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.


HYMN

Lenten Hymns:
Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days
This Is Our Accepted Time
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
Attende Domine
Audi, Benigne Conditor
Iesu, Quadragenariae

PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: The Lord says: Turn away from sin and open your hearts to the Gospel.

Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for evermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
praised be the name of the Lord!

High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and earth?

From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from the dungheap he raises the poor
to set them in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home
and gladdens her heart with children. Glory...

Antiphon 1 The Lord says: Turn away from sin and open your hearts to the Gospel.


Antiphon 2 I will offer a sacrifice of praise and call upon the name of the Lord.

I trusted, even when I said:
I am sorely afflicted,
and when I said in my alarm:
No man can be trusted.

How can I repay the Lord
for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the Lord's name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfill
before all his people.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.

Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord's name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfill
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem. Glory...

Antiphon 2 I will offer a sacrifice of praise and call upon the name of the Lord.


Antiphon 3 No one takes my life away from me; I lay it down freely and I shall take it up again.

Canticle  -  Philippians 2:6-11
Christ, God's holy servant

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.

Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.

He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!

Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,  

So that at Jesus' name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:  
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!  


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.

Antiphon 3 No one takes my life away from me; I lay it down freely and I shall take it up again.


READING     2 Corinthians 6:1-4a
We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: "In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order that no fault may be found with our ministry;on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God.


RESPONSORY
Listen to us, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you.
 - Listen to us, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you.
Christ Jesus, hear our humble petitions.
 - for we have sinned against you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
 - Listen to us, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you.


MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: Now that we have been justified by faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.


INTERCESSIONS
Let us give glory to Christ the Lord, who became our teacher and example and our brother. Let us pray to him, saying:

                  Lord, fill your people with your life.

Lord Jesus, you became like us in all things but sin; teach us how to share with others their joy and sorrow,
 - that our love may grow deeper every day.

Help us to feed you in feeding the hungry,
 - and to give you drink in giving drink to the thirsty.

You raised Lazarus from the sleep of death,
 - grant that those who have died the death of sin may rise again through faith and repentance.

Inspire many to follow you with greater zeal and perfection,
 - through the example of the blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.

Let the dead rise in your glory,
 - to enjoy your love for ever.


Our Father...


COLLECT
O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness,
who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving
have shown us a remedy for sin,
look graciously on this confession of our lowliness,
that we, who are bowed down by our conscience,
may always be lifted up by your mercy.
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.