THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
June 24

Morning Prayer


Invitatory
The Invitatory opens the first Office of the day. If the Office of Readings is the first Office of the day, begin below.

Lord, open my lips.
 - And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Psalm 95 is the traditional Invitatory Psalm. Psalm 24, 67, or 100 may be substituted.

Antiphon: Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lamb of God proclaimed by John.




Morning Prayer
Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist
June 24
______

Lord open my lips
And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

HYMN

The great forerunner of the morn,
The herald of the Word, is born:
And faithful hearts shall never fail
With thanks and praise his light to hail.

With heavenly message Gabriel came,
That John should be that herald's name,
And with prophetic utterance told
His actions great and manifold.

John, still unborn, yet gave aright
His witness to the coming Light;
And Christ, the Sun of all of all the earth,
Fulfilled that witness at His birth.

Of woman born shall never be
A greater prophet than was he,
Whose mighty deeds exalt his fame
To greater than a prophet's name.

But why should mortal accents raise
The hymn of John the Baptist's praise?
Of whom, or e'er his course was run,
Thus spake the Father to the Son?

“Behold, My herald, who shall go
Before Thy face Thy way to show,
And shine, as with the day-star's gleam,
Before Thine own eternal beam.”

All praise to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
Forever and forevermore.
Words: The Venerable Bede (673-735) (Praecursor altus luminis); translated by John M. Neale in The Hymnal Noted, 1854. Music: Beccles, C. Gall, 1625.



PSALMODY

Ant. 1: You shall name the child John, and many will rejoice at his birth.

Psalm 63:2-9
A soul thirsting for God
 Whoever has left the darkness of sin yearns for God

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you.
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast. Glory...

Ant. 1: You shall name the child John, and many will rejoice at his birth.


Ant. 2: In the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before the Lord to prepare a people worthy of him.

Canticle  -  Daniel 3:57-88,56
Let all creatures praise the Lord
All you servants of the Lord, sing praise to him (Revelation 19:5)

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.

Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.

O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.

Ant. 2: In the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before the Lord to prepare a people worthy of him.


Ant. 3: You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.

Psalm 149
The joy of God's holy people
Let the sons of the Church, the children of the new people, rejoice in Christ, their King (Hesychius)

Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips
and a two-edged sword in their hand,

to deal out vengeance to the nations
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained;
this honor is for all his faithful. Glory...

Ant. 3: You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.


READING          Malachi 3:23-24
Lo, I will send you
  Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the Lord comes,
  the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
  and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
  the land with doom.


RESPONSORY
He will be great in the eyes of the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
- He will be great in the eyes of the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
He will go before the Lord to prepare a people worthy for him,
- and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
- He will be great in the eyes of the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.


BENEDICTUS (Canticle of Zechariah)
Antiphon: The mouth of Zechariah was opened and he spoke this prophecy: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.


INTERCESSIONS
In faith, let us call upon Christ who sent John to prepare for his coming:

             Dawn from on high, break upon us.

Your coming caused John the Baptist to leap for joy in his mother’s womb,
  -  help us to rejoice at your coming among us.

Through the life and preaching of John the Baptist you showed us the way of penitence,
  -  turn our hearts to follow the commandments of your kingdom.

You willed that your coming among men should be announced by John the Baptist,
  -  send new heralds to proclaim you throughout the world.

You wished to be baptized by John in the Jordan to fulfil all that the Father required,
  -  help us to do the Father's will.


Our Father...


PRAYER
O God, you raised up John the Baptist
to prepare a perfect people for Christ the Lord.
Give your Church joy in spirit
and guide those who believe in you
into the way of salvation and peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
 who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
 God for ever and ever.


May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.


 
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