Divine Office Office of Readings

Nov 19, Invitatory for Wednesday of the 33rd 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.

Nov 19, Office of Readings for Wednesday of the 33rd week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 615 Proper of Seasons: 548 Psalter: Wednesday, Week I, 708 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 the prophet Zechariah 10:3—11:3 Israel’s deliverance and restoration Thus says the Lord: My wrath is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; For the Lord of hosts will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and make them his stately war horse. From him shall come leader and chief, from him warrior’s bow and every officer. They shall all be warriors, trampling the mire of the streets in battle; They shall wage war because the Lord is with them, and shall put the horsemen to rout. I will strengthen the house of Judah, the house of Joseph I will save; I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them, they shall be as though I had never cast them off. for I am the Lord, their God, and I will hear them. Then Ephraim shall be valiant men, and their hearts shall be cheered as by wine. Their children shall see it and be glad, their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord. I will whistle for them to come together, and when I redeem them they will be as numerous as before. I sowed them among the nations, yet in distant lands they remember me; they shall rear their children and return. I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into Gilead and into Lebanon, but these shall not suffice them; I will cross over to Egypt and smite the waves of the sea and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the scepter of Egypt taken away. I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they shall walk in his name, says the Lord. Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars! Wail, you cypress trees, for the cedars are fallen, the mighty have been despoiled. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, for the impenetrable forest is cut down! Hark! the wailing of the shepherds, their glory has been ruined. Hark! the roaring of the young lions, the jungle of the Jordan is laid waste. RESPONSORY Zechariah 10:6, 7; Isaiah 28:5 I shall restore them because I have compassion on them, for I am the Lord their God. — Their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord. On that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, a brilliant diadem for the remnant of his people. — Their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord. Second reading From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop The heart of the just man will rejoice in the Lord The just man will rejoice in the Lord and put his hope in him; the hearts of all good men will be filled with joy. We must surely have sung these words with our hearts as well as with our voices. Indeed, the tongue of the Christian expresses his deepest feelings when it addresses such words to God. The just man will rejoice, not in the world, but in the Lord. Light has dawned for the just, Scripture says in another place, and joy for the upright of heart. Were you wondering what reason he has for joy? Here you are told: The just man will rejoice in the Lord. Another text runs: Delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. What are we instructed to do then, and what are we enabled to do? To rejoice in the Lord. But who can rejoice in something he does not see? Am I suggesting that we see the Lord then? No, but we have been promised that we shall see him. Now, as long as we are in the body, we walk by faith, for we are absent from the Lord. We walk by faith, and not by sight. When will it be by sight? Beloved, says John, we are now the sons of God; what we shall be has not yet been revealed, but we know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. When this prophecy is fulfilled, then it will be by sight. That will be the great joy, the supreme joy, joy in all its fullness. Then we shall no longer drink the milk of hope, but we shall feed on the reality itself. Nevertheless, even now, before that vision comes to us, or before we come to that vision, let us rejoice in the Lord; for it is no small reason for rejoicing to have a hope that will some day be fulfilled. Therefore, since the hope we now have inspires love, the just man rejoices, Scripture says, in the Lord; but because he does not yet see, it immediately goes on to say, and hopes in him. Yet already we have the first fruits of the Spirit, and have we not also other reasons for rejoicing? For we are drawing near to the one we love, and not only are we drawing near – we even have some slight feeling and taste of the banquet we shall one day eagerly eat and drink. But how can we rejoice in the Lord if he is far from us? Pray God he may not be far. If he is, that is your doing. Love, and he will draw near; love, and he will dwell within you. The Lord is at hand; have no anxiety. Are you puzzled to know how it is that he will be with you if you love? God is love. “What do you mean by love?” you will ask me. It is that which enables us to be loving. What do we love? A good that words cannot describe, a good that is for ever giving, a good that is the Creator of all good. Delight in him from whom you have received everything that delights you. But in that I do not include sin, for sin is the one thing that you do not receive from him. With that one exception, everything you have comes from him. RESPONSORY The unseen God lies hidden from you; if you wish to see God, believe in him though you cannot see him. — Walk on in faith and you shall some day see his face. If faith has not consoled you along the path of life. you will never enjoy the blessed privilege of seeing him in his kingdom. — Walk on in faith and you shall some day see his face. CONCLUDING PRAYER Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. 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.

Nov 20, Invitatory for Thursday of the 33rd week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord is our God. 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, the Lord is our God. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord 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, the Lord is our God. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, the Lord 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, the Lord 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, the Lord is our God.

Nov 20, Office of Readings for Thursday of the 33rd week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 615 Proper of Seasons: 552 Psalter: Thursday, Week I, 729 Christian Prayer: Does not contain Office of Readings. 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 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 book of the prophet Zechariah 11:4–12:8 The parable of the shepherds Thus said the Lord, my God: Shepherd the flock to be slaughtered. For they who buy them slay them with impunity; while those who sell them say, “Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich!” Even their own shepherds do not feel for them. (Nor shall I spare the inhabitants of the earth any more, says the Lord. Yes, I will deliver each of them into the power of his neighbor, or into the power of his king; they shall crush the earth, and I will not deliver it out of their power.) So I became the shepherd of the flock to be slaughtered for the sheep merchants. I took two staffs, one of which I called “Favor,” and the other, “Bonds,” and I fed the flock. In a single month I did away with the three shepherds. I wearied of them, and they behaved badly toward me. “I will not feed you,” I said. “What is to die, let it die; what is to perish, let it perish, and let those that are left devour one another’s flesh.” Then I took my staff “Favor” and snapped it asunder, breaking off the covenant which I had made with all peoples; that day it was broken off. The sheep merchants who were watching me understood that this was the word of the Lord. I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, let it go.” And they counted out my wages, thirty pieces of silver. But the Lord said to me, “Throw it in the treasury, the handsome price at which they valued me.” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the Lord. Then I snapped asunder my other staff, “Bonds,” breaking off the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. The Lord said to me: This time take the gear of a foolish shepherd. For I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will take no note of those that perish, nor seek the strays, nor heal the injured, nor feed what survives–he will eat the flesh of the fat ones and tear off their hoofs! Woe to my foolish shepherd who forsakes the flock! May the sword fall upon his arm and upon his right eye; Let his arm wither away entirely, and his right eye be blind forever! An oracle: the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus says the Lord, who spreads out the heavens, lays the foundations of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: See, I will make Jerusalem a bowl to stupefy all peoples round about. [Judah will be besieged, even Jerusalem.] On that day I will make Jerusalem a weighty stone for all peoples. All who attempt to lift it shall injure themselves badly, and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against her. On that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with fright, and its rider with madness. I will strike blind all the horses of the peoples, but upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, and the princes of Judah shall say to themselves, “The inhabitants of Jerusalem have their strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.” On that day I will make the princes of Judah like a brazier of fire in the woodland, and like a burning torch among sheaves, and they shall devour right and left all the surrounding peoples; but Jerusalem shall still abide on its own site. The Lord shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over Judah. On that day, the Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the weakling among them shall be like David on that day, and the house of David godlike, like an angel of the Lord before them. RESPONSORY Zechariah 11:12, 13; Matthew 26:15 They counted out my wages, thirty pieces of silver, — the noble price at which they valued me. Judas said: What will you give me if I hand him over to you? They decided to pay him thirty pieces of silver. — The noble price at which they valued me. Second reading From a commentary on the Song of Songs by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, bishop A prayer to the Good Shepherd Where do you pasture your sheep, O Good Shepherd, you who carry on your shoulders the whole flock? For it is but one sheep, this entire human race whom you lift onto your shoulders. Show me the place where there are green pastures, let me know restful waters, lead me out to nourishing grass and call me by name so that I can hear your voice, for I am your own sheep. And through that voice calling me, give me eternal life. Tell me, you whom my soul loves. This is how I address you, because your true name is above all other names; it is unutterable and incomprehensible to all rational creatures. And so the name I use for you is simply the statement of my soul’s love for you, and this is an apt name for making your goodness known. Very dark though I am, how could I not love you who so loved me, that you laid down your life for the sheep you tend? No greater love can be conceived than this, that you should purchase my salvation at the cost of your life. Show me, then, says the bride, where you tend your sheep, so that I may find the saving pasture and be filled with heavenly nourishment. For whoever does not eat this food cannot enter eternal life. Let me run to you, the spring, and drink the divine draught that you cause to pour forth for the thirsty, offering water from your side opened by the spear. Whoever drinks of this becomes a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. If you feed me thus, then you will surely make me lie down at noonday, and I shall at once sleep in peace, resting in a light that knows no shadow. Indeed, there is no shadow at noon, for the sun shines directly over that summit where you make those you tend lie down, and take your children with you to your bed. No one is judged worthy of this noonday rest who is not a child of light and of the day. But if anyone makes himself equally distant from the shadows of daybreak and those of nightfall, that is, from the origin of evil and its conclusion, the sun of righteousness makes him lie down at noontide. Show me, then, says the bride, how I should lie down; show me the path to this noonday repose, lest my ignorance of your truth cause me to stray from your good guidance and consort with flocks which are strangers to yours. Thus speaks the bride, anxious about the beauty God has given her, and seeking to learn how her comeliness may continue for ever. RESPONSORY Psalm 27:13, 4; Philippians 1:21 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. — One thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. — One thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. CONCLUDING PRAYER Grant us, we pray, O Lord our God, the constant gladness of being devoted to you, for it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good. 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 (only added when praying in community) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Nov 21, Invitatory for Friday of the 33rd 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.