Office of Readings
INVITATORY
The Invitatory is said when this is the first ‘hour’ of the day.
Go to the Hymn
Go to the Psalmody
Lord, + open my lips.
— And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 24
Psalm 67
Psalm 100
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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
Alternate Hymn
During the night or at dawn:
O God, most Holy Three in One,
who rule the world with might and strength,
draw near and heed our hymns of praise,
as we keep watch with psalms and prayers.
For, in the silent hours of night,
we rise from bed and leave our rest,
to beg from you with ardent prayer
your healing balm for all our wounds,
That your all-glorious pow’r on high
may purify and free our souls
from any evil done this night,
suggested by the demons’ fraud.
With trusting heart we humbly beg:
Come fill us with your holy light,
so that throughout the daily round
no careless deed shall cause our fall.
Most loving Father, hear our prayer,
and you, O Christ coequal Son,
who with the Spirit Paraclete
now reign for all eternity. Amen.
Tune: ARFRETON, 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: Tu, Trinitatis Unitas, ca. 6-7th c., © 2023 ICEL
During the day:
O Christ, exalted Love, draw near
to dwell in hearts you once redeemed;
come, fill our voices, as we pray,
with fervent tears and ardent praise.
Most loving Jesus, hear the prayers
that we in faith pour forth to you;
we beg of you, O Christ our Lord:
Forgive the evil we have done.
So by the Cross, that holy sign
made sacred through your body’s touch,
defend us as your children, Lord,
in ev’ry nation, ev’ry land.
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: Adesto, Christe cordibus, attributed to Saint Bede the Venerable, ca. 672-735, © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 I am worn out with crying, with longing for my God.
Psalm 69:2-22, 30-37
I am consumed with zeal for your house
They offered him a mixture of wine and gall (Matthew 27:34).
I
Save me, O God, *
for the waters have risen to my neck.
I have sunk into the mud of the deep *
and there is no foothold.
I have entered the waters of the deep *
and the waves overwhelm me.
I am wearied with all my crying, *
my throat is parched.
My eyes are wasted away *
from looking for my God.
More numerous than the hairs on my head *
are those who hate me without cause.
Those who attack me with lies *
are too much for my strength.
How can I restore *
what I have never stolen?
O God, you know my sinful folly; *
my sins you can see.
Let those who hope in you not be put to shame *
through me, Lord of hosts:
let not those who seek you be dismayed *
through me, God of Israel.
It is for you that I suffer taunts, *
that shame covers my face,
that I have become a stranger to my brothers, *
an alien to my own mother’s sons.
I burn with zeal for your house *
and taunts against you fall on me.
When I afflict my soul with fasting *
they make it a taunt against me.
When I put on sackcloth in mourning *
then they make me a byword,
the gossip of men at the gates, *
the subject of drunkards’ songs.
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 am worn out with crying, with longing for my God.
Ant. 2 I needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar.
II
This is my prayer to you, *
my prayer for your favor.
In your great love, answer me, O God, *
with your help that never fails:
rescue me from sinking in the mud; *
save me from my foes.
Save me from the waters of the deep *
lest the waves overwhelm me.
Do not let the deep engulf me *
nor death close its mouth on me.
Lord, answer, for your love is kind; *
in your compassion, turn towards me.
Do not hide your face from your servant; *
answer quickly for I am in distress.
Come close to my soul and redeem me; *
ransom me pressed by my foes.
You know how they taunt and deride me; *
my oppressors are all before you.
Taunts have broken my heart; *
I have reached the end of my strength.
I looked in vain for compassion, *
for consolers; not one could I find.
For food they gave me poison; *
in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
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 needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar.
Ant. 3 Seek the Lord and you will live.
III
As for me in my poverty and pain *
let your help, O God, lift me up.
I will praise God’s name with a song; *
I will glorify him with thanksgiving,
a gift pleasing God more than oxen, *
more than beasts prepared for sacrifice.
The poor when they see it will be glad *
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy *
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
Let the heavens and the earth give him praise, *
the sea and all its living creatures.
For God will bring help to Zion *
and rebuild the cities of Judah
and men shall dwell there in possession. †
The sons of his servants shall inherit it; *
those who love his name shall dwell there.
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 our Father, to show the way of salvation, you chose that the standard of the cross should go before us, and you fulfilled the ancient prophecies in Christ’s passover from death to life. Do not let us rouse your burning indignation by sin, but rather, through the contemplation of his wounds, make us burn with zeal for the honor of your Church and with grateful love for you.
Ant. Seek the Lord and you will live.
The Lord will teach us his ways.
— And we will follow in his footsteps.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the second book of Chronicles
20:1-9, 13-24
The wondrous story relating the help God offered to Jehoshaphat
The Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them some Meunites came to fight against Jehoshaphat. The message was brought to Jehoshaphat: “A great multitude is coming against you from across the sea, from Edom; they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (which is En-gedi). Jehoshaphat was frightened, and he hastened to consult the Lord. He proclaimed a fast for all Judah. Then Judah gathered to seek help from the Lord; from every one of the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court, and he said: “Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In your hand is power and might, and no one can withstand you. Was it not you, our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend? They have dwelt in it and they built in it a sanctuary to your honor, saying, ‘When evil comes upon us, the sword of judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and we will cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save!’”
All Judah was standing before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their young sons. And the spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the clan of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly, and he said: “Listen, all of Judah, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! The Lord says to you: ‘Do not fear or lose heart at the sight of this vast multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Go down against them tomorrow. You will see them coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will come upon them at the end of the wadi which opens on the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not have to fight in this encounter. Take your places, stand firm, and see how the Lord will be with you to deliver you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or lose heart. Tomorrow go out to meet them, and the Lord will be with you.’”
Then Jehoshaphat knelt down with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord in worship. Levites from among the Kohathites and Korahites rose to sing the praises of the Lord, the God of Israel, in a resounding chorus.
In the early morning they hastened out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were going out, Jehoshaphat halted and said: “Listen to me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord, your God, and you will be found firm. Trust in his prophets and you will succeed.” After consulting with the people, he appointed some to sing to the Lord and some to praise the holy Appearance as it went forth at the head of the army. They sang: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.”
At the moment they began their jubilant hymn, the Lord laid an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites, and those of Mount Seir who were coming against Judah, so that they were vanquished. For the Ammonites and Moabites set upon the inhabitants of Mount Seir and completely exterminated them. And when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they began to destroy each other. When Judah came to the watchtower of the desert and looked toward the throng, they saw only corpses fallen on the ground, with no survivors.
RESPONSORY
Ephesians 6:12, 14; 2 Chronicles 20:17
Our struggle is not against human enemies
but against the principalities and powers, against the evil spirits.
— Stand firm and let the truth be the belt around your waist.
Stand firm, and you will see the Lord coming to deliver you.
— Stand firm and let the truth be the belt around your waist.
SECOND READING
From the treatise On the Mysteries by Saint Ambrose, bishop
(Nn. 43, 47-49: SC 25 bis, 178-180,182)
To the newly baptized on the Eucharist
Fresh from the waters and resplendent in these garments, God’s holy people hasten to the altar of Christ, saying: I will go in to the altar of God, to God who gives joy to my youth. They have sloughed off the old skin of error, their youth renewed like an eagle’s, and they make haste to approach that heavenly banquet. They come and, seeing the sacred altar prepared, cry out: You have prepared a table in my sight. David puts these words into their mouths: The Lord is my shepherd and nothing will be lacking to me. He has set me down there in a place of pasture. He has brought me beside refreshing water. Further on, we read: For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I shall not be afraid of evils, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff have given me comfort. You have prepared in my sight a table against those who afflict me. You have made my head rich in oil, and your cup, which exhilarates, how excellent it is.
It is wonderful that God rained manna on our fathers and they were fed with daily food from heaven. And so it is written: Man ate the bread of angels. Yet those who ate that bread all died in the desert. But the food that you receive, that living bread which came down from heaven, supplies the very substance of eternal life, and whoever will eat it will never die, for it is the body of Christ.
Consider now which is the more excellent: the bread of angels or the flesh of Christ, which is indeed the body that gives life. The first was manna from heaven, the second is above the heavens. One was of heaven, the other is of the Lord of the heavens; one subject to corruption if it was kept till the morrow, the other free from all corruption, for if anyone tastes of it with reverence he will be incapable of corruption. For our fathers, water flowed from the rock; for you, blood flows from Christ. Water satisfied their thirst for a time; blood cleanses you for ever. The Jew drinks and still thirsts, but when you drink you will be incapable of thirst. What happened in symbol is now fulfilled in reality.
If what you marvel at is a shadow, how great is the reality whose very shadow you marvel at. Listen to this, which shows that what happened in the time of our fathers was but a shadow. They drank, it is written, from the rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. All this took place as a symbol for us. You know now what is more excellent: light is preferable to its shadow, reality to its symbol, the body of the Giver to the manna he gave from heaven.
RESPONSORY
1 Corinthians 10:1-2, 11
Our fathers passed through the sea
and all were baptized into Moses
in the cloud and in the sea.
— Everything that happened to them was symbolic.
All ate the same spiritual food;
all drank the same spiritual drink.
— Everything that happened to them was symbolic.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
God our Father,
your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow him
reject what is contrary to the Gospel.
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, who show the light of your truth
to those who go astray,
so that they may return to the right path,
give all who for the faith they profess
are accounted Christians
the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ
and to strive after all that does it honor.
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.
******
DONATE to support the continued development of the iBreviary
SUBSCRIBE iBreviary newsletter
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Continue with the Hymn
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Continue with the Hymn
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
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 give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.
Continue with the Hymn
In ancient times God spoke to man
Through prophets, and in varied ways,
But now he speaks through Christ his Son,
His radiance through eternal days.
To God the Father of the world,
His Son through whom he made all things,
And Holy Spirit, bond of love,
All glad creation glory sings.
Tune: Herr Jesu Christ mein Lebens Licht L.M.
Music: As Hymnodus Sacer, Leipzig 1625
Text: © Stanbrook Abbey, used with permission
Continue with the Psalmody