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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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:
While dark and gloomy night conceals
the colors of all things on earth,
we praise and humbly beg you, Lord,
who judge with justice ev’ry heart:
Remove from us our sins and faults
and wash away all filth of mind;
bestow, O Christ, your grace on us,
to ward off all reproach and blame.
Behold the dull and worldly soul,
weighed down in sin and stung by guilt;
and yet, Redeemer, she desires
to turn from gloom and seek your face.
Drive far from us the darkened cloud
that grips the inmost heart and soul,
that we may find true peace and joy,
established in your blessed light.
O Christ, to you, most loving King,
and to the Father glory be,
one with the Spirit Paraclete,
from age to age for evermore.
Tune: ALFRETON, 8 8 8 8
Music: from the Supplement to the New Version of Psalms, 1708
or Mode IV, melody 67; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Nox atra rerum contegit, 6-7th c., © 2023 ICEL
During the day:
O Christ, your servants humbly pray:
Grant us your favor and your help;
let not the evil of this world
enslave and overcome our faith.
Keep far from us unholy thoughts,
all envy, jealousy, and spite:
let us return no harm for harm
but conquer evil with the good.
Lord, guard our hearts and keep them free
from anger, pride, and sly deceit;
keep far from us all selfish greed,
the root from which all evils flow.
Let charity, unfeigned and true,
preserve the pledge and bonds of peace;
may chastity be pure and strong,
upheld by firm and lasting trust.
O Christ, to you, most loving King,
and to the Father glory be,
one with the Spirit Paraclete,
from age to age for evermore. Amen.
Tune: As above
Text: Christe, precamur adnuas, 7-8th c., © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him.
Psalm 18:31-51
Hymn of thanksgiving
If God is on our side who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
IV
As for God, his ways are perfect; *
the word of the Lord, purest gold.
He indeed is the shield *
of all who make him their refuge.
For who is God but the Lord? *
Who is a rock but our God?
The God who girds me with strength *
and makes the path safe before me.
My feet you made swift as the deer’s; *
you have made me stand firm on the heights.
You have trained my hands for battle *
and my arms to bend the heavy bow.
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. The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him.
Ant. 2 Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord.
V
You gave me your saving shield; *
you upheld me, trained me with care.
You gave me freedom for my steps; *
my feet have never slipped.
I pursued and overtook my foes, *
never turning back till they were slain.
I smote them so they could not rise; *
they fell beneath my feet.
You girded me with strength for battle; *
you made my enemies fall beneath me,
you made my foes take flight; *
those who hated me I destroyed.
They cried, but there was no one to save them; *
they cried to the Lord, but in vain.
I crushed them fine as dust before the wind; *
trod them down like dirt in the streets.
You saved me from the feuds of the people *
and put me at the head of the nations.
People unknown to me served me: *
when they heard of me they obeyed me.
Foreign nations came to me cringing: †
foreign nations faded away. *
They came trembling out of their strongholds.
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. Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord.
Ant. 3 May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever.
VI
Long life to the Lord, my rock! *
Praised be the God who saves me,
the God who gives me redress *
and subdues people under me.
You saved me from my furious foes. *
You set me above my assailants.
You saved me from violent men, †
so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations: *
I will sing a psalm to your name.
He has given great victories to his king †
and shown his love for his anointed, *
for David and his sons for ever.
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
Lord God, our strength and salvation, put in us the flame of your love and make our love for you grow to a perfect love which reaches to our neighbor.
Ant. May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever.
Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see.
— The wonders of your law.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians
11:7-29
Against false apostles
Could I have done wrong when I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge, humbling myself with a view to exalting you? I robbed other churches, I accepted support from them in order to minister to you. When I was with you and in want I was a burden to none of you, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. In every way possible I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I shall continue to do so. I swear by the Christ who is in me that this boast of mine will not cease in the regions of Achaia! Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do.
What I am doing I shall continue to do, depriving at every turn those who look for a chance to say that in their much-vaunted ministry they work on the same terms as we do. Such men are false apostles. They practice deceit in their disguise as apostles of Christ. And little wonder! For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It comes as no surprise that his ministers disguise themselves as ministers of the justice of God. But their end will correspond to their deeds.
I repeat: let no one think me foolish. But if you do, then accept me as a fool all the way and let me do a little boasting. What I am about to say in this self-assured boasting, I speak not as the Lord desires but after the manner of a fool. Since many are bragging about their human distinctions, I too will boast. Being wise yourselves, you gladly put up with fools. You even put up with those who exploit you, who impose upon you and put on airs, with those who slap your face. To my shame I must confess that we have been too weak to do such things.
But what anyone else dares to claim—I speak with absolute foolishness now—I, too, will dare. Are they Hebrews? So am I! Are they Israelites? So am I! Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I! Are they ministers of Christ? Now I am really talking like a fool—I am more: with my many more labors and imprisonments, with far worse beatings and frequent brushes with death. Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes less one; three times I was beaten with rods; I was stoned once, shipwrecked three times; I passed a day and a night on the sea. I traveled continually, endangered by floods, robbers, my own people, the Gentiles; imperiled in the city, in the desert, at sea, by false brothers; enduring labor, hardship, many sleepless nights; in hunger and thirst and frequent fastings, in cold and nakedness. Leaving other sufferings unmentioned, there is that daily tension pressing on me, my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak that I am not affected by it? Who is scandalized that I am not aflame with indignation?
RESPONSORY
Galatians 1:11, 12; 2 Corinthians 11:10, 7
The Gospel which I preached to you is not a human message.
— I did not receive it through any man,
but from our Lord Jesus Christ who revealed it to me.
As surely as Christ’s truth is in me,
I have preached the Gospel to you.
— I did not receive it through any man,
but from our Lord Jesus Christ who revealed it to me.
SECOND READING
From a catechetical instruction by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop
(Cat. 18, 26-29: PG 33, 1047-1050)
The Church is the bride of Christ
The Catholic Church is the distinctive name of this holy Church which is the mother of us all. She is the bride of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God (for Scripture says: Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her). She is the type and she bears the image of the Jerusalem above that is free and is the mother of us all, that Jerusalem which once was barren but now has many children.
The first assembly, that is, the assembly of Israel, was rejected, and now in the second, that is, in the Catholic Church, God has appointed first, apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators and speakers in various tongues, as Paul says; and together with these is found every sort of virtue—wisdom and understanding, self-control and justice, mercy and kindness, and invincible patience in persecution. This Church in earlier days, when persecution and afflictions abounded, crowned her holy martyrs with the varied and many-flowered wreaths of endurance. But now when God has favored us with times of peace, she receives her due honor from kings and men of high station, and from every condition and race of mankind. And while the rulers of the different nations have limits to their sovereignty, the holy Catholic Church alone has a power without boundaries throughout the entire world. For Scripture says: God has made peace her border.
Instructed in this holy Catholic Church and bearing ourselves honorably, we shall gain the kingdom of heaven and inherit eternal life. For the sake of enjoying this at the Lord’s hands, we endure all things. The goal set before us is no trifling one; we are striving for eternal life. In the Creed, therefore, after professing our faith “in the resurrection of the body,” that is, of the dead, which I have already discussed, we are taught to believe “in life everlasting,” and for this as Christians we are struggling.
Now real and true life is none other than the Father, who is the fountain of life and who pours forth his heavenly gifts on all creatures through the Son in the Holy Spirit, and the good things of eternal life are faithfully promised to us men also, because of his love for us.
RESPONSORY
Praiseworthy is that people to whom the Lord said in blessing:
— You, O Israel, are the work of my hands;
you are my own possession.
Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.
— You, O Israel, are the work of my hands;
you are my own possession.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
God our Father and protector,
without you nothing is holy,
nothing has value.
Guide us to everlasting life
by helping us to use wisely
the blessings you have given to the world.
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, protector of those who hope in you,
without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance your mercy upon us
and grant that, with you as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.
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 worship the Lord, for he is our God.
Eternal Father, through your Word
You gave new life to Adam’s race,
Transformed them into sons of light,
New creatures by your saving grace.
To you who stooped to sinful man
We render homage and all praise:
To Father, Son and Spirit blest
Whose gift to man is endless days.
Tune: Erhalt uns, Herr L.M.
Music: Geistliche Lieder, 1543
Text: © Stanbrook Abbey, used with permission