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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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:
O God, supreme and merciful
and Maker of the ordered world,
three Persons, by one gracious will,
you strengthen all with loving pow’r.
Look kindly on the tears we shed,
which mingle with devoted hymns,
that as our hearts are cleansed of sin
we find our perfect joy in you.
Consume our passions and desires
with flames of love sent forth to heal,
that standing by with girded loins,
we may be ready when you come.
So may we all, who rise this night
and rend the hours with hymns of praise,
be filled with gifts beyond desire,
the blessings of our heav’nly home.
Most loving Father, hear our prayer,
and you, O Christ coequal Son,
who with the Spirit Paraclete
now reign for all eternity. Amen.
Tune: ALFRETON, 8 8 8 8
Music: from the Supplement to the New Version of the Psalms, 1708
or Mode IV, melody 67; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Summæ Deus clementiæ, 6-7th c., © 2023 ICEL
During the day:
O Author of eternal praise,
who give to all who live by faith
the Spirit of your sev’nfold grace,
with kindness come to help us all.
Cast out the ills of flesh and blood,
fend off reproach and shame of mind,
cut off the pow’r of sin and vice,
and put to flight all grief of heart.
Create in us a tranquil mind,
with truth and honor crown our work,
receive the prayers that rise to you,
and grant us everlasting life.
Though now all circling time unfolds
in weeks composed of seven days,
that day shall come, the eighth and last,
the day of judgment for the world.
At that dread hour, redeeming Lord,
do not accuse us in your wrath,
but keep us from your left, we pray,
and gather us at your right hand,
That when in mercy you receive
the prayers of those you call your own,
we all may praise and glorify
the Triune God for evermore. Amen.
Tune: As above
Text: Auctor perennis gloriæ, unknown author, © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Let us praise the Lord for his mercy and for the wonderful things he has done for men.
Psalm 107
Thanksgiving for deliverance
This is God’s message to the sons of Israel; the good news of peace proclaimed through Jesus Christ (Acts 10:36).
I
“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; *
for his love endures for ever.”
Let them say this, the Lord’s redeemed, *
whom he redeemed from the hand of the foe
and gathered from far-off lands, *
from east and west, north and south.
Some wandered in the desert, in the wilderness, *
finding no way to a city they could dwell in.
Hungry they were and thirsty; *
their soul was fainting within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need *
and he rescued them from their distress
and he led them along the right way *
to reach a city they could dwell in.
Let them thank the Lord for his love, *
for the wonders he does for men.
For he satisfies the thirsty soul; *
he fills the hungry with good things.
Some lay in darkness and in gloom, *
prisoners in misery and chains,
Having defied the words of God *
and spurned the counsels of the Most High.
He crushed their spirit with toil; *
they stumbled; there was no one to help.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need *
and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them forth from darkness and gloom *
and broke their chains to pieces.
Let them thank the Lord for his goodness, *
for the wonders he does for men:
for he bursts the gates of bronze *
and shatters the iron bars.
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 praise the Lord for his mercy and for the wonderful things he has done for men.
Ant. 2 Men have seen the works of God, the marvels he has done.
II
Some were sick on account of their sins *
and afflicted on account of their guilt.
They had a loathing for every food; *
they came close to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need *
and he rescued them from their distress.
He sent forth his word to heal them *
and saved their life from the grave.
Let them thank the Lord for his love, *
for the wonders he does for men.
Let them offer a sacrifice of thanks *
and tell of his deeds with rejoicing.
Some sailed to the sea in ships *
to trade on the mighty waters.
These men have seen the Lord’s deeds, *
the wonders he does in the deep.
For he spoke; he summoned the gale, *
raising up the waves of the sea.
Tossed up to heaven, then into the deep; *
their soul melted away in their distress.
They staggered, reeled like drunken men, *
for all their skill was gone.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need *
and he rescued them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper: *
all the waves of the sea were hushed.
They rejoiced because of the calm *
and he led them to the haven they desired.
Let them thank the Lord for his love, *
the wonders he does for men.
Let them exalt him in the gathering of the people *
and praise him in the meeting of all the elders.
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. Men have seen the works of God, the marvels he has done.
Ant. 3 Those who love the Lord will see and rejoice; they will understand his loving kindness.
III
He changes streams into a desert, *
springs of water into thirsty ground,
fruitful land into a salty waste, *
for the wickedness of those who live there.
But he changes desert into streams, *
thirsty ground into springs of water.
There he settles the hungry *
and they build a city to dwell in.
They sow fields and plant their vines; *
these yield crops for the harvest.
He blesses them; they grow in numbers. *
He does not let their herds decrease.
He pours contempt upon princes, *
makes them wander in trackless wastes.
They diminish, are reduced to nothing *
by oppression, evil and sorrow.
But he raises the needy from distress; *
makes families numerous as a flock.
The upright see it and rejoice *
but all who do wrong are silenced.
Whoever is wise, let him heed these things *
and consider the love of 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
You fill the hungry with good things, Lord God, and break the sinner’s chains. Hear your people who call to you in their need and lead your Church from the shadows of death. Gather us from sunrise to sunset, that we may grow together in faith and love and give lasting thanks for your kindness.
Ant. Those who love the Lord will see and rejoice; they will understand his loving kindness.
Your truth, O God, is high as the clouds.
— Lord, your goodness is deep as the ocean.
READINGS
From the Book of Judges
16:4-6, 16-31
The treachery of Delilah and the death of Samson
Samson fell in love with a woman in the Wadi Sorek whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came to her and said, “Beguile him and find out the secret of his great strength, and how we may overcome and bind him so as to keep him helpless. We will each give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you may be bound so as to be kept helpless.” She importuned him continually and vexed him with her complaints till he was deathly weary of them. So he took her completely into his confidence and told her, “No razor has touched my head, for I have been consecrated to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I shall be as weak as any other man.” When Delilah saw that he had taken her completely into his confidence, she summoned the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this time, for he has opened his heart to me.”
So the lords of the Philistines came and brought up the money with them. She had him sleep on her lap, and called for a man who shaved off his seven locks of hair. Then she began to mistreat him, for his strength had left him. When she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!,” and he woke from his sleep, he thought he could make good his escape as he had done time and again, for he did not realize that the Lord had left him. But the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze fetters, and he was put to grinding in the prison. But the hair of his head began to grow as soon as it was shaved off.
The lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to make merry. They said,
“Our god has delivered into our power
Samson our enemy.”
When their spirits were high, they said, “Call Samson that he may amuse us.” So they called Samson from the prison, and he played the buffoon before them. When the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said,
“Our god has delivered into our power
our enemy, the ravager of our land,
the one who has multiplied our slain.”
Then they stationed him between the columns. Samson said to the attendant who was holding his hand, “Put me where I may touch the columns that support the temple and may rest against them.” The temple was full of men and women: all the lords of the Philistines were there, and from the roof about three thousand men and women looked on as Samson provided amusement.
Samson cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, remember me! Strengthen me, O God, this last time that for my two eyes I may avenge myself once and for all on the Philistines.” Samson grasped the two middle columns on which the temple rested and braced himself against them, one at his right hand, the other at his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard, and the temple fell upon the lords and all the people who were in it. Those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his lifetime.
All his family and kinsmen went down and bore him up for burial in the grave of his father Manoah between Zorah and Eshtaol. He had judged Israel for twenty years.
RESPONSORY
Psalm 43:1; 31:4; Judges 16:28
Defend me, God;
take up my cause against a faithless people.
— For you are my rock and my fortress.
Remember me and give me strength just once again.
— For you are my rock and my fortress.
SECOND READING
From a Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian of Carthage, bishop and martyr
(Nn. 28-30: CSEL 3, 287-289)
Prayer should be expressed in deeds as well as words
Dear friends, why does the fact that God has taught us such a prayer as this astonish us? Did he not express all of our prayers in his own words of life? Indeed this was already foretold by Isaiah. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he spoke of the majesty and fidelity of God: The Lord will speak a final brief word of justice, a word throughout the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ came for all mankind. He gathered together male and female, the learned and the unlearned, the old and the young and taught them his saving doctrine. He did not want his disciples to be burdened by memorizing his teaching; he made a complete summary of his commands such as was necessary for a trusting faith, and could be quickly learned.
Thus he summarized his teaching on the mystery of eternal life and its meaning with an admirable, divine brevity: And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. Again, in quoting the first and the greatest precept of the law and the prophets, he spoke in the same way: Listen, Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. The second is like it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depends all that is contained in the law and the prophets. On another occasion the Lord said: Always treat others as you would like them to treat you: that is the meaning of the law and the prophets.
God taught us to pray not only by his words, but also by his actions. He taught us by his own example for he often prayed on our behalf. The Scripture says: He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed. And again: He went into the hills to pray and he spent the whole night in prayer to God.
Was the sinless Lord praying for himself? No, he was praying and interceding on our behalf. He explained this to Peter: Behold Satan demanded that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. Later on he prayed to the Father for everyone: I am not praying for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their preaching, that they may be one; just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us. God loves us; for the sake of our salvation he is generous toward us. He is not satisfied with redeeming us by his blood. He also prays to the Father on our behalf. Consider the love exemplified in that prayer. The Father and Son are one; we too are to abide in that oneness.
RESPONSORY
Psalm 25:1-2, 5
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
— I trust in you, O my God,
let me not be put to shame.
Guide me in the way of your truth and teach me.
For you are my saving God and I hope in you all day long.
— I trust in you, O my God,
let me not be put to shame.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Almighty God,
our hope and our strength,
without you we falter.
Help us to follow Christ
and to live according to your will.
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, strength of those who hope in you,
graciously hear our pleas,
and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing,
grant us always the help of your grace
that in following your commands
we may please you by our resolve and our deeds.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Come, let us worship God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Come, let us worship God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Come, let us worship God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
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 God who holds the world and its wonders in his creating hand.
Come now, Almighty King,
Help us your name to sing,
Help us to praise;
Father, all glorious,
O’er all victorious,
Come, and reign over us,
Ancient of Days.
Come now, Incarnate Word,
Who for us death endured.
Our prayer attend:
Come, and your people bless,
And give your word success;
Fill us with righteousness,
Savior and friend.
Come, Holy Comforter,
Your sacred witness bear
In this glad hour:
To us your grace impart,
And rule in ev’ry heart!
Never from us depart,
Spirit of pow’r.
To you, O Trinity,
Eternal praises be
Forevermore!
Your Sov’reign majesty
May we in glory see,
And to eternity
Love and adore!
Tune: Moscow (Italian Hymn) 664.6664
Music: Felice de Giardini, 1716-1796
Text: Anonymous