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.
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. 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.
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 Hymns
This is the day, true day of God,
serene with clear and holy light,
on which the sacred blood has washed
both shame and guilt from all the world.
In this the lost regain their faith,
the blind receive the gift of light;
can one remain in anxious fear
who sees forgiveness for the thief?
The angels wonder at this work,
they see the body wracked with pain,
they see a thief draw near to Christ
to pluck the fruit of blessed life.
How wondrous is the mystery:
that flesh should cleanse the sins of flesh,
to take away the guilt of all
and wash the world of foul decay.
What could be more sublime than this:
that guilt should seek the gift of grace,
that charity should cast out fear,
and death should render life renewed?
O Jesus, be for mind and heart
our everlasting paschal joy
and gather us, reborn by grace,
to share your triumphs evermore.
To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,
who shine in vict’ry over death,
with God the Father, ever blest,
and loving Spirit, ever one. Amen.
Tune: EISENACH, 8 8 8 8
Music: Johann Hermann Schein, 1586-1630
or Mode III, melody 56; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Hic est dies verus Dei, Saint Ambrose, 340-397, © 2023 ICEL
Continue with the Psalmody
Or:
Rejoice, O heaven, from on high
and clap your hands, both earth and sea,
for after death upon the Cross
Christ rose again and gave us life.
The accepted time has now returned:
we see the day of saving pow’r,
on which the blood shed by the Lamb
restored the darkened world to light.
His death brought agony to death
and absolution from all sin;
his might and pow’r remain unharmed:
the vanquished gave us victory.
This was the foretaste of our hope,
so that the faithful might believe
they too may rise again one day
to gain the crown of blessed life.
And filled with joy at such a gift,
now, therefore, let us praise with zeal
our bright, resplendent Paschal Lamb
for giving us such wondrous goods.
O Jesus, be for mind and heart
our everlasting paschal joy
and gather us, reborn by grace,
to share your triumphs evermore.
To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,
who shine in vict’ry over death,
with God the Father, ever blest,
and loving Spirit, ever one. Amen.
Tune: EISENACH, 8 8 8 8
Music: Johann Hermann Schein, 1586-1630
or Mode VIII, melody 116; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Lætare, cælum, desuper, 10th c., © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Let my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me, alleluia.
Psalm 102
The longings and prayers of an exile.
God comforts us in all our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:4).
I
O Lord, listen to my prayer *
and let my cry for help reach you.
Do not hide your face from me *
in the day of my distress.
Turn your ear towards me *
and answer me quickly when I call.
For my days are vanishing like smoke, *
my bones burn away like a fire.
My heart is withered like the grass. *
I forget to eat my bread.
I cry with all my strength *
and my skin clings to my bones.
I have become like a pelican in the wilderness, *
like an owl in desolate places.
I lie awake and I moan *
like some lonely bird on a roof.
All day long my foes revile me; *
those who hate me use my name as a curse.
The bread I eat is ashes; *
my drink is mingled with tears.
In your anger, Lord, and your fury *
you have lifted me up and thrown me down.
My days are like a passing shadow *
and I wither away like the grass.
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 my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me, alleluia.
Ant. 2 Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless, alleluia.
II
But you, O Lord, will endure for ever *
and your name from age to age.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion: *
for this is the time to have mercy;
yes, the time appointed has come †
for your servants love her very stones, *
are moved with pity even for her dust.
The nations shall fear the name of the Lord *
and all the earth’s kings your glory,
when the Lord shall build up Zion again *
and appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless; *
he will not despise their prayers.
Let this be written for ages to come *
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high. *
He looked down from heaven to the earth
that he might hear the groans of the prisoners *
and free those condemned to die.
The sons of your servants shall dwell untroubled *
and their race shall endure before you
that the name of the Lord may be proclaimed in Zion *
and his praise in the heart of Jerusalem,
when peoples and kingdoms are gathered together *
to pay their homage to 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.
Ant. Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless, alleluia.
Ant. 3 You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands, alleluia.
III
He has broken my strength in mid-course; *
he has shortened the days of my life.
I say to God: “Do not take me away †
before my days are complete, *
you, whose days last from age to age.
Long ago you founded the earth *
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish but you will remain. *
They will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like clothes that are changed. *
But you neither change, nor have an 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.
Psalm Prayer
Lord, you live in the hearts of your saints, and so have built up Zion. May you always show your greatness through their good works.
Ant. You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands, alleluia.
Christ risen from the dead will never die again, alleluia.
— Death no longer has power over him, alleluia.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the book of Revelation
14:1-13
The victory of the Lamb
I, John, watched and the Lamb appeared. He was standing on Mount Zion, and with him were the hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from heaven which resembled the roaring of the deep, or loud peals of thunder; the sound I heard was like the melody of harpists playing on their harps. They were singing a new hymn before the throne, in the presence of the four living creatures and the elders. This hymn no one could learn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the world. These are men who have never been defiled by immorality with women. They are pure and follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed as the first fruit of mankind for God and the Lamb. On their lips no deceit has been found; they are indeed without flaw.
Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, the herald of everlasting good news to the whole world, to every nation and race, language and people. He said in a loud voice: “Honor God and give him glory, for his time has come to sit in judgment. Worship the Creator of heaven and earth, the Creator of the sea and the springs.”
A second angel followed and cried out:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great,
which made all the nations drink
the poisoned wine of her lewdness!”
A third angel followed the others and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast or its image, or accepts its mark on his forehead or hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented in burning sulphur before the holy angels and before the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment shall rise forever and ever. There shall be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name.” This is what sustains the holy ones, who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
I heard a voice from heaven say to me: “Write this down: Happy now are the dead who die in the Lord!” The Spirit added, “Yes, they shall find rest from their labors, for their good works accompany them.”
RESPONSORY
Revelation 14:7, 6, 7
I heard many angels in heaven crying out:
— Honor the Lord and give him glory,
worship him,
for he created heaven and earth,
the seas and all the streams, alleluia.
I saw the mighty angel of God flying in midheaven;
he cried out with a loud voice:
— Honor the Lord and give him glory,
worship him,
for he created heaven and earth,
the seas and all the streams, alleluia.
SECOND READING
From a sermon by Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop
(Sermo 108: PL 52, 499-500)
Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and his priest
I appeal to you by the mercy of God. This appeal is made by Paul, or rather, it is made by God through Paul, because of God’s desire to be loved rather than feared, to be a father rather than a Lord. God appeals to us in his mercy to avoid having to punish us in his severity.
Listen to the Lord’s appeal: In me, I want you to see your own body, your members, your heart, your bones, your blood. You may fear what is divine, but why not love what is human? You may run away from me as the Lord, but why not run to me as your father? Perhaps you are filled with shame for causing my bitter passion. Do not be afraid. This cross inflicts a mortal injury, not on me, but on death. These nails no longer pain me, but only deepen your love for me. I do not cry out because of these wounds, but through them I draw you into my heart. My body was stretched on the cross as a symbol, not of how much I suffered, but of my all-embracing love. I count it no less to shed my blood: it is the price I have paid for your ransom. Come, then, return to me and learn to know me as your father, who repays good for evil, love for injury, and boundless charity for piercing wounds.
Listen now to what the Apostle urges us to do. I appeal to you, he says, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. By this exhortation of his, Paul has raised all men to priestly status.
How marvelous is the priesthood of the Christian, for he is both the victim that is offered on his own behalf, and the priest who makes the offering. He does not need to go beyond himself to seek what he is to immolate to God: with himself and in himself he brings the sacrifice he is to offer God for himself. The victim remains and the priest remains, always one and the same. Immolated, the victim still lives: the priest who immolates cannot kill. Truly it is an amazing sacrifice in which a body is offered without being slain and blood is offered without being shed.
The Apostle says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Brethren, this sacrifice follows the pattern of Christ’s sacrifice by which he gave his body as a living immolation for the life of the world. He really made his body a living sacrifice, because, though slain, he continues to live. In such a victim death receives its ransom, but the victim remains alive. Death itself suffers the punishment. This is why death for the martyrs is actually a birth, and their end a beginning. Their execution is the door to life, and those who were thought to have been blotted out from the earth shine brilliantly in heaven.
Paul says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living and holy. The prophet said the same thing: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you have prepared a body for me. Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and his priest. Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity. Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection. Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God that he himself has given you. Keep burning continually the sweet smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit. Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice. God desires not death, but faith; God thirsts not for blood, but for self-surrender; God is appeased not by slaughter, but by the offering of your free will.
RESPONSORY
Revelation 5: 9, 10
Worthy are you, Lord, to take the book and open its seals,
for you were slain for us.
— With your blood you have purchased us for God, alleluia.
You have made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
— With your blood you have purchased us for God, alleluia.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Almighty God,
as we celebrate the resurrection,
may we share with each other
the joy the risen Christ has won for us.
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:
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, celebrating the mysteries of the Lord’s Resurrection,
we may merit to receive the joy of our redemption.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
Continue with the Hymn
Christ the Lord is ris’n today;
Christians, haste your vows to pay;
Offer you your praises meet
At the Paschal Victim’s feet.
For the sheep the Lamb has bled,
Sinless in the sinner’s stead;
Christ, the Lord, is ris’n on high,
Now he lives no more to die!
Christ, the Victim undefiled,
Man to God has reconciled;
When in strange and awful strife
Met together death and life;
Christians, on this happy day
Haste with joy your vows to pay.
Christ, the Lord, is ris’n on high,
Now he lives no more to die!
Christ, who once for sinners bled,
Now the firstborn from the dead,
Throned in endless might and power,
Lives and reigns forevermore.
Hail, eternal Hope on high!
Hail, our King of Victory!
Hail, our Prince of life adored!
Help and save us, gracious Lord.
Tune: Victimae Paschali Laudes 77.77 D
Music: Traditional, alt.
Text: Victimae Paschali Laudes, Wipo of Burgundy, eleventh century
Translation: Jane E. Leeson, 1807-1882
Continue with the Psalmody
Or:
The day of resurrection!
Earth spread the news abroad;
The Paschal feast of gladness,
The Paschal feast of God.
From death to life eternal,
From earth to heaven’s height
Our Savior Christ has brought us,
The glorious Lord of Light.
Our hearts be free from evil
That we may see aright
The Savior resurrected
In his eternal light;
And hear his message plainly,
Delivered calm and clear:
“Rejoice with me in triumph,
Be glad and do not fear.”
Now let the heav’ns be joyful,
And earth her song begin,
The whole world keep high triumph
And all that is therein;
Let all things in creation
Their notes of gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord has risen,
Our joy that has no end.
Tune: Ellacombe or Aurelia 76.76 D
Music: (Ellacombe) Wurtemburg Gesangbuch, 1784, adapted in the Mainz Gesangbuch, 1833, and further adapted in the St. Gall Gesangbuch, 1863; (Aurelia) S. S. Wesley, 1810-1876
Text: John Mason Neale, 1818-1866, adapted by Anthony G. Petti
Continue with the Psalmody
Or:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Hearts and voices heav’nward raise:
Sing to God a hymn of gladness,
Sing to God a hymn of praise.
He who on the cross a victim,
For the world’s salvation bled,
Jesus Christ, the King of glory,
Now is risen from the dead.
Now the iron bars are broken,
Christ from death to life is born,
Glorious life, and life immortal,
On this holy Easter morn,
Christ has triumphed, and we conquer
By his mighty enterprise;
We with him to life eternal
By his resurrection rise.
Christ is risen, Christ, the firstfruits
Of the holy harvest field,
Which with all its full abundance
At his second coming yields;
Then the golden ears of harvest
Will their heads before him wave,
Ripened by his glorious sunshine
From the furrows of the grave.
Christ is risen, we are risen!
Shed upon us heav’nly grace,
Rains and dew and gleams of glory
From the brightness of your face;
That with hearts in heaven dwelling,
We on earth may fruitful be,
And by angels hands be gathered
Into heav’n’s eternity.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glory be to God on high;
Alleluia to the Savior
Who has won the victory;
Alleluia to the Spirit,
Fount of love and sanctity;
Alleluia! Alleluia!
To the Triune majesty.
Tune: Würtzburg 87.87 D
Music: Andäctige und Auserlesene Gesänger, Würtzburg, 1705
Text: Christopher Wordsworth, 1782
Continue with the Psalmody
Or:
Praise the Savior now and ever;
Praise him, all beneath the skies;
Prostrate lying, suff’ring, dying
On the cross, a sacrifice.
Vict’ry gaining, life obtaining,
Now in glory he does rise.
Man’s work failing, Christ’s availing;
He is all our righteousness;
He, our Savior, has forever
Set us free from dire distress.
Through his merit we inherit
Light and peace and happiness.
Sin’s bonds severed, we’re delivered,
Christ has bruised the serpent’s head;
Death no longer is the stronger,
Hell itself is captive led.
Christ has risen from death’s prison,
O’er the tomb his light he shed.
For His favor, praise forever,
Unto God the Father sing;
Praise the Savior, praise him ever,
Son of God, our Lord and King.
Praise the Spirit, through Christ’s merit,
For he does salvation bring.
Tune: Upp, Min Tunga 87.87.87 or Lauda Anima 87.87.87
Music: (Upp, Min Tunga) Koralpsalmboken, Stockholm, 1697; (Lauda Anima) John Gross, 1869
Text: Pange lingua gloriosi prœlium certaminis, Venantius Fortunatus, c. 530-609
Translation: Augustus Nelson, 1863-1949, alt.
Continue with the Psalmody
