TODAY’S OFFICE OF READINGS 31 August 2014 Twenty-Second Sunday 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. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. 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. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. 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. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. 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. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. O gates, lift high your heads; † grow higher, ancient doors. * Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. Who is the king of glory? † The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, * the Lord, the valiant in war. Ant. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. O gates, lift high your heads; † grow higher, ancient doors. * Let him enter, the king of glory! Ant. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. Who is he, the king of glory? † He, the Lord of armies, * he is the king of glory. Ant. Come, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. 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, worship the Lord, for we are his people, the flock he shepherds, alleluia. ( 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 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee: Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three Persons, blessed Trinity. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee, Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see; Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, Which were, and are, and ever more shall be. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea; Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three Persons, blessed Trinity. PSALMODY Ant. 1 Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia. Psalm 104 Hymn to God the Creator To be in Christ means being a completely new creature. Everything of the old is gone, now everything is made anew (2 Corinthians 5:17). I Bless the Lord, my soul! * Lord God, how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, * wrapped in light as in a robe! You stretch out the heavens like a tent. * Above the rains you build your dwelling. You make the clouds your chariot, * you walk on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers * and flashing fire your servants. You founded the earth on its base, * to stand firm from age to age. You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak: * the waters stood higher than the mountains. At your threat they took to flight; * at the voice of your thunder they fled. They rose over the mountains and flowed down * to the place which you had appointed. You set limits they might not pass * lest they return to cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys: * they flow in between the hills. They give drink to all the beasts of the field; * the wild asses quench their thirst. On their banks dwell the birds of heaven; * from the branches they sing their song. 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, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia. Ant. 2 The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia. II From your dwelling you water the hills; * earth drinks its fill of your gift. You make the grass grow for the cattle * and the plants to serve man’s needs, that he may bring forth bread from the earth * and wine to cheer man’s heart; oil, to make his face shine * and bread to strengthen man’s heart. The trees of the Lord drink their fill, * the cedars he planted on Lebanon; there the birds build their nests; * on the tree-top the stork has her home. The goats find a home on the mountains * and rabbits hide in the rocks. You made the moon to mark the months; * the sun knows the time for its setting. When you spread the darkness it is night * and all the beasts of the forest creep forth. The young lions roar for their prey * and ask their food from God. At the rising of the sun they steal away * and go to rest in their dens. Man goes forth to his work, * to labor till evening falls. 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 brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia. Ant. 3 The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia. III How many are your works, O Lord! † In wisdom you have made them all. * The earth is full of your riches. There is the sea, vast and wide, † with its moving swarms past counting, * living things great and small. The ships are moving there * and the monsters you made to play with. All of these look to you * to give them their food in due season. You give it, they gather it up: * you open your hand, they have their fill. You hide your face, they are dismayed; † you take back your spirit, they die, * returning to the dust from which they came. You send forth your spirit, they are created; * and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord last for ever! * May the Lord rejoice in his works! He looks on the earth and it trembles; * the mountains send forth smoke at his touch. I will sing to the Lord all my life, * make music to my God while I live. May my thoughts be pleasing to him. * I find my joy in the Lord. Let sinners vanish from the earth * and the wicked exist no more. Bless the Lord, my soul. 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, as you made springs in valleys to form streams between mountains, so you made living streams of grace flow from the apostles that their teaching may bring salvation to all the nations. May we have a practical knowledge of their doctrine, be obedient to their commands, obtain remission of sins through their prayers, and finally receive the reward of eternal happiness. Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia. Blessed are your eyes, for they see God’s works. – And your ears, for they hear his word. READINGS FIRST READING From the book of the prophet Jeremiah 11:18-20,12:1-13 A prophet speaks from the heart I knew it because the Lord informed me; at that time you, O Lord, showed me their doings. You would be in the right, O Lord, if I should dispute with you; even so, I must discuss the case with you. Why does the way of the godless prosper, why live all the treacherous in contentment? You planted them; they have taken root, they keep on growing and bearing fruit. You are upon their lips, but far from their inmost thoughts. You, O Lord, know me, you see me, you have found that at heart I am with you. Pick them out like sheep for the slaughter, set them apart for the day of carnage. How long must the earth mourn, the green of the whole countryside wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it beasts and birds disappear, because they say, “God does not see our ways.” If running against men has wearied you, how will you race against horses? And if in a land of peace you fall headlong, what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan? For even your own brothers, the members of your father’s house, betray you; they have recruited a force against you. Do not believe them, even if they are friendly to you in their words. Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter, had not realized that they were hatching plots against me: “Let us destroy the tree in its vigor; let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will be spoken no more.” But, you, O Lord of hosts, O just Judge, searcher of mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause! I abandon my house, cast off my heritage; The beloved of my soul I deliver into the hand of her foes. My heritage has turned on me like a lion in the jungle; Because she has roared against me, I treat her as an enemy. My heritage is a prey for hyenas, is surrounded by vultures; Come, gather together, all you beasts of the field, come and eat! Many shepherds have ravaged my vineyard, have trodden my heritage underfoot; The portion that delighted me they have turned into a desert waste. They have made it a mournful waste, desolate it lies before me, Desolate, all the land, because no one takes it to heart. Upon every desert height brigands have come up. The Lord has a sword which consumes the land, from end to end: no peace for all mankind. They have sown wheat and reaped thorns, they have tired themselves out to no purpose; They recoil before their harvest, the flaming anger of the Lord. RESPONSORY John 12:27-28; Psalm 42:6 Now my soul is troubled yet what am I to say: “Father, save me from this hour”? But it was for this very reason that I came to this hour. – Father, glorify your name. Why, O my soul, are you sad, and why do you sigh within me? – Father, glorify your name. SECOND READING From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop (Sermo 23A, 1-4: CCL 41, 41, 321-323) The Lord has had pity on us Happy are we if we do the deeds of which we have heard and sung. Our hearing of them means having them planted in us, while our doing them shows that the seed has borne fruit. By saying this, I wish to caution you, dearly beloved, not to enter the Church fruitlessly, satisfied with mere hearing of such mighty blessings and failing to do good works. For we have been saved by his grace, says the Apostle, and not by our works, lest anyone may boast; for it is by his grace that we have been saved. It is not as if a good life of some sort came first, and that thereupon God showed his love and esteem for it from on high, saying: “Let us come to the aid of these men and assist them quickly because they are living a good life.” No, our life was displeasing to him. He will, therefore, condemn what we have done but he will save what he himself has done in us. We were not good, but God had pity on us and sent his Son to die, not for good men but for bad ones, not for the just but for the wicked. Yes, Christ died for the ungodly. Notice what is written next: One will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. Perhaps someone can be found who will dare to die for a good man; but for the unjust man, for the wicked one, the sinner, who would be willing to die except Christ alone who is so just that he justifies even the unjust? And so, my brothers, we had no good works, for all our works were evil. Yet although men’s actions were such, God in his mercy did not abandon men. He sent his Son to redeem us, not with gold or silver but at the price of his blood poured out for us. Christ, the spotless lamb, became the sacrificial victim, led to the slaughter for the sheep that were blemished—if indeed one can say that they were blemished and not entirely corrupt. Such is the grace we have received! Let us live so as to be worthy of that great grace, and not do injury to it. So mighty is the physician who has come to us that he has healed all our sins! If we choose to be sick once again, we will not only harm ourselves, but show ingratitude to the physician as well. Let us then follow Christ’s paths which he has revealed to us, above all the path of humility, which he himself became for us. He showed us that path by his precepts, and he himself followed it by his suffering on our behalf. In order to die for us—because as God he could not die—the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The immortal One took on mortality that he might die for us, and by dying put to death our death. This is what the Lord did, this the gift he granted to us. The mighty one was brought low, the lowly one was slain, and after he was slain, he rose again and was exalted. For he did not intend to leave us dead in hell, but to exalt in himself at the resurrection of the dead those whom he had already exalted and made just by the faith and praise they gave him. Yes, he gave us the path of humility. If we keep to it we shall confess our belief in the Lord and have good reason to sing: We shall praise you, God, we shall praise you and call upon your name. RESPONSORY Psalm 86:12-13; 118:28 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, – for great is your mercy towards me. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; my God, I give praise to you. – For great is your mercy towards me. If the Optional Vigil is not celebrated, the Office continues with the Te Deum. TE DEUM You are God: we praise you; You are the Lord: we acclaim you; You are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you: Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come, and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. V. Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance. R. Govern and uphold them now and always. V. Day by day we bless you. R. We praise your name for ever. V. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin. R. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. V. Lord, show us your love and mercy; R. for we put our trust in you. V. In you, Lord, is our hope: R. and we shall never hope in vain. The concluding part of the hymn may be omitted. CONCLUDING PRAYER Let us pray. Almighty Father, every good thing comes from you. Fill our hearts with love for you, increase our faith, and by your constant care protect the good you have given us. 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. Or: God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. 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: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 09:55:54 +0000
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