← Prayer Book
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, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Morning Prayer
Thursday, March 5, 2026 • Lent, Week 2 — Thursday
Opening
Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
O God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Hymn
Now in This Fast
Now in this fast, this holy season,
we turn to you, O Lord, and pray;
grant us the grace of true contrition,
to keep your ways throughout this day.
we turn to you, O Lord, and pray;
grant us the grace of true contrition,
to keep your ways throughout this day.
Let not our lips speak idle boasting;
let not our hearts be turned to pride;
but may we fast and pray in secret,
with you, O Lord, at every side.
let not our hearts be turned to pride;
but may we fast and pray in secret,
with you, O Lord, at every side.
Strengthen the frail and weak among us;
Heal the broken and contrite;
grant your forgiveness to the fallen;
and bring the wanderer back to light.
Heal the broken and contrite;
grant your forgiveness to the fallen;
and bring the wanderer back to light.
To God the Father be all glory,
and to his Son who for us died,
and to the Spirit, gift of Easter,
now and for ever glorified.
and to his Son who for us died,
and to the Spirit, gift of Easter,
now and for ever glorified.
Psalmody
Psalm 87A Plea from the Depths
Ant. Turn to me, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried in the day and in the night before you.
Let my prayer come in before you; incline your ear to my petition.
For my soul is filled with evils, and my life has drawn near to hell.
I am counted among those who descend into the pit; I have become like a man without help,
free among the dead, like the wounded sleeping in the sepulchres, who are remembered no more.
And they are cut off from your hand.
They have placed me in the lower pit, in the dark places and in the shadow of death.
Your wrath has been confirmed over me, and you have brought all your waves over me.
You have put away my acquaintances far from me; they have made me an abomination to them.
I was delivered up and did not go out.
My eyes languished from poverty. I cried out to you, O Lord, all day long; I stretched out my hands to you.
Will you work wonders for the dead? Or will physicians raise them to life, and they will confess to you?
Will anyone in the sepulchre declare your mercy and your truth in perdition?
Will your wonders be known in the dark, and your justice in the land of the forgotten?
But I, O Lord, have cried out to you; and in the morning my prayer will anticipate you.
Lord, why do you cast off my prayer? Why do you turn away your face from me?
I am poor and in labors from my youth; and after being exalted, I have been humbled and troubled.
Your wrath has passed over me, and your terrors have troubled me.
They have surrounded me like water all day long; they have encompassed me all together.
Friend and neighbor you have put far from me, and my acquaintances from my wretchedness.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Turn to me, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
Psalm 99Come Before the Lord with Gladness
Ant. Turn to me, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
Shout with joy to God, all the earth; serve the Lord in gladness.
Enter into his sight with rejoicing.
Know that the Lord himself is God; he made us, and not we ourselves.
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter through his gates with praise; enter into his courts with hymns; and confess to him.
Praise his name, for the Lord is sweet; his mercy is forever, and his truth from generation to generation.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Turn to me, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
Old Testament Canticle
Old Testament Canticle (Isaiah 49:7–13)
Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to the contemptible soul, to the abhorred nation, to the servant of rulers.
"Kings will see, and princes will rise up and adore, for the sake of the Lord, because he is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
Thus says the Lord: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you."
"And I have kept you and given you to be a covenant of the people, that you might raise up the earth, and possess the inherited wastes."
"That you might say to those that are bound: 'Come forth.' And to those that are in darkness: 'Show yourselves.'"
"They will feed in the ways, and their pastures will be in every plain."
"They will not hunger, nor thirst, neither will the heat nor the sun strike them."
"For he that is merciful to them will be their shepherd, and at the fountains of waters he will give them drink."
"And I will make all my mountains a way, and my paths will be exalted."
"Behold, these will come from far, and behold, those will come from the north and from the sea, and others from the south land."
Give praise, O you heavens, and rejoice, O earth; give praise, O you mountains, in jubilation, because the Lord has comforted his people and will have mercy on his poor ones.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Gospel Canticle: Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79)
The Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) (Luke 1:68–79)
Ant. Create a clean heart in me, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and accomplished the redemption of his people.
And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant.
As he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets, those who have been from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
To show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant to us,
that being freed from the hand of our enemies, we might serve him without fear,
in holiness and justice before him, throughout all our days.
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways.
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, for the remission of their sins,
through the compassionate mercy of our God, by which the Rising Sun has visited us from on high,
to illuminate those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet in the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Create a clean heart in me, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Short Reading
Joel 2:12–13
Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God.
Responsory
V. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love.
R. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love.
V. According to the multitude of your tender mercies,
R. blot out my transgressions.
Intercessions
With penitent hearts let us pray to the Lord, saying:
For the whole church in this holy season, that our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving may draw us closer to you: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those preparing for baptism at Easter, that they may be strengthened in faith and filled with hope: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who have fallen away from the faith, that this season may be a time of return and healing: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who are suffering, especially those who suffer as a result of injustice, that your mercy may reach them: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For ourselves, that this Lent may bring genuine conversion of heart and renewal of our baptismal promises: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who are dying, that they may come at last to the hope of resurrection: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
The Lord's Prayer
Let us pray as the Lord himself has taught us:
Our 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, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
Father of mercies, grant us the grace to enter more deeply into the mystery of your love in this holy season, that purified by penance and renewed in spirit, we may come rejoicing to Easter; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dismissal
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
May almighty God bless us: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.