INVITATORY
The Invitatory is said when this is the first ‘hour’ of the day.
Lord, + open my lips.
— And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
The antiphon is repeated. In individual recitation, the antiphon may be said only at the beginning of the psalm; it need not be repeated after each strophe.
Psalm 95
A call to praise God
Encourage each other daily while it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).
Come, let us sing to the Lord *
and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving *
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
The Lord is God, the mighty God, *
the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth *
and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him, *
the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Come, then, let us bow down and worship, *
bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people, *
the flock he shepherds.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: †
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did
in the wilderness, *
when at Meriba and Massah
they challenged me and provoked me, *
Although they had seen all of my works.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Forty years I endured that generation. *
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger, *
“They shall not enter into my rest.”
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
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.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
If the Invitatory is not said, then the following is used:
God, + come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.
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.
HYMN
During the night or at dawn:
This is for us that very hour
when, by the Gospel, we believe
that he who made the realm on high
as Bridegroom shall appear at last.
The holy virgins rise in haste
and run to meet him as he comes;
with lanterns trimmed and burning bright,
their hearts in gladness fill with joy.
The foolish ones are left behind
to light again their darkened lamps;
in vain they knock upon the door,
for now the palace gate is shut.
Let us with hearts like splendid lamps
now watch for him with sober mind,
that we, found worthy of the Lord,
may run to greet him when he comes.
O make us worthy, King of kings,
of glory when your Kingdom comes,
that we may merit on that day
to sing your praises evermore. Amen.
Tune: ABENDS, 8 8 8 8
Music: Herbert Stanley Oakley, 1830-1903
or Mode II, melody 43; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Ipsum nunc nobis tempus est, 5th c., © 2023 ICEL
During the day:
Christ, our salvation, way and hope unfailing,
we sing your praises, mind with voice together,
giver of virtue, source of peace eternal,
life of the blessed.
All that the faithful, by your love enkindled,
in word or action have or can accomplish,
all hope and longing that the heart discloses
show us your power.
Lord, in your mercy, grant us peaceful seasons,
faith firm and constant, pardon for our failures;
heal all our illness, give us life eternal,
blessed together.
Let equal praises honor God the Father
and you our Savior, loving King eternal,
through all creation let the Spirit’s glory
echo for ever. Amen.
Tune: ISTE CONFESSOR (ROUEN/POITIERS) 11 11 11 5
Music: from the Poitiers Antiphoner, 1746
or Mode I, melody 9; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Vita sanctorum, via, spes salusque, Walafrid Strabo, O.S.B., ca. 808-849, © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Bow down and hear me, Lord; come to my rescue.
Psalm 31:1-17, 20-25
A troubled person’s confident appeal to God
Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46).
I
In you, O Lord, I take refuge. *
Let me never be put to shame.
In your justice, set me free, *
hear me and speedily rescue me.
Be a rock of refuge for me, *
a mighty stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock, my stronghold. *
For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.
Release me from the snares they have hidden *
for you are my refuge, Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit. *
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
O God of truth, you detest *
those who worship false and empty gods.
As for me, I trust in the Lord: *
let me be glad and rejoice in your love.
You have seen my affliction *
and taken heed of my soul’s distress,
have not handed me over to the enemy, *
but set my feet at large.
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.
Ant. Bow down and hear me, Lord; come to my rescue.
Ant. 2 Lord, let the light of your countenance shine on your servant.
II
Have mercy on me, O Lord, *
for I am in distress.
Tears have wasted my eyes, *
my throat and my heart.
For my life is spent with sorrow *
and my years with sighs.
Affliction has broken down my strength *
and my bones waste away.
In the face of all my foes *
I am a reproach,
an object of scorn to my neighbors *
and of fear to my friends.
Those who see me in the street *
run far away from me.
I am like a dead man, forgotten, *
like a thing thrown away.
I have heard the slander of the crowd, *
fear is all around me,
as they plot together against me, *
as they plan to take my life.
But as for me, I trust in you, Lord, *
I say: “You are my God.
My life is in your hands, deliver me *
from the hands of those who hate me.
Let your face shine on your servant. *
Save me in your love.”
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.
Ant. Lord, let the light of your countenance shine on your servant.
Ant. 3 Blessed be the Lord, for he has poured out his mercy upon me.
III
How great is the goodness, Lord, *
that you keep for those who fear you,
that you show to those who trust you *
in the sight of men.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence *
from the plotting of men:
you keep them safe within your tent *
from disputing tongues.
Blessed be the Lord who has shown me †
the wonders of his love *
in a fortified city.
“I am far removed from your sight,” *
I said in my alarm.
Yet you heard the voice of my plea *
when I cried for help.
Love the Lord, all you saints. *
He guards his faithful
but the Lord will repay to the full *
those who act with pride.
Be strong, let your heart take courage, *
all who hope in the Lord.
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.
Psalm Prayer
God of kindness and truth, you saved your Chosen One, Jesus Christ, and you gave your martyrs strength. Watch over your people who come to you here and strengthen the hearts of those who hope in you, that they may proclaim your saving acts of kindness in the eternal city.
Ant. Blessed be the Lord, for he has poured out his mercy upon me.
Guide me in the way of your truth and teach me.
— For you are my saving God.
READINGS
FIRST READING
The beginning of the book of Joshua
1:1-18
Joshua, called by God, encourages the tribes to unity
After Moses, the servant of the Lord, had died, the Lord said to Moses’ aide Joshua, son of Nun: “My servant Moses is dead. So prepare to cross the Jordan here, with all the people into the land I will give the Israelites. As I promised Moses, I will deliver to you every place where you set foot. Your domain is to be all the land of the Hittites, from the desert and from Lebanon east to the great river Euphrates and west to the Great Sea. No one can withstand you while you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses: I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be firm and steadfast, so that you may give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers I would give them.
“Above all, be firm and steadfast, taking care to observe the entire law which my servant Moses enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go. Keep this book of the law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may observe carefully all that is written in it; then you will successfully attain your goal. I command you: be firm and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.”
So Joshua commanded the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and instruct the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for three days from now you shall cross the Jordan here, to march in and take possession of the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you.’”
Joshua reminded the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord, your God, will permit you to settle in this land.’ Your wives, your children, and your livestock shall remain in the land Moses gave you here beyond the Jordan. But all the warriors among you must cross over armed ahead of your kinsmen and you must help them until the Lord has settled your kinsmen, and they like you possess the land which the Lord, your God, is giving them. Afterward you may return and occupy your own land, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, has given you east of the Jordan.”
“We will do all you have commanded us,” they answered Joshua, “and we will go wherever you send us. We will obey you as completely as we obeyed Moses. But may the Lord, your God, be with you as he was with Moses. If anyone rebels against your orders and does not obey every command you give him, he shall be put to death. But be firm and steadfast.”
RESPONSORY
Joshua 1:5, 6, 7, 9; Deuteronomy 31:20
The Lord says: As I was with Moses,
so I will be with you.
— Be strong and courageous;
you will lead my people to a land where milk and honey flow.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will never leave you,
nor will I abandon you wherever you go.
— Be strong and courageous;
you will lead my people to a land where milk and honey flow.
SECOND READING
From a letter to the Romans by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr
(3, 1—5, 3; Funk 1, 215-219)
Let me not only be called a Christian, but prove to be one
You have never begrudged the martyrs their triumph but rather trained them for it. And so I am asking you to be consistent with the lessons you teach them. Just beg for me the courage and endurance not only to speak but also to will what is right, so that I may not only be called a Christian, but prove to be one. For if I prove myself to be a Christian by martyrdom, then people will call me one, and my loyalty to Christ will be apparent when the world sees me no more. Nothing you can see is truly good. For our Lord Jesus Christ, now that he has returned to his Father, has revealed himself more clearly. Our task is not one of producing persuasive propaganda; Christianity shows its greatness when it is hated by the world.
I am writing to all the churches to declare to them all that I am glad to die for God, provided you do not hinder me. I beg you not to show me a misplaced kindness. Let me be the food of beasts that I may come to God. I am his wheat, and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become Christ’s pure bread.
I would rather that you coaxed the beasts to become my tomb and to leave no scrap of me behind; then when I have died I will be a burden to no one. I shall be a true disciple of Christ when the world no longer sees my body. Pray to Christ for me that by these means I may become a sacrifice to God. I do not give you orders like Peter and Paul. They were apostles, I am a condemned criminal; they were free, I am still a slave. But if I suffer, I shall become the freedman of Jesus Christ and I shall rise again to freedom in him.
Now as a prisoner I am learning to give up my own wishes. All the way from Syria to Rome I am fighting wild beasts, by land and by sea, by day and by night, chained as I am to ten leopards, I mean the detachment of soldiers who guard me; the better you treat them, the worse they become. I am more and more trained in discipleship by their ill usage of me, but I am not therefore justified. How happy I will be with the beasts which are prepared for me! I hope that they will make short work of me. I shall even coax them to devour me quickly and not to be afraid of touching me, as sometimes happens; in fact, if they hold back, I shall force them to it. Bear with me, for I know what is good for me. Now I am beginning to be a disciple. May nothing visible or invisible rob me of my prize, which is Jesus Christ! The fire, the cross, packs of wild beasts, lacerations, rendings, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of the whole body, the horrible tortures of the devil—let all these things come upon me, if only I may gain Jesus Christ!
RESPONSORY
Galatians 2:19-20
Through the law, I died to the law
to live for God.
I still live within this human body,
but I live now by faith in the Son of God,
— who loved me, and gave himself up for me.
With Christ I have been nailed to the cross,
and I live now no longer my life,
but the life of Christ who lives in me.
— Who loved me, and gave himself up for me.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
God of wisdom and love,
source of all good,
send your Spirit to teach us your truth
and guide our actions
in your way of peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
Or:
O God, from whom all good things come,
grant that we, who call on you in our need,
may at your prompting discern what is right,
and by your guidance do it.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
ACCLAMATION
Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.
******
Psalm 24
The Lord’s entry into his temple
Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Irenaeus).
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, *
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas; *
on the waters he made it firm.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? *
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, †
who desires not worthless things, *
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord *
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him, *
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
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.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Psalm 67
People of all nations will worship the Lord
You must know that God is offering his salvation to all the world (Acts 28:28).
O God, be gracious and bless us *
and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth *
and all nations learn your saving help.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Let the nations be glad and exult *
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples, *
you guide the nations on earth.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
The earth has yielded its fruit *
for God, our God, has blessed us.
May God still give us his blessing *
till the ends of the earth revere him.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
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.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Psalm 100
The joyful song of those entering God’s temple
The Lord calls his ransomed people to sing songs of victory (Saint Athanasius).
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. †
Serve the Lord with gladness. *
Come before him, singing for joy.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Know that he, the Lord, is God. †
He made us, we belong to him, *
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Go within his gates, giving thanks. †
Enter his courts with songs of praise. *
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
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.
Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Sing praise to God who reigns above,
The God of all creation,
The God of power, the God of love,
The God of our salvation;
With healing balm my soul he fills,
And every faithless murmur stills:
To God all praise and glory.
What God’s almighty power hath made,
His gracious mercy keepeth;
By morning glow or evening shade
His watchful eye never sleepeth;
Within the kingdom of his might,
Lo! all is just and all is right:
To God all praise and glory.
Then all my gladsome way along,
I sing aloud thy praises,
That men may hear the grateful song
My voice unwearied raises;
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart,
Both soul and body, bear your part;
To God all praise and glory.
O ye who name Christ’s holy name,
Give God all praise and glory;
All ye who own his power, proclaim
Aloud the wondrous story!
Cast each false idol from his throne.
The Lord is God, and he alone:
To God all praise and glory.
Tune: Mit Freuden Zart 87.87.887
Music: Bohemian Brethren’s Hymnbook, 1566
Text: Johann J. Schutz, 1640-1690
Translation: Frances E. Cox, 1812-1897