Antiphon
New mercy for a new day — I place my plans in your hands.
Psalm 72 (71)
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
Give your judgment, O God, to the king, and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice and your poor with judgment. Let the mountains take up peace for the people, and the hills, justice. He will judge the poor of the people, and he will bring salvation to the sons of the poor. And he will humble the false accuser. And he will remain, with the sun and before the moon, from generation to generation. He will descend like rain upon fleece, and like showers showering upon the earth. In his days, justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away. And he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the limits of the whole world. In his sight, the Ethiopians will fall prostrate, and his enemies will lick the ground. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer gifts. The kings of Arabia and of Seba will bring gifts. And all the kings of the earth shall adore him. All nations will serve him. For he will free the poor from the powerful, and the poor one who has no helper. He will spare the poor and the indigent, and he will bring salvation to the souls of the poor. He will redeem their souls from usuries and from iniquity, and their names shall be honorable in his sight. And he will live, and to him will be given from the gold of Arabia, and by him they will always adore. They will bless him all day long. And there will be a firmament on earth, at the summits of mountains: its fruits will be extolled above Lebanon, and those of the city will flourish like the grass of the earth. May his name be blessed forever; may his name remain before the sun. And all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him. All nations will magnify him. Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. And blessed is the name of his majesty in eternity. And all the earth will be filled with his majesty. Amen. Amen. The praises of David, the son of Jesse, have reached an end.
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
New mercy for a new day — I place my plans in your hands.
Silence
Let the last verse rest in you.
Reading
James 2:12–13
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
So speak and act just as you are beginning to be judged, by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy toward him who has not shown mercy. But mercy exalts itself above judgment.
Responsory
In the morning I lift my prayer to you. And I wait upon your word. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Benedictus
Antiphon
Visit us in the morning, O Lord, and set our feet toward peace.
Luke 1:68–79
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Canticle
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For he has visited and has wrought the redemption of his people. And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant, just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, who are from ages past: salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate us, to accomplish mercy with our fathers, and to call to mind his holy testament, the oath, which he swore to Abraham, our father, that he would grant to us, so that, having been freed from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear, in holiness and in justice before him, throughout all our days. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the face of the Lord: to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people for the remission of their sins, through the heart of the mercy of our God, by which, descending from on high, he has visited us, to illuminate those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to direct our feet in the way of peace.”
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
Visit us in the morning, O Lord, and set our feet toward peace.
Intercessions
Keep us faithful in small duties.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
For marriages, friendships, and promises under strain.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
For priests and religious in their hidden labor.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
For those tempted to quit the good they began.
R. Lord, hear our prayer.
For a love that does not need an audience.
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
God of mercy, begin this day in us. We do not ask for a perfect record, only a faithful love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.