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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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:
Light eternal, Light almighty,
day that neither wanes nor fails;
vanquisher of night and shadow,
great restorer of the light,
bold destroyer of the darkness,
splendor of the mind and heart:
By your birth our hearts are gladdened,
at your call we rise from sleep;
by your action we are blessed,
at your leaving, filled with grief;
freed from death by your salvation,
we are radiant in your light.
You have given us the vict’ry
over death, the world, and night;
therefore grant us, King eternal,
heaven’s light and radiant dawn
darkened by no night or shadow,
joyful in your light alone.
Praise to you and to the Father,
honor to the Spirit blest,
to the name beyond all sweetness,
to the holy will divine,
God of peace and life and splendor,
wholly One yet perfect Three. Amen.
Tune: WESTMINSTER ABBEY, 8 7 8 7 8 7
Music: adapted from an anthem by Henry Purcell, 1659-1695
or Mode II, melody 34; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Lux æterna, lumen potens, Gottschalk of Fulda, O. S. B., ca. 808-868, © 2023 ICEL
During the day:
O God, sole unbegotten source,
O God from God, begotten Son,
O God proceeding from them both,
come dwell in us and bring your aid.
May you remain our sole desire
and be our deepest love and joy;
may all our longing rest in you
and may you be our heart’s delight.
O Father, Lord of all that is;
with Christ your Son, the Virgin-born,
come rule us by the Spirit blest,
our rampart and our help within.
Remember, Holy Trinity,
the wondrous works your goodness wrought,
when first you made the human race
and then remade it, cleansed by blood.
Those whom the Three in One have made
the charity of Christ redeemed;
enduring death, he loved us then:
now may he love us as his own.
All joy and peace, all pow’r and might,
all beauty and omnipotence,
all rev’rence, honor, glory, praise
to God the blessed Three in One. Amen.
Tune: ABENDS, 8 8 8 8
Music: Herbert Stanley Oakley, 1830-1903
or Mode II, melody 43; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Deus de nullo veniens, ca. 14th c., © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 The Lord summons heaven and earth to witness his judgment on his people.
Psalm 50
Genuine love of God
I have come not to abolish the law but to bring it to perfection (Matthew 5:17).
I
The God of gods, the Lord, *
has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting. *
Out of Zion’s perfect beauty he shines.
Our God comes, he keeps silence no longer.
Before him fire devours, *
around him tempest rages.
He calls on the heavens and the earth *
to witness his judgment of his people.
“Summon before me my people *
who made covenant with me by sacrifice.”
The heavens proclaim his justice, *
for God himself is the judge.
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 Lord summons heaven and earth to witness his judgment on his people.
Ant. 2 Come to me in your distress, and I will save you.
II
“Listen, my people, I will speak; *
Israel, I will testify against you,
for I am God your God. *
I accuse you, lay the charge before you.
I find no fault with your sacrifices, *
your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms, *
nor goats from among your herds.
For I own all the beasts of the forest, *
beasts in their thousands on my hills.
I know all the birds in the sky, *
all that moves in the field belongs to me.
Were I hungry, I would not tell you, *
for I own the world and all it holds.
Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God *
and render him your votive offerings.
Call on me in the day of distress. *
I will free you and you shall honor 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.
Ant. Come to me in your distress, and I will save you.
Ant. 3 A sacrifice of praise will give me glory.
III
But God says to the wicked:
“But how can you recite my commandments *
and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law *
and throw my words to the winds,
you who see a thief and go with him; *
who throw in your lot with adulterers,
who unbridle your mouth for evil *
and whose tongue is plotting crime,
you who sit and malign your brother *
and slander your own mother’s son.
You do this, and should I keep silence? *
Do you think that I am like you?
Mark this, you who never think of God, *
lest I seize you and you cannot escape;
a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me *
and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.”
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
Father, because Jesus, your servant, became obedient even unto death, his sacrifice was greater than all holocausts of old. Accept the sacrifice of praise we offer you through him, and may we show the effects of it in our lives by striving to do your will until our whole life becomes adoration in spirit and truth.
Ant. A sacrifice of praise will give me glory.
We are always praying earnestly for you.
— That you may have a deep knowledge of God’s will.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Thessalonians
3:1-18
Exhortation and counsels
For the rest, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord may make progress and be hailed by many others, even as it has been by you. Pray that we may be delivered from confused and evil men. For not every man has faith, but the Lord keeps faith; he it is who will strengthen you and guard you against the evil one. In the Lord we are confident that you are doing and will continue to do whatever we enjoin. May the Lord rule your hearts in the love of God and the constancy of Christ.
We command you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to avoid any brother who wanders from the straight path and does not follow the tradition you received from us.
You know how you ought to imitate us. We did not live lives of disorder when we were among you, nor depend on anyone for food. Rather, we worked day and night, laboring to the point of exhaustion so as not to impose on any of you. Not that we had no claim on you, but that we might present ourselves as an example for you to imitate.
Indeed, when we were with you we used to lay down the rule that anyone who would not work should not eat. We hear that some of you are unruly, not keeping busy but acting like busybodies. We enjoin all such, and we urge them strongly in the Lord Jesus Christ, to earn the food they eat by working quietly.
You must never grow weary of doing what is right, brothers.
If anyone will not obey our injunction, delivered through this letter, single him out to be ostracized that he may be ashamed of his conduct. But do not treat him like an enemy; rather, correct him as you would a brother.
May he who is the Lord of peace give you continued peace in every possible way. The Lord be with you all.
This greeting is in my own hand—Paul’s. I append this signature to every letter I write.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
RESPONSORY
See 1 Thessalonians 2:13; see Ephesians 1:13
When you opened your hearts to the message of God,
— you received it, not as the word of men,
but as what it truly is, the word of God.
You have heard the word of truth,
the good news of your salvation.
— You received it, not as the word of men,
but as what it truly is, the word of God.
SECOND READING
From the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world of the Second Vatican Council
(Gaudium et spes, nn. 35-36)
Man and his activity
The activity of man, as it has its origin in man, has man also as its end. Man through his work not only introduces change into things and into society; he also perfects himself. He learns a great deal; he develops his powers; he advances above and beyond himself. This kind of gain, properly understood, is more valuable than any external possessions. Man’s worth is greater because of what he is than because of what he has.
In the same way, all that men do to secure greater justice, more widespread brotherhood and a more humane structure of social relationships has more value than advance in technology. Technological development may provide the raw material for human progress, but of itself it is totally unable to bring it into being.
The criterion, therefore, for assessing man’s activity is this: does it, in accordance with God’s plan, fit in with the true good of the human race and allow man, individually and corporately, to develop and fulfill his vocation in its entirety?
Many of our contemporaries, however, seem to be afraid that a closer relationship between religion and man’s activity will injure the autonomy of men or societies or the different sciences. If by the autonomy of earthly realities we mean that created things and even societies have their own distinctive laws and values, which must be gradually identified, used and regulated by men, this kind of autonomy is rightly demanded. Not only is it insisted on by modern man, it is also in harmony with the design of the Creator. By the very fact of creation everything is provided with its own stability, its own truth and goodness, its own laws and orderly functioning. Man must respect these, acknowledging the methods proper to each science or art.
One should therefore deplore certain attitudes of mind which are sometimes found even among Christians because of a failure to recognize the legitimate autonomy of science. These mental attitudes have given rise to conflict and controversy and led many to assume that faith and science are mutually opposed.
If, on the other hand, the autonomy of the temporal order is understood to mean that created things do not depend on God, and that man may use them without reference to the Creator, all who believe in God will realize how false is this teaching. For creation without the Creator fades into nothingness.
RESPONSORY
Deuteronomy 2:7; 8:5
The Lord has blessed you in all that you have done;
he has watched over your progress as you journeyed through the vast desert.
— The Lord your God has been with you;
no need of yours has been forgotten.
As a father teaches his son,
so the Lord your God was disciplining you.
— The Lord your God has been with you;
no need of yours has been forgotten.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Lord our God,
help us to love you with all our hearts
and to love all men as you love them.
Grant 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:
Grant us, Lord our God,
that we may honor you with all our mind,
and love everyone in truth of heart.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Know that he, the Lord, is God. †
He made us, we belong to him, *
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Go within his gates, giving thanks. †
Enter his courts with songs of praise. *
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
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. Let us listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.
Praise the Lord, ye heavens, adore him;
Praise him, angels in the height;
Sun and moon, rejoice before him;
Praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise the Lord for he has spoken;
Worlds his mighty voice obeyed;
Laws which never shall be broken,
For their guidance he has made.
Praise the Lord, for he is glorious,
Never shall his promise fail;
God hath made his saints victorious,
Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation;
Hosts on high his power proclaim;
Heaven and earth and all creation,
Praise and magnify his name.
Worship, honor, glory, blessing,
Lord, we offer unto thee;
Young and old, thy praise expressing,
In glad homage bend the knee.
All the saints in heaven adore thee,
We would bow before thy throne;
As thine angels serve before thee,
So on earth thy will be done.
Tune: Austria 87.87 D
Music: Franz Josef Haydn, 1797
Text: Stanzas 1 and 2, Foundling Hospital Collection, c. 1801; stanza 3, Edward Osler, 1836