Prayer during the day sample

PRAYER DURING THE DAY

FROM THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS

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PRAYER DURING THE DAY

FROM THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS

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CONTENTS Introduction............................................................... 7 Week 1 ...................................................................... 11 Sunday................................................................. 11 Monday................................................................ 17 Tuesday................................................................ 24 Wednesday........................................................... 31 Thursday.............................................................. 37 Friday................................................................... 44 Saturday............................................................... 51 Week 2 ...................................................................... 58 Sunday................................................................. 58 Monday................................................................ 63 Tuesday................................................................ 70 Wednesday........................................................... 77 Thursday.............................................................. 84 Friday................................................................... 91 Saturday............................................................... 98 Week 3 .................................................................... 105 Sunday............................................................... 105 Monday.............................................................. 111 Tuesday.............................................................. 119

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Wednesday......................................................... 126 Thursday............................................................ 133 Friday................................................................. 141 Saturday............................................................. 148 Week 4 .................................................................... 155 Sunday............................................................... 155 Monday.............................................................. 161 Tuesday.............................................................. 167 Wednesday......................................................... 174 Thursday............................................................ 181 Friday................................................................. 188 Saturday............................................................. 195

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INTRODUCTION

d Prayer During the Day

Christ himself told us about the need to pray continually and never to lose heart (Lk 18:1). The Church has faithfully followed this exhortation by never ceasing in her prayer, and by urging us to pray not only in the Eucharist but also in the ‘Liturgy of the Hours’ – of which Prayer During the Day forms a part.

The Liturgy of the Hours is meant to sanctify our whole day and all our activities. It is split into different ‘Hours’ to be prayed during different parts of the day – morning, midday, evening and night. Prayer During the Day comes between Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. There are slight variations depending whether we say it before noon, at midday or in the afternoon. It offers us a time of peace to turn our minds and hearts to God in the midst of our day’s duties and preoccupations.

A liturgical calendar should be consulted to find out which week of the four-week Psalter cycle it is. Special feast days and so forth can have their own proper prayers and these can be found in the full version of The Liturgy of the Hours.

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Prayer During the Day should be a dialogue between God and us, and its simple structure reflects that: a Hymn, the Psalms, Scripture Reading, and Concluding Prayer.

After the opening words, we begin with a hymn of praise and thanksgiving.

Next there is the Psalmody – a reading from one or more of the Psalms. Before each Psalm, we say a brief antiphon which recalls an important theme or line from the Psalm, and after each and every Psalm we say the ‘Glory be’ prayer, after which we repeat the antiphon.

Next, we read a short passage of Scripture, and then, to ‘respond’ to the Scripture passage, there is a brief prayerful formula called the Responsory, which gathers the Word of God to our hearts. There is a choice of three short readings, depending on the time at which the prayer is said.

Prayer During the Day finishes with a brief prayer and short act of praise or thanksgiving. This ‘Hour’ is a deeply rewarding way to punctuate the day, and may be said individually or communally. Where it is said communally, the Psalms can be recited antiphonally (i.e. alternate stanzas or couplets marked with asterisks by alternate people or parts of the assembly).

CTS Editorial Staff 8

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Week 1 Sunday

d V O God, come to our aid.

R O Lord, make haste to help us.

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. (Alleluia) HYMN

O blessed Lord, Creator God, In you all things are rendered pure, By you are strengthened to endure.

O blessed, holy hand of God, All things are sanctified by you; Adorned, enriched, you make them new.

O blessed Majesty of God, Containing all that you have filled; All things are done as you have willed.

O blessed, holy Trinity, Serene and certain in your ways; You are the light of endless days.

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PSALMODY

Ant. 1: It is good to find refuge in the Lord; his love endures for ever, alleluia.

Song of rejoicing in salvation

Psalm 117(118)

This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the corner stone (Ac 4:11) I Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ✽ for his love endures for ever.

Let the sons of Israel say: ✽ ‘His love endures for ever.’

Let the sons of Aaron say: ✽ ‘His love endures for ever.’

Let those who fear the Lord say: ✽ ‘His love endures for ever.’

I called to the Lord in my distress; ✽ he answered and freed me.

The Lord is at my side; I do not fear. ✽ What can man do against me?

The Lord is at my side as my helper: ✽ I shall look down on my foes.

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Solemnities – Week 1

It is better to take refuge in the Lord ✽ than to trust in men: it is better to take refuge in the Lord ✽ than to trust in princes.

(Glory be...)

Ant. It is good to find refuge in the Lord; his love endures for ever, alleluia.

Ant. 2: The Lord is my strength and my song, alleluia.

II The nations all encompassed me; ✽ in the Lord’s name I crushed them.

They compassed me, compassed me about; ✽ in the Lord’s name I crushed them.

They compassed me about like bees; † they blazed like a fire among thorns. ✽ In the Lord’s name I crushed them.

I was hard-pressed and was falling ✽ but the Lord came to help me.

The Lord is my strength and my song; he is my saviour.

There are shouts of joy and victory ✽ in the tents of the just.

✽

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed; ✽ his right hand raised me.

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The Lord’s right hand has triumphed; † I shall not die, I shall live ✽ and recount his deeds.

I was punished, I was punished by the Lord ✽ but not doomed to die.

(Glory be...)

Ant. The Lord is my strength and my song, alleluia.

Ant. 3: I will praise you, Lord, for you have answered me, alleluia.

III Open to me the gates of holiness: ✽ I will enter and give thanks.

This is the Lord’s own gate ✽ where the just may enter.

I will thank you for you have answered ✽ and you are my saviour.

The stone which the builders rejected ✽ has become the corner stone.

This is the work of the Lord, ✽ a marvel in our eyes.

This day was made by the Lord; ✽ we rejoice and are glad.

O Lord, grant us salvation; ✽ O Lord, grant success.

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S u n d ay s

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Solemnities – Week 1

Blessed in the name of the Lord ✽ is he who comes.

We bless you from the house of the Lord; ✽ the Lord God is our light.

Go forward in procession with branches ✽ even to the altar.

You are my God, I thank you. ✽ My God, I praise you.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; ✽ for his love endures for ever.

(Glory be...)

Ant. I will praise you, Lord, for you have answered me, alleluia.

SCRIPTURE READING Before Noon

1 Jn 4:16

We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves. God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him.

V Bend my heart to your will, O God. R By your word, give me life.

Midday

Ga 6:8

A man will reap what he sows; if nature is his seedground, nature will give him a perishable harvest, if his 15

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seed-ground is the spirit, it will give him a harvest of eternal life.

V Your word, O Lord, stands firm for ever.

R Your truth lasts from age to age.

Afternoon

Ga 6:9-10

Let us not be discouraged over our acts of charity; we shall reap when the time comes, if we persevere in them. Let us practise generosity to all, while the opportunity is ours; and above all, to those who are of one family with us in the faith.

V I called with all my heart; Lord, hear me.

R I will keep your commandments.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

In your love, Lord, answer our humble prayer: give us the grace to see what we have to do and the strength to do it.

(We make our prayer) through our Lord.

CONCLUSION OF THE HOUR

Let us praise the Lord.

R Thanks be to God.

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