Divine Office Office of Readings

Feb 12, Invitatory for Thursday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.[1] Psalm 67 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 the Lord, for he is our God. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God. 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 the Lord, for he is our God. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God. 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 the Lord, for he is our God. 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 the Lord, for he is our God. [1]Note: When we made the sung recordings (for the Invitatory and the psalmody for high rank celebrations) we used the Mundelein Psalter. The text is meant to facilitate singing so that’s the reason you may notice differences.

Feb 12, Office of Readings for Thursday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 185 Psalter: Thursday, Week I, 765 Office of Readings for Thursday in Ordinary Time 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 Be thou my vision, through night and come day Light on me always, thy spirit to stay Thou, eternal father, the great and the last The wise and true sov’reign of all that shall pass. Be thou my wisdom, my staff and my stay, Shine through the darkness, give light to my way! Be thou the true source of all I enjoy So, let carnal pleasures no longer annoy. Be thou my guardian my sword in the fight Be thou my dignity thou my delight Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tow’r Wilt thou raise me heaven ward, o pow’r of my pow’r. Riches I heed not, or man’s empty praise Thou my inheritance, now and always Thou and thou only, still first in my heart The high king of heaven my treasure thou art. High king of heaven, my victory won May I reach heaven’s joys, o bright heaven’s sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall Still be thou my vision, o ruler of all. 𝄞"Be Thou My Vision" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NQ34YZ4/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk10] • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/Be-Thou-My-Vision.pdf] • Title: Be Thou My Vision; Text: from Mark Hamilton Dewey's SSATBB arrangement; Tune: SLANE; Copyright: Public Domain; Artist: Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2017 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1 PSALMODY Ant. 1 The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him. Psalm 18:31-51 Hymn of thanksgiving If God is on our side who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). IV As for God, his ways are perfect; the word of the Lord, purest gold. He indeed is the shield of all who make him their refuge. For who is God but the Lord? Who is a rock but our God? The God who girds me with strength and makes the path safe before me. My feet you made swift as the deer’s; you have made me stand firm on the heights. You have trained my hands for battle and my arms to bend the heavy bow. 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 word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him. Ant. 2 Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord. V You gave me your saving shield; you upheld me, trained me with care. You gave me freedom for my steps; my feet have never slipped. I pursued and overtook my foes, never turning back till they were slain. I smote them so they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You girded me with strength for battle; you made my enemies fall beneath me, you made my foes take flight; those who hated me I destroyed. They cried, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the Lord, but in vain. I crushed them fine as dust before the wind; trod them down like dirt in the streets. You saved me from the feuds of the people and put me at the head of the nations. People unknown to me served me: when they heard of me they obeyed me. Foreign nations came to me cringing: foreign nations faded away. They came trembling out of their strongholds. 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. Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord. Ant. 3 May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever. VI Long life to the Lord, my rock! Praised be the God who saves me, the God who gives me redress and subdues people under me. You saved me from my furious foes. You set me above my assailants. You saved me from violent men, so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations: I will sing a psalm to your name. He has given great victories to his king and shown his love for his anointed, for David and his sons for ever. 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. May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see. — The wonders of your law. READINGS First reading From the letter to the Galatians 4:8-31 Our divine inheritance and the freedom of the new covenant In the past, when you did not acknowledge God, you served as slaves to gods who are not really divine. Now that you have come to know God—or rather, have been known by him—how can you return to those powerless, worthless, natural elements to which you seem willing to enslave yourselves once more? You even go so far as to keep the ceremonial observance of days and months, seasons and years! I fear for you; all my efforts with you may have been wasted. I beg you, brothers, to become like me as I became like you. (Understand, you have not done me any wrong.) You are aware that it was a bodily ailment that first occasioned my bringing you the gospel. My physical condition was a challenge which you did not despise or brush aside in disgust. On the contrary, you took me to yourselves as an angel of God, even as if I had been Christ Jesus! What has happened to your openhearted spirit? I can testify on your behalf that if it were possible you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. Have I become your enemy just because I tell you the truth? The people I have referred to are not courting your favor in any generous spirit. What they really want is to exclude you so that you may court their favor. It would be well for you to be courted for the right reasons at all times, and not only when I happen to be with you. You are my children, and you put me back in labor pains until Christ is formed in you. If only I could be with you now and speak to you differently! You have me at a complete loss! You who want to be subject to the law, tell me: do you know what the law has to say? There it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave girl, the other by his freeborn wife. The son of the slave girl had been begotten in the course of nature, but the son of the free woman was the fruit of the promise. All this is an allegory: the two women stand for the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, and brought forth children to slavery: this is Hagar. The mountain Sinai [Hagar] is in Arabia and corresponds to the Jerusalem of our time, which is likewise in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem on high is freeborn, and it is she who is our mother. That is why Scripture says: “Rejoice, you barren one who bear no children; break into song, you stranger to the pains of childbirth! For many are the children of the wife deserted — far more than of her who has a husband!” You, my brothers, are children of the promise, as Isaac was. But just as in those days the son born in nature’s course persecuted the one whose birth was in the realm of spirit, so do we find it now. What does Scripture say on the point? “Cast out slave girl and son together; for the slave girl’s son shall never be an heir on equal terms with the son” of the one born free. Therefore, my brothers, we are not children of a slave girl but of a mother who is free. It was for liberty that Christ freed us. RESPONSORY Galatians 4:28, 31; 2 Corinthians 3:17 We are like Isaac, children born of the promise, not children born of the slave, but of the free woman. — Christ has set us free to be free men. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. — Christ has set us free to be free men. Second reading From an explanation of Paul’s letter to the Galatians by Saint Augustine, bishop Let Christ be formed in you. The Apostle says, Be like me, for though born a Jew, by reason of spiritual discernment I now consider carnal things of small importance. And he adds, For I am as you are, that is to say: For I, like you, am a man. Then he tactfully reminds them of his love so that they will not look on him as an enemy: Brothers, I beseech you, he says, you did me no wrong, as if to say, “Do not imagine that I want to wrong you.” And to have them imitate him as they would a parent, he addresses them as little children: My little children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you. Actually he is here speaking more in the person of Mother Church than his own. So too he says elsewhere: I was gentle among you like a nurse fondling her little ones. Christ is formed in the believer by faith of the inner man, called to the freedom that grace bestows, meek and gentle, not boasting of non-existent merits, but through grace making some beginning of merit. Hence he can be called “my least one” by him who said: Inasmuch as you did it to the least of my brethren you did it to me. Christ is formed in him who receives Christ’s mould, who clings to him in spiritual love. By imitating him he becomes, as far as is possible to his condition, what Christ is. John says: He who remains in Christ should walk as he did. Children are conceived in order to be formed in their mother’s womb, and when they have been so formed, mothers are in travail to give them birth. We can thus understand Paul’s words: With whom I am in labor until Christ be formed in you. By labor we understand his anxiety for those with whom he is in travail, that they be born unto Christ. And he is again in labor when he sees them in danger of being led astray. These anxieties, which can be likened to the pangs of childbirth, will continue until they come to full age in Christ, so as not to be moved by every wind of doctrine. He is not therefore talking about the beginnings of faith by which they were born, but of strong and perfect faith when he says: With whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you. He also refers elsewhere in different words to his being in labor, when he says: There is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? RESPONSORY Ephesians 4:15; Proverbs 4:18 Let us speak the truth in love — so that in all things we may grow into Christ who is our Head. The path of the just is like the passage of the dawn; it grows from first light to the full splendor of day. — So that in all things we may grow into Christ who is our Head. CONCLUDING PRAYER 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 (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Feb 14, Invitatory for Saturday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship God who brings the world and its wonders from darkness into light. Psalm 100 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 who brings the world and its wonders from darkness into light. 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 who brings the world and its wonders from darkness into light. 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 who brings the world and its wonders from darkness into light. Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age. Ant. Come, let us worship God who brings the world and its wonders from darkness into light. 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 who brings the world and its wonders from darkness into light.

Feb 14, Office of Readings for Saturday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 193 Psalter: Saturday, Week I, 807 Office of Readings for Saturday in Ordinary Time 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 Ave Maria, gratia plena Dominus tecum Benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus Sancta Maria, Mater Dei Ora pro nobis peccatoribus Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae Amen. English Translation: Hail Mary, full of grace The Lord is with thee Blessed are thou among women Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus Holy Mary, Mother of God Pray for us sinners Now, and at the hour of our death Amen. 𝄞"Ave Maria" by Gretchen Harris [http://www.gretchen-harris.com] • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/Ave-Maria-CHANT-Mode-I-DivOfcOrg-C-orig.pdf] • Title: Ave Maria (Chant); Album: Sing of Mary; Music; Plainsong mode I; vocal: Gretchen Harris; Used with permission; Visit and thank Gretch at http://www.gretchen-harris.com; PSALMODY Ant. 1 Whoever humbles himself, like a little child, will be greater in the kingdom of heaven. Psalm 131 Childlike trust in God Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart (Matthew 11:29). O Lord, my heart is not proud nor haughty my eyes. I have not gone after things too great nor marvels beyond me. Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace. As a child has rest in its mother’s arms, even so my soul. O Israel, hope in the Lord both now and for ever. 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 Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, you declared that whoever receives a little child in your name receives you, and you promised your kingdom to those who are like children. Never let pride reign in our hearts, but may the Father’s compassion reward and embrace all who willingly bear your gentle yoke. Ant. Whoever humbles himself, like a little child, will be greater in the kingdom of heaven. Ant. 2 With simplicity of heart, I have joyfully offered everything to you, my God. Psalm 132 God’s promises to the house of David The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David (Luke 1:32). I O Lord, remember David and all the many hardships he endured, the oath he swore to the Lord, his vow to the Strong One of Jacob. “I will not enter the house where I live nor go to the bed where I rest. I will give no sleep to my eyes, to my eyelids I will give no slumber till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.” At Ephrathah we heard of the ark; we found it in the plains of Yearim. “Let us go to the place of his dwelling; let us go to kneel at his footstool.” Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your strength. Your priests shall be clothed with holiness: your faithful shall ring out their joy. For the sake of David your servant do not reject your anointed. 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. With simplicity of heart, I have joyfully offered everything to you, my God. Ant. 3 The Lord has sworn an oath to David; his kingdom will stand for ever. II The Lord swore an oath to David; he will not go back on his word; “A son, the fruit of your body, will I set upon your throne. If they keep my covenant in truth and my laws that I have taught them, their sons also shall rule on your throne from age to age.” For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling: “This is my resting-place for ever, here have I chosen to live. I will greatly bless her produce, I will fill her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation and her faithful shall ring out their joy. There David’s stock will flower: I will prepare a lamp for my anointed. I will cover his enemies with shame but on him my crown shall shine.” 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 Jesus Christ, you chose to suffer and be overwhelmed by death in order to open the gates of death in triumph. Stay with us to help us on our pilgrimage; free us from all evil by the power of your resurrection. In the company of your saints, and constantly remembering your love for us, may we sing of your wonders in our Father’s house. Ant. The Lord has sworn an oath to David; his kingdom will stand for ever. Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church. Come, consider the works of the Lord. — The marvels he has created on this earth. READINGS First reading From the letter to the Galatians 5:25—6:18 Admonitions concerning charity and perseverance Since we live by the spirit, let us follow the spirit’s lead. Let us never be boastful, or challenging, or jealous toward one another. My brothers, if someone is detected in sin, you who live by the spirit should gently set him right, each of you trying to avoid falling into temptation himself. Help carry one another’s burdens; in that way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he amounts to something, when in fact he is nothing, he is only deceiving himself. Each man should look to his conduct; if he has reason to boast of anything, it will be because the achievement is his and not another’s. Everyone should bear his own responsibility. The man instructed in the word should share all he has with his instructor. Make no mistake about it, no one makes a fool of God! A man will reap only what he sows. If he sows in the field of the flesh, he will reap a harvest of corruption; but if his seed-ground is the spirit, he will reap everlasting life. Let us not grow weary of doing good; if we do not relax our efforts, in due time we shall reap our harvest. While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men—but especially those of the household of the faith. See, I write to you in my own large handwriting! Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised are making a play for human approval—with an eye to escaping persecution for the cross of Christ. The very ones who accept circumcision do not follow the law themselves. They want you to be circumcised only that they may boast about your bodily observance. May I never boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through it, the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. It means nothing whether one is circumcised or not. All that matters is that one is created anew. Peace and mercy on all who follow this rule of life, and on the Israel of God. Henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear the brand marks of Jesus in my body. Brothers, may the favor of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. RESPONSORY Galatians 6:8; John 6:63 A man can only reap what he has sown. If you sow in the field of selfishness, it will bring you a harvest of death and decay; — if you sow in the field of the Spirit, you will reap a harvest of life everlasting. It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail. — If you sow in the field of the Spirit, you will reap a harvest of life everlasting. Second reading From a sermon by Blessed Isaac of Stella, abbot The preeminence of charity Why, brothers, are we so little concerned to seek one another’s well-being, so that where we see a greater need, we might show a greater readiness to help and carry one another’s burdens? For this is what the blessed apostle Paul urges us to do in the words: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ; and also: Support each other in charity. For this surely is the law of Christ. Why can I not patiently bear the weaknesses I see in my brother which, either out of necessity or because of physical or moral weakness, cannot be corrected? And why can I not instead generously offer him consolation, as it is written: Their children shall be carried on their shoulders and consoled upon their knees? Is it because I lack that virtue which suffers all things, is patient enough to bear all, and generous enough to love? This is indeed the law of Christ, who truly bore our weaknesses in his passion and carried our sorrows out of pity, loving those he carried and carrying those he loved. Whoever attacks a brother in need, or plots against him in his weakness of whatever sort, surely fulfills the devil’s law and subjects himself to it. Let us then be compassionate toward one another, loving all our brothers, bearing one another’s weaknesses, yet ridding ourselves of our sins. The more any way of life sincerely strives for the love of God and the love of our neighbor for God’s sake, the more acceptable it is to God, no matter what be its observances or external form. For charity is the reason why anything should be done or left undone, changed or left unchanged; it is the initial principle and the end to which all things should be directed. Whatever is honestly done out of love and in accordance with love can never be blameworthy. May he then deign to grant us this love, for without it we cannot please him, and without him we can do absolutely nothing, God, who lives and reigns for ever. Amen. RESPONSORY 1 John 3:11; Galatians 5:14 This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: — love one another. All God’s commands are summed up in one: — Love one another. CONCLUDING PRAYER 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 (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Feb 16, Invitatory for Monday of the 6th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord. Psalm 24 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 sing joyful songs to the Lord. 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 sing joyful songs to the Lord. 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 sing joyful songs to the Lord. O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord. Who is the king of glory? The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, the Lord, the valiant in war. Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord. O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord. Who is he, the king of glory? He, the Lord of armies, he is the king of glory. Ant. Come, let us sing joyful songs 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. Come, let us sing joyful songs to the Lord.