Office of Readings
In those places where this Memorial is observed as a Solemnity or Feast, please use the texts found in the Common of Holy Men: For a Religious with the proper texts below.
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 worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
The antiphon is repeated.
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 worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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
For your high merits, Benedict, we praise you,
bright and resplendent in the halls of heaven;
you gained the portion of the saints in triumph,
crowns everlasting.
Wisdom of old age graced you in your childhood,
no earthly pleasure robbed you of your virtue,
all the world’s flowers, as you thought of heaven,
withered before you.
Fleeing your homeland, you forsook your fam’ly,
finding the desert, dwelling there with fervor,
where you established noble rules that govern
life for the blessed.
Pray, now, we beg you, as you teach all peoples
how to be subject to Christ’s laws and precepts,
that all may follow on your path to heaven,
ever rejoicing.
Splendor and worship to the eternal Father,
Christ Sole-begotten, and the Holy Spirit;
their grace has filled you with so great a measure
of light and glory. Amen.
Tune: CHRISTE SANCTORUM, 11 11 11 5
Music: from François de La Feillée’s Method de plain-chant, 1782
or Mode II, melody 49; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Inter æternas superam coronas, Saint Peter the Venerable of Cluny, ca. 1092-1156, © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Lord, in your anger, do not punish me.
Psalm 38
A sinner in extreme danger prays earnestly to God
All his friends were standing at a distance (Luke 23:49).
I
O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; *
do not punish me, Lord, in your rage.
Your arrows have sunk deep in me; *
your hand has come down upon me.
Through your anger all my body is sick: *
through my sin, there is no health in my limbs.
My guilt towers higher than my head; *
it is a weight too heavy to bear.
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. Lord, in your anger, do not punish me.
Ant. 2 Lord, you know all my longings.
II
My wounds are foul and festering, *
the result of my own folly.
I am bowed and brought to my knees. *
I go mourning all the day long.
All my frame burns with fever; *
all my body is sick.
Spent and utterly crushed, *
I cry aloud in anguish of heart.
O Lord, you know all my longing: *
my groans are not hidden from you.
My heart throbs, my strength is spent; *
the very light has gone from my eyes.
My friends avoid me like a leper; *
those closest to me stand afar off.
Those who plot against my life lay snares; †
those who seek my ruin speak of harm, *
planning treachery all the day long.
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. Lord, you know all my longings.
Ant. 3 I confess my guilt to you, Lord; do not abandon me, for you are my savior.
III
But I am like the deaf who cannot hear, *
like the dumb unable to speak.
I am like a man who hears nothing, *
in whose mouth is no defense.
I count on you, O Lord: *
it is you, Lord God, who will answer.
I pray: “Do not let them mock me, *
those who triumph if my foot should slip.”
For I am on the point of falling *
and my pain is always before me.
I confess that I am guilty *
and my sin fills me with dismay.
My wanton enemies are numberless *
and my lying foes are many.
They repay me evil for good *
and attack me for seeking what is right.
O Lord, do not forsake me! *
My God, do not stay afar off!
Make haste and come to my help, *
O Lord, my God, my savior!
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
Do not abandon us, Lord our God; you did not forget the broken body of your Christ, nor the mockery his love received. We, your children, are weighed down with sin; give us the fullness of your mercy.
Ant. I confess my guilt to you, Lord; do not abandon me, for you are my savior.
My eyes keep watch for your saving help.
— Awaiting the word that will justify me.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the first book of Kings
1:11-35; 2:10-12
David chooses Solomon as his successor
Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother: “Have you not heard that Adonijah, son of Haggith, has become king without the knowledge of our Lord David? Come now, let me advise you so that you may save your life and that of your son Solomon. Go, visit King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, Lord king, swear to your handmaid: Your son Solomon shall be king after me and shall sit upon my throne? Why, then, has Adonijah become king?’ And while you are still there speaking to the king, I will come in after you and confirm what you have said.”
So Bathsheba visited the king in his room, while Abishag the Shunamite was attending him because of his advanced age. Bathsheba bowed in homage to the king, who said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him: “My lord, you swore to me your handmaid by the Lord, your God, that my son Solomon should reign after you and sit upon your throne. But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my Lord king, do not know it. He has slaughtered oxen, fatlings, and sheep in great numbers; he has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the general of the army, but not your servant Solomon. Now, my Lord king, all Israel is waiting for you to make known to them who is to sit on the throne after your royal majesty. If this is not done, when my Lord the king sleeps with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be considered criminals.”
While she was still speaking to the king, the prophet Nathan came in. When he had been announced, the prophet entered the king’s presence and, bowing to the floor, did him homage. Then Nathan said: “Have you decided, my Lord king, that Adonijah is to reign after you and sit on your throne? He went down today and slaughtered oxen, fatlings, and sheep in great numbers; he invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and they are eating and drinking in his company and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ But me, your servant, he did not invite; nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. Was this done by my royal master’s order without my being told who was to succeed to your majesty’s kingly throne?”
King David answered, “Call Bathsheba here.” When she re-entered the king’s presence and stood before him, the king swore, “As the Lord lives, who has delivered me from all distress, this very day I will fulfill the oath I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, that your son Solomon should reign after me and should sit upon my throne in my place.” Bowing to the floor in homage to the king, Bathsheba said, “May my lord, King David, live forever!”
Then King David summoned Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. When they had entered the king’s presence, he said to them: “Take with you the royal attendants. Mount my son Solomon upon my own mule and escort him down to Gihon. There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king of Israel, and you shall blow the horn and cry, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ When you come back in his train, he is to go in and sit upon my throne and reign in my place. I designate him ruler of Israel and of Judah.”
David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David, with his sovereignty firmly established.
RESPONSORY
Song of Songs 3:11; Psalm 72:1, 2
Daughters of Jerusalem, come forth and see King Solomon,
wearing the crown with which his mother crowned him
— on his day of joy, his wedding day.
Endow the king with your justice, O God;
may he govern the poor with justice.
— On his day of joy, his wedding day.
SECOND READING
From the Rule of Saint Benedict, abbot
(Prologus, 4-22; cap,72, 1-12; CSEL 75, 2-5, 162-163)
Put Christ before everything
Whenever you begin any good work you should first of all make a most pressing appeal to Christ our Lord to bring it to perfection; that he, who has honored us by counting us among his children, may never be grieved by our evil deeds. For we must always serve him with the good things he has given us in such a way that he may never—as an angry father disinherits his sons or even like a master who inspires fear—grow impatient with our sins and consign us to everlasting punishment, like wicked servants who would not follow him to glory.
So we should at long last rouse ourselves, prompted by the words of Scripture: Now is the time for us to rise from sleep. Our eyes should be open to the God-given light, and we should listen in wonderment to the message of the divine voice as it daily cries out: Today, if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts; and again: If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. And what does the Spirit say? Come my sons, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord, Hurry, while you have the light of life, so that death’s darkness may not overtake you.
And the Lord as he seeks the one who will do his work among the throng of people to whom he makes that appeal, says again: Which of you wants to live to the full; who loves long life and the enjoyment of prosperity? And, if when you hear this you say, I do, God says to you: If you desire true and everlasting life, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceit, turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. And when you have done these things my eyes will be upon you and before you call upon my name I shall say to you: Behold, I am here. What could be more delightful, dearest brothers, than the voice of our Lord’s invitation to us? In his loving kindness he reveals to us the way of life.
And so, girded with faith and the performance of good works, let us follow in his paths by the guidance of the Gospel; then we shall deserve to see him who has called us into his kingdom. If we wish to attain a dwelling-place in his kingdom we shall not reach it unless we hasten there by our good deeds.
Just as there exists an evil fervor, a bitter spirit, which divides us from God and leads us to hell, so there is a good fervor which sets us apart from evil inclinations and leads us toward God and eternal life. Monks should put this fervor into practice with an overflowing love: that is, they should surpass each other in mutual esteem, accept their weaknesses, either of body or of behavior, with the utmost patience; and vie with each other in acceding to requests. No one should follow what he considers to be good for himself, but rather what seems good for another. They should display brotherly love in a chaste manner; fear God in a spirit of love; revere their abbot with a genuine and submissive affection. Let them put Christ before all else; and may he lead us all to everlasting life.
RESPONSORY
Wishing to please God alone,
Benedict left his home and patrimony
to enter the religious life.
— He lived as a hermit in the presence of the all-seeing God.
He withdrew from the world of men,
knowingly unacquainted with its ways
and wisely unlearned in its wisdom.
— He lived as a hermit in the presence of the all-seeing God.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
God our Father,
you made Saint Benedict an outstanding guide
to teach men how to live in your service.
Grant that by preferring your love to everything else,
we may walk in the way of your commandments.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.
— Amen.
Or:
O God, who made the Abbot Saint Benedict
an outstanding master in the school of divine service,
grant, we pray,
that, putting nothing before love of you,
we may hasten with a loving heart
in the way of your commands
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.
******
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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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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 worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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 worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
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, wonderful in his saints.
Or: Let us sing praise to God, as we acclaim Saint Benedict.
Continue with the Hymn
