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:


O Father, whose creating hand
Brings harvest from the fruitful land.
Your providence we gladly own.
And bring our hymns before your throne
To praise you for the living bread
On which our lives are daily fed.

O Lord, who in the desert fed
The hungry thousands in their need,
Where want and famine still abound
Let your relieving love be found,
And in your name we may supply
Your hungry children when they cry.

O Spirit, your revealing light
Has led our questing souls aright;
Source of our science, you have taught
The marvels human minds have wrought,
So that the barren deserts yield
The bounty by your love revealed.

Text: Donald Hughes


PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: With his right hand God has raised him up as king and savior, alleluia.

When evildoers draw near to devour my flesh,
it is they, my enemies and foes, who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me
my heart would not fear.
Though war break out against me
even then would I trust.

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life,
to savor the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.

For there he keeps me safe in his tent
in the day of evil.
He hides me in the shelter of his tent,
on a rock he sets me safe.

And now my head shall be raised above my foes who surround me,
and I shall offer within his tent a sacrifice of joy.
I will sing and make music for the Lord. Glory...

Antiphon 1 With his right hand God has raised him up as king and savior, alleluia.


Antiphon 2 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, alleluia.

                  II
O Lord, hear my voice when I call;
have mercy and answer.
Of you my heart has spoken:
"Seek his face."

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not your face.
Dismiss not your servant in anger;
you have been my help.

Do not abandon or forsake me, O God my help!
Though father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
When they lie in ambush,
protect me from my enemy's greed.
False witnesses rise against me,
breathing out fury.

I am sure I shall see the Lord's goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord! Glory...

Psalm Prayer: Father, you protect and strengthen those who hope in you; you heard the cry of your Son and kept him safe in your tent in the day of evil. Grant that your servants who seek your face in time of trouble may see your goodness in the land of the living.

Antiphon 2 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, alleluia.


Antiphon 3 From him, through him, and in him all things exist; glory to him for ever, alleluia.

He rescued us
from the power of darkness
and brought us
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption,
the forgiveness of our sins.

He is the image of the invisible God,
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created,
things visible and invisible.

All were created through him;
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is.
In him everything continues in being.

It is he who is head of the body, the church;
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead,
so that primacy may be his in everything.

It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens,
making peace through the blood of his cross. Glory...

Antiphon 3 From him, through him, and in him all things exist; glory to him for ever, alleluia.


READING           Hebrews 7:24-27
Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.


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: If you live in me and my words live in you, all you ask for will be yours, alleluia.


INTERCESSIONS
Christ rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Let us pray to him, saying:

                    Lord Jesus, you live for ever: hear our prayer.

Lord, remember all who minister in your service:
  -  may their holy lives be an example to your people.

Give to those who govern us the spirit of justice and peace,
  -  so that the human family may live in harmony.

Guide our days in the way of salvation,
  -  and fill the earth with your plenty for the sake of the needy.

Christ our Saviour, light of the world, you have called creation from death to life,
  -  may your light shine for ever on our departed brothers and sisters.


Our Father...


COLLECT
O God, restorer and lover of innocence,
direct the hearts of your servants towards yourself,
that those you have set free from the darkness of unbelief
may never stray from the light 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.


The English translation of Psalm Responses, Alleluia Verses, Gospel Verses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); the English translation of Antiphons, Invitatories, Responsories, Intercessions, Psalm 95, the Canticle of the Lamb, Psalm Prayers, Non-Biblical Readings from The Liturgy of the Hours © 1973, 1974, 1975, ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL. All rights reserved. Used with permission.