From youth he sought to know you well,
Preferred, to all things else, your love
That, freed within the three-fold vow,
His heart be set on things above.

He founded, in his holy zeal,
A school of service of the Lord
Where all might leave self-seeking cares,
That God, in all things, be adored.

His sons and daughters he has formed
To run the way of your commands
Within the cloister and the world,
In common life in many lands.

To man and woman, monk and nun,
Who strive within the rule to grow,
Give purity of heart, grant joy;
That in all thorns, Christ's peace they know.

To Father, Son and Spirit blessed,
From all on earth redeemed by grace:
All glory be to God on high.
In Benedict, we see your face. Amen.
Text: J. Michael Thompson, Byzantine Catholic seminary, 2002; Tune: LM St. Bernard

1

Come, let us sing to the LORD; *
     let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

2

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
     and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

3

For the LORD is a great God, *
     and a great King above all gods.

4

In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
     and the heights of the hills are his also.

5

The sea is his, for he made it, *
     and his hands have molded the dry land.

6

Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
     and kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7

For he is our God,
     and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *

8

Today, if you would hear his voice *
     Harden not your hearts.

1

O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; *
     my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
     as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

2

Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, *
     that I might behold your power and your glory.

3

For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; *
     my lips shall give you praise.

4

So will I bless you as long as I live *
     and lift up my hands in your Name.

5

My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, *
     and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

6

When I remember you upon my bed, *
     and meditate on you in the night watches.

7

For you have been my helper, *
     and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

8

My soul clings to you; *
     your right hand holds me fast.

1

Hallelujah!
Sing to the LORD a new song; *
     sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.

2

Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; *
     let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3

Let them praise his Name in the dance; *
     let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

4

For the LORD takes pleasure in his people *
     and adorns the poor with victory.

5

Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; *
     let them be joyful on their beds.

6

Let the praises of God be in their throat *
     and a two-edged sword in their hand;

7

To wreak vengeance on the nations *
     and punishment on the peoples;

8

To bind their kings in chains *
     and their nobles with links of iron;

9

To inflict on them the judgment decreed; *
     this is glory for all his faithful people.
     Hallelujah!

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
For the LORD will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the LORD;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation:
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice as a light to the peoples.

Responsory

The Lord loved him and adorned him.
- The Lord loved him and adorned him.
God has clothed him with a robe of glory,
- and adorned him.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
- The Lord loved him and adorned him.

As we rise to greet the dawn, let us give praise and thanks to God, who has filled us with the light of the gospel:

                O Lord, be with us.

Loving God, fill our hearts with the light of grace
- and let is shine in our work and in our prayer; we pray:

Be present in our work,
- teach us to treat everything as vessels of the altar; we pray:

Bless us with the gift of good zeal,
- and deepen our love for all our brothers and sisters, we pray:

Help us to progress in the monastic life,
- so with an overflowing heart and inexpressible delight of love,
we may run on the path of your commandments, we pray.

Help us to prefer nothing to the love of Christ,
- and bring us all together to everlasting life, we pray:

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 that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
 but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer (Taken from "Proclaiming All Your Wonders")

God our Father,
each day you invite us through St. Benedict,
to serve you in the monastic way of life.
Help us to listen to your voice,
and to respond to it in praise.
Grant that we may be faithful
to your command of love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.