Aug 20, About Today for Bernard, Ab & D
August 20
BERNARD, ABBOT and DOCTOR
Memorial
Bernard was born near Dijon, France, in 1090. At twenty-two he entered the abbey of Citeaux, the first Cistercian monastery, which observed a strict interpretation of the Benedictine rule. He is considered the second founder of the Cistercians. In 1115, he was named abbot of a new monastery at Clairvaux, which gave origin to many other foundations. During his life, he was the most powerful religious influence in Europe, known for his holy life, miraculous cures, and teaching. He died in 1153. He is depicted in the white habit of the Cistercians, with an abbots pastoral staff, a miter at his feet, the host, a chained demon, white dog, a book, and a beehive.
Aug 20, Invitatory for Bernard, Ab & D
Lord, open my lips.
– And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom.
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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom.
Aug 20, Office of Readings – Memorial for Bernard, Ab & D
Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 615
Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, Page 1214
Common of Doctors:
Common of Pastors: 1751 (verse before the readings)
Proper of Seasons: 145 (first reading)
Proper of Saints: 1333 (second reading, responsory, concluding prayer)
Christian Prayer:
Does not contain Office of Readings
Office of Readings for Saturday in Ordinary Time, for the Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor
God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
HYMN
Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whenever we hear that glorious Word!
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.
“Faith of Our Fathers” performed by Metropolitan Boys Choir; Text: Frederick W. Faber, “Jesus and Mary” (London: 1849); refrain by James G. Walton, 1874.
“Faith of Our Fathers” performed by Metropolitan Boys Choir is available from Amazon.com
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 The Lord summons heaven and earth to witness his judgment on his people.
Psalm 50
Genuine love of God
I have come not to abolish the law but to bring it to perfection (see Matthew 5:17).
I
The God of gods, the Lord,
has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion’s perfect beauty he shines.
Our God comes, he keeps silence no longer.
Before him fire devours,
around him tempest rages.
He calls on the heavens and the earth
to witness his judgment of his people.
“Summon before me my people
who made covenant with me by sacrifice.”
The heavens proclaim his justice,
for God himself is the judge.
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 summons heaven and earth to witness his judgment on his people.
Ant. 2 Come to me in your distress, and I will save you.
II
“Listen, my people, I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you,
for I am God your God.
I accuse you, lay the charge before you.
I find no fault with your sacrifices,
your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,
nor goats from among your herds.
For I own all the beasts of the forest,
beasts in their thousands on my hills.
I know all the birds in the sky,
all that moves in the field belongs to me.
Were I hungry, I would not tell you,
for I own the world and all it holds.
Do you think I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
Pay your sacrifice of thanksgiving to God
and render him your votive offerings.
Call on me in the day of distress.
I will free you and you shall honor 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.
Ant. Come to me in your distress, and I will save you.
Ant. 3 A sacrifice of praise will give me glory.
III
But God says to the wicked:
“But how can you recite my commandments
and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law
and throw my words to the winds,
you who see a thief and go with him;
who throw in your lot with adulterers,
who unbridle your mouth for evil
and whose tongue is plotting crime,
you who sit and malign your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
You do this, and should I keep silence?
Do you think that I am like you?
Mark this, you who never think of God,
lest I seize you and you cannot escape;
a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me
and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.”
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, because Jesus, your servant, became obedient even unto death, his sacrifice was greater than all holocausts of old. Accept the sacrifice of praise we offer you through him and may we show the effects of it in our lives by striving to do your will until our whole life becomes adoration in Spirit and truth.
Ant. A sacrifice of praise will give me glory.
Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.
You will hear the word from my mouth.
– You will tell others what I have said.
READINGS
First reading
From the book of the prophet Isaiah
37:21-35
Isaiah prophesies about the Assyrian king
Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: In answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, this is the word the Lord has spoken concerning him:
She despises you, laughs you to scorn,
the virgin daughter Zion;
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.
Whom have you insulted and blasphemed,
against whom have you raised your voice
And lifted up your eyes on high?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
Through your servants you have insulted the Lord:
You said, “With my many chariots
I climbed the mountain heights,
the recesses of Lebanon;
I cut down its lofty cedars,
its choice cypresses;
I reached the remotest heights,
its forest park.
I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands;
I dried up with the soles of my feet all the rivers of Egypt.”
Have you not heard?
Long ago I prepared it,
From days of old I planned it,
now I have brought it to pass:
That you should reduce fortified cities
into heaps of ruins,
While their inhabitants, shorn of power,
are dismayed and ashamed,
Becoming like the plants of the field,
like the green growth,
like the scorched grass on the housetops.
I am aware whether you stand or sit;
I know whether you come or go,
and also your rage against me.
Because of your rage against me
and your fury which has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and make you return the way you came.
This shall be a sign for you:
this year you shall eat the aftergrowth,
next year, what grows of itself;
But in the third year, sow and reap,
plant vineyards and eat their fruit!
The remaining survivors of the house of Judah
shall again strike root below
and bear fruit above.
For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant,
and from Mount Zion, survivors.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.
Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it, nor come before it with a shield, nor cast up siegeworks against it. He shall return by the same way he came, without entering the city, says the Lord. I will shield and save this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.
RESPONSORY Isaiah 52:9-10
The Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem,
– and all the ends of the earth shall see the saving power of God.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations.
– And all the ends of the earth shall see the saving power of God.
Second reading
From a sermon by Saint Bernard, abbot
I love because I love, I love that I may love
Love is sufficient of itself, it gives pleasure by itself and because of itself. It is its own merit, its own reward. Love looks for no cause outside itself, no effect beyond itself. Its profit lies in its practice. I love because I love, I love that I may love. Love is a great thing so long as it continually returns to its fountainhead, flows back to its source, always drawing from there the water which constantly replenishes it. Of all the movements, sensations and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return; the sole purpose of his love is to be loved, in the knowledge that those who love him are made happy by their love of him.
The Bridegroom’s love, or rather the love which is the Bridegroom, asks in return nothing but faithful love. Let the beloved, then, love in return. Should not a bride love, and above all, Love’s bride? Could it be that Love not be loved?
Rightly then does she give up all other feelings and give herself wholly to love alone; in giving love back, all she can do is to respond to love. And when she has poured out her whole being in love, what is that in comparison with the unceasing torrent of that original source? Clearly, lover and Love, soul and Word, bride and Bridegroom, creature and Creator do not flow with the same volume; one might as well equate a thirsty man with the fountain.
What then of the bride’s hope, her aching desire, her passionate love, her confident assurance? Is all this to wilt just because she cannot match stride for stride with her giant, any more than she can vie with honey for sweetness, rival the lamb for gentleness, show herself as white as the lily, burn as bright as the sun, be equal in love with him who is Love? No. It is true that the creature loves less because she is less. But if she loves with her whole being, nothing is lacking where everything is given. To love so ardently then is to share the marriage bond; she cannot love so much and not be totally loved, and it is in the perfect union of two hearts that complete and total marriage consists. Or are we to doubt that the soul is loved by the Word first and with a greater love?
RESPONSORY Psalm 31:20; 36:9
Lord, how great are the hidden treasures of your goodness,
– which you have stored up for those who fear you.
They are filled with the bounty of your house; and you give them to drink from the stream of your delights.
– Which you have stored up for those who fear you.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
Saint Bernard was filled with zeal for your house
and was a radiant light in your Church.
By his prayers
may we be filled with this spirit of zeal
and walk always as children of light.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)
Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.
Aug 20, Morning Prayer – Memorial for Bernard, Ab & D
Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 654
Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, Page 1253
Common of Doctors of the Church: 1783 (reading)
Common of Pastors: 1765 (intercessions)
Proper of Saints: 1335 (canticle of Zechariah antiphon, concluding prayer)
Christian Prayer (single volume)
Ordinary: 689
Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, Page 988
Common of Doctors of the Church:1435 (reading)
Common of Pastors: 1426 (intercessions)
Proper of Saints: 1233 (canticle of Zechariah antiphon, concluding prayer)
Morning Prayer for Saturday in Ordinary Time, for the Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor
God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
HYMN
Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings.
Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.
Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!
Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!
Text: William Pierson Merrill, 1911, alt.; Music: William H. Walter, 1894; Artist: Steven Anderson
“Rise Up, O Men of God” on the album History Of The Hymnal is available from Amazon.com.
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 We do well to sing your name, Most High, and proclaim your mercy at daybreak.
Psalm 92
Praise of God the Creator
Sing in praise of Christ’s redeeming work (Saint Athanasius).
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night,
on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute,
with the murmuring sound of the harp.
Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad;
for the work of your hands I shout with joy.
O Lord, how great are your works!
How deep are your designs!
The foolish man cannot know this
and the fool cannot understand.
Though the wicked spring up like grass
and all who do evil thrive,
they are doomed to be eternally destroyed.
But you, Lord, are eternally on high.
See how your enemies perish;
all doers of evil are scattered.
To me you give the wild ox’s strength;
you anoint me with the purest oil.
My eyes looked in triumph on my foes;
my ears heard gladly of their fall.
The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of the Lord
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
In him, my rock, there is no wrong
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm-prayer
Take our shame away from us, Lord, and make us rejoice in your saving works. May all who have been chosen by your Son always abound in works of faith, hope, and love in your service.
Ant. We do well to sing your name, Most High, and proclaim your mercy at daybreak.
Ant.2 I will create a new heart in you, and breathe into you a new spirit.
Canticle – Ezekiel 36:24-28
The Lord will renew his people
They will be his own people, and God himself will be with them, their own God (Revelation 21:3).
I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart
and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you
and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Ant. I will create a new heart in you, and breathe into you a new spirit.
Ant. 3 On the lips of children and infants you have found perfect praise.
Psalm 8
The majesty of the Lord and man’s dignity
The Father gave Christ lordship of creation and made him head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22).
How great is your name, O Lord our God,
through all the earth!
Your majesty is praised above the heavens;
on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy,
to silence the foe and the rebel.
When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars which you arranged,
what is man that you should keep him in mind,
mortal man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god;
with glory and honor you crowned him,
gave him power over the works of your hands,
put all things under his feet.
All of them, sheep and cattle,
yes, even the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and fish
that make their way through the waters.
How great is your name, O Lord our God
through all the earth!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm-prayer
Almighty Lord, how wonderful is your name. You have made every creature subject to you; make us worthy to give you service.
Ant. On the lips of children and infants you have found perfect praise.
READING Wisdom 7:13-14
Simply I learned about Wisdom, and ungrudgingly do I share –
her riches I do not hide away;
For to men she is an unfailing treasure;
those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God,
to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them.
Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.
RESPONSORY
Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints.
– Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints.
With joyful praise let the Church tell forth
– the wisdom of the saints.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Ant. Blessed Bernard, your life, flooded by the splendor of the divine Word, illumines the Church with the light of true faith and doctrine.
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. Blessed Bernard, your life, flooded by the splendor of the divine Word, illumines the Church with the light of true faith and doctrine.
INTERCESSIONS
Christ is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. Let us praise and thank him as we pray:
– Nourish your people, Lord.
Christ, you decided to show your merciful love through your holy shepherds,
let your mercy always reach us through them.
– Nourish your people, Lord.
Through your vicars you continue to perform the ministry of shepherd of souls,
direct us always through our leaders.
– Nourish your people, Lord.
Through your holy ones, the leaders of your people, you served as physician of our bodies and our spirits,
continue to fulfill your ministry of life and holiness in us.
– Nourish your people, Lord.
You taught your flock through the prudence and love of your saints,
grant us continual growth in holiness under the direction of our pastors.
– Nourish your people, Lord.
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Concluding Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Saint Bernard was filled with zeal for your house
and was a radiant light in your Church.
By his prayers
may we be filled with this spirit of zeal
and walk always as children of light.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
DISMISSAL
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.
Aug 20, Daytime Prayer for Saturday of the 20th week of Ordinary Time
Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: Page 659
All from the Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, Page 1259 (Midday)
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: Page 623
All from the Psalter: Saturday, Week IV, Page 1223 (Midday)
Daytime Prayer for Saturday 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
Most ancient of all mysteries,
Before your throne we lie;
Have mercy now, most merciful,
Most holy Trinity.
When heaven and earth were still unmade,
When time was yet unknown,
You in your radiant majesty
Did live and love alone.
You were not born, there was no source
From which your Being flowed;
There is no end which you can reach,
For you are simply God.
How wonderful creation is,
The work which you did bless;
What then must you be like, dear God,
Eternal loveliness!
Most ancient of all mysteries,
Before your throne we lie,
Have mercy now and evermore,
Most holy Trinity
Melody: Saint Flavian C.M.; Music: Adapted from Psalm 132, Day’s Psalter, 1562; Text: Frederick William Faber, 1814-1863; ¬© 1971 by Faber Music Ltd, London. Reproduced by kind permission of the publishers. All Rights Reserved.
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 I have chosen to do your will; may your hand be always there to strengthen me.
Psalm 119:169-176
XXII (Tau)
Lord, let my cry come before you:
teach me by your word.
Let my pleading come before you;
save me by your promise.
Let my lips proclaim your praise
because you teach me your commands.
Let my tongue sing your promise
for your commands are just.
Let your hand be ready to help me,
since I have chosen your precepts.
Lord, I long for your saving help
and your law is my delight.
Give life to my soul that I may praise you.
Let your decrees give me help.
I am lost like a sheep; seek your servant
for I remember your commands.
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, grant that we should always offer you the hymns you have made; then we will live to praise you and never forget your commands.
Ant. I have chosen to do your will; may your hand be always there to strengthen me.
Ant. 2 Your throne stands firm, O God, for ever.
Psalm 45
The marriage of the king
The Bridegroom is here; go out and welcome him (Matthew 25:6).
I
My heart overflows with noble words.
To the king I must speak the song I have made;
my tongue as nimble as the pen of a scribe.
You are the fairest of the children of men
and graciousness is poured upon your lips:
because God has blessed you for evermore.
O mighty one, gird your sword upon your thigh;
in splendor and state, ride on in triumph
for the cause of truth and goodness and right.
Take aim with your bow in your dread right hand.
Your arrows are sharp: peoples fall beneath you.
The foes of the king fall down and lose heart.
Your throne, O God, shall endure for ever.
A scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.
Your love is for justice; your hatred for evil.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above other kings:
your robes are fragrant with aloes and myrrh.
From the ivory palace you are greeted with music.
The daughters of kings are among your loved ones.
On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
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. Your throne stands firm, O God, for ever.
Ant. 3 I saw the new Jerusalem, beautiful as a bride adorned to meet her husband.
II
Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words:
forget your own people and your father’s house.
So will the king desire your beauty:
he is your lord, pay homage to him.
And the people of Tyre shall come with gifts,
the richest of the people shall seek your favor.
The daughter of the king is clothed with splendor,
her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold.
She is led to the king with her maiden companions.
They are escorted amid gladness and joy;
they pass within the palace of the king.
Sons shall be yours in place of your fathers:
you will make them princes over all the earth.
May this song make your name for ever remembered.
May the peoples praise you 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
When you took on flesh, Lord Jesus, you made a marriage of mankind with God. Help us to be faithful to your word and endure our exile bravely, until we are called to the heavenly marriage feast, to which the Virgin Mary, exemplar of your Church, has preceded us.
Ant. I saw the new Jerusalem, beautiful as a bride adorned to meet her husband.
READING Romans 15:5-7
May God, the source of all patience and encouragement, enable you to live in perfect harmony with one another according to the spirit of Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and voice you may glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, as Christ accepted you, for the glory of God.
The Lord finds joy in his people.
– He honors the lowly and saves them.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Lord, fill us with the resplendent light
of your eternal love.
May we love you above all things,
and our brothers for your sake.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.
ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)
Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.
Aug 20, Evening Prayer for Saturday of the 20th week of Ordinary Time
Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 632
Proper: 150
Psalter: Sunday, Week I, 641
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper: 626
Proper: Sunday, Week I, 701
Evening Prayer for Sunday in the 21st Week of Ordinary Time
Note: Sunday Evening Prayer I is prayed on Saturday
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
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
“Now thank we all our God” by Gloucester Cathedral Choir; Words: Martin Rinkart, circa 1636 (Nun danket alle Gott); translated from German to English by Catherine Winkworth, 1856.
“Now thank we all our God” performed by Gloucester Cathedral Choir is available from Amazon.com
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Like burning incense, Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.
Psalm 141
A prayer when in danger
An angel stood before the face of God, thurible in hand. The fragrant incense soaring aloft was the prayer of God’s people on earth (Revelation 8:4).
I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense,
the raising of my hands like an evening oblation.
Ant.
Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips!
Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong,
to evil deeds with men who are sinners.
Never allow me to share in their feasting.
Ant.
If a good man strikes or reproves me it is kindness;
but let the oil of the wicked not anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.
Ant.
Their princes were thrown down by the side of the rock:
then they understood that my words were kind.
As a millstone is shattered to pieces on the ground,
so their bones were strewn at the mouth of the grave.
Ant.
To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge; spare my soul!
From the trap they have laid for me keep me safe:
keep me from the snares of those who do evil.
Ant.
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, from the rising of the sun to its setting your name is worthy of all praise. Let our prayer come like incense before you. May the lifting up of our hands be as an evening sacrifice acceptable to you, Lord our God.
Ant. Like burning incense, Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.
Ant. 2 You are my refuge, Lord; you are all that I desire in life.
Psalm 142
You, Lord, are my refuge
What is written in this psalm was fulfilled in our Lord’s passion (Saint Hilary).
With all my voice I cry to the Lord,
with all my voice I entreat the Lord.
I pour out my trouble before him;
I tell him all my distress
while my spirit faints within me.
But you, O Lord, know my path.
Ant.
On the way where I shall walk
they have hidden a snare to entrap me.
Look on my right and see:
there is not one who takes my part.
I have no means of escape,
not one who cares for my soul.
Ant.
I cry to you, O Lord.
I have said: “You are my refuge,
all I have left in the land of the living.”
Listen then to my cry
for I am in the depths of distress.
Ant.
Rescue me from those who pursue me
for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of this prison
and then I shall praise your name.
Around me the just will assemble
because of your goodness to me.
Ant.
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, we humbly ask for your goodness. May you help us to hope in you, and give us a share with your chosen ones in the land of the living.
Ant. You are my refuge, Lord; you are all that I desire in life.
Ant. 3 The Lord Jesus humbled himself, and God exalted him for ever.
Canticle – Philippians 2:6-11
Christ, God’s holy servant
Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.
Ant.
Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.
Ant.
He was known to be of human estate,
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!
Ant.
Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,
So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
Ant.
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 Jesus humbled himself, and God exalted him for ever.
READING Romans 11:25-36
Brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery lest you be conceited. Just as you were once disobedient to God and now have received mercy through their disobedience, so the Jews have become disobedient — since God wished to show you mercy — that they too may receive mercy. God had imprisoned all in disobedience that he might have mercy on all.
How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable his judgments, how unsearchable his ways! For “who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has given him anything so as to deserve return?” For from him and through him and for him all things are. To him be glory forever. Amen.
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
Our hearts are filled with wonder as we contemplate your works, O Lord.
– Our hearts are filled with wonder as we contemplate your works, O Lord.
We praise the wisdom which wrought them all,
– as we contemplate your works, O Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– Our hearts are filled with wonder as we contemplate your works, O Lord.
CANTICLE OF MARY
Ant. You are Christ, the Son of the living God. Blessed are you, Simon, son of John.
Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children 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. You are Christ, the Son of the living God. Blessed are you, Simon, son of John.
INTERCESSIONS
We give glory to the one God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — and in our weakness we pray:
– Lord, be with your people.
Holy Lord, Father all-powerful, let justice spring up on the earth,
then your people will dwell in the beauty of peace.
– Lord, be with your people.
Let every nation come into your kingdom,
so that all peoples will be saved.
– Lord, be with your people.
Let married couples live in your peace,
and grow in mutual love.
– Lord, be with your people.
Reward all who have done good to us, Lord,
and grant them eternal life.
– Lord, be with your people.
Look with compassion on victims of hatred and war,
grant them heavenly peace.
– Lord, be with your people.
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
Father,
help us to seek the values
that will bring us lasting joy in this changing world.
In our desire for what you promise
make us one in mind and heart.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
DISMISSAL
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.
Aug 20, Night Prayer for Saturday of the 20th week of Ordinary Time
Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours:
Vol I, page 1169
Vol II, Page 1619
Vol III, Page 1264
Vol IV, Page 1233
Christian Prayer:
Page 1034
Night Prayer after Evening Prayer I
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.
Examination of conscience:
We are called to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men, in our hearts and in our minds, in our actions and inactions. To do so, it is vital that we examine our conscience daily and to ask for God’s mercy as we fall short and to ask for His strength to do better.
Lord, Jesus you healed the sick:
Lord, have mercy
– Lord have mercy
Lord Jesus, you forgave sinners:
Christ, have mercy.
– Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you give us yourself to heal us and bring us strength:
Lord, have mercy
– Lord have mercy
HYMN
O Christ, Who art the Light and Day,
Thou drivest darksome night away!
We know Thee as the Light of light
Illuminating mortal sight.
All holy Lord, we pray to Thee,
Keep us tonight from danger free;
Grant us, dear Lord, in Thee to rest,
So be our sleep in quiet blest.
Let not the tempter round us creep
With thoughts of evil while we sleep,
Nor with his wiles the flesh allure
And make us in Thy sight impure.
And while the eyes soft slumber take,
Still be the heart to Thee awake,
Be Thy right hand upheld above
Thy servants resting in Thy love.
Yea, our defender, be Thou nigh,
To bid the powers of darkness fly;
Keep us from sin, and guide for good
Thy servants purchased by Thy blood.
Remember us, dear Lord, we pray,
While in this mortal flesh we stay:
’Tis Thou who dost the soul defend -
Be present with us to the end.
All praise to God the Father be.
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee
Whom with the Spirit we adore
Forever and forevermore.
Amen.
Words: Latin, before 800.; Translated by: William J. Copeland and others, 1906; Alfreton, Saint Bartholomew, Christe qui lux
O Christ Who Art The Light And Day by Cambridge Singers is available from Amazon.com.
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Have mercy, Lord, and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4
Thanksgiving
The resurrection of Christ was God’s supreme and wholly marvelous work (Saint Augustine).
When I call, answer me, O God of justice;
from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me!
O men, how long will your hearts be closed,
will you love what is futile and seek what is false?
It is the Lord who grants favors to those whom he loves;
the Lord hears me whenever I call him.
Fear him; do not sin: ponder on your bed and be still
Make justice your sacrifice, and trust in the Lord.
“What can bring us happiness?” many say.
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord.
You have put into my heart a greater joy
than they have from abundance of corn and new wine.
I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once
for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
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. Have mercy, Lord, and hear my prayer.
Ant. 2 In the silent hours of night, bless the Lord.
Psalm 134
Evening prayer in the temple
Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great (Revelation 19:5).
O come, bless the Lord,
all you who serve the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord through the night.
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made both heaven and 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.
Ant. In the silent hours of night, bless the Lord.
READING Deuteronomy 6:4-7
Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
RESPONSORY
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
– I commend my spirit.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Gospel Canticle
Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.
Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel
Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people 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. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.
Concluding Prayer
Lord,
be with us throughout this night.
When day comes may we rise from sleep
to rejoice in the resurrection of your Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
– Amen.
Blessing
May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death.
– Amen.
Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
For: Saturday, August 20, 2011
20th Week in ordinary time
Memorial: St Bernard, Abbot and Doctor
From: Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
Ruth is well received by Boaz
[8] Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in
another field or leave this one, but keep close to my maidens. [9] Let your eyes
be upon the field which they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged
the young men not to molest you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels
and drink what the young men have drawn.” [10] Then she fell on her face, bow-
ing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favour in your eyes, that
you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” [11] But Boaz answered
her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your hus-
band has been fully told me, and how you left your father and mother and your
native land and came to a people that you did not know before.
Marriage of Boaz and Ruth
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
2:1-17. The Lord richly rewards Ruth. These pages speak of the providence of
God who, very discreetly, as if everything happened naturally, was disposing
events to ensure that Naomi and Ruth would have everything they needed. “The
witness of Scripture is unanimous that the solicitude of divine providence is con-
crete and immediate; God cares for all, from the least things to the great events
of the world and its history. The sacred books powerfully affirm God’s absolute
sovereignty over the course of events: ‘Our God is in the heavens; he does what-
ever he pleases’ (Ps 115:3). And so it is with Christ, ‘who opens and no one
shall shut, who shuts and no one opens’ (Rev 3:7). As the book of Proverbs
states: ‘Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the
Lord that will be established’ (Prov 19:21)” (Catechism of the Catholic Church,
303).
The Law laid down that once a field was reaped, it should not be gone back over
to gather grain that had fallen or been missed by the reapers; this would allow
needy people to pick up any grains that still lay on the ground (cf. Lev 19:9-10
and Deut 24:19). Ruth avails herself of this humanitarian stipulation and follows
the reapers in search of food; this takes her into Boaz’ field. When visiting his
men, Boaz notices Ruth and is kind to her when he hears who she is.
This kindness is a sign of the protection given her by “the Lord, the God of Israel
under whose wing you have come to take refuge” (2:12), as Boaz will tell her. The
idea of having recourse to the Lord in order to shelter under his wings occurs of-
ten in the Bible (cf. Deut 32:10-11; Ps 17:8; 36:8; 61:5; 63:8; and 91: 4); it is a
very poetic way of describing the tenderness with which God takes care of those
who have recourse to him. Our Lord Jesus Christ uses the image to show how
much he loves the Holy City, and yet his love is not returned: “How often would I
have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
and you would not!” (Mt 23:37).
4:13-22. Ruth has benefitted from the redemption performed by Boaz has become
a member of the people of God. God blessed their union with a son, Obed, who
in time would be the grandfather of David the king. And so it happened that this
Moabite woman who left her family and country out of faithfulness to the God of
her first husband, was generously rewarded by that God: he made her one of the
great women who played leading roles in salvation history (cf. 4:11-12). Ruth be-
came a forebear of David (vv. 18-22; cf. 1 Chron 2:5-15).
In St. Matthew’s Gospel the name of Ruth appears as a direct forebear of Jesus
Christ (Mt 1:5). “It is only right that St Matthew should record in his Gospel that
the Lord, who came to call Gentiles to form part of the Church, became man in
a lineage which included foreigners” (St Ambrose, Expositio Evangelium secun-
dum Lucam, 3, 33).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
| Matthew | |||
| English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
| Matthew 23 |
|||
| 1. | THEN Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, | Tunc Jesus locutus est ad turbas, et ad discipulos suos, | τοτε ο ιησους ελαλησεν τοις οχλοις και τοις μαθηταις αυτου |
| 2. | Saying: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. | dicens : Super cathedram Moysi sederunt scribæ et pharisæi. | λεγων επι της μωσεως καθεδρας εκαθισαν οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι |
| 3. | All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not; for they say, and do not. | Omnia ergo quæcumque dixerint vobis, servate, et facite : secundum opera vero eorum nolite facere : dicunt enim, et non faciunt. | παντα ουν οσα εαν ειπωσιν υμιν τηρειν τηρειτε και ποιειτε κατα δε τα εργα αυτων μη ποιειτε λεγουσιν γαρ και ου ποιουσιν |
| 4. | For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them. | Alligant enim onera gravia, et importabilia, et imponunt in humeros hominum : digito autem suo nolunt ea movere. | δεσμευουσιν γαρ φορτια βαρεα και δυσβαστακτα και επιτιθεασιν επι τους ωμους των ανθρωπων τω δε δακτυλω αυτων ου θελουσιν κινησαι αυτα |
| 5. | And all their works they do for to be seen of men. For they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge their fringes. | Omnia vero opera sua faciunt ut videantur ab hominibus : dilatant enim phylacteria sua, et magnificant fimbrias. | παντα δε τα εργα αυτων ποιουσιν προς το θεαθηναι τοις ανθρωποις πλατυνουσιν δε τα φυλακτηρια αυτων και μεγαλυνουσιν τα κρασπεδα των ιματιων αυτων |
| 6. | And they love the first places at feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues, | Amant autem primos recubitus in cœnis, et primas cathedras in synagogis, | φιλουσιν τε την πρωτοκλισιαν εν τοις δειπνοις και τας πρωτοκαθεδριας εν ταις συναγωγαις |
| 7. | And salutations in the market place, and to be called by men, Rabbi. | et salutationes in foro, et vocari ab hominibus Rabbi. | και τους ασπασμους εν ταις αγοραις και καλεισθαι υπο των ανθρωπων ραββι ραββι |
| 8. | But be not you called Rabbi. For one is your master; and all you are brethren. | Vos autem nolite vocari Rabbi : unus est enim magister vester, omnes autem vos fratres estis. | υμεις δε μη κληθητε ραββι εις γαρ εστιν υμων ο καθηγητης ο χριστος παντες δε υμεις αδελφοι εστε |
| 9. | And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven. | Et patrem nolite vocare vobis super terram : unus est enim pater vester qui in cælis est. | και πατερα μη καλεσητε υμων επι της γης εις γαρ εστιν ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις ουρανοις |
| 10. | Neither be ye called masters; for one is you master, Christ. | Nec vocemini magistri : quia magister vester unus est, Christus. | μηδε κληθητε καθηγηται εις γαρ υμων εστιν ο καθηγητης ο χριστος |
| 11. | He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. | Qui major est vestrum, erit minister vester. | ο δε μειζων υμων εσται υμων διακονος |
| 12. | And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. | Qui autem se exaltaverit, humiliabitur : et qui se humiliaverit, exaltabitur. | οστις δε υψωσει εαυτον ταπεινωθησεται και οστις ταπεινωσει εαυτον υψωθησεται |