May 2nd, 2026 – Morning Prayer – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

May 2nd, 2026 – About Today – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

About Today - Icon of St. Athanasius of Alexandria by Unknown author (17th c.), Source: Varna Archaeological Museum, Varna, Bulgaria, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Athanasius_I.jpg/500px-Athanasius_I.jpg] May 2 SAINT ATHANASIUS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH Memorial “For God has not only made us out of nothing; but He gave us freely, by the Grace of the Word, a life in correspondence with God.” [1] Today we honor Saint Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria in 4th century. Athanasius was incredibly bright, becoming a theological advisor at the Council of Nicea when he was still in his late twenties. He was ardent in opposing Arianism and defending the divinity of the Son of Man. Athanasius wrote many works on the Incarnation and the Trinity as well as The Life of Anthony, which helped define and foster both monastic living and the writing of saints’ lives. [2][3] Written by Sarah Ciotti Reviewed by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD [1] Athanasius, “On the Incarnation of the Word,” in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, ed. Philip Schaff (New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892) 38. [2] Catholicpedia: The Original Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. s.v. “St. Anthanasius.” [3] Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, The Martyrology of the Monastery of the Ascension, 2008.

May 2nd, 2026 – Invitatory – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia. 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 the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia. 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 the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia. 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 the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia. 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 the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia. 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 the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia. 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, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.

May 2nd, 2026 – Office of Readings – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1045 Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, 1606 Proper of Seasons: 803 (first reading) Proper of Saints: 1808 (second reading, concluding prayer) Office of Readings for Saturday in Easter, the Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor 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 Lord, in your anger, do not punish me, alleluia. Psalm 38 A sinner in extreme danger prays earnestly to God All his friends were standing at a distance (Luke 23:49). I O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not punish me, Lord, in your rage. Your arrows have sunk deep in me; your hand has come down upon me. Through your anger all my body is sick: through my sin, there is no health in my limbs. My guilt towers higher than my head; it is a weight too heavy to bear. 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, in your anger, do not punish me, alleluia. Ant. 2 Lord, you know all my longings, alleluia. II My wounds are foul and festering, the result of my own folly. I am bowed and brought to my knees. I go mourning all the day long. All my frame burns with fever; all my body is sick. Spent and utterly crushed, I cry aloud in anguish of heart. O Lord, you know all my longing: my groans are not hidden from you. My heart throbs, my strength is spent; the very light has gone from my eyes. My friends avoid me like a leper; those closest to me stand afar off. Those who plot against my life lay snares; those who seek my ruin speak of harm, planning treachery all the day long. 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, you know all my longings, alleluia. Ant. 3 I confess my guilt to you, Lord; do not abandon me, for you are my savior, alleluia. III But I am like the deaf who cannot hear, like the dumb unable to speak. I am like a man who hears nothing, in whose mouth is no defense. I count on you, O Lord: it is you, Lord God, who will answer. I pray: “Do not let them mock me, those who triumph if my foot should slip.” For I am on the point of falling and my pain is always before me. I confess that I am guilty and my sin fills me with dismay. My wanton enemies are numberless and my lying foes are many. They repay me evil for good and attack me for seeking what is right. O Lord, do not forsake me! My God, do not stay afar off! Make haste and come to my help, O Lord, my God, my savior! 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 Do not abandon us, Lord our God; you did not forget the broken body of your Christ, nor the mockery his love received. We, your children, are weighed down with sin; give us the fullness of your mercy. Ant. I confess my guilt to you, Lord; do not abandon me, for you are my savior, alleluia. 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. You will hear the word from my mouth. — You will tell others what I have said. READINGS First reading From the book of Revelation 18:1-20 The destruction of Babylon I, John, saw another angel coming down from heaven. His authority was so great that all the earth was lighted up by his glory. He cried out in a strong voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons. She is a cage for every unclean spirit, a cage for every filthy and disgusting bird; For she has made all the nations drink the poisoned wine of her lewdness. The kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the world’s merchants grew rich from her wealth and wantonness.” Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Depart from her, my people, for fear of sinning with her and sharing the plagues inflicted on her! For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God keeps count of her crimes. Pay her back as she has paid others; pay her double for her deeds! Pour into her cup twice the amount she concocted! In proportion to her boasting and sensuality, repay her in torment and grief! For she said to herself, ‘I sit enthroned as a queen. No widow am I, and never will I go into mourning!’ Therefore her plagues will come all at once, death and mourning and famine. She shall be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who condemns her.” The kings of the earth who committed fornication with her and wallowed in her sensuality will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke arise as she burns. They will keep their distance for fear of the punishment inflicted on her, and will say: “Alas, alas, great city that you are, Babylon the mighty! In a single hour your doom has come!” The merchants of the world will weep and mourn over her too, for there will be no more market for their imports—their cargoes of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen and purple garments, silk and scarlet cloth; fragrant wood of every kind, all sorts of ivory pieces and expensive wooden furniture; bronze, iron and marble; cinnamon and amomum, perfumes, myrrh and frankincense; wine and olive oil, fine flour and grain; cattle and sheep, horses and carriages; slaves and human lives. “The fruit your appetite craved has deserted you. All your luxury and splendor are gone; you shall never find them again!” The merchants who deal in these goods, who grew rich from business with the city, will keep their distance for fear of the punishment inflicted on her. Weeping and mourning, they cry out: “Alas, alas, the great city, dressed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, Adorned all in gold and jewels and pearls! In a single hour this great wealth has been destroyed!” Every captain and navigator, all sailors and seafaring men, then stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke go up as the city burned to the ground: “What city could have compared with this great one!” They poured dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning: “Alas, alas, the great city, in which all shipowners grew rich from their profitable trade with her! In a single hour her destruction has come about!” Rejoice over her, you heavens, you saints, apostles and prophets! For God has exacted punishment from her on your account. RESPONSORY Isaiah 52:11, 12; Revelation 18:4; Jeremiah 51:45 Depart from Babylon, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord, — for the Lord shall lead you forth, and the God of Israel shall be your rear guard, alleluia. Depart from Babylon, my people; let each one save himself from the anger of the Lord. — For the Lord shall lead you forth, and the God of Israel shall be your rear guard, alleluia. Second reading From a discourse by Saint Athanasius, bishop On the incarnation of the Word The Word of God, incorporeal, incorruptible and immaterial, entered our world. Yet it was not as if he had been remote from it up to that time. For there is no part of the world that was ever without his presence; together with his Father, he continually filled all things and places. Out of his loving-kindness for us he came to us, and we see this in the way he revealed himself openly to us. Taking pity on mankind’s weakness, and moved by our corruption, he could not stand aside and see death have the mastery over us; he did not want creation to perish and his Father’s work in fashioning man to be in vain. He therefore took to himself a body, no different from our own, for he did not wish simply to be in a body or only to be seen. If he had wanted simply to be seen, he could indeed have taken another, and nobler, body. Instead, he took our body in its reality. Within the Virgin he built himself a temple, that is, a body; he made it his own instrument in which to dwell and to reveal himself. In this way he received from mankind a body like our own, and, since all were subject to the corruption of death, he delivered this body over to death for all, and with supreme love offered it to the Father. He did so to destroy the law of corruption passed against all men, since all died in him. The law, which had spent its force on the body of the Lord, could no longer have any power over his fellowmen. Moreover, this was the way in which the Word was to restore mankind to immortality, after it had fallen into corruption, and summon it back from death to life. He utterly destroyed the power death had against mankind—as fire consumes chaff—by means of the body he had taken and the grace of the resurrection. This is the reason why the Word assumed a body that could die, so that this body, sharing in the Word who is above all, might satisfy death’s requirement in place of all. Because of the Word dwelling in that body, it would remain incorruptible, and all would be freed for ever from corruption by the grace of the resurrection. In death the Word made a spotless sacrifice and oblation of the body he had taken. By dying for others, he immediately banished death for all mankind. In this way the Word of God, who is above all, dedicated and offered his temple, the instrument that was his body, for us all, as he said, and so paid by his own death the debt that was owed. The immortal Son of God, united with all men by likeness of nature, thus fulfilled all justice in restoring mankind to immortality by the promise of the resurrection. The corruption of death no longer holds any power over mankind, thanks to the Word, who has come to dwell among them through his one body. RESPONSORY Jeremiah 15:19, 20; 2 Peter 2:1 You will be my spokesman. I will make you a solid wall of brass to these people. — They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail, for I am with you, alleluia. False teachers will arise. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies and deny the Master who saved them. — They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail, for I am with you, alleluia. CONCLUDING PRAYER Almighty ever-living God, who raised up the Bishop Saint Athanasius as an outstanding champion of your Son’s divinity, mercifully grant, that, rejoicing in his teaching and his protection, we may never cease to grow in knowledge and love of you. 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.

May 2nd, 2026 – Morning Prayer – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1049 Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, 1610 Common of Doctors: 2095 (reading, canticle antiphon) Common of Pastors: 2073 (intercessions) Proper of Saints: 1810 (concluding prayer) Christian Prayer: Ordinary: 689 Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, 988 Common of Doctors: 1435 (reading, responsory) Common of Pastors: 1426 (intercessions) Proper of Saints: 1142 (concluding prayer) Morning Prayer for Saturday in Easter, the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor 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 Jesus, our Teacher, loving Lord and Master, In adoration we acclaim your precepts, You alone offer words of life eternal, Laws of salvation. Humbly we thank you, Shepherd through the ages, For the protection to your Church extended, Constantly guiding, that all souls may find there Light in the darkness. Masters of learning were your eager servants, Stars of great splendor with but one ambition, Deeper to fathom and explain the wonders Of revelation. All tongues should praise you, Jesus, divine Master, Who lavish treasures from your Holy Spirit, Through words and writings of the Church's doctors, Flame ever fruitful. May this day's patron, whom we gladly honor, Ever be near us, leading on your people, Till we all praise you, faith and hope rewarded, In light eternal. Amen. 𝄞"Jesus, Our Teacher, Loving Lord and Master" by Kathleen Lundquist [http://www.mystagogia.net], Sara Faux • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P3VXD17/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk9] • Title: Jesus, Our Teacher, Loving Lord and Master; Text: Doctor aeternus, Novus; Tr. St. Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK; Tune: Chant, Mode VIII; Liber Hymnarius; Artist: Kathleen Lundquist; Accompaniment: Sara Faux; Recording copyright 2017 by Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1 PSALMODY Ant. 1 How wonderful are your works, O Lord, alleluia. 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. How wonderful are your works, O Lord, alleluia. Ant. 2 I will pour cleansing water upon you, alleluia. Canticle – Ezekiel 36:24-28 The Lord will renew his people They will be his own people, and God himself will be with them, their own God (Revelation 21:3). I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your 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 will pour cleansing water upon you, alleluia. Ant. 3 All things are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s, alleluia. Psalm 8 The majesty of the Lord and man’s dignity The Father gave Christ lordship of creation and made him head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22). 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 a 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. All things are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s, alleluia. READING Wisdom 7:13-14 Simply I learned about Wisdom, and ungrudgingly do I share – her riches I do not hide away; For to men she is an unfailing treasure; those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God, to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them. 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 Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints, alleluia, alleluia. — Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints, alleluia, alleluia. With joyful praise let the Church tell forth — alleluia, alleluia. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, — Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints, alleluia, alleluia. CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Ant. Those who are learned will be as radiant as the sky in all its beauty; those who instruct the people in goodness will shine like the stars for all eternity, alleluia. 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. Those who are learned will be as radiant as the sky in all its beauty; those who instruct the people in goodness will shine like the stars for all eternity, alleluia. INTERCESSIONS Christ is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. Let us praise and thank him as we pray: Nourish your people, Lord. Christ, you decided to show your merciful love through your holy shepherds, — let your mercy always reach us through them. Nourish your people, Lord. Through your vicars you continue to perform the ministry of shepherd of souls, — direct us always through our leaders. Nourish your people, Lord. Through your holy ones, the leaders of your people, you served as physician of our bodies and our spirits, — continue to fulfill your ministry of life and holiness in us. Nourish your people, Lord. You taught your flock through the prudence and love of your saints, — grant us continual growth in holiness under the direction of our pastors. Nourish your people, Lord. 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 Almighty ever-living God, who raised up the Bishop Saint Athanasius as an outstanding champion of your Son’s divinity, mercifully grant, that, rejoicing in his teaching and his protection, we may never cease to grow in knowledge and love of you. 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.

May 2nd, 2026 – Midmorning Prayer – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1054 Complementary Psalmody: 1651 (Midmorning) Proper of Seasons: 809 (antiphon, reading, concluding prayer) Midmorning Prayer for Saturday in Week 4 of Easter, 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 Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. 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. 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. 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. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. READING Romans 5:10-11 If, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son, it is all the more certain that we who have been reconciled will be saved by his life. Not only that; we go so far as to make God our boast through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 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 is risen, alleluia. — He has appeared to Simon, alleluia. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who in the celebration of Easter graciously give to the world the healing of heavenly remedies, show benevolence to your Church, that our present observance may benefit us for eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.