(Make the sign of the cross with your right thumb on your lips, saying:)

Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

INVITATORY: Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving.

Psalm 101 (100)
My song is of mercy and justice;
I sing to you, O Lord.
I will walk in the way of perfection.
O when, Lord, will you come?

I will walk with blameless heart within my house;
I will not set before my eyes whatever is base.

I will hate the ways of the crooked;
they shall not be my friends.
The false-hearted must keep far away;
the wicked I disown.

The man who secretly slanders his neighbor
I will bring to silence.
Those of proud look and haughty heart
I will never endure.

I look to the faithful in the land
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of perfection
will be my friend.

No one who practices deceit
will live within my house.
No one who utters lies will stand
before my eyes.

Morning by morning I will silence
all the wicked in the land,
uprooting from the city of the Lord
all who do evil.

Glory be 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

Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving.

ANT: I lift up my heart to you, O Lord, and you will hear my morning prayer.

Psalm 5
To my words give ear, O Lord,
give heed to my groaning.
Attend to the sound of my cries,
my King and my God.

It is you whom I invoke, O Lord.
In the morning you hear me;
in the morning I offer you my prayer,
watching and waiting.

You are no God who loves evil;
no sinner is your guest.
The boastful shall not stand their ground
before your face.

You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who lie.
Deceitful and bloodthirsty men
are hateful to you, O Lord.

But I through the greatness of your love
have access to your house.
I bow down before your holy temple,
filled with awe.

Lead me, Lord, in your justice,
because of those who lie in wait;
make clear your way before me.

No truth can be found in their mouths,
their heart is all mischief,
their throat a wide open grave,
all honey their speech.

Declare them guilty, O God.
Let them fail in their designs.
Drive them out for their many offenses,
for they have defied you.

All those you protect shall be glad
and ring out their joy.
You shelter them, in you they rejoice,
those who love your name.

Lord, it is you who bless the upright;
you surround them with favor as with a shield.

Glory be 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: I lift up my heart to you, O Lord, and you will hear my morning prayer.

[Pause and reflect on the previous psalm.]

READING (3 Thessalonians 3:10B-13)
Anyone who would not work should not eat.
We hear that some of you are unruly, not keeping busy but acting like busy-bodies.
We enjoin all such, and we urge them strongly in the Lord Jesus Christ,
to earn the food they eat by working quietly.
You must never grow weary of doing what is right.

[Reflect on the Reading, applying it to your life today.]

ANT: Blessed be the Lord our God.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH (Luke 1:68-79)
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 be 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: Blessed be the Lord our God.

INTERCESSIONS
We esteem Christ above all people, for he was filled with grace and the Holy Spirit.
In faith let us implore him: Give us your Spirit, Lord.

Grant us a peaceful day,
when evening comes we will praise you with joy and purity of heart.

Let your splendor rest upon us today, direct the work of our hands.

May your face shine upon us today, direct the work of our hands.

May your face shine upon us and keep us in peace,
may your strong arm protect us.

Look kindly on all who put their trust in our prayers,
fill them with every bodily and spiritual grace.

[Pray for your special intentions.]

OUR FATHER
And now we pray to God the Father in the words that Jesus taught us.

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.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen

PRAYER
Father, May everything we do begin with your inspiration and continue with your saving help. Let our work always find its origin in you and through you reach completion. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen