The Benedictus
Zechariah's morning canticle — sung at lauds for 1,500 years.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he hath visited and redeemed his people.
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David.
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant.
And thou, child, shalt be called
the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord
to prepare his ways.
To give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Amen.
About this prayer
The Benedictus is the song of Zechariah, the priest who was struck silent until the birth of his son John the Baptist. The first words out of his unstopped mouth were these. The church has prayed it every morning at lauds since the earliest days — it is the gospel's morning prayer.
When to pray it
First thing in the morning. Whenever you need to remember that the dawn is coming.