Invitatory
V. Lord, open thou my mouth.
R. And my mouth shall declare thy praise.
Antiphon: Let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
Psalm 94 (95)
Come let us praise the Lord with joy:
let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;
and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
For in his hand are all the ends of the earth:
and the heights of the mountains are his.
For the sea is his, and he made it:
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come let us adore and fall down:
and weep before the Lord that made us.
For he is the Lord our God:
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Let us adore the Lord, for he is our God.
Hymn
Now That the Daylight Fills the Sky
(Jam lucis orto sidere – Public Domain)
Now that the daylight fills the sky,
We lift our hearts to God on high,
That He, in all we do or say,
Would keep us free from harm today;
Would guard our hearts and tongues from strife;
From anger’s din would shield our life;
From evil sights would turn our eyes,
And close our ears to vanities;
Would keep our inmost conscience pure;
Our souls from folly would secure;
And, through the desert of this day,
Would guide our steps in wisdom’s way.
O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
Shall live and reign eternally. Amen.
Psalmody
Antiphon 1
My soul thirsts for you, O Lord my God.
Psalm 62 (63)
O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day.
For thee my soul hath thirsted;
for thee my flesh, O how many ways!
In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water:
so in the sanctuary have I come before thee,
to see thy power and thy glory.
For thy mercy is better than lives:
thee my lips shall praise.
Thus will I bless thee all my life long:
and in thy name I will lift up my hands.
Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness:
and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.
If I have remembered thee upon my bed,
I will meditate on thee in the morning:
because thou hast been my helper.
Glory be to the Father…
Antiphon 2
Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord.
Canticle – Daniel 3:57–88, 56
All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
O ye heavens, bless the Lord.
O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord.
O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
O ye children of men, bless the Lord.
Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Ghost:
let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven:
and worthy of praise, and glorious, and exalted above all for ever.
Antiphon 3
Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Psalm 148
Praise ye the Lord from the heavens:
praise ye him in the high places.
Praise ye him, all his angels:
praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, O sun and moon:
praise him, all ye stars and light.
Kings of the earth and all people:
princes and all judges of the earth.
Young men and maidens,
let the old with the younger praise the name of the Lord.
For his name alone is exalted.
Glory be to the Father…
Short Reading
Romans 13:11–12
And that, knowing the season, that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is passed, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light.
Responsory
V. The Lord is my strength and my praise.
R. The Lord is my strength and my praise.
V. He is become my salvation.
R. The Lord is my strength and my praise.
Glory be to the Father…
Benedictus
Antiphon: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he hath visited and redeemed his people.
Luke 1:68–79
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us,
in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers,
and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him,
all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people,
unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God,
in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death:
to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father…
Intercessions
Let us bless Christ, the light of the world.
— Lord, guide us in your light.
Grant that we may live this day in holiness and charity.
— Lord, guide us in your light.
Teach us to seek the things that are above.
— Lord, guide us in your light.
May our work today give glory to your name.
— Lord, guide us in your light.
Concluding Prayer
O God, who dost enlighten every man that cometh into this world, enlighten our hearts, we beseech thee, with the splendor of thy grace; that we may always think such things as are worthy of thee, and may love thee sincerely. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Paradox of the Day
We do not rise because we are rested; we rise because we are called.
G.K. Chesterton Quote
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
Reflection
Morning is not a recovery of strength; it is a renewal of allegiance.
We imagine that sleep restores us. But if that were the whole story, a mattress would be a savior. No — what truly restores a man is not unconsciousness but obedience. The sun rises not because it has slept well, but because it has been commanded. And so do we.
St. Paul does not say, “Wake when you feel ready.” He says, “It is now the hour.” The Christian life is not governed by mood but by summons. The armor of light is laid out before we have quite decided whether we wish to fight. And that is precisely why it is armor.
There is something bracing in this. We are not drifting through another accidental Tuesday. We are marching into a field already claimed by Christ. The night is not merely darker; it is defeated. The day is not merely brighter; it is promised.
To wake as a Christian is to accept that the universe has direction. The dawn is not an empty glow but a signal flare.
So rise — not because you are strong enough, but because He is faithful enough.
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