+ Holy Thursday Morning Prayer +
There is only ONE Mass celebrated throughout the Diocese this morning and that is the Chrism Mass in the Pro-Cathedral with the Archbishop. Your own regular daily Mass congregation may enjoy praying Morning Prayer together.
All Stand
O God come to our aid: O Lord make haste to help us
Glory be to the Father…: As it was in the beginning…
OPENING HYMN:
Christ be near at either hand, Christ behind before me stand,
Christ with me where’er I go, Christ around, above, below.
Christ be in my head and mind, Christ within my soul enshrined,
Christ control my wayward heart, Christ abide and ne’er depart.
Christ my life and only way, Christ my lantern night and day,
Christ be my unchanging friend, guide and shepherd to the end.
PSALMODY
All sit. The verses of the Psalms can be said or sung alternately by different sides of the congregation, the first doing the verses in normal type, the second leading verses in italics and so on.
PSALM 1: Psalm 56(57) v. 2-7, 9-14
Antiphon. This I know, that God is on my side, In God whose word I praise,
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
They fight me all day long and oppress me
My foes crush me all day long,
For many fight proudly against me
When I fear, I will trust in you,
In God whose word I praise.
In God I trust, I shall not fear:
What can mortal man do to me?
All day long they distort my words,
All their thought is to harm me.
They band together in ambush,
Track me down and seek my life
You have kept and account of my wanderings;
You have kept a record of my tears;
Are they not written in your book?
Then my foes will be put to flight
On the day that I call to you
This I know, that God is on my side.
In God whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
In God I trust: I shall not fear:
What can mortal man do to me?
I am bound by the vows I have made to you.
O God, I will offer you praise
For you have kept my soul from death
You kept my feet from stumbling
That I may walk in the presence of God
And enjoy the light of the living.
Glory be…
Ant. This I know, that God is on my side, In God whose word I praise.
CANTICLE: Isaiah 12:1-6
Ant. See now that God is my salvation; I have trust and no fear
I thank you Lord, you were angry with me
But your anger has passed and you give me comfort
Truly God is my salvation
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
He is my saviour
With joy you will draw water
From the wells of salvation.
Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!
Make his mighty deeds known to peoples.
Declare the greatness of his name
Sing a psalm to the Lord!
For he has done glorious deeds;
Make them known to all the earth.
People of Sion, sing and shout for joy
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory be…
Ant. See now that God is my salvation; I have trust and no fear
PSALM 2: Psalm 56(57)
Ant. My heart is ready, O God, I will sing your praise
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy
For in you my soul has taken refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge
Till the storms of destruction pass by.
I call to God Most High,
To God who has always been my help.
May he send from heaven and save me
And shame those who assail me
May God send his truth and his love.
My soul lies down among lions,
Who would devour the sons of men.
Their teeth are sharpened arrows,
Their tongue a sharpened sword.
O God, arise above the heavens;
May your glory shine on earth!
They laid a snare for my steps,
My soul was bowed down
They dug a pit in my path
But fell in it themselves.
My heart is ready, O God,
My heart is ready.
I will sing, I will sing your praise.
Awake my soul,
Awake lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn.
I will thank you Lord among the peoples,
Among the nations I will praise you
For your love reaches to the heavens
And your truth to the skies.
O God, arise above the heavens;
May your glory shine on earth.
Glory be…
Ant. My heart is ready, O God, I will sing your praise
SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 2:9b – 10.
We see in Jesus one who is now crowned with glory and splendour
because he submitted to death; by God’s grace he had to experience
death for all humankind. As it was his purpose to bring a great many
of his sons into glory, it was appropriate that God, for whom
everything exists and through whom everything exists, should make
perfect through suffering, the leader who would take them to their salvation.
SHORT RESPONSORY:
You have redeemed us Lord by your blood
You have redeemed us Lord by your blood
From every tribe and people and nation,
You have redeemed us Lord by your blood
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
You have redeemed us Lord by your blood
THE BENEDICTUS
Ant. I have longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer
All Stand and say together:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel!
For he has visited his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour
In the house of David his servant,
As he promised by the lips of holy men,
Those who were his prophets from of old.
A saviour who would free us from our foes,
From the hands of all who hate us.
So his love for our fathers is fulfilled
And his holy covenant remembered.
He swore to Abraham our father to grant us,
That freed from fear and saved from the hands of our foes,
We might serve him in holiness and justice
All the days of our life in his presence.
As for you, little child,
You shall be called a prophet of God, the Most High.
You shall go ahead of the Lord
To prepare his ways before him,
To make known to his people their salvation,
Through the forgiveness of all their sins
The loving kindness of the heart of our God
Who visits us like the dawn from on high.
He will give light to those who dwell in darkness,
Those who dwell in the shadow of death,
And guide us into the way of peace.
Glory be …
Ant. I have longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer
INTERCESSIONS:
Let us pray humbly to Christ, the eternal priest, whom the Father anointed
with the Holy Spirit to proclaim release for captives: Lord, have mercy on us.
You went up to Jerusalem to endure the passion and enter into glory; lead
your Church into the paschal feast of eternal life: Lord, have mercy on us.
Your heart was pierced with a lance; heal the wounds of our
human weakness: Lord, have mercy on us.
You made the cross a tree of life; share your victory with all
the baptised: Lord, have mercy on us.
You gave salvation to the repentant thief;
pardon all our sins: Lord, have mercy on us.
OUR FATHER
CONCLUDING PRAYER:
Love of you with our whole heart, Lord God, is holiness.
Increase then your gifts of divine grace in us,
So that, as in your Son’s death,
You made us hope for what we believe,
You may likewise, in his resurrection,
make us come to you, our final end. Amen.
May the Lord bless us, keep us from all harm and lead us to everlasting life. Amen
Let us bless the Lord, Thanks be to God.