Wednesday, December 7th
Saint Ambrose
Prayer for the Morning
O sing to the Lord, giving thanks!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!
HymnMeter: 77 77
This hymn can be sung to the tune used for
Forty Days and Forty Nights
Savior of the nations, come;
Virgin’s Son, here make your home!
Marvel now, O heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.
Not by human flesh and blood;
By the Spirit of our God
Was the Word of God made flesh,
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.
You, the Father’s only Son,
Have o’er sin the victory won.
Boundless shall your kingdom be;
When shall we its glories see?
Psalm 402, 4-6
I will proclaim you, O Lord, among the nations,/ and I will sing praise to your name. (cf. 2 Sm 22:50)
Saint Ambrose proclaimed the coming of Christ, the long-awaited Savior, in troubled times not so different from our own. When others were abandoning the true faith for falsified concepts of Christ, Ambrose remained steadfast and taught his people fidelity by preaching, writing, and creating inspiring hymns still sung today, including the one recommended for this morning’s prayer.
I waited, I waited for the Lord
and he stooped down to me;
he heard my cry.
He put a new song into my mouth,
praise of our God.
Many shall see and fear
and shall trust in the Lord.
Happy the man who has placed
his trust in the Lord
and has not gone over to the rebels
who follow false gods.
How many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders and designs
that you have worked for us;
you have no equal.
Should I proclaim and speak of them,
they are more than I can tell!
Glory to the Father….
Word of GodColossians 1:27b-29
It is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.
I will sing the Lord’s renown./
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God! (Dt 32:3)
Canticle of Zechariah(Text, back cover B)
Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes!/ I to the Lord will sing my song,/ my hymn to the Lord, the God of Israel. (Jgs 5:3)
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 hands 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 to the Father…
Intercessions
Through the intercession of Saint Ambrose, let us pray to God the Father:
RMHow many are the wonders and designs you have worked for us!
You promised salvation through the gift of your own Son:
– strengthen us in hope for his coming. R
You chose Mary, daughter of Israel, to receive your Word in faith:
– strengthen us in joy as we look toward the fulfillment of your promises. R
You sent messengers before him to announce the Good News of his coming:
– strengthen us in willingness to hear the Gospel proclaimed and preached. R
Personal intentions
Our Father….
God of all grace, you poured out your Holy Spirit into Saint Ambrose, that he might preach and teach and sing your praises with wisdom and eloquence. Through the message he proclaimed, make each generation holy through fidelity to Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.