Holy Saturday - Morning Prayer
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Light a candle, it will help with prayer.
In the name of the Father …
Play a piece of Music
Psalm 63 (64) - A prayer against enemies
Antiphon
They will mourn for him as for an only son, since it is the innocent one of the Lord who has been slain.
Hear my vóice, O Gód, as I compláin, *
guard my lífe from dréad of the fóe.
Híde me from the bánd of the wícked, *
from the thróng of thóse who do évil.
They shárpen their tóngues like swórds; *
they áim bitter wórds like árrows
to shóot at the ínnocent from ámbush, *
shóoting súddenly and récklessly.
They schéme their évil cóurse; *
they conspíre to lay sécret snáres.
They sáy: ‘Whó will sée us? *
Whó can séarch out our crímes?’
He will séarch who séarches the mínd *
and knóws the dépths of the héart.
Gód has shót them with his árrow *
and déalt them súdden wóunds.
Their ówn tongue has bróught them to rúin *
and áll who sée them móck.
Thén will áll men féar; *
they will téll what Gód has dóne.
They will únderstánd God’s déeds. *
The júst will rejóice in the Lórd
and flý to hím for réfuge. *
All the úpright héarts will glóry.
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
They will mourn for him as for an only son, since it is the innocent one of the Lord who has been slain.
Psalm-prayer
Father, you gave your Son victory over the men who plotted evil against him; when he cried to you in his agony, you delivered him from fear of his enemies. May those who suffer with him in this life find refuge and success in you.
Canticle Isaiah 38 The psalm of Hezekiah on recovering from sickness
Antiphon
Save my soul from the gates of hell, Lord.
I said, In the noontide of my days I must depart; †
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol *
for the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see the Lord *
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon man no more *
among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me *
like a shepherd’s tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life; *
he cuts me off from the loom.
From day to night you bring me to an end; *
I cry for help until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones; *
from day to night you bring me to an end.
Like a swallow or a crane I clamour, *
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward. *
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.
Lo, it was for my welfare *
that I had great bitterness;
but you have held back my life *
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins *
behind your back.
For Sheol cannot thank you, *
death cannot praise you;
those who go down to the pit *
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, he thanks you, †
as I do this day; *
the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.
The Lord will save me, *
and we will sing to stringed instruments
all the days of our life, *
at the house of the Lord.
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
Save my soul from the gates of hell, Lord.
Psalm 150 Praise the Lord
Antiphon
I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of hell.
Práise Gód in his hóly pláce, *
práise him in his míghty héavens.
Práise him for his pówerful déeds, *
práise his surpássing gréatness.
O práise him with sóund of trúmpet, *
práise him with lúte and hárp.
Práise him with tímbrel and dánce, *
práise him with stríngs and pípes.
O práise him with resóunding cýmbals, *
práise him with cláshing of cýmbals.
Let éverything that líves and that bréathes *
give práise to the Lórd.
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
I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of hell.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, maker of heaven and earth and of all created things, you make your just one holy and you justify sinners who confess your name. Hear us as we humbly pray to you: give us eternal joy with your saints.
Short Reading - Hosea 5:15-6:2
The Lord says this: They will search for me in their misery. ‘Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wounds; after a day or two he will bring us back to life, on the third day he will raise us and we shall live in his presence.’
Pause for a few moments in silence
Christ humbled himself for us and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on a cross. Therefore God raised him to the heights and gave him the name which is above all other names.
Canticle - Benedictus
Antiphon
Save us, Saviour of the world. By your cross and the shedding of your blood you have redeemed us. Come to help us, Lord, our God.
Bléssed be the Lórd, the Gód of Ísrael! *
He has vísited his péople and redéemed them.
He has raised úp for ús a mighty sáviour *
in the hóuse of Dávid his sérvant,
as he prómised by the líps of holy mén, *
thóse who were his próphets from of óld.
A sáviour who would frée us from our fóes, *
from the hánds of áll who háte us.
So his lóve for our fáthers is fulfílled *
and his hóly covenant remémbered.
He swóre to Ábraham our fáther to gránt us, *
that frée from féar, and sáved from the hánds of our fóes,
we might sérve him in hóliness and jústice *
all the dáys of our lífe in his présence.
As for yóu, little chíld, *
you shall be cálled a próphet of Gód, the Most Hígh.
You shall go ahéad of the Lórd *
to prépare his wáys befóre him,
To make knówn to his péople their salvátion *
through forgíveness of áll their síns,
the loving-kíndness of the héart of our Gód *
who vísits us like the dáwn from on hígh.
He will give líght to those in dárkness, †
those who dwéll in the shádow of déath, *
and gúide us into the wáy of péace.
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
Save us, Saviour of the world. By your cross and the shedding of your blood you have redeemed us. Come to help us, Lord, our God.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to our Redeemer, who suffered for us, was buried, and rose from the dead. – Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, our Lord, you saw your mother standing by the cross; may we share your saving passion in our time of suffering. – Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, our Saviour, you died like a grain of wheat falling into the ground; gather us to yourself in the harvest of redemption. – Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, our shepherd, lying in the tomb you were hidden from men; teach us to love our real life, which is hidden with you in God. – Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, the new Adam, you went down into the world of the dead to free the just; may those who are dead in sin hear your voice and live. – Lord, have mercy on us.
Son of the living God, we were buried with you in baptism; let us rise with you, alive to God for ever. – Lord, have mercy on us.
Our Father …
Prayer
Almighty, ever-living God,
whose Only-Begotten Son descended to the realm of the dead,
and rose from there to glory,
grant that your faithful people,
who were buried with him in baptism,
may, by his resurrection, obtain eternal life.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.