Divine Office Office of Readings

Feb 06, Invitatory for Friday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come let us praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. 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 praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. 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 praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. 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 praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. 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 praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. 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 praise the Lord in whom is all our delight. 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 praise the Lord in whom is all our delight.

Feb 06, Office of Readings for Friday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 160 Psalter: Friday, Week IV, 1230 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 My God, do not reject my cry for help, assailed as I am by the wicked. Psalm 55:2-15, 17-24 Against a friend proved traitor Jesus was seized with fear and distress (Mark 14:33). I O God, listen to my prayer, do not hide from my pleading, attend to me and reply; with my cares, I cannot rest. I tremble at the shouts of the foe, at the cries of the wicked; for they bring down evil upon me. They assail me with fury. My heart is stricken within me, death’s terror is on me, trembling and fear fall upon me and horror overwhelms me. O that I had wings like a dove to fly away and be at rest. So I would escape far away and take refuge in the desert. I would hasten to find a shelter from the raging wind, from the destructive storm, O Lord, and from their plotting tongues. 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. My God, do not reject my cry for help, assailed as I am by the wicked. Ant. 2 The Lord himself will free us from hostile and treacherous hands. II For I can see nothing but violence and strife in the city. Night and day they patrol high on the city walls. It is full of wickedness and evil; it is full of sin. Its streets are never free from tyranny and deceit. If this had been done by an enemy I could bear his taunts. If a rival had risen against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, my own companion, my intimate friend! How close was the friendship between us. We walked together in harmony in the house of 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. The Lord himself will free us from hostile and treacherous hands. Ant. 3 Entrust your cares to the Lord; he will sustain you. III As for me, I will cry to God and the Lord will save me. Evening, morning and at noon I will cry and lament. He will deliver my soul in peace in the attack against me: for those who fight me are many, but he hears my voice. God will hear and will humble them, the eternal judge: for they will not amend their ways. They have no fear of God. The traitor has turned against his friends; he has broken his word. His speech is softer than butter, but war is in his heart. His words are smoother than oil, but they are naked swords. Entrust your cares to the Lord and he will support you. He will never allow the just man to stumble. But you, O God, will bring them down to the pit of death. Deceitful and bloodthirsty men shall not live half their days. O Lord, I will trust in you. 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, you were rejected by your people, betrayed by the kiss of a friend, and deserted by your disciples. Give us the confidence that you had in the Father, and our salvation will be assured. Ant. Entrust your cares to the Lord; he will sustain you. 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. Children, listen to my words of wisdom. — Pay attention to my counsels. READINGS First reading From the second letter to the Thessalonians 2:1-17 The day of the Lord On the question of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we beg you, brothers, not to be so easily agitated or terrified, whether by an oracular utterance, or rumor, or a letter alleged to be ours, into believing that the day of the Lord is here. Let no one seduce you, no matter how. Since the mass apostasy has not yet occurred nor the man of lawlessness been revealed—that son of perdition and adversary who exalts himself above every so-called god proposed for worship, he who seats himself in God’s temple and even declares himself to be God – do you not remember how I used to tell you about these things when I was still with you? You know what restrains him until he shall be revealed in his own time. The secret force of lawlessness is already at work, mind you, but there is one who holds him back until that restrainer shall be taken from the scene. Thereupon the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and annihilate him by manifesting his own presence. This lawless one will appear as part of the workings of Satan, accompanied by all the power and signs and wonders at the disposal of falsehood—by every seduction the wicked can devise for those destined to ruin because they have not opened their hearts to the truth in order to be saved. Therefore God is sending upon them a perverse spirit which leads them to give credence to falsehood, so that all who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evildoing will be condemned. We are bound to thank God for you always, beloved brothers in the Lord, because you are the first fruits of those whom God has chosen for salvation, in holiness of spirit and fidelity to truth. He called you through our preaching of the good news so that you might achieve the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers, stand firm. Hold fast to the traditions you received from us, either by our word or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, may God our Father who loved us and in his mercy gave us eternal consolation and hope, console your hearts and strengthen them for every good work and word. RESPONSORY Matthew 24:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:8 The sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky — and all on earth will see the Son of Man coming with great power and majesty. Then the evil one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth. — And all on earth will see the Son of Man coming with great power and majesty. Second reading From a homily by a spiritual writer of the fourth century May you be filled to the complete fullness of Christ Those who have been considered worthy to go forth as the sons of God and to be born again of the Holy Spirit from on high, and who hold within them the Christ who renews them and fills them with light, are directed by the Spirit in varied and different ways and in their spiritual repose they are led invisibly in their hearts by grace. At times, they are like men who mourn and lament over their fellow men, and pouring forth prayers for the whole human race, they plunge into tears and lamentation, on fire with spiritual love for mankind. At other times they are enkindled by the Spirit with love and exultation that, were it possible, they would clasp in their embrace all mankind, without discrimination, good and bad alike. Sometimes they are cast down below all mankind in lowliness of spirit, so that they reckon theirs to be the lowest and most abject of conditions. And sometimes they are held by the Spirit in ineffable joy. At one time they are like a brave man who puts on the king’s full armor and goes down into battle; he fights bravely against the enemy and defeats them. In like manner, the spiritual man takes up the heavenly arms of the Spirit and marches against the enemy and engaging in battle tramples the foe beneath his feet. At another time the soul is at rest in deepest silence, tranquility and peace, existing in sheer spiritual pleasure and in ineffable repose and a perfect state. Again, the soul is instructed by grace in a certain understanding in the ineffable wisdom and the inscrutable knowledge of the Spirit on matters which neither tongue nor lips can utter. Then again, the soul becomes like any ordinary man. In such varied ways does grace work within them and many are the means by which it leads the soul, renewing it according to God’s will and training it in different ways so that it may be set before the heavenly Father pure and whole and blameless. We, too, therefore must make our prayer to God and entreat in love and in great hope that he may bestow upon us the heavenly grace of the gift of the Spirit. We pray that we, too, may be guided by that Spirit and that he may lead us into the fullness of divine will and refresh us with the varied kinds of his repose, that by the help of this guidance, exercise of grace and spiritual advancement, we may be considered worthy to attain to the perfection of the fullness of Christ, as the Apostle says: that you may be filled to the complete fullness of Christ. RESPONSORY 1 John 2:20, 27; Joel 2:23 You have been anointed by the Holy One, and this anointing which you have received from him has remained with you. — You do not need anyone to teach you, for his anointing teaches you all things. Rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God, for he has given us a teacher to instruct us in holiness. — You do not need anyone to teach you, for his anointing teaches you all things. CONCLUDING PRAYER Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. 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 07, Invitatory for Saturday of the 4th 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.

Feb 07, Office of Readings for Saturday of the 4th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 164 Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, 1250 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 The Lord summons heaven and earth to witness his judgment on his people. Psalm 50 Genuine love of God I have come not to abolish the law but to bring it to perfection (see Matthew 5:17). I The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken and summoned the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion’s perfect beauty he shines. Our God comes, he keeps silence no longer. Before him fire devours, around him tempest rages. He calls on the heavens and the earth to witness his judgment of his people. “Summon before me my people who made covenant with me by sacrifice.” The heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself is the judge. 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 summons heaven and earth to witness his judgment on his people. Ant. 2 Come to me in your distress, and I will save you. II “Listen, my people, I will speak; Israel, I will testify against you, for I am God, your God. I accuse you, lay the charge before you. I find no fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me. I do not ask more bullocks from your farms, nor goats from among your herds. For I own all the beasts of the forest, beasts in their thousands on my hills. I know all the birds in the sky, all that moves in the field belongs to me. Were I hungry, I would not tell you, for I own the world and all it holds. Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God and render him your votive offerings. Call on me in the day of distress. I will free you and you shall honor 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. Come to me in your distress, and I will save you. Ant. 3 A sacrifice of praise will give me glory. III But God says to the wicked: “But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips, you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds, you who see a thief and go with him; who throw in your lot with adulterers, who unbridle your mouth for evil and whose tongue is plotting crime, you who sit and malign your brother and slander your own mother’s son. You do this, and should I keep silence? Do you think that I am like you? Mark this, you who never think of God, lest I seize you and you cannot escape; a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.” 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 Father, because Jesus, your servant, became obedient even unto death, his sacrifice was greater than all holocausts of old. Accept the sacrifice of praise we offer you through him and may we show the effects of it in our lives by striving to do your will until our whole life becomes adoration in Spirit and truth. Ant. A sacrifice of praise will give me glory. 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. We are always praying earnestly for you. — That you may have a deep knowledge of God’s will. READINGS First reading From the second letter to the Thessalonians 3:1-18 Exhortations and counsels For the rest, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord may make progress and be hailed by many others, even as it has been by you. Pray that we may be delivered from confused and evil men. For not every man has faith, but the Lord keeps faith; he it is who will strengthen you and guard you against the evil one. In the Lord we are confident that you are doing and will continue to do whatever we enjoin. May the Lord rule your hearts in the love of God and the constancy of Christ. We command you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to avoid any brother who wanders from the straight path and does not follow the tradition you received from us. You know how you ought to imitate us. We did not live lives of disorder when we were among you, nor depend on anyone for food. Rather, we worked day and night, laboring to the point of exhaustion so as not to impose on any of you. Not that we had no claim on you, but that we might present ourselves as an example for you to imitate. Indeed, when we were with you we used to lay down the rule that anyone who would not work should not eat. We hear that some of you are unruly, not keeping busy but acting like busybodies. We enjoin all such, and we urge them strongly in the Lord Jesus Christ, to earn the food they eat by working quietly. You must never grow weary of doing what is right, brothers. If anyone will not obey our injunction, delivered through this letter, single him out to be ostracized that he may be ashamed of his conduct. But do not treat him like an enemy; rather, correct him as you would a brother. May he who is the Lord of peace give you continued peace in every possible way. The Lord be with you all. This greeting is in my own hand — Paul’s. I append this signature to every letter I write. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. RESPONSORY See 1 Thessalonians 2:13; see Ephesians 1:13 When you opened your hearts to the message of God, — you received it, not as the word of men, but as what it truly is, the word of God. You have heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation. — You received it, not as the word of men, but as what it truly is, the word of God. Second reading From the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world of the Second Vatican Council Man and his activity The activity of man, as it has its origin in man, has man also as its end. Man through his work not only introduces change into things and into society; he also perfects himself. He learns a great deal; he develops his powers; he advances above and beyond himself. This kind of gain, properly understood, is more valuable than any external possessions. Man’s worth is greater because of what he is than because of what he has. In the same way, all that men do to secure greater justice, more widespread brotherhood and a more humane structure of social relationships has more value than advance in technology. Technological development may provide the raw material for human progress, but of itself it is totally unable to bring it into being. The criterion, therefore, for assessing man’s activity is this: does it, in accordance with God’s plan, fit in with the true good of the human race and allow man, individually and corporately, to develop and fulfill his vocation in its entirety? Many of our contemporaries, however, seem to be afraid that a closer relationship between religion and man’s activity will injure the autonomy of men or societies or the different sciences. If by the autonomy of earthly realities we mean that created beings and even societies have their own distinctive laws and values, which must be gradually identified, used and regulated by men, this kind of autonomy is rightly demanded. Not only is it insisted on by modern man, it is also in harmony with the design of the Creator. By the very fact of creation everything is provided with its own stability, its own truth and goodness, its own laws and orderly functioning. Man must respect these, acknowledging the methods proper to each science or art. One should therefore deplore certain attitudes of mind which are sometimes found even among Christians because of a failure to recognize the legitimate autonomy of science. These mental attitudes have given rise to conflict and controversy and led many to assume that faith and science are mutually opposed. If, on the other hand, the autonomy of the temporal order is understood to mean that created things do not depend on God, and that man may use them without reference to the Creator, all who believe in God will realize how false is this teaching. For creation without the Creator fades into nothingness. RESPONSORY Deuteronomy 2:7; 8:5 The Lord has blessed you in all that you have done; he has watched over your progress as you journeyed through the vast desert. — The Lord your God has been with you; no need of yours has been forgotten. As a father teaches his son, so the Lord your God was disciplining you. — The Lord your God has been with you; no need of yours has been forgotten. CONCLUDING PRAYER Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. 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 09, Invitatory for Monday of the 5th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. 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. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. 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. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. 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. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. Who is the king of glory? The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, the Lord, the valiant in war. Ant. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. O gates, lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient doors. Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. Who is he, the king of glory? He, the Lord of armies, he is the king of glory. Ant. Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. 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 approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving.