Thursday Morning The Birth of John the Baptizer

THURSDAY
Safro
INTRODUCTION

DOXOLOGY
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as we begin and until we conclude.
May mercy and compassion be poured forth upon us
in this world and the next.
O Lord, our God, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
O loving One,
you make your sun to rise on the good and the bad,
and your rain to fall upon the just and the unjust,
let the light of your divine gifts shine in the hearts of those who adore you.
Illumine us by the light of your feast,
so that resplendent with these lights, we may give you glory,
now and for ever.
Amen.
GREETING
Peace be with the Church and her children.
PRAISE OF THE ANGELS
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace on earth and good will to all.
Praise the Lord all you nations,
glorify him all you peoples,
for steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.
and peace on earth and good will to all.

FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Lord,
in your goodness, have compassion on sinners
and bring back to your truth those who are wandering.
Draw us to yourself,
enrich our voices with your praises and our tongues with
inspired songs.
Captivate us by your teachings.
Drawing from your treasure of compassion,
grant us the consolation that gives healing to body and soul.
Lord and God, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
he has come to his people and set them free.
Luke 1: 68-79
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hand of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most
High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow
of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

Antiphon:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
he has come to his people and set them free.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
The children of the faithful Church sing out their praise and
adoration to your majesty,
for you saved them by your cross.
May we lift up to you a pleasing offering at the dawn
of a new day.
Christ, our Lord, to you be glory, for ever.
Amen.
NUHRO (HYMN OF LIGHT)
The Light of the just and joy of the upright in Christ Jesus,
our Lord.
Begotten of the Father, he manifested Himself to us.
He came to rescue us from darkness and to fill us with the
radiance of his light.

Day is dawning upon us; the power of darkness is fading away.
From the true Light there arises from us the light which illumines our darkened eyes.
His glory shines upon the world and enlightens the very depths of the abyss.
Death is annihilated, night has vanished, and the gates of Sheol are broken.
Creatures lying in darkness from ancient times are clothed in
light.
The dead arise from the dust and sing because they have a Savior.
He brings salvation and grants us life.
He ascends to his Father on high.
He will return in glorious splendor and shed his light on those gazing upon him.
Our King comes in majestic glory,
Let us light our lamps and go forth to meet him.
Let us find our joy in him, for he has found joy in us.
He will indeed rejoice us with his marvelous light.
Let us glorify the majesty of the Son and give thanks to
the almighty Father, who,
in an outpouring of love, sent him to us, to fill us with
hope and salvation.
When he manifests himself, the saints awaiting him in
weariness and sorrow,
will go forth to meet him with lighted lamps.
The angels and guardians of heaven will rejoice in the
glory of the just and upright people of the earth;
together, crowned with victory, they will sing hymns and psalms.
Stand up then and be ready!
Give thanks to our King and Savior, who will come in great
glory to gladden us with his marvelous light in his kingdom.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

[HYMN]
Either the Hymn, “The Return of Christ” (page 169) or the
Hymn, “Christ the Light” (page 169) may be sung after the
Nuhro.
THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Jesus,
you perfect our good works and grant us your assistance at
all times.
You are the hope we find in our weakness
and the refuge we seek in our distress.
From the heights of your infinite holiness and majesty,
hear our prayers and our petitions,
and open to us the treasures of your mercy.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.
MORNING PSALMS
Psalm 148
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created;
He established them forever and ever;
he gave them a duty which shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all depths;

Fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm winds that fulfill his word;
You mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars;
You wild beasts and all tame animals,
you creeping things and you winged fowl.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,

Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys,
Praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven,
and he has lifted up the horn of his people.
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
Psalm 149:1-6
Alleluia.
Sing to the Lord a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
Alleluia.

Psalm 150
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.
Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the Lord!
Alleluia.
Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
For steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the holy Child who has blessed us by his joyous birth;
he purified us by his holy baptism;
exalted us by his total humiliation, saved us by his wondrous
cross,
gave us life by his luminous death, renewed us by his glorious resurrection,
and sanctified us by his living and Holy Spirit.
To him is due glory and honor this morning,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever.
Amen.
SEDRO
O Lord, our Lord,
in your kindness hear the prayers and supplications we now offer you.
We your sinful servants beg you, with the perfume of this incense, to shed your mercy upon us.
In your boundless love that urged you to create us and call us your friends, receive our prayers.
When we had fallen from our original state,
you raised us up through your saving plan and your
life-giving passion.
We have offended you by our evil deeds,
but we come back to knock at your door.
Do not treat us, Lord, according to our disobedience and
the stubbornness of our will,
but may our repentance be a model for all those who, like us,
have sinned,
that they may never lose hope.
Did you not say, Lord: “If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed . . . they will be forgotten from then on?”
We have come back to you now;
do not withdraw your mercy from us even if we have
offended you more than all others.
Never have we rejected your holy name with which we were
sealed;
We beg you, therefore, not to turn away your face,
nor let us become an object of scorn and mockery in the
eyes of those who have no God.

Deliver us not into the hands of our enemy,
for you know well that if you let him tempt us, we shall soon
fall and succumb.
Since no one is exempt from sin, but you O Lord, King and ruler of all,
receive us and grant us to rejoice in your eternal kingdom,
now and for ever.
Amen.
QOLO
Phinehas the Levite offered pleasing and fragrant incense,
through which, with his prayer, he averted the scourge from
the people.
Lord, may the fragrance of this incense (prayer) which the
children of the Church now offer, be pleasing to you. Through it grant pardon to the Church and her children who adore your
majesty and implore you. Lord, hear our petition.
ETRO
Lord God,
may this incense (our prayer) be pleasing to you,
and the offering of our deeds be acceptable to you.
In your kindness, forgive our sins;
in your compassion turn away from our faults
and purify us in the waters which wash away all sins.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.
READINGS
MAZMOORO
Seek forgiveness, O sinner, at dawn; the angels of heaven delight in the prayer of morning.
All nations, all inhabitants of the earth, hearken; the angels of heaven delight in the prayer of morning.
Whether it rises from the sea, from the depths of the earth, or from fire, the prayer of morning opens for us the gates
of mercy.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
A Reading from the Second Book of Samuel
2 Samuel 24: 1-10
The LORD’s anger against Israel flared again, and he incited David against the Israelites by prompting him to number Israel and Judah. Accordingly the king said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him, “Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the people, that I may know their number.” But Joab said to the king: “May the LORD your God increase the number of people a hundredfold for your royal majesty to see it with his own eyes. But why does it please my lord the king to order a thing of this kind?” The king, however, overruled Joab and the leaders of the army, so they left the king’s presence in order to register the people of Israel. Crossing the Jordan, they began near Aroer, south of the city in the wadi, and went in the direction of Gad toward Jazer. They continued on to Gilead and to the district below Mount Hermon. Then they proceeded to Dan; from there they turned toward Sidon, going to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and ending up at Beer-sheba in the Negeb of Judah. Thus they toured the whole country, reaching Jerusalem again after nine months and twenty days. Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered: in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service; in Judah, five hundred thousand.
Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people, and said to the LORD: “I have sinned grievously in what I have done. But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant, for I have been very foolish.”
HOOTOMO
GREAT DOXOLOGY
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and joy-filled hope to all.
We praise you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord and Creator, King of heaven, God the Father almighty,
Lord God, only Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son and Word of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sin of the world, hear us and receive
our prayer.
You are seated in glory at the right hand of your Father,
for give us and have mercy on us;
For you alone are holy,
you alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.
At all times, and all the days of our lives, we worship
you and praise your holy and blessed name,
which is and has been from age to age.
Blessed are you, Lord almighty, God of our fathers.
May your name be glorified, praised and exalted for ever.
To you be glory, praise and exaltation, God of all,
Father of truth, with the only Son and the living and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
O God,
you are before all ages and exist from age to age;
you are resplendent and glorified in unsearchable light;
through your word, you bring forth light and give us a new day.
O radiant Day and source of light,
we glorify you, adore you and offer you praise night and day;
accept our praise and answer our prayer.
Send us your abundant blessings, through the mercy of your
Christ.
To him, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be glory, honor and power,
now and forever.
Amen.