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

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
We Who Once Were Dead
Christ Jesus Lay In Death's Strong Bands
Ad Cenam Agni Providi

Or:


For the fruits of his creation,
Thanks be to God;
For the gifts of every
nation,
Thanks be to God;
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while men are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping,
Thanks be to God.

In the just reward of labor,
God’s will be done;
In the help we give our neighbor,
God’s will is done;
In our world-wise task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests men are sharing,
God’s will is done.

For the harvests of his spirit,
Thanks be to God;
For the good all men inherit,
Thanks be to God;
For the wonders that astound us,
For the truths that still confound us,
Most of all, that love has found us,
Thanks be to God.

Text: F. Pratt Green

PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: The Lord God has given him the throne of David his father, alleluia.

Psalm 132
God's promises to the house of David
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. (Luke 1:32)

                I
O Lord, remember David
and all the many hardships he endured,
the oath he swore to the Lord,
his vow to the Strong One of Jacob.

"I will not enter the house where I live
nor go to the bed where I rest.
I will give no sleep to my eyes,
to my eyelids I will give no slumber
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob."

At Ephrata we heard of the ark;
we found it in the plains of Yearim.
"Let us go to the place of his dwelling;
let us go to kneel at his footstool."

Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest,
you and the ark of your strength.
Your priests shall be clothed with holiness;
your faithful shall ring out their joy.
For the sake of David your servant
do not reject your anointed. Glory...

Antiphon 2 Jesus Christ is supreme is his power. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, alleluia.

If they keep my covenant in truth
and my laws that I have taught them,
their sons too shall rule
on your throne from age to age."

For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling:
"This is my resting-place for ever;
here have I chosen to live.

I will greatly bless her produce,
I will fill her poor with bread.
I will clothe her priests with salvation
and her faithful shall ring out their joy.

There David's stock will flower;
I will prepare a lamp for my anointed.
I will cover his enemies with shame
but on him my crown shall shine." Glory...

Antiphon 2 Jesus Christ is supreme is his power. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, alleluia.

Antiphon 3 Lord, who is your equal in power? Who is like you, majestic in holiness? alleluia.

We praise you, the Lord God Almighty,
Who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power,
You have begun your reign.

The nations have raged in anger,
But then came your day of wrath
And the moment to judge the dead:
The time to reward your servants the prophets
And the holy ones who revere you,
The great and the small alike.

Now have salvation and power come,
The reign of our God and the authority
Of his Anointed One,
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
Who night and day accused them before God.

They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
And by the word of their testimony;
Love for life did not deter them from death.
So rejoice, you heavens,
And you that dwell therein! Glory...

Antiphon 3 Lord, who is your equal in power? Who is like you, majestic in holiness? alleluia.


READING           1 Peter 3:18-22
Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.


RESPONSORY
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
 - The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
When they saw the risen Lord,
 - alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
 - The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.


MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: I am the living bread come down from heaven; anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world, alleluia.


INTERCESSIONS
Christ rose from the dead as the first fruits of those who sleep. In our joy let us praise him, and say:

      Firstborn from the dead, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, remember your holy Church, built on the apostles and reaching to the ends of the earth,
 - and let your blessing rest on all who believe in you.

You are the healer of soul and body,
 - come to our aid, and save us in your love.

Raise up the sick and give them strength,
 - free them from their infirmities.

Help those in distress of mind or body,
 - and in your compassion lift up those in need.

Through your cross and resurrection you opened for all the way to immortality,
 - grant to our deceased brothers and sisters the joys of your kingdom.


Our Father...


COLLECT
Almighty ever-living God,
let us feel your compassion more readily
during these days when, by your gift,
we have known it more fully,
so that those you have freed from the darkness of error
may cling more firmly to the teachings of your truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.


May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.