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: Let your holy people rejoice, O Lord, as they enter your dwelling place.

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...

                   II
The Lord swore an oath to David;
he will not go back on this word:
"A son, the fruit of your body,
will I set upon your throne.

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 The Lord has chosen Zion as his sanctuary.


Antiphon 3 The Father has given Christ all honor, power and kingship; all people will obey him.

Canticle  -  Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a
The judgment of God

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 The Father has given Christ all honor, power and kingship; all people will obey him.


READING           James 4:7-8,10
Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.


RESPONSORY
To you, O Lord, I make my prayer for mercy;  
- To you, O Lord, I make my prayer for mercy;
heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
- I make my prayer for mercy;
Glory to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
- To you, O Lord, I make my prayer for mercy.  


MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: A woman in the crowd called out: How happy your mother must be, she bore you and fed you at her breast. But Jesus answered: Happier still those who hear the word of God and live by it.


INTERCESSIONS
Christ our Lord came among us as the light of the world, that we might walk in his light, and not in the darkness of death.  Let us praise him and cry out to him:

                        Let your word be a lamp to guide us.

God of mercy, help us today to grow in your likeness,
 - that we who sinned in Adam may rise again in Christ.

Let your word be a lamp to guide us,
 - that we may live the truth and grow always in your love.

Teach us to be faithful in seeking the common good for your sake,
 - that your light may shine on the whole human family by means of your Church.

Touch our hearts to seek your friendship more and more,
 - and to make amends for our sins against your wisdom and goodness.


Our Father...


COLLECT
We implore your majesty most humbly, O Lord,
that, as the feast of our salvation draws ever closer,
so we may press forward all the more eagerly
towards the worthy celebration of the Paschal Mystery.
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.