9.56am on Monday 10 February 2025

Morning Prayer (Matins) in Contemporary Language


Please note: Daily Prayer provided by the official Church of England web site, © The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2002-2004.

Morning Prayer on Monday
Monday, 10 February 2025
Scholastica, sister of Benedict, Abbess of Plombariola, c.543 [Commemoration]

Preparation

O Lord, open our lips
Alland our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

The Acclamation of Christ at the Dawning of the Day (page 108) may replace the Preparation as the start of Morning Prayer on any occasion.

One or more of the following is said or sung:

One of these prayers of thanksgiving (page 109),

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
You founded the earth in the beginning
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
and in these last days you have spoken to us
in your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us
let the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives
and your praises ever be on our lips.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

(or)

Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AllBlessed be God for ever.

after Lancelot Andrewes (1626)

or a suitable hymn,

or A Song of God’s Compassion

1The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great kindness.

2He will not always accuse us,
neither will he keep his anger for ever.

3He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

4For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his mercy upon those who fear him.

5As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he set our sins from us.

6As a father has compassion on his children,
so is the Lord merciful towards those who fear him.

7For he knows of what we are made;
he remembers that we are but dust.

8Our days are but as grass;
we flourish as a flower of the field;

9For as soon as the wind goes over it, it is gone,
and its place shall know it no more.

10But the merciful goodness of the Lord is from of old
and endures for ever on those who fear him,
and his righteousness on children’s children;

11On those who keep his covenant
and remember his commandments to do them.

Psalm 103.8-18

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

This opening prayer may be said

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.

Silence is kept.

As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Word of God

Psalmody

The appointed psalmody is said.

Psalm 27

Refrain: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear? 
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes,
came upon me to eat up my flesh, 
they stumbled and fell.

3 Though a host encamp against me,
my heart shall not be afraid, 
and though there rise up war against me,
yet will I put my trust in him.

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord
and that alone I seek; 
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,

5 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord 
and to seek his will in his temple.

6 For in the day of trouble
he shall hide me in his shelter; 
in the secret place of his dwelling shall he hide me
and set me high upon a rock.

7 And now shall he lift up my head 
above my enemies round about me;

8 Therefore will I offer in his dwelling an oblation
with great gladness; 
I will sing and make music to the Lord. R

9 Hear my voice, O Lord, when I call; 
have mercy upon me and answer me.

10 My heart tells of your word, ‘Seek my face.’ 
Your face, Lord, will I seek.

11 Hide not your face from me, 
nor cast your servant away in displeasure.

12 You have been my helper; 
leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

13 Though my father and my mother forsake me, 
the Lord will take me up.

14 Teach me your way, O Lord; 
lead me on a level path,
because of those who lie in wait for me.

15 Deliver me not into the will of my adversaries, 
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and those who breathe out violence.

16 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord 
in the land of the living.

17 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and he shall comfort your heart; 
wait patiently for the Lord.

Refrain: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

God, our light and our salvation,
illuminate our lives,
that we may see your goodness in the land of the living,
and, looking on your beauty,
may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalm 30

Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead.

1 I will exalt you, O Lord,
because you have raised me up 
and have not let my foes triumph over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried out to you 
and you have healed me.

3 You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; 
you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit.

4 Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; 
give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,
his favour for a lifetime. 
Heaviness may endure for a night,
but joy comes in the morning. R

6 In my prosperity I said,
‘I shall never be moved. 
You, Lord, of your goodness,
have made my hill so strong.’

7 Then you hid your face from me 
and I was utterly dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cried; 
to the Lord I made my supplication:

9 ‘What profit is there in my blood,
if I go down to the Pit? 
Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?

10 ‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; 
O Lord, be my helper.’ R

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; 
you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;

12 Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; 
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead.

Lord, you hide your face
when we trust in ourselves;
strip us of false security
and re-clothe us in your praise,
that we may know you
as the one who raises us from death,
as you raised your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Each psalm or group of psalms may end with

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

If there are two Scripture readings, the first may be read here, or both may be read after the canticle.

Joel 1.1-14

The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel:


Hear this, O elders,
   give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
   or in the days of your ancestors?
Tell your children of it,
   and let your children tell their children,
   and their children another generation.


What the cutting locust left,
   the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
   the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
   the destroying locust has eaten.


Wake up, you drunkards, and weep;
   and wail, all you wine-drinkers,
over the sweet wine,
   for it is cut off from your mouth.
For a nation has invaded my land,
   powerful and innumerable;
its teeth are lions’ teeth,
   and it has the fangs of a lioness.
It has laid waste my vines,
   and splintered my fig trees;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
   their branches have turned white.


Lament like a virgin dressed in sackcloth
   for the husband of her youth.
The grain-offering and the drink-offering are cut off
   from the house of the Lord.
The priests mourn,
   the ministers of the Lord.
The fields are devastated,
   the ground mourns;
for the grain is destroyed,
   the wine dries up,
   the oil fails.


Be dismayed, you farmers,
   wail, you vine-dressers,
over the wheat and the barley;
   for the crops of the field are ruined.
The vine withers,
   the fig tree droops.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple—
   all the trees of the field are dried up;
surely, joy withers away
   among the people.


Put on sackcloth and lament, you priests;
   wail, you ministers of the altar.
Come, pass the night in sackcloth,
   you ministers of my God!
Grain-offering and drink-offering
   are withheld from the house of your God.


Sanctify a fast,
   call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
   and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
   and cry out to the Lord.

Canticle

A Song of Deliverance, or another suitable canticle, for example, number 40 (page 591), may be said

Refrain:

AllAll the earth, shout and sing for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One. Alleluia.

1‘Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust and will not be afraid;

2‘For the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and has become my salvation.’

3With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

4On that day you will say,
‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name;

5‘Make known his deeds among the nations,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

6‘Sing God’s praises, who has triumphed gloriously;
let this be known in all the world.

7‘Shout and sing for joy, you that dwell in Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.‘

Isaiah 12.2-6

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

AllAll the earth, shout and sing for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading

One or more readings appointed for the day are read.

The reading(s) may be followed by a time of silence.

John 15.1-11

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

A suitable song or chant, or a responsory in this or another form, may follow

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
AllTrust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.
In all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make straight your paths.
AllTrust in the Lord with all your heart.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
AllTrust in the Lord with all your heart;
and be not wise in your own sight.

from Proverbs 3

Gospel Canticle

The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah) is normally said,
or the Te Deum Laudamus (A Song of the Church) (page 636) may be said

Refrain:

AllYou have set us free to worship you without fear,
holy and righteous in your sight.

1Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.

2He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.

3Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,

4To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.

5This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

6Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

7And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

8To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.

9In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

10To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1.68-79

AllGlory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

Refrain:

AllYou have set us free to worship you without fear,
holy and righteous in your sight.

Prayers

Intercessions are offered
for the day and its tasks
for the world and its needs
for the Church and her life

Prayers may include the following concerns from the cycle on pages 362–363

The media and the arts
Farming and fishing
Commerce and industry
Those whose work is unfulfilling, stressful or fraught with danger
All who are unemployed

One of the forms of prayer found on pages 362–371 may be used.

These responses may be used

Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer

(or)

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Silence may be kept.

The Collect of the day is said

O God,
you know us to be set
in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
grant to us such strength and protection
as may support us in all dangers
and carry us through all temptations;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
AllAmen.

The Lord’s Prayer is said

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray

AllOur Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

(or)

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

AllOur 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Conclusion

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
AllAmen.

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
AllThanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

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