Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)

Mar 05, Office of Readings for Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1045 Proper of Seasons: 184 Psalter: Thursday, Week II, 1301 Office of Readings for Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent 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. HYMN I am the Lord bringing light through the cloud Let the Heavens rain down righteousness Let earth open up, and salvation bear fruit; Let the Heavens rain down righteousness I am the Lord your God, beside me there is no other god I call you by your name let the Heavens rain down righteousness I the Lord have created it. I am the Lord bringing light through the cloud Let the Heavens rain down righteousness Let earth open up, and salvation bear fruit; Let the Heavens rain down righteousness I am the Lord your God, beside me there is no other god I call you by your name let the Heavens rain down righteousness I the Lord have created it. 𝄞"Isaiah 45" by Kathleen Lundquist [http://www.mystagogia.net] • Available for Purchase [https://music.apple.com/gh/artist/kathleen-lundquist/99063754] • Title: Isaiah 45; Lyrics adapted from Revised Standard Version of the Bible; Composer: Kathleen Lundquist; Artist: Kathleen Lundquist; Used with permission. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Sing of Mary PSALMODY Ant. 1 Lord, you are our savior; we will praise you for ever. Psalm 44 The misfortunes of God’s people We triumph over all these things through him who loved us (Romans 8:37). I We hear with our own ears, O God, our fathers have told us the story of the things you did in their days, you yourself, in days long ago. To plant them you uprooted the nations: to let them spread you laid peoples low. No sword of their own won the land; no arm of their own brought them victory. It was your right hand, your arm and the light of your face: for you loved them. It is you, my king, my God, who granted victories to Jacob. Through you we beat down our foes; in your name we trampled our aggressors. For it was not in my bow that I trusted nor yet was I saved by my sword: it was you who saved us from our foes, it was you who put our foes to shame. All day long our boast was in God, and we praised your name without ceasing. 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 are our savior; we will praise you for ever. Ant. 2 Spare us, O Lord; do not bring your own people into contempt. II Yet now you have rejected us, disgraced us: you no longer go forth with our armies. You make us retreat from the foe and our enemies plunder us at will. You make us like sheep for the slaughter and scatter us among the nations. You sell your own people for nothing and make no profit by the sale. You make us the taunt of our neighbors, the laughing stock of all who are near. Among the nations, you make us a byword, among the peoples a thing of derision. All day long my disgrace is before me: my face is covered with shame at the voice of the taunter, the scoffer, at the sight of the foe and the avenger. 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. Spare us, O Lord; do not bring your own people into contempt. Ant. 3 Rise up, O Lord, and save us, for you are merciful. III This befell us though we had not forgotten you; though we had not been false to your covenant, though we had not withdrawn our hearts; though our feet had not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us in a place of sorrows and covered us with the shadow of death. Had we forgotten the name of our God or stretched our hands to another god would not God have found this out, he who knows the secrets of the heart? It is for you that we face death all day long and are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, O Lord, why do you sleep? Arise, do not reject us for ever! Why do you hide your face from us and forget our oppression and misery? For we are brought down low to the dust; our body lies prostrate on the earth. Stand up and come to our help! Redeem us because of your love! Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: — as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm-prayer Lord, rise up and come to our aid; with your strong arm lead us to freedom, as you mightily delivered our forefathers. Since you are the king who knows the secrets of our hearts, fill them with the light of truth. Ant. Rise up, O Lord, and save us, for you are merciful. 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. Whoever meditates on the law of the Lord. — Will bring forth much fruit at harvest time. READINGS First reading From the book of Exodus 18:13-27 The judges are appointed under Moses Moses sat in judgment for the people, who waited about him from morning until evening. When his father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he inquired, “What sort of thing is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone while all the people have to stand about you from morning till evening?” Moses answered his father-in-law, “The people come to me to consult God. Whenever they have a disagreement, they come to me to have me settle the matter between them and make known to them God’s decisions and regulations.” “You are not acting wisely,” his father-in-law replied. “You will surely wear yourself out, and not only yourself but also these people with you. The task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now, listen to me, and I will give you some advice, that God may be with you. Act as the people’s representative before God, bringing to him whatever they have to say. Enlighten them in regard to the decisions and regulations, showing them how they are to live and what they are to do. But you should also look among all the people for able and God-fearing men, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and set them as officers over groups of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Let these men render decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. More important cases they should refer to you, but all the lesser cases they can settle themselves. Thus, your burden will be lightened, since they will bear it with you. If you do this, when God gives you orders you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” Moses followed the advice of his father-in-law and did all that he had suggested. He picked out able men from all Israel and put them in charge of the people as officers over groups of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. They rendered decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. The more difficult cases they referred to Moses, but all the lesser cases they settled themselves. Then Moses bade farewell to his father-in-law, who went off to his own country. RESPONSORY Numbers 11:25; Exodus 18:25 The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. He took some of the spirit he had given to Moses and gave it to the seventy elders, — and when this spirit came on them, they prophesied. Out of all the Israelites, Moses chose capable men and made them leaders of the people. — And when this spirit came on them, they prophesied. Second reading From a treatise on the psalms by Saint Hilary, bishop The meaning of “the fear of the Lord” Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. Notice that when Scripture speaks of the fear of the Lord it does not leave the phrase in isolation, as if it were a complete summary of faith. No, many things are added to it, or are presupposed by it. From these we may learn its meaning and excellence. In the book of Proverbs Solomon tells us: If you cry out for wisdom and raise your voice for understanding, if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord. We see here the difficult journey we must undertake before we can arrive at the fear of the Lord. We must begin by crying out for wisdom. We must hand over to our intellect the duty of making every decision. We must look for wisdom and search for it. Then we must understand the fear of the Lord. “Fear” is not to be taken in the sense that common usage gives it. Fear in this ordinary sense is the trepidation our weak humanity feels when it is afraid of suffering something it does not want to happen. We are afraid, or made afraid, because of a guilty conscience, the rights of someone more powerful, an attack from one who is stronger, sickness, encountering a wild beast, suffering evil in any form. This kind of fear is not taught: it happens because we are weak. We do not have to learn what we should fear: objects of fear bring their own terror with them. But of the fear of the Lord this is what is written: Come, my children, listen to me, I shall teach you the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord has then to be learned because it can be taught. It does not lie in terror, but in something that can be taught. It does not arise from the fearfulness of our nature; it has to be acquired by obedience to the commandments, by holiness of life and by knowledge of the truth. For us the fear of God consists wholly in love, and perfect love of God brings our fear of him to its perfection. Our love for God is entrusted with its own responsibility: to observe his counsels, to obey his laws, to trust his promises. Let us hear what Scripture says: And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you except to fear the Lord your God and walk in his ways and love him and keep his commandments with your whole heart and your whole soul, so that it may be well for you? The ways of the Lord are many, though he is himself the way. When he speaks of himself he calls himself the way and shows us the reason why he called himself the way: No one can come to the Father except through me. We must ask for these many ways, we must travel along these many ways, to find the one that is good. That is, we shall find the one way of eternal life through the guidance of many teachers. These ways are found in the law, in the prophets, in the gospels, in the writings of the apostles, in the different good works by which we fulfill the commandments. Blessed are those who walk these ways in the fear of the Lord. RESPONSORY Sirach 2:19; Luke 1:50 Those who fear the Lord do their best to please him; — those who love him are mindful of his law. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. — Those who love him are mindful of his law. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. 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.

Mar 05, Morning Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1049 Proper of Seasons: 188 Psalter: Thursday, Week II, 1305 Christian Prayer: Ordinary: 689 Proper of Seasons: 306 Psalter: Thursday, Week II, 824 Morning Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent 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. HYMN O saving Victim, op'ning wide The gate of heav'n to us below, Our foes press on from every side; Thine aid supply, thy strength bestow. All praise and thanks to thee ascend Forevermore, blest One in Three; O grant us life that shall not end In our true native land with thee. Amen. 𝄞"O Saving Victim" by Rebecca Hincke • Title: O Saving Victim; Author: Thomas Aquinas; Translator: Edward Caswall; Artist: Rebecca Hincke; Recording copyright 2025 by Surgeworks, Inc PSALMODY Ant. 1 Stir up your mighty power, Lord; come to our aid. Psalm 80 Lord, come, take care of your vineyard Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20). O shepherd of Israel, hear us, you who lead Joseph’s flock, shine forth from your cherubim throne upon Ephraim, Benjamin, Manasseh. O Lord, rouse up your might, O Lord, come to our help. God of hosts bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. Lord God of hosts, how long will you frown on your people’s plea? You have fed them with tears for their bread, an abundance of tears for their drink. You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, our enemies laugh us to scorn. God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. You brought a vine out of Egypt; to plant it you drove out the nations. Before it you cleared the ground; it took root and spread through the land. The mountains were covered with its shadow, the cedars of God with its boughs. It stretched out its branches to the sea, to the Great River it stretched out its shoots. Then why have you broken down its walls? It is plucked by all who pass by. It is ravaged by the boar of the forest, devoured by the beasts of the field. God of hosts, turn again, we implore, look down from heaven and see. Visit the vine and protect it, the vine your right hand has planted. Men have burnt it with fire and destroyed it. May they perish at the frown of your face. May your hand be on the man you have chosen, the man you have given your strength. And we shall never forsake you again; give us life that we may call upon your name. God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. 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 Lord God, eternal shepherd, you so tend the vineyard you planted that now it extends its branches even to the farthest coast. Look down on your Church and come to us. Help us remain in your Son as branches on the vine, that, planted firmly in your love, we may testify before the whole world to your great power working everywhere. Ant. Stir up your mighty power, Lord; come to our aid. Ant. 2 The Lord has worked marvels for us; make it known to the ends of the world. Canticle – Isaiah 12:1-6 Joy of God’s ransomed people If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink (John 7:37). I give you thanks, O Lord; though you have been angry with me, your anger has abated, and you have consoled me. God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation, and say on that day: Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! 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. The Lord has worked marvels for us; make it known to the ends of the world. Ant. 3 Ring out your joy to God our strength. Psalm 81 Solemn renewal of the Covenant See that no one among you has a faithless heart (Hebrews 3:12). Ring out your joy to God our strength, shout in triumph to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and sound the timbrel, the sweet-sounding harp and the lute; blow the trumpet at the new moon, when the moon is full, on our feast. For this is Israel’s law, a command of the God of Jacob. He imposed it as a rule on Joseph, when he went out against the land of Egypt. A voice I did not know said to me: “I freed your shoulder from the burden; your hands were freed from the load. You called in distress and I saved you. I answered, concealed in the storm cloud; at the waters of Meribah I tested you. Listen, my people, to my warning. O Israel, if only you would heed! Let there be no foreign god among you. no worship of an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people did not heed my voice and Israel would not obey, so I left them in their stubbornness of heart to follow their own designs. O that my people would heed me, that Israel would walk in my ways! At once I would subdue their foes, turn my hand against their enemies. The Lord’s enemies would cringe at their feet and their subjection would last for ever. But Israel I would feed with finest wheat and fill them with honey from the rock.” 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 Lord God, open our mouths to proclaim your glory. Help us to leave sin behind and to rejoice in professing your name. Ant. Ring out your joy to God our strength. READING See 1 Kings 8:51-53a We are your people, O Lord, and your inheritance. Thus may your eyes be open to the petition of your servant and to the petition of your people Israel. Hear us whenever we call upon you, because you have set us apart among all the peoples of the earth for your inheritance. 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 God himself will set me free, from the hunter’s snare. — God himself will set me free, from the hunter’s snare. From those who would trap me with lying words — and from the hunter’s snare. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, — God himself will set me free, from the hunter’s snare. CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Ant. Son, remember the good things you received in your lifetime and the bad things Lazarus received in his. 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. Son, remember the good things you received in your lifetime and the bad things Lazarus received in his. INTERCESSIONS God has revealed himself in Christ. Let us praise his goodness, and ask him from our hearts: Remember us, Lord, for we are your children. Teach us to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Church, — that it may be more effective for ourselves and for the world as the sacrament of salvation. Remember us, Lord, for we are your children. Lover of mankind, inspire us to work for human progress, — seeking to spread your kingdom in all we do. Remember us, Lord, for we are your children. May our hearts thirst for Christ, — the fountain of living water. Remember us, Lord, for we are your children. Forgive us our sins, — and direct our steps into the ways of justice and sincerity. Remember us, Lord, for we are your children. 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 delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. 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.

Mar 05, Midmorning Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1054 Complementary Psalmody: 1651 (Midmorning) Proper of Seasons: 189 (antiphon, reading, concluding prayer) Midmorning Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent, 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. HYMN Father, Lord of earth and heaven, King to whom all gifts belong, Give your greatest Gift, your Spirit, God the holy, God the strong. Son of God, enthroned in glory, Send your promised Gift of grace, Make your Church your holy Temple, God the Spirit’s dwelling place. Spirit, come, in peace descending As at Jordan, heav’nly Dove, Seal your Church as God’s anointed, Set our hearts on fire with love. Stay among us, God the Father, Stay among us, God the Son, Stay among us, Holy Spirit: Dwell within us, make us one. 𝄞"Father Lord of Earth and Heaven" by Erika Provinzano • Title: Father Lord of Earth and Heaven; Text: James Quinn, S.J.; Music: S. P. Waddington; Artist: Erika Provinzano; Used with permission from Erika Provinzano. PSALMODY Ant. 1 The time of penance has come, the time to atone for our sins and to seek our salvation. 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. The time of penance has come, the time to atone for our sins and to seek our salvation. READING Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; Let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. 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. Create in me a clean heart, O God. — Renew in me a steadfast spirit. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. 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.

Mar 05, Midday Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1054 Proper of Seasons: 190 (Midday) Psalter: Thursday, Week II, 1311 Midday Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent, using the Current 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. HYMN Jesus, only begotten Son and Lamb of God the Father Thou didst give Thy body and blood to buy me from the grave Chorus: My Christ, my Christ, my shield, my encircler, Each day and night, each dark and light. My Christ, my Christ, my shield, my encircler, Each day and night, my Christ. Jesus, Son of Mary, be near me and uphold me in my standing, in my lying and in my sleeping. Chorus: My Christ, my Christ, my shield, my encircler, Each day and night, each dark and light. My Christ, my Christ, my shield, my encircler, Each day and night, my Christ. My helper, my encircler, My strength everlasting. My Christ, my Christ, my shield, my encircler, Each day and night, my Christ. 𝄞"Prayer for Protection" by Briege O'Hare And Marie Cox • Available on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/peace-god-songs-from-celtic/id445853947] • Available for Purchase [https://www.poorclaresireland.org/Hermitage_Arts.html] • Title: Prayer for Protection ; Text: Briege O'Hare, OSC, inspired by The Carmina Gadelica; Album: The Peace of God. Songs from a Celtic Monastery; Composed and arranged by: Briege O'Hare, OSC; Sung by: Marie Cox,RSM; (c) 2006 Hermitage Production; Used by permission • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Peace of God PSALMODY Ant. As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the sinner to die but to turn back to me and live. Psalm 119:65-72 IX (Teth) Lord, you have been good to your servant according to your word. Teach me discernment and knowledge for I trust in your commands. Before I was afflicted I strayed but now I keep your word. You are good and your deeds are good; teach me your commandments. Though proud men smear me with lies yet I keep your precepts. Their minds are closed to good but your law is my delight. It was good for me to be afflicted, to learn your will. The law from your mouth means more to me than silver and gold. 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 Lord, teach us goodness, discipline and wisdom, and these gifts will keep us from becoming hardened by evil, weakened by laziness or ignorant because of foolishness. Psalm 56:2-7b, 9-14 Trust in God’s word This psalm shows Christ in his passion (Saint Jerome). Have mercy on me, God, men crush me; they fight me all day long and oppress me. My foes crush me all day long, for many fight proudly against me. When I fear, I will trust in you, in God whose word I praise. In God I trust, I shall not fear: what can mortal man do to me? All day long they distort my words, all their thought is to harm me. They band together in ambush, track me down and seek my life. You have kept an account of my wanderings; you have kept a record of my tears; are they not written in your book? Then my foes will be put to flight on the day that I call to you. This I know, that God is on my side. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not fear: what can mortal man do to me? I am bound by the vows I have made you. O God, I will offer you praise for you rescued my soul from death, you kept my feet from stumbling that I may walk in the presence of God and enjoy the light of the living. 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 Lord Jesus Christ, victim for our sins, you trusted in your Father’s protection and kept silent when you were tormented. Give us that same confidence and we will gladly suffer with you and for you, offering the Father our sacrifice of praise and walking before him in the light of the living. Psalm 57 Morning prayer in affliction This psalm tells of our Lord’s passion (Saint Augustine). Have mercy on me, God, have mercy for in you my soul has taken refuge. In the shadow of your wings I take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by. I call to God the Most High, to God who has always been my help. May he send from heaven and save me and shame those who assail me. May God send his truth and his love. My soul lies down among lions, who would devour the sons of men. Their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharpened sword. O God, arise above the heavens; may your glory shine on earth! They laid a snare for my steps, my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path but fell in it themselves. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. I will sing, I will sing your praise. Awake, my soul, awake, lyre and harp, I will awake the dawn. I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples, I will praise you among the nations, for your love reaches to the heavens and your truth to the skies. O God, arise above the heavens; may your glory shine on 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 Lord, send your mercy and your truth to rescue us from the snares of the devil, and we will praise you among the peoples and proclaim you to the nations, happy to be known as companions of your Son. Ant. As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the sinner to die but to turn back to me and live. READING Deuteronomy 30:2-3a Provided that you and your children return to the Lord, your God, and heed his voice with all your heart and all your soul, just as I now command you, the Lord, your God, will change your lot, and taking pity on you, he will again gather you from all the nations. 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. Turn your face away from my sins. — Blot out all my guilt. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. 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.

Mar 05, Midafternoon Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II: Ordinary: 1054 Complementary Psalmody: 1655 (Midafternoon) Proper of Seasons: 190 (antiphon, reading, concluding prayer) Midafternoon Prayer for Thursday of the 2nd Week of Lent, 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. HYMN O God, creation’s secret force, Thyself unmoved, all motion’s source, Who from the morn till evening's ray Through all its changes guid’st the day: Grant us, when this short life is past, The glorious evening that shall last; That, by a holy death attained, Eternal glory may be gained. O Father, that we ask be done, Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son; With the Holy Spirit and Thee, Shall live and reign eternally. 𝄞"O God, Creation's Secret Force" by Johanna Montealto • Musical Score [https://divineoffice.org/wp-content/uploads/O-God-Creations-Secret-Force-LoH-DIvOfcOrg-G-orig-stacked-for-DivOfcOrg.pdf] • Title: O God, Creation's Secret Force; Words: At­trib­ut­ed to St. Am­brose of Mi­lan, 4th Cen­tu­ry; Trans­lat­ion from La­tin to Eng­lish by John M. Neale, 1852; Recording copyright 2016 Surgeworks • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office PSALMODY Ant. 1 Armed with God’s justice and power, let us prove ourselves through patient endurance. Psalm 126 Joyful hope in God Companions with him in suffering, you will share his over-flowing happiness (2 Corinthians 1:7) When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, it seemed like a dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, on our lips there were songs. The heathens themselves said: “What marvels the Lord worked for them!” What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad. Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage as streams in dry land. Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap. They go out, they go out, full of tears, carrying seed for the sowing: they come back, they come back, full of song, carrying their sheaves 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 127 Apart from God our labors are worthless You are God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9) If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil. In vain is your earlier rising, your going later to rest, you who toil for the bread you eat, when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber. Truly sons are a gift from the Lord, a blessing, the fruit of the womb. Indeed the sons of youth are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. O the happiness of the man who has filled his quiver with these arrows! He will have no cause for shame when he disputes with his foes in the gateways. 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 128 Happiness of family life rooted in God “May the Lord bless you from Zion,” that is, from the Church (Arnobius) O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labor of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper; your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; Your children like shoots of the olive, around your table. Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life! May you see your children’s children in a happy Jerusalem! On Israel, 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. Armed with God’s justice and power, let us prove ourselves through patient endurance. READING Hebrews 10:35-36 Do not surrender your confidence; it will have great reward. You need patience to do God’s will and receive what he has promised. 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. My sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit. — A humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. 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.