Divine Office Office of Readings

Nov 23, Invitatory for Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 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 Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 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 Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 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 Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 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 Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 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 Jesus Christ, the King of kings. 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 Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

Nov 23, Office of Readings – Solemnity for Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 615 All from Proper of Seasons: 571 Christian Prayer: Does not contain Office of Readings. Office of Readings for the Solemnity of Christ the King 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 Behold! the mountain of the Lord in latter days shall rise on mountain tops above the hills, and draw the wondering eyes. To this the joyful nations round, all tribes and tongues, shall flow; up to the hill of God, they'll say, and to his house we'll go. The beam that shines from Zion hill shall lighten every land; the King who reigns in Salem's towers shall all the world command. Among the nations he shall judge; his judgements truth shall guide; his sceptre shall protect the just, and quell the sinner’s pride. Come then, O house of Jacob! come to worship at his shrine; and, walking in the light of God, with holy beauties shine. 𝄞"Behold! the Mountain of the Lord" by Rebecca Hincke • Title: Behold! the Mountain of the Lord; Authors: John Logan and Michael Bruce; Meter: 8.6.8.6: Tune: GLASGOW (Moore); Artist: Rebecca Hincke; Recording copyright 2024 by Surgeworks, Inc. PSALMODY Ant. 1 I have been made king upon Zion, his holy mountain, to proclaim his teaching. Psalm 2 The Messiah, king and conqueror The rulers of the earth joined forces to overthrow Jesus, your anointed Son (Acts 4:27). Why this tumult among nations, among peoples this useless murmuring? They arise, the kings of the earth, princes plot against the Lord and his Anointed. “Come, let us break their fetters, come, let us cast off their yoke.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord is laughing them to scorn. Then he will speak in his anger, his rage will strike them with terror. “It is I who have set up my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will announce the decree of the Lord: The Lord said to me: “You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day. Ask and I will shall bequeath you the nations, put the ends of the earth in your possession. With a rod of iron you will break them, shatter them like a potter’s jar.” Now, O kings, understand, take warning, rulers of the earth; serve the Lord with awe and trembling, pay him your homage lest he be angry and you perish; for suddenly his anger will blaze. Blessed are they who put their trust in 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. I have been made king upon Zion, his holy mountain, to proclaim his teaching. Ant. 2 All the kings of the earth will worship him; all nations will serve him. Psalm 72 The Messiah’s royal power Opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). I O God, give your judgment to the king, to a king’s son your justice, that he may judge your people in justice and your poor in right judgment. May the mountains bring forth peace for the people and the hills, justice. May he defend the poor of the people and save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. He shall endure like the sun and the moon from age to age. He shall descend like rain on the meadow, like raindrops on the earth. In his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails. He shall rule from sea to sea, from the Great River to earth’s bounds. Before him his enemies shall fall, his foes lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the seacoasts shall pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts. Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him. 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 the kings of the earth will worship him; all nations will serve him. Ant. 3 All the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him; all nations will glorify him. II For he shall save the poor when they cry and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak and save the lives of the poor. From oppression he will rescue their lives, to him their blood is dear. Long may he live, may the gold of Sheba be given him. They shall pray for him without ceasing and bless him all the day. May corn be abundant in the land to the peaks of the mountains. May its fruit rustle like Lebanon; may people flourish in the cities like grass on the earth. May his name be blessed for ever and endure like the sun. Every tribe shall be blessed in him, all nations bless his name. Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, who alone works wonders, ever blessed his glorious name. Let his glory fill the earth. Amen! Amen! 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 the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him; all nations will glorify him. 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. See I have made you a light to all the nations. — You will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. READINGS First Reading From the book of Revelation 1:4b-6, 10, 12-18; 2:26, 28; 3:5b, 12, 20-21 A vision of the Son of Man in his majesty Grace and peace—from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born from the dead and ruler of the kings of earth.To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his own blood, who has made us a royal nation of priests in the service of his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. On the Lord’s day I was caught up in ecstasy, and I heard behind me a piercing voice like the sound of a trumpet. I turned around to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I did so I saw seven lampstands of gold, and among the lampstands One like a Son of Man wearing an ankle-length robe, with a sash of gold about his breast. The hair of his head was as white as snow-white wool and his eyes blazed like fire. His feet gleamed like polished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice sounded like the roar of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars. A sharp, two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest. When I caught sight of him I fell down at his feet as though dead. He touched me with his right hand and said: “There is nothing to fear. I am the First and the Last and the One who lives. Once I was dead but now I live—forever and ever. I hold the keys of death and the nether world. “To the one who wins the victory, who keeps to my ways till the end, I will give authority over the nations—the same authority I received from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. I will never erase his name from the book of the living, but will acknowledge him in the presence of my Father and his angels. “I will make the victor a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall never leave it. I will inscribe on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which he will send down from heaven, and my own name which is new. “Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself won the victory and took my seat beside my Father on his throne.” RESPONSORY Mark 13:26-27; Psalm 98:9 They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and majesty; then he will send out the angels, — and he will gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the farthest bounds of heaven. He will judge the world with justice and the peoples with truth. — And he will gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the farthest bounds of heaven. Second reading From a notebook On Prayer by Origen, priest Your kingdom come The kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is, but the kingdom of God is within us, for the word of God is very near, in our mouth and in our heart. Thus it is clear that he who prays for the coming of God’s kingdom prays rightly to have it within himself, that there it may grow and bear fruit and become perfect. For God reigns in each of his holy ones. Anyone who is holy obeys the spiritual laws of God, who dwells in him as in a well-ordered city. The Father is present in the perfect soul, and with him Christ reigns, according to the words: We shall come to him and make our home with him. Thus the kingdom of God within us, as we continue to make progress, will reach its highest point when the Apostle’s words are fulfilled, and Christ, having subjected all his enemies to himself, will hand over his kingdom to God the Father, that God may be all in all. Therefore, let us pray unceasingly with that disposition of soul which the Word may make divine, saying to our Father who is in heaven: Hallowed by your name; your kingdom come. Note this too about the kingdom of God. It is not a sharing of justice with iniquity, nor a society of light with darkness, nor a meeting of Christ with Belial. The kingdom of God cannot exist alongside the reign of sin. Therefore, if we wish God to reign in us, in no way should sin reign in our mortal body; rather we should mortify our members which are upon the earth and bear fruit in the Spirit. There should be in us a kind of spiritual paradise where God may walk and be our sole ruler with his Christ. In us the Lord will sit at the right hand of that spiritual power which we wish to receive. And he will sit there until all his enemies who are within us become his footstool, and every principality, power and virtue in us is cast out. All this can happen in each one of us, and the last enemy, death, can be destroyed; then Christ will say in us: O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? And so, what is corruptible in us must be clothed in holiness and incorruptibility; and what is mortal must be clothed, now that death has been conquered, in the Father’s immortality. Then God will reign in us, and we shall enjoy even now the blessings of rebirth and resurrection. RESPONSORY Revelation 11:15; Psalm 22:28-29 The kingdom of this world belongs to our Lord and his Christ, — and he shall reign for ever and ever. All the families of nations shall bow down before him, for the Lord is our king. — And he shall reign for ever and ever. TE DEUM You are God: we praise you; You are the Lord: we acclaim you; You are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the King of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come, and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance. — Govern and uphold them now and always. Day by day we bless you. — We praise your name for ever. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin. — Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. Lord, show us your love and mercy, — for we have put our trust in you. In you, Lord, is our hope: — And we shall never hope in vain. CONCLUDING PRAYER Almighty ever-living God, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of the universe, grant, we pray, that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render your majesty service and ceaselessly proclaim your praise. 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 24, Invitatory for Monday of the 34th 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.

Nov 24, Office of Readings for Monday of the 34th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 615 Proper of Seasons: 586 Psalter: Monday, Week II, 811 Christian Prayer: Does not contain Office of Readings Office of Readings for Monday 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 Bow down and hear me, Lord; come to my rescue. Psalm 31 A troubled person’s confident appeal to God Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46). I In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free, hear me and speedily rescue me. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me, for you are my rock, my stronghold. For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me. Release me from the snares they have hidden for you are my refuge, Lord. Into your hands I commend my spirit. It is you who will redeem me, Lord. O God of truth, you detest those who worship false and empty gods. As for me, I trust in the Lord: let me be glad and rejoice in your love. You have seen my affliction and taken heed of my soul’s distress, have not handed me over to the enemy, but set my feet at large. 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. Bow down and hear me, Lord; come to my rescue. Ant. 2 Lord, let the light of your countenance shine on your servant. II Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in distress. Tears have wasted my eyes, my throat and my heart. For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighs. Affliction has broken down my strength and my bones waste away. In the face of all my foes I am a reproach, an object of scorn to my neighbors and of fear to my friends. Those who see me in the street run far away from me. I am like a dead man, forgotten, like a thing thrown away. I have heard the slander of the crowd, fear is all around me, as they plot together against me, as they plan to take my life. But as for me, I trust in you, Lord, I say: “You are my God. My life is in your hands, deliver me from the hands of those who hate me. Let your face shine on your servant. Save me in your love.” 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. Lord, let the light of your countenance shine on your servant. Ant. 3 Blessed be the Lord, for he has poured out his mercy upon me. III How great is the goodness, Lord, that you keep for those who fear you, that you show to those who trust you in the sight of men. You hide them in the shelter of your presence from the plotting of men: you keep them safe within your tent from disputing tongues. Blessed be the Lord who has shown me the wonders of his love in a fortified city. “I am far removed from your sight,” I said in my alarm. Yet you heard the voice of my plea when I cried for help. Love the Lord, all you saints. He guards his faithful but the Lord will repay to the full those who act with pride. Be strong, let your heart take courage, all who hope in 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. Psalm-prayer God of kindness and truth, you saved your Chosen One, Jesus Christ, and you gave your martyrs strength. Watch over your people who come to you here and strengthen the hearts of those who hope in you, that they may proclaim your saving acts of kindness in the eternal city. Ant. Blessed be the Lord, for he has poured out his mercy upon me. 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. Guide me in the way of your truth and teach me. — For you are my saving God. READINGS First reading From the beginning of the second letter of the apostle Peter 1:1-11 An exhortation concerning the way of salvation Simeon Peter, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have been given a faith like ours in the justifying power of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: may grace be yours and peace in abundance through your knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord. That divine power of his has freely bestowed on us everything necessary for a life of genuine piety, through knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power. By virtue of them he has bestowed on us the great and precious things he promised, so that through these you who have fled a world corrupted by lust might become sharers of the divine nature. This is reason enough for you to make every effort to undergird your virtue with faith, your discernment with virtue, and your self-control with discernment; this self-control, in turn, should lead to perseverance, and perseverance to piety, and piety to care for your brother, and care for your brother, to love. Qualities like these, made increasingly your own, are by no means ineffectual; they bear fruit in true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Any man who lacks these qualities is shortsighted to the point of blindness. He forgets the cleansing of his long-past sins. Be solicitous to make your call and election permanent, brothers; surely those who do so will never be lost. On the contrary, your entry into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for. RESPONSORY 2 Peter 1:3,4; Galatians 3:27 The Lord has called you to his own glory and power, and he has given you all the very great and precious things he had promised, — that you might become sharers in the divine nature. All of you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. — That you might become sharers in the divine nature. Second reading From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope Each man’s profit matches his toil The Lord says: Unless your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. How indeed can justice exceed, unless compassion rises above judgment? What is as right or as worthy as a creature, fashioned in the image and likeness of God, imitating his Creator who, by the remission of sins, brought about the reparation and sanctification of believers? With strict vengeance removed and the cessation of all punishment, the guilty man was restored to innocence, and the end of wickedness became the beginning of virtue. Can anything be more just than this? This is how Christian justice can exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, not by canceling out the law but by rejecting earthly wisdom. This is why, in giving his disciples a rule for fasting, the Lord said: Whenever you fast do not become sad like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces in order to seem to be fasting. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. What reward but that of human praise? Such a desire often puts on a mask of justice, for where there is no concern for conscience, untruthful reputation gives pleasure. The result is that concealed injustice enjoys a false reputation. For the man who loves God it is sufficient to please the one he loves; and there is no greater recompense to be sought than the loving itself; for love is from God by the very fact that God himself is love. The good and chaste soul is so happy to be filled with him that it desires to take delight in nothing else. For what the Lord says is very true: Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. What is a man’s treasure but the heaping up of profits and the fruit of his toil. For whatever a man sows this too will he reap, and each man’s gain matches his toil; and where delight and enjoyment are found, there the heart’s desire is attached. Now there are many kinds of wealth and a variety of grounds for rejoicing; every man’s treasure is that which he desires. If it is based on earthly ambitions, its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched. But those who enjoy the things that are above and eternal rather than earthly and perishable, possess an incorruptible, hidden store of which the prophet speaks: Our treasure and salvation have come, wisdom and instruction and piety from the Lord: these are the treasures of justice. Through these, with the help of God’s grace, even earthly possessions are transformed into heavenly blessings; it is a fact that many people use the wealth which is either rightfully left to them or otherwise acquired, as a tool of devotion. By distributing what might be superfluous to support the poor, they are amassing imperishable riches, so that what they have discreetly given cannot be subject to loss. They have properly placed those riches where their heart is; it is a most blessed thing to work to increase such riches rather than to fear that they may pass away. RESPONSORY Galatians 6:9-10,8 We must never grow tired of doing good; if we continue to struggle on, we shall reap our harvest in due season. — Therefore, while we have the opportunity, we should do good to all men. A man shall reap what he has sown. — Therefore, while we have the opportunity, we should do good to all men. CONCLUDING PRAYER Stir up the will of your faithful, we pray, O Lord, that striving more eagerly to bring your divine work to fruitful completion, they may receive in greater measure the healing remedies your kindness bestows. 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 25, Invitatory for Tuesday of the 34th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty God. 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 the Lord, our mighty God. 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 the Lord, our mighty God. 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 the Lord, our mighty God. Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, our mighty 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, our mighty God.