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Invitation to Worship
Our Loving God,
the Strength of the martyrs;
Come, let us praise and adore.
O Holy One, + open my lips,
~And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
“My night knows no darkness, alleluia;
~All is resplendent with your light, alleluia!”
HYMN FOR St. Lawrence Day
First of the seven ministers
Who nearest to the altar stand,
Levite in holy orders high
And eminent above the rest.
He guarded well the sacred rites
And kept in trust with faithful keys
The precious treasure of the Church,
Dispensing riches vowed to God.
“Our church is very rich,” he said.
“I must confess that it has wealth;
Our treasuries are filled with gold
Not found elsewhere in all the world.”
He sought in every public square
The needy who were wont to be
Fed from the stores of Mother Church,
And he as steward knew them well.
The prefect deigns to follow him;
The sacred portal soon they reach,
Where stands a ghastly multitude
Of poor drawn up in grim array.
The air is rent with cries for alms;
The prefect shudders in dismay,
And turns on Lawrence glaring eyes,
With threats of dreadful punishment.
“These poor of ours are sick and lame,
But beautiful and whole within.
They bear with them a spirit fair
And free from taint and misery. Amen.
Text: St Prudentius (348-413); Tune: Plainsong
MORNING PSALMODY
Antiphon
Blessed Lawrence entered with the spirit of a martyr
and confessed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 8
How great is your Name, Adonai Eloheinu,
through all the Earth.
Your majesty is praised above the heavens;
on the lips of children and of babes
You’ve found praise to foil the enemy,
to silence the foe and the rebel.
All creatures are the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars you arranged;
What are we that you should keep us in mind,
Mortal beings that you care for us.
Yet you made us little less than gods,
with glory and honor you crowned us.
Gave us charge o’er the work of your hands
Put all things under our care.
All of them sheep and cattle,
and even the wild beasts,
birds of the air and fish
that make their way through the waters.
How great is your Name, Adonai Eloheinu,
throughout all the earth.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love.
As always before
so now and evermore. Amen.
Blessed Lawrence entered with the spirit of a martyr
and confessed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
READING 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Abba of our Lord Jesus Christ, Abba of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. For as Christ’s sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow to others.
Responsory
R. Blessed Lawrence cried out: “I worship my God and serve no one else –
* So I do not fear your torture.”
V. God is my rock; I take refuge in the Holy One;
* So I do not fear your torture.
V. Glory to the Abba, and the Word, and the Holy Breath of Love.
Gospel Canticle
Antiphon
The deacon Lawrence gave sight to the blind by the sign of the cross
and distributed among the poor the treasures of the Church.
Blessed + be Adonai, the God of Israel,
Who visits this people to set us free
Raising for us a sign of salvation
In the house and family of David.
God promised throughout past ages
In words of holy prophets
To save us from our enemies,
And from the control of our oppressors.
Adonai favored our ancestors
And remembered the sacred covenant.
The pledge to Abraham and Sarah
Is now renewed for us;
That freed from the grip of our foes
We might worship without fear
And be both just and holy
For the rest of our days.
And you, child, called “prophet of the Most High,”
Will go ahead to prepare the way,
By teaching this people of salvation
Through forgiveness of their sins.
For the loving compassion of the Holy One
As the Rising Sun will shine upon us
To illumine the darkness and dispel death’s shadow
To guide our feet on the way of peace.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
The deacon Lawrence gave sight to the blind by the sign of the cross
and distributed among the poor the treasures of the Church.
Litany of Intercession
You called Lawrence to serve as deacon, leading the prayers of the faithful, assisting at the altar and passing the cup, ~strengthen all who exercise liturgical ministries in the prayer of the Church.
As deacon, Lawrence knew by name the orphans and widows, the sick, the blind, the lame, and the lepers of Rome, and considered them the true treasure of the church,
~ may we follow his example in serving those in need and recognizing how precious they are to You.
Roasted over hot coals, the martyr Lawrence, prayed calmly for the authorities and forgave his executioner
~teach us to calm the heat of anger and to pray for those who cause us harm.
You strengthened Lawrence to bear witness to the truth in the face of bitter persecution ~empower us to bear witness to the reality of your love at all times and in every place.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father…
Closing Prayer
Gracious God of Truth and Compassion,
you called the deacon, Lawrence, to love you by serving at table in liturgy and in ministry with the poor. Help us to follow his example by sharing the treasures you have entrusted to us for the life and salvation of the world. We ask this and all things through your Word, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Blessing
May God bless + us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to freedom and the fullness of life, ~Amen.
Let us bless Adonai. ~Thanks be to God.