July 8th, 2026 – Gathered Together From the Ends of the Earth – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

July 8th, 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 8th, 2026 – Invitatory – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Lord, open my lips. — And my mouth will proclaim your praise. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us. Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king over all the gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the highest mountains as well He made the sea; it belongs to him, the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Come, then, let us bow down and worship, bending the knee before the Lord, our maker, For he is our God and we are his people, the flock he shepherds. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness, when at Meriba and Massah they challenged me and provoked me, Although they had seen all of my works. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Forty years I endured that generation. I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways.” So I swore in my anger, “They shall not enter into my rest.” Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord all the Earth, serve the Lord with gladness.

July 8th, 2026 – Office of Readings – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 651 Proper of Seasons: 462 Psalter: Wednesday, Week II, 891 Christian Prayer: Does not contain Office of Readings. Office of Readings for Wednesday in Ordinary Time God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies, Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. For the beauty of each hour Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale, and tree and flow’r, Sun and moon, and stars of light, Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind's delight, for the mystic harmony, linking sense to sound and sight; Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, friends on earth and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild; Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. For each perfect gift of Thine, to our race so freely given, graces human and divine, flowers of earth and buds of heaven. Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. 𝄞"For The Beauty Of The Earth" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NTPV36S/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk12] • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/For-the-Beauty-of-the-Earth.pdf] • Title: For the Beauty of the Earth; Text: Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835–1917; Music: Conrad Kocher, 1786–1872; Tune: DIX; Artist: Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2017 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 3 PSALMODY Ant. 1 We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies. Psalm 39 Urgent prayer of a sick person Creation is made subject to futility… by him who subjected it, but it is not without hope. (Romans 8:20). I I said: I will be watchful of my ways for fear I should sin with my tongue. I will put a curb on my lips when the wicked man stands before me.” I was dumb, silent and still. His prosperity stirred my grief. My heart was burning within me. At the thought of it, the fire blazed up and my tongue burst into speech: O Lord, you have shown me my end, how short is the length of my days. Now I know how fleeting is my life. You have given me a short span of days; my life is as nothing in your sight. A mere breath, the man who stood so firm, a mere shadow, the man passing by; a mere breath the riches he hoards, not knowing who will have them.” 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. We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies. Ant. 2 Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain. II And now, Lord, what is there to wait for? In you rests all my hope. Set me free from all my sins, do not make me the taunt of the fool. I was silent, not opening my lips, because this was all your doing. Take away your scourge from me. I am crushed by the blows of your hand. You punish man’s sins and correct him; like the moth you devour all he treasures. Mortal man is no more than a breath; O Lord, hear my prayer. O Lord, turn your ear to my cry. Do not be deaf to my tears. In your house I am a passing guest, a pilgrim, like all my fathers. Look away that I may breathe again before I depart to be no more. 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 Through your Son you taught us, Father, not to be fearful of tomorrow but to commit our lives to your care. Do not withhold your Spirit from us but help us find a life of peace after these days of trouble. Ant. Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain. Ant. 3 I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy. Psalm 52 Against a calumniator If anyone would boast, let him boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). Why do you boast of your wickedness, you champion of evil, planning ruin all day long, your tongue like a sharpened razor, you master of deceit? You love evil more than good, lies more than truth. You love the destructive word, you tongue of deceit. For this God will destroy you and remove you for ever. He will snatch you from your tent and uproot you from the land of the living. The just shall see and fear. They shall laugh and say: So this is the man who refused to take God as a stronghold, but trusted in the greatness of his wealth and grew powerful by his crimes.” But I am like a growing olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the goodness of God for ever and ever. I will thank you for evermore; for this is your doing. I will proclaim that your name is good, in the presence of your friends. 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, you cut down the unfruitful branch for burning and prune the fertile to make it bear more fruit. Make us grow like laden olive trees in your domain, firmly rooted in the power and mercy of your Son, so that you may gather from us fruit worthy of eternal life. Ant. I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy. 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 put my trust in the word of the Lord. — All my hope is in him. READINGS First reading From the second book of Samuel 24:1-4, 10-18, 24b-25 The census of the people and the building of the altar The Lord’s anger against Israel flared again, and he incited David against the Israelites by prompting him to number Israel and Judah. Accordingly the king said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him, “Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the people, that I may know their number.” But Joab said to the king: “May the Lord your God increase the number of people a hundredfold for your royal majesty to see it with his own eyes. But why does it please my Lord the king to order a thing of this kind?” The king, however, overruled Joab and the leaders of the army, so they left the king’s presence in order to register the people of Israel. Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people, and said to the Lord: “I have sinned grievously in what I have done. But now, Lord, forgive the guilt of your servant, for I have been very foolish.” When David rose in the morning, the Lord had spoken to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying: “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I offer you three alternatives; choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’” Gad then went to David to inform him. He asked: “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land, or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you, or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.” David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty. Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful; but let me not fall by the hand of man.” Thus David chose the pestilence. Now it was the time of the wheat harvest when the plague broke out among the people. The Lord then sent a pestilence over Israel from morning until the time appointed, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died. But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord regretted the calamity and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people, “Enough now! Stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was striking the people, he said to the Lord: “It is I who have sinned; it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong. But these are sheep; what have they done? Punish me and my kindred.” On the same day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty silver shekels. Then David built an altar there to the Lord, and offered holocausts and peace offerings. The Lord granted relief to the country, and the plague was checked in Israel. RESPONSORY 1 Chronicles 21:15; 2 Samuel 24:17 Remember, O Lord, your covenant and say to the destroying angel: Enough! Now hold back your hand, — lest you ravage the land and destroy all the people. It was I who sinned; I who did wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Lord, I beg you to turn your anger away from your people. — Lest you ravage the land and destroy all the people. Second reading From an ancient document entitled “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles” The Eucharist Celebrate the Eucharist as follows: Say over the cup: “We give you thanks, Father, for the holy vine of David, your servant, which you made known to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever.” Over the broken bread say: “We give you thanks, Father, for the life and the knowledge which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever. 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. For glory and power are yours through Jesus Christ for ever.” Do not let anyone eat or drink of your eucharist except those who have been baptized in the name of the Lord. For the statement of the Lord applies here also: Do not give to dogs what is holy. When you finish the meal, offer thanks in this manner: “We thank you, holy Father, for your name which you enshrined in our hearts. We thank you for the knowledge and faith and immortality which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus. To you be glory for ever. Almighty ruler, you created all things for the sake of your name; you gave men food and drink to enjoy so that they might give you thanks. Now you have favored us through Jesus your servant with spiritual food and drink as well as with eternal life. Above all we thank you because you are mighty. To you be glory for ever. “Remember, Lord, your Church and deliver her from all evil. Perfect her in your love; and, once she has been sanctified, gather her together from the four winds into the kingdom which you have prepared for her. For power and glory are yours for ever. “May grace come and this world pass away! Hosanna to the God of David. If anyone is holy, let him come. If anyone is not, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.” On the Lord’s day, when you have been gathered together, break bread and celebrate the Eucharist. But first confess your sins so that your offering may be pure. If anyone has a quarrel with his neighbor, that person should not join you until he has been reconciled. Your sacrifice must not be defiled. In this regard, the Lord has said: In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice. I am a great king, says the Lord, and my name is great among the nations. RESPONSORY 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? — and the bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is but one bread, we though many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. — And the bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness. 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 8th, 2026 – Morning Prayer – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 654 All from the Psalter: Wednesday, Week II, 895 Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV: Ordinary: 618 All from the Psalter: Wednesday, Week II, 859 Christian Prayer (single volume) Ordinary: 689 All from the Psalter: Wednesday, Week II, 812 Morning Prayer for Wednesday in Ordinary Time God, come to my assistance. — Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN Creator of the skies above, The wisdom of your plan decreed That sun should give us light by day, And moon should rule the hours of night. The darkness is dispelled at last, The world's great beauty is revealed; Our strength of soul is now renewed To spur us on to kindly deeds. Returning day calls us to prayer, And bids us sing your praise anew; The brightening aspect of the sky Gives courage and serenity. May we avoid all stain of sin, No evil mar our thoughts this day, No sinful action spoil our lives, No wrong or idle words offend. But while the sun draws on the day, May our weak faith grow strong and sure With hope that presses to the goal, And love unites us all to Christ. O Father, this we ask be done Through Jesus Christ, your only Son, Whom in the Spirit we adore: One God who reigns for evermore. Amen. 𝄞"Creator of the Skies Above" by Kathleen Lundquist [http://www.mystagogia.net] • Available for Purchase [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P3Y2ZY4/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk5] • Title: Creator of the Skies Above; Text: Fulgentis auctor ethers, 5th-6th c.; Translation: St. Cecilia's Abbey, Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK; Tune: Chant, Mode I; Lumen Christi Hymnal; 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 O God, all your ways are holy; what god can compare with our God? Psalm 77 Recalling God’s works We suffer all kinds of afflictions and yet are not overcome (2 Corinthians 4:8). I cry aloud to God, cry aloud to God that he may hear me. In the day of my distress I sought the Lord. My hands were raised at night without ceasing; my soul refused to be consoled. I remembered my God and I groaned. I pondered and my spirit fainted. You withheld sleep from my eyes. I was troubled, I could not speak. I thought of the days of long ago and remembered the years long past. At night I mused within my heart. I pondered and my spirit questioned. “Will the Lord reject us for ever? Will he show us his favor no more? Has his love vanished for ever? Has his promise come to an end? Does God forget his mercy or in anger withhold his compassion?” I said: “This is what causes my grief; that the way of the Most High has changed.” I remember the deeds of the Lord, I remember your wonders of old, I muse on all your works and ponder your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who works wonders. You showed your power among the peoples. Your strong arm redeemed your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and trembled; the depths were moved with terror. The clouds poured down rain, the skies sent forth their voice; your arrows flashed to and fro. Your thunder rolled round the sky, your flashes lighted up the world. The earth was moved and trembled when your way led through the sea, your path through the mighty waters and no one saw your footprints. You guided your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. 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, you established your ancient covenant by signs and wonders, but more wondrously you confirmed the new one through the sacrifice of your Son. Guide your Church through the pathways of life, that we may be led to the land of promise and celebrate your name with lasting praise. Ant. O God, all your ways are holy; what god can compare with our God? Ant.2 My heart leaps up with joy to the Lord, for he humbles only to exalt us. Canticle – 1 Samuel 2:1-10 The humble find joy in God He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things (Luke 1:52-53). My heart exults in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory. There is no Holy One like the Lord; there is no Rock like our God. Speak boastfully no longer, nor let arrogance issue from your mouths. For an all-knowing God is the Lord, a God who judges deeds. The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength. The well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil. The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes. The Lord puts to death and gives life; he casts down to the nether world; he raises up again. The Lord makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts. He raises the needy from the dust; from the ash heap he lifts up the poor, to seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he has set the world upon them. He will guard the footsteps of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall perish in the darkness. For not by strength does man prevail; the Lord’s foes shall be shattered. The Most High in heaven thunders; the Lord judges the ends of the earth. Now may he give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed! 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. My heart leaps up with joy to the Lord, for he humbles only to exalt us. Ant. 3 The Lord is king, let the earth rejoice. Psalm 97 The glory of the Lord in his decrees for the world This psalm foretells a world-wide salvation and that peoples of all nations will believe in Christ (St. Athanasius). The Lord is king, let earth rejoice, let all the coastlands be glad. Cloud and darkness are his raiment; his throne, justice and right. A fire prepares his path; it burns up his foes on every side. His lightnings light up the world, the earth trembles at the sight. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory. Let those who serve idols be ashamed, those who boast of their worthless gods. All you spirits, worship him. Zion hears and is glad; the people of Judah rejoice because of your judgments, O Lord. For you indeed are the Lord most high above all the earth, exalted far above all spirits. The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the souls of his saints; he sets them free from the wicked. Light shines forth for the just and joy for the upright of heart. Rejoice, you just, in the Lord; give glory to his holy name. 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, you clothe the sky with light and the depths of the ocean with darkness. Among the sons of men you work wonders, and rain terror upon the enemy. Look upon your servants. Do not try us by fire but bring us rejoicing to the shelter of your home. Ant. The Lord is king, let the earth rejoice. READING Romans 8:35, 37 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us. 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 I will bless the Lord all my life long. — I will bless the Lord all my life long. With a song of praise ever on my lips, — all my life long. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, — I will bless the Lord all my life long. CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Ant. Let us serve the Lord in holiness all the days of our life. 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. Let us serve the Lord in holiness all the days of our life. INTERCESSIONS Blessed be God our Savior, who promised to remain with his Church all days, until the end of the world. Let us give him thanks and call out: Remain with us, Lord. Remain with us the whole day, Lord, — let your grace be a sun that never sets. Remain with us, Lord. We dedicate this day to you as an offering, — do not let us offer anything that is evil. Remain with us, Lord. May your gift of light pervade this whole day, — that we may be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Remain with us, Lord. May the love of your Holy Spirit direct our hearts and our lips, — and may we always act in accordance with your will. Remain with us, 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 Lord, as a new day dawns send the radiance of your light to shine in our hearts. Make us true to your teaching; keep us free from error and sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and 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 8th, 2026 – Midmorning Prayer – Divine Office: Liturgy of the Hours

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III: Ordinary: 659 Complementary Psalmody: 1291 (Midmorning) Psalter: Wednesday, Week II, 907 (Midmorning) Midmorning Prayer for Wednesday 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 1 Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true and only Light, Sun of Righteousness, arise, triumph o'er the shade of night; Day-spring from on high, be near; Day-star, in my heart appear. 2 Dark and cheerless is the morn unaccompanied by thee; joyless is the day's return till thy mercy's beams I see, till they inward light impart, glad my eyes and warm my heart. 3 Visit, then, this soul of mine, pierce the gloom of sin and grief; fill me, Radiancy divine, scatter all my unbelief; more and more thyself display, shining to the perfect day! 𝄞"Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies" by Johanna Montealto • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/Christ-Whose-Glory-Fills-the-Skies.pdf] • Title: Christ Who's Glory Fills the Skies; Text: Charles Wesley, 1740; Tune: RATISBON; J. G. Werner's Choralbuch, 1815; harm. William H. Havergal, 1861; Meter: 77 77 77; Artist: Johanna Montealto; 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 Deuteronomy 1:16-17a I charged your judges at that time, ‘Listen to complaints among your kinsmen, and administer true justice to both parties even if one of them is an alien. In rendering judgment, do not consider who a person is; give ear to the lowly and to the great alike, fearing no man, for judgment is God’s. 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 true and loves justice. — Those who are just will see him face to face. CONCLUDING PRAYER God of truth, Father of all, you send your Spirit as you promised to bring together in love all whom sin has driven apart. Strengthen us to work for your blessings of unity and peace in the world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.