TODAY’S OFFICE OF READINGS 26 November 2014 Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time 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. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 24 The Lord’s entry into his temple Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Irenaeus). The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, * the world and all its peoples. It is he who set it on the seas; * on the waters he made it firm. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? * Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, † who desires not worthless things, * who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. He shall receive blessings from the Lord * and reward from the God who saves him. Such are the men who seek him, * seek the face of the God of Jacob. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. O gates, lift high your heads; † grow higher, ancient doors. * Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. Who is the king of glory? † The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, * the Lord, the valiant in war. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. O gates, lift high your heads; † grow higher, ancient doors. * Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. Who is he, the king of glory? † He, the Lord of armies, * he is the king of glory. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen. Ant. Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. (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 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation: O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation. All ye who hear, Now to his altar draw near, Joining in glad adoration. Praise to the Lord who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend thee. Ponder anew What the Almighty can do, Who with his love doth befriend thee. Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him! All that has life and breath come now in praises before him! Let the Amen Sound from his people again: Now as we worship before him. PSALMODY Ant. 1 We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies. Psalm 39 Urgent prayer of a sick person Creation is made subject to futility . . . by him who subjected it, but it is not without hope (Romans 8:20). I I said: “I will be watchful of my ways * for fear I should sin with my tongue. I will put a curb on my lips * when the wicked man stands before me.” I was dumb, silent and still. * His prosperity stirred my grief. My heart was burning within me. * At the thought of it, the fire blazed up and my tongue burst into speech: * “O Lord, you have shown me my end, how short is the length of my days. * Now I know how fleeting is my life. You have given me a short span of days; * my life is as nothing in your sight. A mere breath, the man who stood so firm, * a mere shadow, the man passing by, a mere breath the riches he hoards, * not knowing who will have them.” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen. Ant. We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies. Ant. 2 Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain. II And now, Lord, what is there to wait for? * In you rests all my hope. Set me free from all my sins, * do not make me the taunt of the fool. I was silent, not opening my lips, * because this was all your doing. Take away your scourge from me. * I am crushed by the blows of your hand. You punish man’s sins and correct him; * like the moth you devour all he treasures. Mortal man is no more than a breath; * O Lord, hear my prayer. O Lord, turn your ear to my cry. * Do not be deaf to my tears. In your house I am a passing guest, * a pilgrim, like all my fathers. Look away that I may breathe again * before I depart to be no more. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm Prayer Through your Son you taught us, Father, not to be fearful of tomorrow but to commit our lives to your care. Do not withhold your Spirit from us but help us find a life of peace after these days of trouble. Ant. Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain. Ant. 3 I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy. Psalm 52 Against a calumniator If anyone would boast, let him boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). Why do you boast of your wickedness, * you champion of evil, planning ruin all day long, † your tongue like a sharpened razor, * you master of deceit? You love evil more than good; * lies more than truth. You love the destructive word, * you tongue of deceit. For this God will destroy you * and remove you for ever. He will snatch you from your tent and uproot you * from the land of the living. The just shall see and fear. * They shall laugh and say: “So this is the man who refused * to take God as a stronghold, but trusted in the greatness of his wealth * and grew powerful by his crimes.” But I am like a growing olive tree * in the house of God. I trust in the goodness of God * for ever and ever. I will thank you for evermore; * for this is your doing. I will proclaim that your name is good, * in the presence of your friends. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be for ever. Amen. Psalm Prayer Father, you cut down the unfruitful branch for burning and prune the fertile to make it bear more fruit. Make us grow like laden olive trees in your domain, firmly rooted in the power and mercy of your Son, so that you may gather from us fruit worthy of eternal life. Ant. I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy. I put my trust in the word of the Lord. – All my hope is in him. READINGS : FIRST READING From the second letter of the apostle Peter 2:1-9 False teachers In times past there were false prophets among God’s people, and among you also there will be false teachers who will smuggle in pernicious heresies. They will go so far as to deny the Master who acquired them for his own, thereby bringing on themselves swift disaster. Their lustful ways will lure many away. Through them, the true way will be made subject to contempt. They will deceive you with fabricated tales, in a spirit of greed. Their condemnation has not lain idle all this time, however; their destruction is not asleep. Did God spare even the angels who sinned? He did not! He held them captive in Tartarus—consigned them to pits of darkness, to be guarded until judgment. Nor did he spare the ancient world—even though he preserved Noah as a preacher of holiness, with seven others, when he brought down the flood on that godless earth. He blanketed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in ashes and condemned them to destruction, thereby showing what would happen in the future to the godless. He did deliver Lot, however, a just man oppressed by the conduct of men unprincipled in their lusts. (Day after day that just one, good as he was, felt himself tormented by seeing and hearing about the lawless deeds of those among whom he lived.) The Lord, indeed, knows how to rescue devout men from trial, and how to continue the punishment of the wicked up to the day of judgment. RESPONSORY Matthew 7:15; 24:11, 24 Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing – while underneath they are ravenous wolves. Many false prophets shall rise up; they will work great wonders and deceive many. – While underneath they are ravenous wolves. SECOND READING From a homily attributed to Saint Macarius, bishop (Hom. 28: PG 34, 710-711) Woe to the soul that does not have Christ dwelling in it When God was displeased with the Jews, he delivered Jerusalem to the enemy, and they were conquered by those who hated them; there were no more sacrifices or feasts. Likewise angered at a soul who had broken his commands, God handed it over to its enemies, who corrupted and totally dishonored it. When a house has no master living in it, it becomes dark, vile and contemptible, choked with filth and disgusting refuse. So too is a soul which has lost its master, who once rejoiced there with his angels. This soul is darkened with sin, its desires are degraded, and it knows nothing but shame. Woe to the path that is not walked on, or along which the voices of men are not heard, for then it becomes the haunt of wild animals. Woe to the soul if the Lord does not walk within it to banish with his voice the spiritual beasts of sin. Woe to the house where no master dwells, to the field where no farmer works, to the pilotless ship, storm-tossed and sinking. Woe to the soul without Christ as its true pilot; drifting in the darkness, buffeted by the waves of passion, storm-tossed at the mercy of evil spirits, its end is destruction. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ to cultivate it with care to produce the good fruit of the Holy Spirit. Left to itself, it is choked with thorns and thistles; instead of fruit it produces only what is fit for burning. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ dwelling in it; deserted and foul with the filth of the passions, it becomes a haven for all the vices. When a farmer prepares to till the soil he must put on clothing and use tools that are suitable. So Christ, our heavenly king, came to till the soil of mankind devastated by sin. He assumed a body and, using the cross as his ploughshare, cultivated the barren soul of man. He removed the thorns and thistles which are the evil spirits and pulled up the weeds of sin. Into the fire he cast the straw of wickedness. And when he had ploughed the soul with the wood of the cross, he planted in it a most lovely garden of the Spirit, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most pleasant fruit of every kind. RESPONSORY John 15:1, 5, 9 I am the true vine and you are the branches. – Whoever lives in me and I in him brings forth much fruit. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. – Whoever lives in me and I in him brings forth much fruit. CONCLUDING PRAYER Let us pray. Lord, increase our eagerness to do your will and help us to know the saving power of your love. 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: Stir up the will of your faithful, we pray, O Lord, that, striving more eagerly to bring your divine work to fruitful completion, they may receive in greater measure the healing remedies your kindness bestows. 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: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 11:51:47 +0000
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