← 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 12, 2026 • Lent, Week 3 — 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 143Blessed Be the Lord My Rock (Part I)
Ant. Turn to me, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
Blessed is the Lord my God, who trains my hands for the contest and my fingers for the war.
My mercy and my refuge; my support and my deliverer; my protector and the one in whom I have hoped, who subdues my people under me.
Lord, what is man, that you have made yourself known to him? Or the son of man, that you think about him?
Man has been made like vanity; his days pass away like a shadow.
Lord, bow your heavens and descend; touch the mountains and they will smoke.
Cast lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows and set them in disorder.
Send your hand from on high; free me and rescue me from many waters, from the hand of foreign sons.
Their mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.
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 147Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem (Part II)
Ant. Turn to me, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
Who sends his crystal like morsels; before the face of his cold, who will endure?
He will send out his word and will melt them; his wind will blow and the waters will flow.
Who announces his word to Jacob, his justices and his judgments to Israel.
He has not done in this way for every nation, and his judgments he has not made manifest to them.
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 64:1–8)
O that you would rend the heavens and would come down; the mountains would melt away before your face.
As when fire burns the wood and the fire boils water, to make your name known to your enemies.
You have done terrible things which we did not look for; you came down and the mountains trembled before your face.
From of old, men have not heard nor perceived with the ears.
The eye has not seen, O God, besides you, what things you have prepared for those who wait for you.
You have met those who rejoice and do justice; in your ways they will remember you.
Behold, you are angry and we have sinned; in them we have been always, and we will be saved.
And we all have become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman.
And we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
There is none that calls upon your name; that rises up and takes hold of you.
You have hidden your face from us, and you have crushed us by the hand of our iniquity.
And now, O Lord, you are our father; and we are clay. And you are our maker, and we all are the works of your hands.
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.