Morning Prayer
Feast of the Assumption
August 15
______

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

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us (3x)

Opening Sentence:
I shall exult for joy in the Lord, my soul will rejoice in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bride adorned in her jewels. - Isaiah 61:10

Troparia:
In giving birth you preserved your virginity, / In falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. / You were translated to life, O Mother of Life, / And by your prayers, you deliver our souls from death.

Antiphon: Come, let us worship the King of kings; on this day his Virgin Mother was taken up to heaven.

Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)

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

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

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

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

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

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

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

Antiphon: Come, let us worship the King of kings; on this day his Virgin Mother was taken up to heaven.

The Psalms

Antiphon: Blessed are you, O Mary, for the world's salvation came forth through you; now in glory, you rejoice for ever with the Lord.

1
Hallelujah!
Give praise, you servants of the LORD; *
     praise the Name of the LORD.
2
Let the Name of the LORD be blessed, *
     from this time forth for evermore.
3
From the rising of the sun to its going down *
     let the Name of the LORD be praised.
4
The LORD is high above all nations, *
     and his glory above the heavens.
5
Who is like the LORD our God, who sits enthroned on high, *
     but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?
6
He takes up the weak out of the dust *
     and lifts up the poor from the ashes.
7
He sets them with the princes, *
     with the princes of his people.
8
He makes the woman of a childless house *
     to be a joyful mother of children.

Antiphon: Blessed are you, O Mary, for the world's salvation came forth through you; now in glory, you rejoice for ever with the Lord.

Antiphon: The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of angels; let all believers rejoice and bless the Lord.

1
Not to us, O LORD, not to us,
but to your Name give glory; *
     because of your love and because of your faithfulness.
2
Why should the heathen say, *
     "Where then is their God?"
3
Our God is in heaven; *
     whatever he wills to do he does.
4
Their idols are silver and gold, *
     the work of human hands.
5
They have mouths, but they cannot speak; *
     eyes have they, but they cannot see;
6
They have ears but they cannot hear; *
     noses, but they cannot smell;
7
They have hands, but they cannot feel;
feet, but they cannot walk; *
     they make no sound with their throat.
8
Those who make them are like them, *
     and so are all who put their trust in them.
9
O Israel, trust in the LORD; *
     he is their help and their shield.

Antiphon: The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of angels; let all believers rejoice and bless the Lord.

Antiphon: The Lord has made you so glorious that your praise will never cease to resound.

9
O Israel, trust in the LORD; *
     he is their help and their shield.
10
O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; *
     he is their help and their shield.
11
You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; *
     he is their help and their shield.
12
The LORD has been mindful of us, and he will bless us; *
     he will bless the house of Israel;
     he will bless the house of Aaron;
13
He will bless those who fear the LORD, *
     both small and great together.
14
May the LORD increase you more and more, *
     you and your children after you.
15
May you be blessed by the LORD, *
     the maker of heaven and earth.
16
The heaven of heavens is the LORD's, *
     but he entrusted the earth to its peoples.
17
The dead do not praise the LORD, *
     nor all those who go down into silence;
18
But we will bless the LORD, *
     from this time forth for evermore.
     Hallelujah!

Antiphon: The Lord has made you so glorious that your praise will never cease to resound.

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.
First Reading

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah prayed and said,
‘My heart exults in the Lord;
   my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies,
   because I rejoice in my victory.

‘There is no Holy One like the Lord,
   no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
   let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
   and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
   but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
   but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
   but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
   he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
   he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
   he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
   and inherit a seat of honour.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
   and on them he has set the world.

‘He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
   but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
   for not by might does one prevail.
The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;
   the Most High will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
   he will give strength to his king,
   and exalt the power of his anointed.’



Canticle
Ephesians 1:3-10


Antiphon: The Lord God Most High has blessed you, Virgin Mary, above all the women of the earth.

Praised be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ *
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

God chose us in him *
before the world began
to be holy *
and blameless in his sight.

He predestined us *
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure, †
that all might praise the glorious favor *
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.

In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous *
is God's favor to us.

God has given us the wisdom *
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased *
to decree in Christ.

A plan to be carried out *
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him, *
in the heavens and on earth.

Glory 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.


Antiphon: The Lord God Most High has blessed you, Virgin Mary, above all the women of the earth.

Second Reading

John 2:1-12

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there for a few days.


Second Canticle
Benedictus

Antiphon: This daughter of Jerusalem is lovely and beautiful as she ascends to heaven like the rising sun at daybreak.

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 ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.


Antiphon: This daughter of Jerusalem is lovely and beautiful as she ascends to heaven like the rising sun at daybreak.

Responsory

Today the Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven.
- Today the Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven.
For all eternity she shares the victory of Christ.
- The Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
-TToday the Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven.



Collect
O God, you have taken to yourself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Kontakion:
Neither the tomb, nor death could hold the Theotokos, / Who is constant in prayer and our firm hope in her intercessions. / For being the Mother of Life, / She was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb.

Intercessions

Our Saviour deigned to be born of the Virgin Mary. Let us give him worship and turn to him in prayer:
- (R.) Remember Mary, full of grace, and hear our prayers.
Eternal Word, you chose Mary as your incorruptible dwelling-place on earth:
  -  free us from the corruption of sin. (R.)
Our Redeemer, you made the Virgin Mary a pure habitation for you and a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit:
  -  make us an everlasting temple of your Spirit.(R.)
King of kings, by your will your mother was taken up into heaven, body and soul:
  -  keep our minds always on heavenly things.(R.)
Lord of heaven and earth, you brought Mary to stand at your right hand:
  -  grant that we may deserve to share her glory.(R.)
Our Father…

Closing Prayer:
Almighty and ever-living God, you welcomed the immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son, into heaven, body and soul. Grant that we may constantly keep our eyes on heavenly things, and come to deserve a share in her glory.

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.


 
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