Corpus Christi (Thanksgiving for Holy Communion)
Morning Prayer – Festivals
O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory 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.
PSALMODY
Antiphon: The Lord is King, let the earth rejoice:*
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
Opening
VENITE
1 O come let us sing out to the Lord,*
let us shout in triumph to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his face with thanksgiving*
and cry out to him joyfully in psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God,*
and a great king above all gods.
4 In his hands are the depths of the earth,*
and the peaks of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his and he made it;*
his hands moulded dry land.
6 Come let us worship and bow down,*
and kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he himself is our God;*
we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
8 Today if only you would hear his voice:*
‘Do not harden your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness;
9 when your fathers tested me;*
put me to proof though they had seen my works.
10 Of whom I swore in my wrath:*
“They shall not enter my rest.”’
Glory to the Father… (may be said by all)
or (from Psalm 97)
1 You are the Lord, most high over all the earth;*
you are exalted far above all gods.
2 The Lord loves those who hate evil;*
he preserves the lives of his saints
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
3 Light has sprung up for the righteous,*
and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.
4 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous.*
and give thanks to his holy name.
Glory to the Father…
or a suitable hymn
Psalm 89.1-18
1 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing;*
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever;*
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;*
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 “I will establish your line for ever,*
and preserve your throne for all generations.”’
5 The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O Lord,*
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?*
who is like the Lord among the gods?
7 God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones,*
great and terrible to all those round about him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God of hosts?*
O mighty Lord, your faithfulness is all around you.
9 You rule the raging of the sea*
and still the surging of its waves.
10 You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound;*
you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours;*
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.
12 You have made the north and the south;*
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;*
strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne;*
love and truth go before your face.
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout!*
they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.
16 They rejoice daily in your name;*
they are jubilant in your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength,*
and by your favour our might is exalted.
18 Truly, the Lord is our ruler;*
the Holy One of Israel is our king.
Remember us, gracious God, when we cannot see your way and purpose, and renew in us the joy of your kingdom of light and life. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.
Conclusion (Te Deum)
a We praise you, O God;
we acclaim you as Lord.
b All creation worships you,
the Father everlasting.
a To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
the cherubim and seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might:
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
a The glorious company of apostles praise you,
the noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
b The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded;
your true and only Son, worthy of all praise:
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
a You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
b When you took our flesh to set us free
you humbly chose the Virgin’s womb.
a You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
b You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come to be our judge.
Come then Lord and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.
Glory to the Father…
Antiphon: The Lord is King, let the earth rejoice,
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
READING(S)
Sirach 44:19 – 45:5
Abraham was the great father of a multitude of nations,
and no one has been found like him in glory.
He kept the law of the Most High,
and entered into a covenant with him;
he certified the covenant in his flesh,
and when he was tested he proved faithful.
Therefore the Lord assured him with an oath
that the nations would be blessed through his offspring;
that he would make him as numerous as the dust of the earth,
and exalt his offspring like the stars,
and give them an inheritance from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
To Isaac also he gave the same assurance
for the sake of his father Abraham.
The blessing of all people and the covenant
he made to rest on the head of Jacob;
he acknowledged him with his blessings,
and gave him his inheritance;
he divided his portions,
and distributed them among twelve tribes.
From his descendants the Lord brought forth a godly man,
who found favour in the sight of all
1and was beloved by God and people,
Moses, whose memory is blessed.
He made him equal in glory to the holy ones,
and made him great, to the terror of his enemies.
By his words he performed swift miracles;
the Lord glorified him in the presence of kings.
He gave him commandments for his people,
and revealed to him his glory.
For his faithfulness and meekness he consecrated him,
choosing him out of all humankind.
He allowed him to hear his voice,
and led him into the dark cloud,
and gave him the commandments face to face,
the law of life and knowledge,
so that he might teach Jacob the covenant,
and Israel his decrees.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Silence
Response (Ps. 89.1)
Lord I will sing of your loving kindnesses throughout all generations.
Lord I will sing of your loving kindnesses throughout all generations.
My mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
Throughout all generations.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Lord I will sing of your loving kindnesses throughout all generations.
BENEDICTUS
Benedictus Antiphon: Righteousness and justice* are the foundation of
your throne.
1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,*
for he has come to his people and set them free.
2 He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,*
born of the house of his servant David.
3 Through his holy prophets he promised of old*
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us.
4 He promised to show mercy to our forebears,*
and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:*
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6 free to worship him without fear,*
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
7 You my child shall be called the prophet of the Most High,*
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8 to give his people knowledge of salvation*
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9 In the tender compassion of our God*
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10 to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,*
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father… (may be said by all)
Benedictus Antiphon: Righteousness and justice* are the foundation of
your throne.
PRAYERS
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Our 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.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
Collect of the Day
O Lord Jesus Christ,
who in a wonderful Sacrament
have left to us a memorial of your passion:
grant us, we pray,
so to venerate the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood,
that we may ever perceive within ourselves
the fruits of your redemption;
who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen.
God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;
and bring us to life eternal.
Amen.
