July 11th, 2026 – Invitatory – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

July 11th, 2026 – Gathered Together From the Ends of the Earth – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

The Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time ·  Optional Memorials of St Maria Goretti and St Augustine Zhao Rong & Companions – The Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot  ·  Liturgical Colours: White/Green/Red This week the Hours return constantly to a single image: the Church as one body, gathered from scattered pieces into a single loaf. Saint Clement opens and closes the week pleading against the schism dividing the Corinthians. The Didache prays it directly on Wednesday — bread scattered on the mountains, gathered and made one. Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, on Friday, names the barrier itself: “the barrier of hostility that kept us apart.” Saint Ambrose asks us to throw open the gate of the heart. And on Saturday, Saint Benedict’s Rule gives the practical form this gathering takes: a community bound together by putting Christ before everything. The thread is unity — not the absence of difference, but the deliberate, costly work of staying gathered, staying open, staying one. Gathered Together Saint Clement of Rome, writing to a Corinthian church that had split into factions, opens the week’s Office of Readings on Monday with the question underneath everything that follows: * “Why do we tear apart and divide the body of Christ? Why do we revolt against our own body?” — Second Reading, Office of Readings, Monday This week the Church celebrates optionally, Saint Maria Goretti on Monday, and Saint Augustine Zhao Rong & Companions on Thursday. These saints share a foundational bond, a togetherness: they wore the crown of martyrdom, they chose death over renouncing their Christian faith and virtues. By Tuesday, this week’s theme turns outward. Saint Augustine insists that even those separated from the Church remain brothers — “whether they like it or not.” And Tuesday’s Morning Prayer gives the same conviction its most luminous expression of the week, worth carrying beyond this one day: * “You are not in the dark, brothers, that the day should catch you off guard, like a thief. No, all of you are children of light and of the day. We belong neither to darkness nor to night.” — Morning Prayer, Tuesday, Reading:1 Thessalonians 5:4–5 Children of light and of the day — the phrase names something no schism can take away. Division may separate believers from one another in practice, but it cannot revoke what they were made to be. Among the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament is a short manual called the Didache — “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.” Wednesday‘s Office of Readings gives us its instruction for the Eucharist, and one line of the prayer over the bread has stayed in the Church’s memory for two thousand years: * “As this broken bread scattered on the mountains was gathered and became one, so too, may your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.” — Second Reading, Office of Readings, Wednesday Grain scattered across many hillsides, gathered into a single loaf — the image becomes theological precisely because it starts so ordinary. Later in the day, Evening Prayer sings of Christ in nearly identical terms, but reaching further still — not only the Church gathered, but the whole created order: “Through him all things were made; he holds all creation together in himself.” (Ant. 3). What the Didache says of bread, the Colossians canticle ant. says of the universe. Nothing holds together except in Him. Thursday, the light shines on everyone, Saint Ambrose insists — but it cannot enter a door that stays shut. That evening, the reading at Evening Prayer names what such an open heart is actually for: “love one another constantly from the heart.” Not an abstraction. A practice, renewed daily. Friday, Saint Paul, writing to the Ephesians, names the very thing Saint Clement had been grieving on Monday — not just conflict, but the wall itself, and its demolition: * “Now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ. It is he who is our peace and who made the two of us one by breaking down the barrier of hostility that kept us apart.” — Morning Prayer, Friday, Reading: Ephesians 2:13–16 > Whatever divided — nation from nation, faction from faction, the near from the far off — Christ does not merely mediate. He removes the wall. Saint Clement’s question from Monday finds its answer here: the body is not divided because Christ himself has already made the two into one. > > > > > > Saturday brings the week’s central figure. Saint Benedict’s Rule, read in the Office of Readings for his Memorial, compresses everything the week has been circling into four words: > > > > > > * “Put Christ before everything.” — Second Reading, Office of Readings, the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot Morning Prayer gives Saint Benedict his own antiphon: “He lived a holy life; Benedict, blessed in name and in grace.”(Canticle Ant.). A monastery is, among other things, an experiment in staying gathered — men bound to one another and to Christ through the ordinary friction of shared life, the same discipline Saint Clement asked of Corinth centuries earlier. The week closes on Sunday with Saint Ambrose again, teaching the newly baptized what happened to them at the threshold of the Church — the same word, “opening,” that governed Thursday’s reading, now spoken as a rite: * “We explained this to you as we celebrated the mystery of the opening when we said: Effetha, that is, be opened.” — Second Reading, Office of Readings, 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time And Evening Prayer II closes the week where unity always finally rests — not in doctrine or discipline alone, but in a single command: “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart.” The gate, thrown wide. The grain, gathered. The wall, broken down. One loaf, one body, one heart. 🕊 [https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f54a.png]Pray the Office of Readings for the Memorial of Saint Benedict: https://divineoffice.org/today/office-of-readings/?date=20260711 [https://divineoffice.org/today/office-of-readings/?date=20260711] Saint Benedict built an entire way of life around the daily rhythm of the Hours. Divine Office exists to bring that same rhythm to people who would otherwise pray alone. If this ministry has been a gathering place for your own prayer, please consider supporting it — your contribution helps support this work’s current and future projects. divineoffice.org/contribute [https://divineoffice.org/contribute/] With gratitude, The Divine Office Team

July 11th, 2026 – Invitatory – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

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

July 11th, 2026 – Office of Readings – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 958 Proper of Seasons: 475 Proper of Saints: 1528 Common of Holy Men, religious: 1804 Christian Prayer: Does not contain Office of Readings Office of Readings for Saturday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot 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 Blest are the pure in heart, for they shall see our God; the secret of the Lord is theirs, their soul is Christ's abode. The Lord, who left the heavens our life and peace to bring, to dwell in lowliness with us, our pattern and our King; He to the lowly soul will still himself impart and for his dwelling and his throne will choose the pure in heart. Lord, we thy presence seek; may ours this blessing be; give us a pure and lowly heart, a temple fit for thee. 𝄞"Blest are the Pure in Heart" by Eva Zlatkovic Ristic • Title: The Christian Life; Words: Sts. 1 and 3, John Keble (1792-1866), alt.; sts. 2 and 4, William John Hall (1793-1861), alt.; Music: Franconia, melody Johann Makhasar Konig (1691-1758); Adapt. and harmony: William Henry Havergal (1793-1870); Artist: Eva Zlatkovic Ristic; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks PSALMODY Ant. 1 None but the Lord has done such marvels; his love endures for ever. Psalm 136 Paschal hymn We praise God by recalling his marvelous deeds (Cassiodorus). I O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love endures for ever Give thanks to the God of gods for his love endures for ever Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his love endures for ever; who alone has wrought marvelous works, for his love endures for ever; whose wisdom it was made the skies, for his love endures for ever; who fixed the earth firmly on the seas, for his love endures for ever. It was he who made the great lights, for his love endures for ever; the sun to rule in the day, for his love endures for ever; the moon and the stars in the night, for his love endures 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. Ant. None but the Lord has done such marvels; his love endures for ever. Ant. 2 He brought Israel out of Egypt with powerful hand and arm outstretched. II The first-born of the Egyptians he smote, for his love endures for ever He brought Israel out from the midst, for his love endures for ever; arm outstretched, with power in his hand, for his love endures for ever. He divided the Red Sea in two, for his love endures for ever; he made Israel pass through the midst, for his love endures for ever; he flung Pharaoh and his force in the sea, for his love endures 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. Ant. He brought Israel out of Egypt with powerful hand and arm outstretched. Ant. 3 Give praise to the God of heaven; he has ransomed us from our enemies. III Through the desert his people he led, for his love endures for ever Nations in their greatness he struck, for his love endures for ever Kings in their splendor he slew, for his love endures for ever. Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his love endures for ever; and Og, the king of Bashan, for his love endures for ever. He let Israel inherit their land, for his love endures for ever On his servant their land he bestowed, for his love endures for ever He remembered us in our distress, for his love endures for ever. And he snatched us away from our foes, for his love endures for ever He gives food to all living things, for his love endures for ever To the God of heaven give thanks, for his love endures 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 God, our Creator, how wonderfully you made us. You transformed dust into your own image and gave it a share in your own nature; yet you are more wonderful in pardoning the one who had rebelled against you. Grant that where sin has abounded, grace may more abound, so that we can become holier through forgiveness and be more grateful to you. Ant. Give praise to the God of heaven; he has ransomed us from our enemies. 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. The Lord led this holy man along a sure path. — He showed him the kingdom of God. READINGS First reading From the book of Sirach 47:12-25 The history of the fathers from Solomon to Jeroboam Because of his merits David had as his successor a wise son, who lived in security: Solomon reigned during an era of peace, for God made tranquil all his borders. He built a house to the name of God, and established a lasting sanctuary. How wise you were when you were young, overflowing with instruction, like the Nile in flood! Your understanding covered the whole earth, and, like a sea, filled it with knowledge. Your fame reached distant coasts, and their peoples came to hear you; With song and story and riddle, and with your answers, you astounded the nations. You were called by that glorious name which was conferred upon Israel. Gold you gathered like so much iron, you heaped up silver as though it were lead; But you abandoned yourself to women and gave them dominion over your body. You brought dishonor upon your reputation, shame upon your marriage, Wrath upon your descendants, and groaning upon your domain; Thus two governments came into being, when in Ephraim kingship was usurped. But God does not withdraw his mercy, nor permit even one of his promises to fail. He does not uproot the posterity of his chosen one, nor destroy the offspring of his friend. So he gave to Jacob a remnant, to David a root from his own family. Solomon finally slept with his fathers, and left behind him one of his sons, Expansive in folly, limited in sense, Rehoboam, who by his policy made the people rebel; Until one arose who should not be remembered, the sinner who led Israel into sin, Who brought ruin to Ephraim and caused them to be exiled from their land. Their sinfulness grew more and more, and they lent themselves to every evil. RESPONSORY Ezekiel 37:21, 22, 23, 24; John 10:16 I shall gather the Israelites together. No longer shall they be two nations; no longer shall they defile themselves with their idols. — They shall be my people, and they shall have one shepherd. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must lead them also, and there shall be one flock. — They shall be my people, and they shall have one shepherd. Second reading From the Rule of Benedict, abbot Put Christ before everything Whenever you begin any good work you should first of all make a most pressing appeal to Christ our Lord to bring it to perfection; that he, who has honored us by counting us among his children, may never be grieved by our evil deeds. For we must always serve him with the good things he has given us in such a way that he may never – as an angry father disinherits his sons or even like a master who inspires fear – grow impatient with our sins and consign us to everlasting punishment, like wicked servants who would not follow him to glory. So we should at long last rouse ourselves, prompted by the words of Scripture: Now is the time for us to rise from sleep. Our eyes should be open to the God-given light, and we should listen in wonderment to the message of the divine voice as it daily cries out: Today, if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts; and again: If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. And what does the Spirit say? Come my sons, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Hurry, while you have the light of life, so that death’s darkness may not overtake you. And the Lord as he seeks the one who will do his work among the throng of people to whom he makes that appeal, says again: Which of you wants to live to the full; who loves long life and the enjoyment of prosperity? And, if when you hear this you say, I do, God says to you: If you desire true and everlasting life, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceit; turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. And when you have done these things my eyes will be upon you and my ears will be attentive to your prayers; and before you call upon my name I shall say to you: Behold, I am here. What could be more delightful, dearest brothers, than the voice of our Lord’s invitation to us? In his loving kindness he reveals to us the way of life. And so, girded with faith and the performance of good works, let us follow in his paths by the guidance of the Gospel; then we shall deserve to see him who has called us into his kingdom. If we wish to attain a dwelling-place in his kingdom we shall not reach it unless we hasten there by our good deeds. Just as there exists an evil fervor, a bitter spirit, which divides us from God and leads us to hell, so there is a good fervor which sets us apart from evil inclinations and leads us toward God and eternal life. Monks should put this fervor into practice with an overflowing love: that is, they should surpass each other in mutual esteem, accept their weaknesses, either of body or of behavior, with the utmost patience; and vie with each other in acceding to requests. No one should follow what he considers to be good for himself, but rather what seems good for another. They should display brotherly love in a chaste manner; fear God in a spirit of love; revere their abbot with a genuine and submissive affection. Let them put Christ before all else; and may he lead us all to everlasting life. RESPONSORY Wishing to please God alone, Benedict left his home and patrimony to enter the religious life. — He lived as a hermit in the presence of the all-seeing God. He withdrew from the world of men, knowingly unacquainted with its ways and wisely unlearned in its wisdom. — He lived as a hermit in the presence of the all-seeing God. Concluding Prayer O God, who made the Abbot Saint Benedict an outstanding master in the school of divine service, grant, we pray, that, putting nothing before love of you, we may hasten with a loving heart in the way of your commands. 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.

July 11th, 2026 – Morning Prayer – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 654 Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 962 Common of Holy Men, Religious: 1862 Common of Holy Men: 1815 Proper of Saints: 1530 Christian Prayer: Ordinary: 689 Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 845 Common of Holy Men, Religious: 1470 Proper of Saints: 1191 Morning Prayer for Saturday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot 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 Christ our redeemer, wondrous love you show us Ever inspiring souls to serve the Father, By strong attraction, varied and impelling, Gift of the Spirit. Many are favored with the grace unrivaled, Making them truly children of the Father, Few are selected for a bond of union Even yet closer. Gently you call them, eagerly they answer, All things forsaking, swift of foot they follow, Choosing the pathway, trodden by their Savior Straight to the Father. Searcher in earnest all his strength exerting. Your holy servant never slackened effort, Model of virtues, seeking for you always, Surely he found you. Glory and honor be to the God Almighty, Praise in the highest, power and dominion, Who in his wisdom rules and governs all things His love created. Amen. 𝄞"Christ Our Redeemer, Wondrous Love - for him" by Kathleen Lundquist [http://www.mystagogia.net], Sara Faux • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P3YL8Y9/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk4] • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1 PSALMODY Ant. 1 As morning breaks we sing of your mercy, Lord, and night will find us proclaiming your fidelity. Psalm 92 Praise of God the Creator Sing in praise of Christ’s redeeming work (Saint Athanasius) It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your truth in the watches of the night, on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute, with the murmuring sound of the harp. Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad; for the work of your hands I shout with joy. O Lord, how great are your works! How deep are your designs! The foolish man cannot know this and the fool cannot understand. Though the wicked spring up like grass and all who do evil thrive: they are doomed to be eternally destroyed. But you, Lord, are eternally on high. See how your enemies perish; all doers of evil are scattered. To me you give the wild-ox’s strength; you anoint me with the purest oil. My eyes looked in triumph on my foes; my ears heard gladly of their fall. The just will flourish like the palm-tree and grow like a Lebanon cedar. Planted in the house of the Lord they will flourish in the courts of our God, still bearing fruit when they are old, still full of sap, still green, to proclaim that the Lord is just; In him, my rock, there is no wrong. 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 Take our shame away from us, Lord, and make us rejoice in your saving works. May all who have been chosen by your Son always abound in works of faith, hope, and love in your service. Ant. As morning breaks we sing of your mercy, Lord, and night will find us proclaiming your fidelity. Ant.2 Extol the greatness of our God. Canticle – Deuteronomy 32:1-12 God’s kindness to his people How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood under her wing. (Matthew 23:37) Give ear, O heavens, while I speak; let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth! May my instruction soak in like the rain, and my discourse permeate like the dew, Like a downpour upon the grass, like a shower upon the crops: For I will sing the Lord’s renown. Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God! The Rock – how faultless are his deeds, how right all his ways! A faithful God, without deceit, how just and upright he is! Yet basely has he been treated by his degenerate children, a perverse and crooked race! Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you, O stupid and foolish people? Is he not your father who created you? Has he not made you and established you? Think back on the days of old, reflect on the years of age upon age. Ask your father and he will inform you, ask your elders and they will tell you: When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage, when he parceled out the descendants of Adam, He set up the boundaries of the peoples after the number of the sons of God; While the Lord’s own portion was Jacob, His hereditary share was Israel. He found them in a wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded them and cared for them, guarding them as the apple of his eye. As an eagle incites its nestlings forth by hovering over its brood, So he spread his wings to receive them and bore them up on his pinions. The Lord alone was their leader, no strange god was with 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. Extol the greatness of our God. Ant. 3 How wonderful is your name, O Lord, in all creation. Psalm 8 Praise for God’s loving compassion I affirm that… the Gentile peoples are to praise God because of his mercy (Romans 15:8-9) How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth! Your majesty is praised above the heavens; on the lips of children and of babes you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel. When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god; with glory and honor you crowned him, gave him power over the works of your hands, put all things under his feet. All of them, sheep and cattle, yes, even the savage beasts, birds of the air, and fish that make their way through the waters. How great is your name, O Lord our God through all the earth! 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 Almighty Lord, how wonderful is your name. You have made every creature subject to you; make us worthy to give you service. Ant. How wonderful is your name, O Lord, in all creation. READING Romans 12:1-2 Brothers, I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect. 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. RESPONSORY In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide. — In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide. He will never lose his way; — the law of God is his guide. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, — In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide. CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Ant. He lived a holy life; Benedict, blessed in name and in grace. Luke 1:68-79 The Messiah and his forerunner Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way 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. He lived a holy life; Benedict, blessed in name and in grace. INTERCESSIONS My brothers, let us praise Christ, asking to serve him and to be holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. Let us acclaim him: Lord, you alone are the holy one. You desired to experience everything we experience but sin, — have mercy on us, Lord Jesus. Lord, you alone are the holy one. You called us to love perfectly, — make us holy, Lord Jesus. Lord, you alone are the holy one. You commissioned us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, — let your light shine on us, Lord Jesus. Lord, you alone are the holy one. You desired to serve, not to be served, — help us, Lord Jesus, to give humble service to you and to our neighbors. Lord, you alone are the holy one. You are in the form of God sharing in the splendor of the Father, — Lord Jesus, let us see the glory of your face. Lord, you alone are the holy one. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Concluding Prayer O God, who made the Abbot Saint Benedict an outstanding master in the school of divine service, grant, we pray, that, putting nothing before love of you, we may hasten with a loving heart in the way of your commands. 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. DISMISSAL May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. — Amen.

July 11th, 2026 – Midmorning Prayer – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 659 Complementary Psalmody: 1291 (Midmorning) Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 971 (Midmorning) Midmorning Prayer for Saturday in Ordinary Time using the Complementary Psalmody 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 Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do. Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure, until with thee I have one will, to do and to endure. Breathe on me, Breath of God, till I am wholly thine, till all this earthly part of me glows with thy fire divine. Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die, but live with thee the perfect life of thine eternity. 𝄞"O Breathe on Me, Breath of God" by Jane Chifley And Pat McGrath • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/O-Breathe-on-Me-Breath-of-God.pdf] • Title: Breathe on Me, Breath of God; Text: Edwin Hatch, 1835-1889; Music: Robert Jackson, 1842-1914; Tune: TRENTHAM, Meter: SM; Artist: Jane Chifley And Pat McGrath; Used by permission PSALMODY Ant. 1 I cried out, and the Lord heard me. Psalm 120 Longing for peace To the Lord in the hour of my distress I call and he answers me. “O Lord, save my soul from lying lips, from the tongue of the deceitful.” What shall he pay you in return, O treacherous tongue? The warrior’s arrows sharpened and coals, red-hot, blazing. Alas, that I abide a stranger in Meshech, dwell among the tents of Kedar! Long enough have I been dwelling with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for fighting. 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 cried out, and the Lord heard me. Ant. 2 May the Lord watch over you as you come and as you go. Psalm 121 Guardian of his people Never again will they hunger and thirst, never again know scorching heat (Revelation 7:16) I lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall come my help? My help shall come from the Lord who made heaven and earth. May he never allow you to stumble! Let him sleep not, your guard. No, he sleeps not nor slumbers, Israel’s guard. The Lord is your guard and your shade; at your right side he stands. By day the sun shall not smite you nor the moon in the night. The Lord will guard you from evil, he will guard your soul. The Lord will guard your going and coming both now and 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. Ant. May the Lord watch over you as you come and as you go. Ant. 3 I rejoiced in the good news they told me. Psalm 122 The holy city, Jerusalem You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22) I rejoiced when I heard them say: Let us go to God’s house. And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city strongly compact. It is there that the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. For Israel’s law it is, there to praise the Lord’s name. There were set the thrones of judgment of the house of David. For the peace of Jerusalem pray: “Peace be to your homes! May peace reign in your walls, in your palaces, peace!” For love of my brethren and friends I say: Peace upon you. For love of the house of the Lord I will ask for your good. 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 rejoiced in the good news they told me. READING Deuteronomy 8:5b-6 The Lord, your God, disciplines you even as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, keep the commandments of the Lord, your God, by walking in his ways and fearing 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. The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever. — The decrees of the Lord are true and all of them just. CONCLUDING PRAYER God, all-powerful Father, fill your people with the light of your Holy Spirit, that, safe from every enemy, we may rejoice in singing your praises. Grant this through Christ our Lord. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.