August 14th, 2026 – Morning Prayer – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

August 14th, 2026 – About Today – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

About Today Image [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Fr.Maximilian_Kolbe_in_1936.jpg/500px-Fr.Maximilian_Kolbe_in_1936.jpg] August 14 SAINT MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE, PRIEST AND MARTYR Memorial Today the Church honors St. Maximilian Kolbe; a Polish Franciscan priest, international publisher of Marian devotion and 20th century martyr. At age 13, he entered a Franciscan minor seminary, becoming ordained at age 24. He held doctorates in theology and philosophy. In 1917, he led a small group of Franciscans to Rome to stand against anti-Catholic demonstrations and formed an association called the Militia Immaculata (M.I.). When he returned to Poland, the M.I. started producing faith periodicals; eventually growing into a publishing house of 650 friars – the largest religious house in the world. With Marian devotion as a focus to Christ, the M.I. began a daily newspaper, a monthly magazine, a radio station, and planned a movie studio. His circulation reached over a million readers and a second location was established in Nagasaki, Japan. In 1941, St. Maximilian was arrested and placed in a Nazi death camp. Shortly after, he died at Auschwitz, from a lethal injection, when he bartered his own life for a man’s who had a family. St. Maximilian is the patron saint of journalists, families, and the chemically addicted. [1][2] Written by Sarah Ciotti [1] News Agency, Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, martyr of Auschwitz, to be celebrated August 14, 2010. [2] “Who is St. Maximillan Kolbe?,” Militia of the Immaculata, www.consecration.com

August 14th, 2026 – Invitatory – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

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

August 14th, 2026 – Office of Readings – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 615 Psalter: Friday, Week III, 1046 Common of One Martyr: 1707 (verse) Proper of Seasons: 108 (first reading) LOTH Supplement: 11 (second reading, responsory, concluding prayer) Office of Readings for Friday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr 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 Lo! round the throne, a glorious band, The saints in countless myriads stand; Of every tongue redeemed to God, Arrayed in garments washed in blood, Alleluia. Through tribulation great they came; They bore the cross, despised the shame; From all their labors now they rest, In God’s eternal glory blest, Alleluia. They see their Savior face to face; And sing the triumphs of His grace; Him day and night, they ceaseless praise, To Him their loud thanksgiving raise, Alleluia. “Worthy the Lamb, for sinners slain, Through endless years to live and reign; Thou hast redeemed us by Thy blood, And made us kings and priests to God.” Alleluia. O may we tread the sacred road That saints and holy martyrs trod; Wage to the end the glorious strife, And win, like them, a crown of life, Alleluia. 𝄞"Lo! Round The Throne, A Glorious Band" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NRCQZHT/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk7] • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/Lo-Round-the-Throne-a-Glorious-Band-2.pdf] • Title: Lo! Round The Throne, A Glorious Band; Text: Rowland Hill, 1783; Music: • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1 PSALMODY Ant. 1 I am worn out with crying, with longing for my God. Psalm 69 I am consumed with zeal for your house They offered him a mixture of wine and gall (Matthew 27:34). I Save me, O God, for the waters have risen to my neck. I have sunk into the mud of the deep and there is no foothold. I have entered the waters of the deep and the waves overwhelm me. I am wearied with all my crying, my throat is parched. My eyes are wasted away from looking for my God. More numerous than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without cause. Those who attack me with lies are too much for my strength. How can I restore what I have never stolen? O God, you know my sinful folly; my sins you can see. Let those who hope in you not be put to shame through me, Lord of hosts: let not those who seek you be dismayed through me, God of Israel. It is for you that I suffer taunts, that shame covers my face, that I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons. I burn with zeal for your house and taunts against you fall on me. When I afflict my soul with fasting they make it a taunt against me. When I put on sackcloth in mourning then they make me a byword, the gossip of men at the gates, the subject of drunkards’ songs. 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 am worn out with crying, with longing for my God. Ant. 2 I needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar. II This is my prayer to you, my prayer for your favor. In your great love, answer me, O God, with your help that never fails: rescue me from sinking in the mud; save me from my foes. Save me from the waters of the deep lest the waves overwhelm me. Do not let the deep engulf me nor death close its mouth on me. Lord, answer, for your love is kind; in your compassion, turn towards me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer quickly for I am in distress. Come close to my soul and redeem me; ransom me pressed by my foes. You know how they taunt and deride me; my oppressors are all before you. Taunts have broken my heart; I have reached the end of my strength. I looked in vain for compassion, for consolers; not one could I find. For food they gave me poison; in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 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 needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar. Ant. 3 Seek the Lord and you will live. III As for me in my poverty and pain let your help, O God, lift me up. I will praise God’s name with a song; I will glorify him with thanksgiving, a gift pleasing God more than oxen, more than beasts prepared for sacrifice. The poor when they see it will be glad and God-seeking hearts will revive; for the Lord listens to the needy and does not spurn his servants in their chains. Let the heavens and the earth give him praise, the sea and all its living creatures. For God will bring help to Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah and men shall dwell there in possession. The sons of his servants shall inherit it; those who love his name shall dwell there. 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 Father, to show the way of salvation, you chose that the standard of the cross should go before us, and you fulfilled the ancient prophecies in Christ’s Passover from death to life. Do not let us rouse your burning indignation by sin, but rather, through the contemplation of his wounds, make us burn with zeal for the honor of your Church and with grateful love for you. Ant. Seek the Lord and you will live. 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. I have known tribulations and distress. — But in your commands I have found consolation. READINGS First reading From the book of the prophet Micah 6:1-15 The Lord accuses his people Hear, then, what the Lord says: Arise, present your plea before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice! Hear, O mountains, the plea of the Lord, pay attention, O foundations of the earth! For the Lord has a plea against his people, and he enters into trial with Israel. O my people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, from the place of slavery I released you; And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. My people, remember what Moab’s King Balak planned, and how Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him … from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the just deeds of the Lord. With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow before God most high? Shall I come before him with holocausts, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriad streams of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my crime, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. Hark! the Lord cries to the city. [It is wisdom to fear your name!] Hear, O tribe and city council, You whose rich men are full of violence, whose inhabitants speak falsehood with deceitful tongues in their heads! Am I to bear any longer criminal hoarding and the meager ephah that is accursed? Shall I acquit criminal balances, bags of false weights? Rather I will begin to strike you with devastation because of your sins. You shall sow, yet not reap, tread out the olive, yet pour no oil, and the grapes, yet drink no wine. You shall eat, without being satisfied, food that will leave you empty; What you acquire, you cannot save; what you do save, I will deliver up to the sword. RESPONSORY See Micah 6:8; Psalm 37:3 The Lord has told you, O man, what is good, — and this is what he expects of you: to do what is right, to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. Trust in the Lord and do good and you shall possess the land. — And this is what he expects of you: to do what is right, to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. Second reading From the Letters of Maximilian Mary Kolbe Apostolic zeal for the salvation and sanctification of souls The burning zeal for God’s glory that motivates you fills my heart with joy. It is sad for us to see in our own time that indifferentism in its many forms is spreading like an epidemic not only among the laity but also among religious. But God is worthy of glory beyond measure, and therefore it is of absolute and supreme importance to seek that glory with all the power of our feeble resources. Since we are mere creatures we can never return to him all that is his due. The most resplendent manifestation of God’s glory is the salvation of souls, whom Christ redeemed by shedding his blood. To work for the salvation and sanctification of as many souls as possible, therefore, is the preeminent purpose of the apostolic life. Let me, then, say a few words that may show the way toward achieving God’s glory and the sanctification of many souls. God, who is all-knowing and all-wise, knows best what we should do to increase his glory. Through his representatives on earth he continually reveals his will to us; thus it is obedience and obedience alone that is the sure sign to us of the divine will. A superior may, it is true, make a mistake; but it is impossible for us to be mistaken in obeying a superior’s command. The only exception to this rule is the case of a superior commanding something that in even the slightest way would contravene God’s law. Such a superior would not be conveying God’s will. God alone is infinitely wise, holy, merciful, our Lord, Creator, and Father; he is beginning and end, wisdom and power and love; he is all. Everything other than God has value to the degree that it is referred to him, the maker of all and our own redeemer, the final end of all things. It is he who, declaring his adorable will to us through his representatives on earth, draws us to himself and whose plan is to draw others to himself through us and to join us all to himself in an ever deepening love. Look, then, at the high dignity that by God’s mercy belongs to our state in life. Obedience raises us beyond the limits of our littleness and puts us in harmony with God’s will. In boundless wisdom and care, his will guides us to act rightly. Holding fast to that will, which no creature can thwart, we are filled with unsurpassable strength. Obedience is the one and the only way of wisdom and prudence for us to offer glory to God. If there were another, Christ would certainly have shown it to us by word and example. Scripture, however, summed up his entire life at Nazareth in the words: He was subject to them; Scripture set obedience as the theme of the rest of his life, repeatedly declaring that he came into the world to do his Father’s will. Let us love our loving Father with all our hearts. Let our obedience increase that love, above all when it requires us to surrender our own will. Jesus Christ crucified is our sublime guide toward growth in God’s love. We will learn this lesson more quickly through the Immaculate Virgin, whom God has made the dispenser of his mercy. It is beyond all doubt that Mary’s will represents to us the will of God himself. By dedicating ourselves to her we become in her hands instruments of God’s mercy even as she was such an instrument in God’s hands. We should let ourselves be guided and led by Mary and rest quiet and secure in her hands. She will watch out for us, provide for us, answer our needs of body and spirit; she will dissolve all our difficulties and worries. RESPONSORY Ephesians 5:1-2; 6:6 Be imitators of God as his dear children. Follow the way of love, even as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as an offering to God. — A gift of pleasing fragrance. Do God’s will with your whole heart as servants of Christ. — A gift of pleasing fragrance. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who filled the Priest and Martyr Saint Maximilian Kolbe with a burning love for the Immaculate Virgin Mary and with zeal for souls and love of neighbor, graciously grant, through his intercession, that striving for your glory by eagerly serving others, we may be conformed, even until death, to 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.

August 14th, 2026 – Morning Prayer – Memorial – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 618 Psalter: Friday, Week III, 1050 Supplement: 14 (canticle ant, concluding prayer) Common of One Martyr: 1715 (ants, reading, intercessions) Christian Prayer: Ordinary: 689 Psalter: Friday, Week III, 906 Supplement: 14 (canticle ant, concluding prayer) Common of One Martyr: 1414 (ants, reading, intercessions) Morning Prayer for Friday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr 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 God's holy martyr, who disdained And overcame all pains and death, Your faithful following of Christ Has led you to the Father's home. By your incessant prayer for us, Obtain forgiveness for our sins; Protect us from the pow'rs of ill, Relieve us in our daily cares. For you are free from every bond That bound you once to things of earth, By your own ardent love for Christ, Free us from all that drags us down. All honor to our Father, God, Who with the Spirit and the Son Awarded you a deathless crown In heaven's court of glory blest. Amen. 𝄞"God's Holy Martyr, Who Disdained" by Kathleen Lundquist [http://www.mystagogia.net] • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P3VN1LH/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk7] • Title: God's Holy Martyr, Who Disdained; Text: Martyr Dei, qui unicum, 9th c.; Tr. the Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK; Tune: Chant, Mode VI; Liber Hymnarius; Artist: Kathleen Lundquist; Recording copyright 2016 by Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1 PSALMODY Ant. 1 You alone, I have grieved by my sin; have pity on me, O Lord. Psalm 51 O God, have mercy on me Your inmost being must be renewed, and you must put on a new man (Ephesians 4:23-24). Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offense. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. My offenses truly I know them; my sin is always before me Against you, you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done. That you may be justified when you give sentence and be without reproach when you judge. O see, in guilt I was born, a sinner was I conceived. Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. O purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear rejoicing and gladness, that the bones you have crushed may revive. From my sins turn away your face and blot out all my guilt. A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit. Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervor sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you. O rescue me, God, my helper, and my tongue shall ring out your goodness. O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise. For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse, my sacrifice, a contrite spirit, a humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn. In your goodness, show favor to Zion: rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, holocausts offered on your altar. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Father, he who knew no sin was made sin for us, to save us and restore us to your friendship. Look upon our contrite heart and afflicted spirit and heal our troubled conscience, so that in the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit we may proclaim your praise and glory before all the nations. Ant. You alone, I have grieved by my sin; have pity on me, O Lord. Ant. 2 Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you. Canticle – Jeremiah 14:17-21 The lament of the people in war and famine The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Good News (Mark 1:15). Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound. If I walk out into the field, look! those slain by the sword; If I enter the city, look! those consumed by hunger. Even the prophet and the priest forage in a land they know not. Have you cast Judah off completely? Is Zion loathsome to you? Why have you struck us a blow that cannot be healed? We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead. We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you. For your name’s sake spurn us not, disgrace not the throne of your glory; remember your covenant with us, and break it not. 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. Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you. Ant. 3 The Lord is God; we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Psalm 100 The joyful song of those entering God’s temple The Lord calls his ransomed people to sing songs of victory (Saint Athanasius). Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy. Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock. Go within his gates, giving thanks. Enter his courts with songs of praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love. He is faithful from age to age. 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, devoted to us as a Father, you created us as a sign of your power and elected us your people to show your goodness, accept the thanks your children offer that all men may enter your courts praising you in song. Ant. The Lord is God; we are his people, the flock he shepherds. READING 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from him. As we have shared much in the sufferings of Christ, so through Christ do we share abundantly in his consolation. 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 The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise. — The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise. The Lord is my savior, — and I shall sing his praise. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, — The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise. CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Ant. Christ will be exalted in me whether I live or die. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 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. Christ will be exalted in me whether I live or die. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. INTERCESSIONS Our Savior’s faithfulness is mirrored in the fidelity of his witnesses who shed their blood for the word of God. Let us praise him in remembrance of them: You redeemed us by your blood. Your martyrs freely embraced death in bearing witness to the faith, — give us the true freedom of the Spirit, O Lord. You redeemed us by your blood. Your martyrs professed their faith by shedding their blood, — give us a faith, O Lord, that is constant and pure. You redeemed us by your blood. Your martyrs followed in your footsteps by carrying the cross, — help us to endure courageously the misfortunes of life. You redeemed us by your blood. Your martyrs washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb, — help us to avoid the weaknesses of the flesh and worldly allurements. You redeemed us by your blood. 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 filled the Priest and Martyr Saint Maximilian Kolbe with a burning love for the Immaculate Virgin Mary and with zeal for souls and love of neighbor, graciously grant, through his intercession, that striving for your glory by eagerly serving others, we may be conformed, even until death, to 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.

August 14th, 2026 – Midmorning Prayer – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 659 Complementary Psalmody: 1291 (Midmorning) Psalter: Friday, Week III, 1095 (Midmorning) Midmorning Prayer for Friday 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 We walk by faith, and not by sight; no gracious words we hear from Him who spoke as none e'er spoke; but we believe Him near. We may not touch His hands and side, nor follow where He trod; but in His promise we rejoice; and cry, "My Lord and God!" Help then, O Lord, our unbelief; and may our faith abound, to call on You when You are near, and seek where You are found: that, when our life of faith is done in realms of clearer light, we may behold You as You are with full and endless sight. 𝄞"We Walk By Faith" by Johanna Montealto • Title: We Walk By Faith; Text: Henry Alford (1810-1871), alt.; Music: St. Botolph; Artist: Johanna Montealto; Recording copyright 2016 Surgeworks • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office 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 Romans 1:16b-17 The Gospel is the power of God leading everyone who believes in it to salvation. For in the Gospel is revealed the justice of God, which begins and ends with faith. The Scripture says: “The just man shall live by faith.” 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. God is the joy of our hearts. — We trust in his holy name. CONCLUDING PRAYER Lord Jesus Christ, at this hour you were led out to die on the cross for the salvation of the world. We ask your forgiveness for the sins of our past and your protection from all future evil. Bring us to the peace and joy of that kingdom where you live and reign for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.