O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 42 (43) |
|---|
| Longing for the temple |
| Vindicate me, Lord: judge my case against an unholy nation, rescue me from betrayers, from the wicked. For you are the God of my refuge; why have you rejected me? why must I suffer while my enemies torment me? Send forth your light and your truth; let them lead me away, let them lead me up your holy mountain, up to your sanctuary. I shall go in to the altar of God, to the God of my gladness and joy. I will sing out to you on the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you so sad, my soul, and anxious within me? Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still, my saviour and my God. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Canticle | Isaiah 38 |
|---|---|
| The psalm of Hezekiah on recovering from sickness | |
| I said, in the middle of my days I am going to the gates of the underworld. Where shall I find the remainder of my years? I said, I will not see the Lord God in the land of the living, I will never see another of the inhabitants of the earth. My dwelling-place is taken away, taken far away from me, like the tent of a shepherd. Like a weaver, he has rolled up my life and cut it off from the loom. From morning to night, you have made an end of me. I cried for help till daybreak; like a lion, he has crushed all my bones. From morning to night, you have made an end of me. I twitter like a fledgling sparrow, make noises like a dove. My eyes are weak from looking upward. But you have pulled my soul out of the pit of destruction, you have put all my sins behind you. For after all, the underworld will not proclaim you, nor death praise you; those who go down there do not wait in hope for your faithfulness. It is the living, the living who will proclaim you, as I do today. Fathers will pass on to their children the truth of your faithfulness. Save me, Lord, and to the sound of the harp we will sing to you, all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
|
| Psalm 64 (65) |
|---|
| A solemn thanksgiving |
| To you we owe praise, O God, in Sion; to you we will fulfil our vows, in Jerusalem. It is you who answer prayers: to you must all men come, because we are sinners; even if our transgressions overwhelm us, you will blot them out. Blessed is the man you have taken up and chosen: he will live within your halls. We shall be filled with the good things of your house, with the holiness of your temple. Marvellous is the justice with which you listen to us, God of our salvation, hope of all the earth and far-off coasts. You make firm the mountains in their place, clothed in your power and might. You make still the roaring of the sea, the crash of its waves; and the tumult of the peoples. Those who live at the ends of the earth will tremble at your wonders. You will fill the east and the west with joy. You have come to the earth, you have filled it, saturated it with fruitfulness. The river of God is filled with water, as you prepare the harvest: for thus you have prepared the land, watering its furrows, smoothing its roughnesses, softening it with showers, blessing the seeds within it. You have crowned the year with your kindness. Your footsteps will drip with fruitfulness. The desert pastures will be soaked, the hills will be wrapped in rejoicing. The fields will be clothed with flocks, the vales overflow with corn. They will cry out, and sing your praise. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
|---|---|
| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
|
| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| 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 that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and |
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 48 (49) |
|---|
| The uselessness of riches |
| All peoples, listen – all who live in the world, hear what I have to say: humble and great together, rich and poor alike! My mouth will speak wisdom, my inmost thoughts will bring good counsel. I will turn my ears to a mystery, I will expound a riddle on the lyre. Why should I be fearful in times of trouble, when the crimes of usurpers hem me in? They trust in their own strength and glory in their great riches. But, after all, man cannot redeem himself, he cannot ransom himself before God. The price of his soul’s redemption is too great, he cannot pay it – the price of eternal death avoided. He will see that even the wise die; the foolish and the stupid too will perish, and their riches will pass to others. Their tombs will be homes to them for ever, their dwelling-place for all generations, even if the lands they owned are named after them. Though he be full of honour, man will not endure: he is like the beasts of burden, that die; he is like the beasts that perish. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 48 (49) |
|---|
| Those who trust in themselves – this is the road they take. This is the end of those who boast. Like sheep they go down into the underworld, and death is their shepherd. They will fall headlong into the grave: their faces will be eaten away, and the underworld will be their dwelling-place. But God will ransom my life; truly he will lift me from the grasp of the underworld. Do not fear, when a man becomes rich and the glory of his house increases. When he dies, he will not take it with him, his glory will not follow him down to the grave. Even if he calls himself blessed, says “see how they praise me for my success”, still he will join his fathers, cut off from light, for ever. Though he be full of honour, yet he does not understand. He is like the beasts of burden, that die; he is like the beasts that perish. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Canticle | Apocalypse 4,5 |
|---|---|
| The song of the redeemed | |
| You are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for you made all things, and it is by your will that they existed and were created. You are worthy, Lord, to receive the book and open its seals, for you were killed, and with your blood you have ransomed people from every tribe and language and people and nation, and made them rulers and priests for God; and they will rule over the earth. The Lamb is worthy, who was killed, to receive power and riches and wisdom, strength and honour, glory and blessing. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
|
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Magnificat |
|---|---|
| My soul rejoices in the Lord | |
| My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour – me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed, because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy, his mercy lasts for generation after generation for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength: he has scattered the proud and conceited, torn princes from their thrones; but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
|
| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| 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 that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |