Divine Office Office of Readings

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.

Nov 25, Office of Readings for Tuesday of the 34th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 615 Proper of Seasons: 590 Psalter: Tuesday, Week II, 833 Christian Prayer: Does not contain Office of Readings Office of Readings for Tuesday 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 O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Beneath the shadow of Your throne Your saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is your arm alone, And our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame, From everlasting you are God, To endless years the same. A thousand ages in your sight Are like an evening gone; Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun. Time, like an ever rolling stream, Bears all our lives away; They fly, forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day. O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Be now our guard while troubles last, And our eternal home. 𝄞"O God, Our Help in Ages Past" by Melinda Kirigin-Voss [https://divineoffice.org/melinda-kirigin-voss/], Vince Clark • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/O-God-Our-Help-in-Ages-Past.pdf] • Title: O God, Our Help in Ages Past; Text: Based on Psalm 90; Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, Psalms of David..., 1719, alt.; Tune: ST. ANNE, CM; later form of melody (rhythm adapted), attr. to William Croft, 1678-1727, A Supplement to the New Version of Psalms, 1708; Artist: Melinda Kirigin-Voss, Vince Clark; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office PSALMODY Ant. 1 Surrender to God, and he will do everything for you. Psalm 37 The lot of the wicked and the good Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). I Do not fret because of the wicked; do not envy those who do evil: for they wither quickly like grass and fade like the green of the fields. If you trust in the Lord and do good, then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord, he will grant your heart’s desire. Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light, your cause like the noon-day sun. Be still before the Lord and wait in patience; do not fret at the man who prospers; a man who makes evil plots to bring down the needy and the poor. Calm your anger and forget your rage; do not fret, it only leads to evil. For those who do evil shall perish; the patient shall inherit the land. A little longer–and the wicked shall have gone. Look at his place, he is not there. But the humble shall own the land and enjoy the fullness of peace. 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. Surrender to God, and he will do everything for you. Ant. 2 Turn away from evil, learn to do God’s will; the Lord will strengthen you if you obey him. II The wicked man plots against the just and gnashes his teeth against him; but the Lord laughs at the wicked for he sees that his day is at hand. The sword of the wicked is drawn, his bow is bent to slaughter the upright. Their sword shall pierce their own hearts and their bows shall be broken to pieces. The just man’s few possessions are better than the wicked man’s wealth; for the power of the wicked shall be broken and the Lord will support the just. He protects the lives of the upright, their heritage will last for ever. They shall not be put to shame in evil days, in time of famine their food shall not fail. But all the wicked shall perish and all the enemies of the Lord. They are like the beauty of the meadows, they shall vanish, they shall vanish like smoke. The wicked man borrows without repaying, but the just man is generous and gives. Those blessed by the Lord shall own the land, but those he has cursed shall be destroyed. The Lord guides the steps of a man and makes safe the path of one he loves. Though he stumble he shall never fall for the Lord holds him by the hand. I was young and now I am old, but I have never seen the just man forsaken nor his children begging for bread. All the day he is generous and lends and his children become a blessing. Then turn away from evil and do good and you shall have a home for ever; for the Lord loves justice and will never forsake his friends. The unjust shall be wiped out for ever and the children of the wicked destroyed. The just shall inherit the land; there they shall live forever. 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. Turn away from evil, learn to do God’s will; the Lord will strengthen you if you obey him. Ant. 3 Wait for the Lord to lead, then follow in his way. III The just man’s mouth utters wisdom and his lips speak what is right; the law of his God is in his heart, his steps shall be saved from stumbling. The wicked man watches for the just and seeks occasion to kill him. The Lord will not leave him in his power nor let him be condemned when he is judged. Then wait for the Lord, keep to his way. It is he who will free you from the wicked, raise you up to possess the land and see the wicked destroyed. I have seen the wicked triumphant, towering like a cedar of Lebanon. I passed by again; he was gone. I searched; he was nowhere to be found. See the just man, mark the upright, for the peaceful man a future lies in store, but sinners shall all be destroyed. No future lies in store for the wicked. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord, their stronghold in time of distress. The Lord helps them and delivers them and saves them: for their refuge is in 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. Psalm-prayer You proclaimed the poor to be blessed, Lord Jesus, for the kingdom of heaven is given to them. Fill us generously with your gifts. Teach us to put our trust in the Father and to seek his kingdom first of all rather than imitate the powerful and envy the rich. Ant. Wait for the Lord to lead, then follow in his way. 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. Teach me goodness and holy wisdom. — For I have put my trust in your guidance. READINGS First reading From the second letter of the apostle Peter  1:12-21 The witness of the apostles and the prophets I intend to recall these things to you constantly, even though you already understand and are firmly rooted in the truth you possess. I consider it my duty, as long as I live, to prompt you with this reminder. I know, by the indications our Lord Jesus Christ has given me, how close is the day when I must fold my tent. I shall press to have you recall these things frequently after my departure. It was not by way of cleverly concocted myths that we taught you about the coming in power of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we were eyewitnesses of his sovereign majesty. He received glory and praise from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him out of the majestic splendor: “This is my beloved Son, on whom my favor rests.” We ourselves heard this said from heaven while we were in his company on the holy mountain. Besides, we possess the prophetic message as something altogether reliable. Keep your attention closely fixed on it, as you would on a lamp shining in a dark place until the first streaks of dawn appear and the morning star rises in your hearts. First you must understand this; there is no prophecy contained in Scripture which is a personal interpretation. Prophecy has never been put forward by man’s willing it. It is rather that men impelled by the Holy Spirit have spoken under God’s influence. RESPONSORY John 1:14; 2 Peter 1:17, 18 The Word became flesh and lived among us. — And we have seen his glory: the glory of the Father’s only Son. We witnessed with our own eyes his sovereign majesty when we were with him on the holy mountain. — And we have seen his glory: the glory of the Father’s only Son. Second reading From a treatise on John by Saint Augustine, bishop To the source you will come, the light itself you will see We Christians are the light, at least by comparison with unbelievers. Thus the Apostle says: For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk then as sons of the light. And elsewhere he says: The night is far spent, the day is drawing near. Let us therefore lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us walk uprightly as in the day. Nevertheless, since the days in which we are now living are still dark compared to the light which we shall see, hear what the apostle Peter says. He speaks of a voice that came from the Supreme Glory and said to the Lord Christ: You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. This voice, he says, we heard coming from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because we ourselves were not present there and did not hear the voice from heaven, Peter says to us: And we possess a more certain prophetic word to which you do well to attend, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. When, therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ shall come and, as the apostle says, bring to light things hidden in darkness and make plain the secrets of the heart, so that everyone may receive his commendation from God, then lamps will no longer be needed. When that day is at hand, the prophet will not be read to us, the book of the Apostle will not be opened, we shall not require the testimony of John, we shall have no need of the Gospel itself. Therefore all Scriptures will be taken away from us, those Scriptures which in the night of this world burned like lamps so that we might not remain in darkness. When all these things are removed as no longer necessary for our illumination, and when the men of God by whom they were ministered to us shall themselves together with us behold the true and dear light without such aids, what shall we see? With what shall our minds be nourished? What will give joy to our gaze? Where will that gladness come from which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, which has not even been conceived by the heart of man? What shall we see? I implore you to live with me and, by believing, to run with me; let us long for our heavenly country, let us sigh for our heavenly home, let us truly feel that here we are strangers. What shall we then see? Let the gospel tell us: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. You will come to the fountain, with whose dew you have already been sprinkled. Instead of the ray of light which was sent through slanting and winding ways into the heart of your darkness, you will see the light itself in all its purity and brightness. It is to see and experience this light that you are now being cleansed. Dearly beloved, John himself says, we are the sons of God, and it has not yet been disclosed what we shall be; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. I feel that your spirits are being raised up with mine to the heavens above; but the body which is corruptible weighs down the soul, and this earthly tent burdens the thoughtful mind. I am about to lay aside this book, and you are soon going away, each to his own business. It has been good for us to share the common light, good to have enjoyed ourselves, good to have been glad together. When we part from one another, let us not depart from him. RESPONSORY Revelation 22:5, 4 Night will be no more. nor will they need the light of the lamp or the sun, — for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever. They shall see him face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. — For the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever. 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 26, Invitatory for Wednesday of the 34th week of Ordinary Time

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. 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. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. 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. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. 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. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. 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. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. 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. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. 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. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness.