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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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.
Go to Psalm 24
Go to Psalm 67
Go to 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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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 is risen, alleluia.
Go to the Hymn
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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 is risen, alleluia.
Go to 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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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 is risen, alleluia.
Go to 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. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
Know that he, the Lord, is God. †
He made us, we belong to him, *
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
Go within his gates, giving thanks. †
Enter his courts with songs of praise. *
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.
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 is risen, alleluia.
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
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Let the holy anthem rise,
And the choirs of heaven chant it
In the temple of the skies;
Let the mountains skip with gladness,
And the joyful valleys ring
With hosannas in the highest
To our Savior and our King!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Like the sun from out the wave,
He has risen up in triumph
From the darkness of the grave.
He’s the splendor of the nations,
He’s the lamp of endless day;
He’s the very Lord of glory
Who is risen up today!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Blessed Jesus, make us rise
From the life of this corruption
To the life that never dies.
May your glory be our portion,
When the days of time are past,
And the dead shall be awakened
By the trumpet’s mighty blast!
Tune: Holy Anthem 87.87 D
Music: Saint Basil’s Hymnal, 1889
Text: Edward Caswall, 1814-1878
Go to the Psalmody
Or:
Christ the Lord is risen again,
Christ has broken every chain.
Hark, the angel voices cry,
Singing evermore on high:
Alleluia!
He who gave for us his life,
Who for us endured the strife,
Is our paschal lamb today;
We too sing for joy, and say:
Alleluia!
He who bore all pain and loss
Comfortless upon the cross
Lives in glory now on high,
Pleads for us, and hears our cry:
Alleluia!
He who slumbered in the grave
Is exalted now to save;
Through the universe it rings
That the lamb is King of kings:
Alleluia!
Now he bids us tell abroad
How the lost may be restored,
How the penitent forgiven,
How we too may enter heaven:
Alleluia!
Christ, our paschal lamb indeed,
All your ransomed people feed!
Take our sins and guilt away:
Let us sing by night and day:
Alleluia!
Tune: Christ ist Erstanden 77.77.4
Music: German twelfth century melody
Text: From Ein Neu Gesangbuchlein, 1531, Michael Weisse +1534
Translation: Catherine Winkworth, 1827-1878, alt.
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 I love you Lord; you are my strength, alleluia.
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, alleluia.
Ant. 2 The Lord has saved me; he wanted me for his own, alleluia.
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, alleluia.
Ant. 3 Lord, kindle a light for my guidance and scatter my darkness, alleluia.
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, alleluia.
God raised up Christ from the dead, alleluia.
– So that all our faith and hope might be in God, alleluia.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the Book of Revelation
21:1-8
The new Jerusalem
I, John, saw new heavens and a new earth. The former heavens and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer. I also saw a new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God, beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne cry out: “This is God’s dwelling among men. He shall dwell with them and they shall be his people and he shall be their God who is always with them. He shall wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the former world has passed away.”
The One who sat on the throne said to me, “See, I make all things new!” Then he said, “Write these matters down, for the words are trustworthy and true!” He went on to say: “These words are already fulfilled! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To anyone who thirsts I will give to drink without cost from the spring of life-giving water. He who wins the victory shall inherit these gifts; I will be his God and he shall be my son. As for the cowards and traitors to the faith, the depraved and murderers, the fornicators and sorcerers, the idol-worshipers and deceivers of every sort—their lot is the fiery pool of burning sulphur, the second death!”
RESPONSORY
Revelation 21:3, 4
See the place where God lives among men;
there he will make his home among them,
– and he will wipe every tear from their eyes, alleluia.
Death shall be no more;
grief, tears and sorrow will be forgotten for the former world has passed away.
– And he will wipe every tear from their eyes, alleluia.
SECOND READING
From a letter to Diognetus
(Nn. 5-6; Funk, 397-401)
The Christian in the world
Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.
And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.
Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.
To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.
Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.
RESPONSORY
John 8:11; Sirach 24:25
I am the light of the world.
– No one who follows me will ever walk in darkness;
but he will have the light of life, alleluia.
I am the source of all grace of the way and the truth;
in me rests all hope for life and for strength.
– No one who follows me will ever walk in darkness;
but he will have the light of life, alleluia.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Father of all holiness,
guide our hearts to you.
Keep in the light of your truth
all those you have freed from the darkness of unbelief.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
Or:
O God, restorer and lover of innocence,
direct the hearts of your servants towards yourself,
that those you have set free from the darkness of unbelief
may never stray from the light of your truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
ACCLAMATION
Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.
******
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