TODAY’S OFFICE OF READINGS 13 December 2014 Saturday of the Second Week of Advent 13 December 2014 Saturday of the Second Week of Advent St.Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial) Lord, + open my lips. – And my mouth will proclaim your praise. INVITATORY (The Invitatory is said when this is the first ‘hour’ of the day.) Ant. The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship. Or: Come, let us worship the Lamb with the virgins who followed him. Or: Come, let us worship Christ, the King of martyrs. Psalm 100 The joyful song of those entering God’s temple The Lord calls his ransomed people to sing songs of victory (Saint Athanasius). Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. † Serve the Lord with gladness. * Come before him, singing for joy. Ant. The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship. Or: Come, let us worship the Lamb with the virgins who followed him. Or: Come, let us worship Christ, the King of martyrs. Know that he, the Lord, is God. † He made us, we belong to him, * we are his people, the sheep of his flock. Ant. The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship. Or: Come, let us worship the Lamb with the virgins who followed him. Or: Come, let us worship Christ, the King of martyrs. Go within his gates, giving thanks. † Enter his courts with songs of praise. * Give thanks to him and bless his name. Ant. The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship. Or: Come, let us worship the Lamb with the virgins who followed him. Or: Come, let us worship Christ, the King of martyrs. Indeed, how good is the Lord, † eternal his merciful love. * He is faithful from age to age. Ant. The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship. Or: Come, let us worship the Lamb with the virgins who followed him. Or: Come, let us worship Christ, the King of martyrs. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be for ever. Amen. Ant. The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship. Or: Come, let us worship the Lamb with the virgins who followed him. Or: Come, let us worship Christ, the King of martyrs. (If the Invitatory is not said, then the following is used: ) 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 forever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN God’s holy martyr, who disdained And overcame all pains and death, Your faithful following of Christ Has led you to the Father’s home. By your incessant prayer for us, Obtain forgiveness for our sins; Protect us from the pow’rs of ill, Relieve us in our daily cares. For you are free from ev’ry bond That bound you once to things of earth, By your own ardent love for Christ, Free us from all that drags us down. All honor to our Father, God, Who, with the Spirit and the Son, Awarded you a deathless crown, In heaven’s court of glory blest. Amen. PSALMODY Ant. 1 Remember us, O Lord; come with your saving help. Psalm 106 The goodness of the Lord; the faithlessness of his people These things have been written for a warning for us, for we are living at the end of the ages (1 Corinthians 10:11). I O give thanks to the Lord for he is good: * for his love endures forever. Who can tell the Lord’s mighty deeds? * Who can recount all his praise? They are happy who do what is right, * who at all times do what is just. O Lord, remember me * out of the love you have for your people. Come to me, Lord, with your help * that I may see the joy of your chosen ones and may rejoice in the gladness of your nation * and share the glory of your people. Our sin is the sin of our fathers; * we have done wrong, our deeds have been evil. Our fathers when they were in Egypt * paid no heed to your wonderful deeds. They forgot the greatness of your love; * at the Red Sea defied the Most High. Yet he saved them for the sake of his name, * in order to make known his power. He threatened the Red Sea; it dried up * and he led them through the deep as through the desert. He saved them from the hand of the foe; * he saved them from the grip of the enemy. The waters covered their oppressors; * not one of them was left alive. Then they believed in his words; * then they sang his praises. But they soon forgot his deeds * and would not wait upon his will. They yielded to their cravings in the desert * and put God to the test in the wilderness. He granted them the favor they asked * and sent disease among them. Then they rebelled, envious of Moses * and of Aaron, who was holy to the Lord. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan * and buried the clan of Abiram. Fire blazed up against their clan * and flames devoured the rebels. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen. Ant. Remember us, O Lord; come with your saving help. Ant. 2 Keep it carefully in mind; the Lord your God has made a covenant with you. II They fashioned a calf at Horeb * and worshiped an image of metal, exchanging the God who was their glory * for the image of a bull that eats grass. They forgot the God who was their savior, * who had done such great things in Egypt, such portents in the land of Ham, * such marvels at the Red Sea. For this he said he would destroy them, * but Moses, the man he had chosen, stood in the breach before him, * to turn back his anger from destruction. Then they scorned the land of promise: * they had no faith in his word. They complained inside their tents * and would not listen to the voice of the Lord. So he raised his hand to swear an oath * that he would lay them low in the desert; would scatter their sons among the nations * and disperse them throughout the lands. They bowed before the Baal of Peor; * ate offerings made to lifeless gods. They roused him to anger with their deeds * and a plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and intervened. * Thus the plague was ended and this was counted in his favor * from age to age for ever. They provoked him at the waters of Meribah. * Through their fault it went ill with Moses; for they made his heart grow bitter * and he uttered words that were rash. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen. Ant. Keep it carefully in mind; the Lord your God has made a covenant with you. Ant. 3 Save your people, Lord; bring us together from among the nations. III They failed to destroy the peoples * as the Lord had given command, but instead they mingled with the nations * and learned to act as they did. They worshiped the idols of the nations * and these became a snare to entrap them. They even offered their own sons * and their daughters in sacrifice to demons. They shed the blood of the innocent, * the blood of their sons and daughters whom they offered to the idols of Canaan. * The land was polluted with blood. So they defiled themselves by their deeds * and broke their marriage bond with the Lord till his anger blazed against his people: * he was filled with horror at his chosen ones. So he gave them into the hand of the nations * and their foes became their rulers. Their enemies became their oppressors; * they were subdued beneath their hand. Time after time he rescued them, † but in their malice they dared to defy him * and sank low through their guilt. In spite of this he paid heed to their distress, * so often as he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant. * In the greatness of his love he relented and he let them be treated with mercy * by all who held them captive. O Lord, our God, save us! * Bring us together from among the nations that we may thank your holy name * and make it our glory to praise you. Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, * forever, from age to age. Let all the people cry out: * “Amen! Amen!” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen. Psalm Prayer God, our Creator, how wonderfully you made man. You transformed dust into your own image and gave it a share in your own nature; yet you are more wonderful in pardoning the man who had rebelled against you. Grant that where sin has abounded, grace may more abound, so that we can become holier through forgiveness and be more grateful to you. Ant. Save your people, Lord; bring us together from among the nations. The Lord proclaims his word to Jacob. – His laws and decrees to Israel. READINGS FIRST READING From the book of the prophet Isaiah 29:1-8 God’s judgment on Jerusalem Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year, let the feasts come round. But I will bring distress upon Ariel, with mourning and grief. You shall be to me like Ariel, I will encamp like David against you; I will encircle you with outposts and set up siege works against you. Prostrate you shall speak from the earth, and from the base dust your words shall come. Your voice shall be like a ghost’s from the earth, and your words like chirping from the dust. The horde of your arrogant shall be like fine dust, the horde of the tyrants like flying chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant, you shall be visited by the Lord of hosts, With thunder, earthquake, and great noise, whirlwind, storm, and the flame of consuming fire. Then like a dream, a vision in the night, Shall be the horde of all the nations who war against Ariel with all the earthworks of her besiegers. As when a hungry man dreams he is eating and awakens with an empty stomach, Or when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking and awakens faint and dry, So shall the horde of all the nations be, who make war against Zion. RESPONSORY Isaiah 54:4; 29:5, 6, 7 Jerusalem, fear not; you shall not be put to shame; – for the Lord of hosts will come to visit you. The passing multitudes of all nations, which have struggled against you, will be like flying dust. – For the Lord of hosts will come to visit you. SECOND READING From the book On Virginity by Saint Ambrose, bishop (Cap 12, 74-75) You light up your grace of body with the radiance of your mind You are one of God’s people, of God’s family, a virgin among virgins; you light up your grace of body with your splendor of soul. More than others you can be compared to the Church. When you are in your room, then, at night, think always on Christ, and wait for his coming at every moment. This is the person Christ has loved in loving you, the person he has chosen in choosing you. He enters by the open door; he has promised to come in, and he cannot deceive. Embrace him, the one you have sought; turn to him, and be enlightened; hold him fast, ask him not to go in haste, beg him not to leave you. The Word of God moves swiftly; he is not won by the lukewarm, nor held fast by the negligent. Let your soul be attentive to his word; follow carefully the path God tells you to take, for he is swift in his passing. What does his bride say? I sought him, and did not find him; I called him, and he did not hear me. Do not imagine that you are displeasing to him although you have called him, asked him, opened the door to him, and that this is the reason why he has gone so quickly; no, for he allows us to be constantly tested. When the crowds pressed him to stay, what does he say in the Gospel? I must preach the word of God to other cities, because I have been sent for that. But even if it seems to you that he has left you, go out and seek him once more. Who but holy Church is to teach you how to hold Christ fast? Indeed, she has already taught you, if you only understood her words in Scripture: How short a time it was when I left them before I found him whom my soul has loved. I held him fast, and I will not let him go. How do we hold him fast? Not by restraining chains or knotted ropes but by bonds of love, by spiritual reins, by the longing of the soul. If you also, like the bride, wish to hold him fast, seek him and be fearless of suffering. It is often easier to find him in the midst of bodily torments, in the very hands of persecutors. His bride says: How short a time it was after I left them. In a little space, after a brief moment, when you have escaped from the hands of your persecutors without yielding to the powers of this world, Christ will come to you, and he will not allow you to be tested for long. Whoever seeks Christ in this way, and finds him, can say: I held him fast, and I will not let him go before I bring him into my mother’s house, into the room of her who conceived me. What is this “house”, this “room”, but the deep and secret places of your heart? Maintain this house, sweep out its secret recesses until it becomes immaculate and rises as a spiritual temple for a holy priesthood, firmly secured by Christ, the cornerstone, so that the Holy Spirit may dwell in it. Whoever seeks Christ in this way, whoever prays to Christ in this way, is not abandoned by him; on the contrary, Christ comes again and again to visit such a person, for he is with us until the end of the world. RESPONSORY The grace of the Lord gave her strength in the battle, and she was glorified before God and man. In the presence of the prince she spoke with wisdom, – and therefore the Lord of heaven and earth has loved her. She is the virgin who prepared a joyful home for God in her heart. – And therefore the Lord of heaven and earth has loved her. CONCLUDING PRAYER Let us pray. Lord, give us courage through the prayers of Saint Lucy. As we celebrate her entrance into eternal glory, we ask to share her happiness in the life to come. 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. Or: May the glorious intercession of the Virgin and Martyr Saint Lucy give us new heart, we pray, O Lord, so that we may celebrate her heavenly birthday in this present age and so behold things eternal. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – Amen. ACCLAMATION Let us praise the Lord. – And give him thanks.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 10:42:06 +0000
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