Divine Office Office of Readings

Jan 14, Invitatory for Wednesday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship before the Lord, our maker. Psalm 95 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 before the Lord, our maker. 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 before the Lord, our maker. 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 before the Lord, our maker. 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 before the Lord, our maker. 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 before the Lord, our maker. 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 before the Lord, our maker.

Jan 14, Office of Readings for Wednesday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 60 Psalter: Wednesday, Week I, 744 Office of Readings for Wednesday 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 Brightness of the Father's glory Springing from eternal light, Source of light by light engendered. Day enlightening every day. In your ever-lasting radiance Shine upon us, Christ, true sun, Bringing life to mind and body Through the Holy Spirit's pow'r. Father of unfading glory. Rich in grace and Strong to save. Hear our prayers and come to save us, Keep us far from sinful ways. Dawn is drawing ever nearer, Dawn that brings us all we seek, Son who dwells within the Father, Father uttering one Word. Glory be to God the Father. Glory to his Only Son, Glory now and through all ages To the Spirit Advocate. 𝄞"Brightness of the Father's Glory" by Gabe Bouck, Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NTMZS39/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk1] • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/Brightness-of-the-Fathers-glory.pdf] • Title: Brightness of the Father's Glory; Text: Mount Saint Bernard Abbey; Tune: SHARON by William Boyce, 1710-1799; Artists: Gabe Bouck and Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2016 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 4 PSALMODY Ant. 1 I love you, Lord; you are my strength. Psalm 18 Thanksgiving for salvation and victory At that time there was a violent earthquake (Revelation 11:13). 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 my 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. Ant. 2 The Lord has saved me; he wanted me for his own. 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. Ant. 3 Lord, kindle a light for my guidance and scatter my darkness. 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. 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. All wondered at the words of grace. — Which came from the mouth of the Lord. READINGS First reading From the book of Sirach 24:1-22 Wisdom in creation and in the history of Israel Wisdom sings her own praises, before her own people she proclaims her glory; In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth, in the presence of his hosts she declares her worth: “From the mouth of the Most High I came forth, and mistlike covered the earth. In the highest heavens did I dwell, my throne on a pillar of cloud. The vault of heaven I compassed alone, through the deep abyss I wandered. Over waves of the sea, over all the land, over every people and nation I held sway. Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose inheritance should I abide? “Then the Creator of all gave me his command, and he who formed me chose the spot for my tent, Saying, ‘In Jacob make your dwelling, in Israel your inheritance.’ “Before all ages, in the beginning, he created me, and through all ages I shall not cease to be. In the holy tent I ministered before him, and in Zion I fixed my abode. Thus in the chosen city he has given me rest, in Jerusalem is my domain. I have struck root among the glorious people, in the portion of the Lord, his heritage. “Like a cedar on Lebanon I am raised aloft, like a cypress on Mount Hermon, Like a palm tree in Engedi, like a rosebush in Jericho, Like a fair olive tree in the field, like a plane tree growing beside the water. Like cinnamon, or fragrant balm, or precious myrrh, I give forth perfume; Like galbanum and onycha and sweet spices, like the odor of incense in the holy place. “I spread out my branches like a terebinth, my branches so bright and so graceful. I bud forth delights like the vine, my blossoms become fruit fair and rich. “Come to me, all you that yearn for me, and be filled with my fruits; You will remember me as sweeter than honey, better to have than the honeycomb. He who eats of me will hunger still, he who drinks of me will thirst for more; He who obeys me will not be put to shame, he who serves me will never fail.” All this is true of the book of the Most High’s covenant, the law which Moses commanded us as an inheritance for the community of Jacob. RESPONSORY John 14:6; Sirach 24:9 I am the way, the truth, and the life, — no one can come to the Father except through me. In the beginning before time began, he created me, and through all eternity I shall not cease to be. — No one can come to the Father except through me. Second reading From the treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop Knowledge of the Father consists in the self-revelation of the Son No one can know the Father apart from God’s Word, that is, unless the Son reveals him, and no one can know the Son unless the Father so wills. Now the Son fulfils the Father’s good pleasure: the Father sends, the Son is sent, and he comes. The Father is beyond our sight and comprehension; but he is known by his Word, who tells us of him who surpasses all telling. In turn, the Father alone has knowledge of his Word. And the Lord has revealed both truths. Therefore, the Son reveals the knowledge of the Father by his revelation of himself. Knowledge of the Father consists in the self-revelation of the Son, for all is revealed through the Word. The Father’s purpose in revealing the Son was to make himself known to us all and so to welcome into eternal rest those who believe in him, establishing them in justice, preserving them from death. To believe in him means to do his will. Through creation itself the Word reveals God the Creator. Through the world he reveals the Lord who made the world. Through all that is fashioned he reveals the craftsman who fashioned it all. Through the Son the Word reveals the Father who begot him as Son. All speak of these things in the same language, but they do not believe them in the same way. Through the law and the prophets the Word revealed himself and his Father in the same way, and though all the people equally heard the message not all equally believed it. Through the Word, made visible and palpable, the Father was revealed, though not all equally believed in him. But all saw the Father in the Son, for the Father of the Son cannot be seen, but the Son of the Father can be seen. The Son performs everything as a ministry to the Father, from beginning to end, and without the Son no one can know God. The way to know the Father is the Son. Knowledge of the Son is in the Father, and is revealed through the Son. For this reason the Lord said: No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son has revealed him. The word “revealed” refers not only to the future — as though the Word began to reveal the Father only when he was born of Mary; it refers equally to all time. From the beginning the Son is present to creation, reveals the Father to all, to those the Father chooses, when the Father chooses, and as the Father chooses. So, there is in all and through all one God the Father, one Word and Son, and one Spirit, and one salvation for all who believe in him. RESPONSORY John 1:18; Matthew 11:27 No one has ever seen God; — the only Son, nearest the Father’s heart, has made him known. No one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. — The only Son, nearest the Father’s heart, has made him known. CONCLUDING PRAYER Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. 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.

Jan 16, Invitatory for Friday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time

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. Psalm 95 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.

Jan 16, Office of Readings for Friday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 69 Psalter: Friday, Week I, 786 Office of Readings for Friday 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 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me by the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of my Lord for ever. 𝄞"Psalm 23" by Melinda Kirigin-Voss [https://divineoffice.org/melinda-kirigin-voss/] • Available on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/yesterday-today-and-forever/id418013978] • Text from Psalm 23 King James Version; Used wih permission • Albums that contain this Hymn: Yesterday, Today, and Forever PSALMODY Ant. 1 Rise up, Lord, and come to my aid. Psalm 35:1-2, 3c, 9-19, 22-23, 27-28 The Lord as Savior in time of persecution They came together… and laid their plans to capture Jesus by treachery and put him to death (Matthew 26:3-4). I O Lord, plead my cause against my foes; fight those who fight me. Take up your buckler and shield; arise to help me. O Lord, say to my soul: “I am your salvation.” But my soul shall be joyful in the Lord and rejoice in his salvation. My whole being will say: “Lord, who is like you who rescue the weak from the strong and the poor from the oppressor?” Lying witnesses arise and accuse me unjustly. They repay me evil for good: my soul is forlorn. 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. Rise up, Lord, and come to my aid. Ant. 2 All-powerful Lord, stand by me and defend me. II When they were sick I went into mourning, afflicted with fasting. My prayer was ever on my lips, as for a brother, a friend. I went as though mourning a mother, bowed down with grief. Now that I am in trouble they gather, they gather and mock me. They take me by surprise and strike me and tear me to pieces. They provoke me with mockery on mockery and gnash their teeth. 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. All-powerful Lord, stand by me and defend me. Ant. 3 My tongue will speak of your goodness all the day long. III O Lord, how long will you look on? Come to my rescue! Save my life from these raging beasts, my soul from these lions. I will thank you in the great assembly, amid the throng I will praise you. Do not let my lying foes rejoice over me. Do not let those who hate me unjustly wink eyes at each other. O Lord, you have seen, do not be silent, do not stand afar off! Awake, stir to my defense, to my cause, O God! Let there be joy for those who love my cause. Let them say without end: “Great is the Lord who delights in the peace of his servant.” Then my tongue shall speak of your justice, all day long of your praise. 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 rescue the poor from their oppressors, and you rose to the aid of your beloved Son against those who unjustly sought his life. Look on your Church as we journey to you, that the poor and weak may recognize the help you provide and proclaim your saving acts. Ant. My tongue will speak of your goodness all the day long. 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. My son, take my words to heart. — Do as I say, and you will live. READINGS First reading From the book of Sirach 43:13-35 All creation gives praise to God His rebuke marks out the path for the lightning, and speeds the arrows of his judgment to their goal. At it the storehouse is opened, and like vultures the clouds hurry forth. In his majesty he gives the storm its power and breaks off the hailstones. The thunder of his voice makes the earth writhe; before his might the mountains quake. A word from him drives on the south wind, the angry north wind, the hurricane and the storm. He sprinkles the snow like fluttering birds; it comes to settle like swarms of locusts. Its shining whiteness blinds the eyes, the mind is baffled by its steady fall. He scatters frost like so much salt; it shines like blossoms on the thornbush. Cold northern blasts he sends that turn the ponds to lumps of ice. He freezes over every body of water, and clothes each pool with a coat of mail. When the mountain growth is scorched with heat, and the flowering plains as though by flames, The dripping clouds restore them all, and the scattered dew enriches the parched land. His is the plan that calms the deep, and plants the islands in the sea. Those who go down to the sea tell part of its story, and when we hear them we are thunderstruck; In it are his creatures, stupendous, amazing, all kinds of life, and the monsters of the deep. For him each messenger succeeds, and at his bidding accomplishes his will. More than this we need not add; let the last word be, he is all in all! Let us praise him the more, since we cannot fathom him, for greater is he than all his works; Awful indeed is the Lord’s majesty, and wonderful is his power. Lift up your voices to glorify the Lord, though he is still beyond your power to praise; Extol him with renewed strength, and weary not, though you cannot reach the end: For who can see him and describe him? or who can praise him as he is? Beyond these, many things lie hid; only a few of his works have we seen. It is the Lord who has made all things, and to those who fear him he gives wisdom. RESPONSORY See Sirach 43:27, 28 Glorify God with all your skill, and still all you say will fall short. — The sum of all our words is: he is all. How shall we be able to give him fitting praise? For he is so much greater than all his works. — The sum of all our words is: he is all. Second reading From a Discourse Against the Pagans by Saint Athanasius, bishop The Word creates a divine harmony in creation In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made. In these words John the theologian teaches that nothing exists or remains in being except in and through the Word. Think of a musician tuning his lyre. By his skill he adjusts high notes to low and intermediate notes to the rest, and produces a series of harmonies. So too the wisdom of God holds the world like a lyre and joins things in the air to those on earth, and things in heaven to those in the air, and brings each part into harmony with the whole. By his decree and will he regulates them all to produce the beauty and harmony of a single, well-ordered universe. While remaining unchanged with his Father, he moves all creation by his unchanging nature, according to the Father’s will. To everything he gives existence and life in accordance with its nature, and so creates a wonderful and truly divine harmony. To illustrate this profound mystery, let us take the example of a choir of many singers. A choir is composed of a variety of men, women and children, of both old and young. Under the direction of one conductor, each sings in the way that is natural for him: men with men’s voices, boys with boys’ voices, old people with old voices, young people with young voices. Yet all of them produce a single harmony. Or consider the example of our soul. It moves our senses according to their several functions so that in the presence of a single object they all act simultaneously: the eye sees, the ear hears, the hand touches, the nose smells, the tongue tastes, and often the other parts of the body act as well as, for example, the feet may walk. Although this is only a poor comparison, it gives some idea of how the whole universe is governed. The Word of God has but to give a gesture of command and everything falls into place; each creature performs its own proper function, and all together constitute one single harmonious order. RESPONSORY Tobit 12:6, 18 Praise the God of heaven; give thanks to him before all men, — for he has done many good things for you. Praise God, and sing to him; proclaim the marvels he has done. — For he has done many good things for you. CONCLUDING PRAYER Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. 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.

Jan 17, Invitatory for Saturday of the 2nd week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God, let us enter into his rest.[1] Psalm 100 Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy. Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God, let us enter into his rest. Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock. Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God, let us enter into his rest. Go within his gates, giving thanks. Enter his courts with songs of praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God, let us enter into his rest. Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age. Ant. Let us listen to the voice of God, let us enter into his rest. 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 us listen to the voice of God, let us enter into his rest. [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.