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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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:
Sublime Creator of all things,
our Lord and ruler, turn your gaze;
deliver us, immersed in sleep,
from harmful dreams and indolence.
O holy Christ, we beg of you:
Forgive us all our sinful deeds;
we break the silent hours of night
and rise to give you thanks and praise.
We lift our hearts and hands in prayer
and keep our vigil through the night,
as David in the Psalms prescribed
and Paul made known in word and deed.
You see the evil we have done;
we lay before you hidden faults
and pour forth prayers with sighs and tears:
Forgive us, Lord, for we have sinned.
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: 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: Rerum creator optime, 6-7th c., © 2023 ICEL
During the day:
We offer you exultant praise,
all-wise, all-knowing Lord our God,
who see our inmost mind and heart
and by your grace sustain our life.
Good Shepherd, as you tend your flocks,
you also seek the sheep that stray;
unite us to your faithful fold
in pastures filled with richest food,
Lest terror at the judge’s ire
should join us to the wicked goats;
but by your judgment may we be
the sheep of your eternal fold.
To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,
all vict’ry, honor, pow’r, and praise,
Redeemer reigning over all
from age to age for evermore. Amen.
Tune: As above
Text: Scientiarum Domino, 13-14th c., © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 I love you Lord; you are my strength.
Psalm 18:2-30
Thanksgiving for salvation and victory
At that time there was a violent earthquake (Revelation 11:15).
I
I love you, Lord, my strength, *
my rock, my fortress, my savior.
My God is the rock where I take refuge; *
my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise: *
when I call I am saved from my foes.
The waves of death rose about me; *
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the snares of the grave entangled me; *
the traps of death confronted me.
In my anguish I called to the Lord; *
I cried to God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; *
my cry came to his ears.
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. I love you Lord; you are my strength.
Ant. 2 The Lord has saved me; he wanted me for his own.
II
Then the earth reeled and rocked; *
the mountains were shaken to their base:
they reeled at his terrible anger. *
Smoke came forth from his nostrils
and scorching fire from his mouth: *
coals were set ablaze by its heat.
He lowered the heavens and came down, *
a black cloud under his feet.
He came enthroned on the cherubim, *
he flew on the wings of the wind.
He made the darkness his covering, *
the dark waters of the clouds, his tent.
A brightness shone out before him *
with hailstones and flashes of fire.
The Lord thundered in the heavens; *
The Most High let his voice be heard.
He shot his arrows, scattered the foe, *
flashed his lightnings and put them to flight.
The bed of the ocean was revealed; *
the foundations of the world were laid bare
at the thunder of your threat, O Lord, *
at the blast of the breath of your anger.
From on high he reached down and seized me; *
he drew me forth from the mighty waters.
He snatched me from my powerful foe, *
from my enemies whose strength I could not match.
They assailed me in the day of my misfortune, *
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me forth into freedom, *
he saved me because he loved 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. The Lord has saved me; he wanted me for his own.
Ant. 3 Lord, kindle a light for my guidance and scatter my darkness.
III
He rewarded me because I was just. *
repaid me, for my hands were clean,
for I have kept the way of the Lord *
and have not fallen away from my God.
For his judgments are all before me: *
I have never neglected his commands.
I have always been upright before him; *
I have kept myself from guilt.
He repaid me because I was just *
and my hands were clean in his eyes.
You are loving with those who love you: *
you show yourself perfect with the perfect.
With the sincere you show yourself sincere, *
but the cunning you outdo in cunning.
For you save a humble people *
but humble the eyes that are proud.
You, O Lord, are my lamp, *
my God who lightens my darkness.
With you I can break through any barrier, *
with my God I can scale any wall.
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. Lord, kindle a light for my guidance and scatter my darkness.
All wondered at the words of grace.
— Which came from the mouth of the Lord.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the letter to the Galatians
3:15—4:7
The purpose of the law
Brothers, let me give you an everyday example. You cannot add anything to a man’s will or set it aside once it is legally validated. There were promises spoken to Abraham and to his “descendant.” Scripture does not say “and to your descendants,” as if it applied to many, but as if it applied to only one, “and to your descendant”; that is, to Christ.
My point is this: a covenant formally ratified by God is not set aside as invalid by any law that came into being four hundred and thirty years later, nor is its promise nullified. Clearly, if one’s inheritance comes through the law, it is no longer conferred in virtue of the promise. Yet it was by way of promise that God granted Abraham his privilege.
What is the relevance of the law, in such case? It was given in view of transgressions and promulgated by angels, at the hands of a mediator; it was to be valid only until that descendant or offspring came to whom the promise had been given. Now there can be no mediator when only one person is involved; and God is one. Does this mean that the law is opposed to the promises [of God]? Again, unthinkable! If the law that was given was such that it could impart life, then justice would be a consequence of the law.
In fact, however, Scripture has locked all things in under the constraint of sin. Why? So that the promise might be fulfilled in those who believe, in consequence of faith in Jesus Christ.
Before faith came we were under the constraint of the law, locked in until the faith that was coming should be revealed. In other words, the law was our monitor until Christ came to bring about our justification through faith. But now that faith is here, we are no longer in the monitor’s charge. Each one of you is a son of God because of your faith in Christ Jesus.
All of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with him. There does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or freeman, male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, if you belong to Christ you are the descendants of Abraham, which means you inherit all that was promised.
Brothers: as long as a designated heir is not of age his condition is no different from that of slave, even though in name he is master of all his possessions; for he is under the supervision of guardians and administrators until the time set by his father. In the same way, while we were not yet of age we were like slaves subordinated to the elements of the world.
But when the designated time had come, God sent forth his Son born of a woman, born under the law, to deliver from the law those who were subjected to it, so that we might receive our status as adopted sons. The proof that you are sons is the fact that God has sent forth into our hearts the spirit of his Son which cries out “Abba!” (“Father!”) You are no longer a slave but a son! And the fact that you are a son makes you an heir, by God’s design.
RESPONSORY
Galatians 3: 27, 28; Ephesians 4:24
All of you who have been baptized in Christ,
have put on Christ.
Now there is neither Jew nor Greek;
— you are all one in Christ Jesus.
You must put on the new man created in the image of God
in true justice and in holiness.
— You are all one in Christ Jesus.
SECOND READING
From a letter by Saint Ambrose, bishop
(Ep. 35,4-6, 13: PL 16 [ed. 1845], 1078-1079, 1081)
We are heirs of God, coheirs with Christ
The person who puts to death by the spirit the deeds of our sinful nature will live, says the Apostle. This is most surprising since one who has the Spirit of God becomes a child of God. So true is it that he is a child of God that he received not a spirit that enslaves but the Spirit that makes us sons. So much so that the holy Spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are sons of God. This is the witness of the Holy Spirit: he cries out in our hearts, Abba, Father, as we read in the letter to the Galatians.
There is also that other great testimony to the fact that we are sons of God: we are heirs of God, coheirs with Christ. A coheir of Christ is one who is glorified along with Christ. The one who is glorified along with him is one who, by suffering for him, suffers along with him.
To encourage us in suffering, Paul adds that all our sufferings are small in comparison with the wonderful reward that will be revealed in us; our labors do not deserve the blessings that are to come. We shall be restored to the likeness of God, and counted worthy of seeing him face to face.
He enhances the greatness of the revelation that is to come by adding that creation also looks forward to this revealing of the sons of god. Creation, he says, is at present condemned to frustration, not of its own choice, but it lives in hope. Its hope is in Christ, as it awaits the grace of his ministry; or it hopes that it will share in the glorious freedom of the sons of God and be freed from its bondage to corruption, so that there will be one freedom, shared by creation and by the sons of God when their glory will be revealed.
At present, however, while this revealing is delayed, all creation groans as it looks forward to the glory of adoption and redemption; it is already in labor with that spirit of salvation, and is anxious to be freed from its subjection to frustration.
The meaning is clear: those who have the firstfruits of the Spirit are groaning in expectation of the adoption of sons. This adoption of sons is that of the whole body of creation, when it will be as it were a son of God and see the divine, eternal goodness face to face. The adoption of sons is present in the Church of the Lord when the Spirit cries out: Abba, Father, as you read in the letter to the Galatians. But it will be perfect when all who are worthy of seeing the face of God rise in incorruption, in honor and in glory. Then our humanity will know that it has been truly redeemed. So Paul glories in saying: We are saved by hope. Hope saves, just as faith does, for of faith it is said: Your faith has saved you.
RESPONSORY
Romans 8:17, 5:9
We are God’s heirs and coheirs with Christ,
— if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Now that we have been justified in his blood,
it is all the more likely that he will save us from God’s anger.
— If only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Father,
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.
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:
Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care,
that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace,
they may be defended always by your protection.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker.
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 before the Lord, our maker.
God, whose almighty word
Chaos and darkness heard
And took their flight:
Hear us, we humbly pray,
And where the Gospel day
Sheds not its glorious ray
Let there be light!
Savior, who came to bring,
On your redeeming wing,
Healing and sight—
Health to the sick in mind,
Sight to the inly blind—
O now to all mankind
Let there be light!
Spirit of truth and love,
Life-giving, holy dove,
Speed on your flight;
Move on the waters’ face,
Bearing the lamp of grace,
And in earth’s darkest place
Let there be light!
Holy and blessed Three,
Glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might,
Boundless as ocean-tide
Rolling in fullest pride,
Through the world, far and wide
Let there be light!
Tune: Moscow 664.6664
Music: Felice De Giardini, 1716-1796
Text: John Marriott, 1780-1825, adapted by Anthony G. Petti