Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
When the wicked are judged they shall not stand,
nor find room among those who are just;
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom. Glory...
Antiphon 1
See how the cross of the Lord stands revealed as the tree of life.
Antiphon 2
Here is a king of my own choosing who will rule on Mount Zion.
The Messiah, king and conqueror
The rulers of the earth joined forces to overthrow Jesus, your anointed Son (Acts 4:27)
Why this tumult among nations,
among peoples this useless murmuring?
They arise, the kings of the earth,
princes plot against the Lord and his Anointed.
"Come, let us break their fetters,
come, let us cast off their yoke."
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord is laughing them to scorn.
Then he will speak in his anger,
his rage will strike them with terror.
"It is I who have set up my king on Zion,
my holy mountain."
I will announce the decree of the Lord:
The Lord said to me: "You are my Son.
It is I who have begotten you this day.
Ask and I will bequeath you the nations,
put the ends of the earth in your possession.
With a rod of iron you will break them,
shatter them like a potter's jar."
Now, O kings, understand,
take warning, rulers of the earth;
serve the Lord with awe
and trembling, pay him your homage
lest he be angry and you perish;
for suddenly his anger will blaze.
Blessed are they who put their trust in God. Glory...
Psalm Prayer: Lord God, you gave the peoples of the world to be the inheritance of your only Son; you crowned him as king of Zion, your holy city, and gave him your Church as his bride. As he proclaims the law of your eternal kingdom, may we serve him faithfully, and so share his royal power forever.Antiphon 2
Here is a king of my own choosing who will rule on Mount Zion.
Antiphon 3
Lord, you are my protector; you have raised me up in glory.
I am safe in the Lord's keeping
Christ fell asleep in death, but he rose from the dead, for God was his deliverer (Saint Irenaeus)
How many are my foes, O Lord!
How many are rising up against me!
How many are saying about me:
There is no help for him in God.
But you, Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, who lift up my head.
I cry aloud to the Lord.
He answers from his holy mountain.
I lie down to rest, and I sleep.
I wake, for the Lord upholds me.
I will not fear even thousands of people
who are ranged on every side against me.
Arise, Lord; save me, my God,
you who strike my foes on the mouth,
you who break the teeth of the wicked!
O Lord of salvation, bless your people! Glory....
Antiphon 3 Lord, you are my protector; you have raised me up in glory.
If anybody obeys my teaching,
- He will never die.
FIRST READING
From the beginning of the letter to the Hebrews 1:1-2:4
The son and heir of all things is exalted above the angels
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say:
"You are my son; this day I have begotten you"?
Or again:
"I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me"?
And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says:
"Let all the angels of God worship him."
Of the angels he says:
"He makes his angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame";
but of the Son:
"Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever;
and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
You loved justice and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God,
anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings."
And:
"At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth,
and the heavens are the works of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
and they will all grow old like a garment.
You will roll them up like a cloak,
and like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same, and your years will have no end."
But to which of the angels has he ever said:
"Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool"?
Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Therefore, we must attend all the more to what we have heard, so that we may not be carried away. For if the word announced through angels proved firm, and every transgression and disobedience received its just recompense, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? Announced originally through the Lord, it was confirmed for us by those who had heard. God added his testimony by signs, wonders, various acts of power, and distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.
RESPONSORY Hebrews 1:3;12:2
Christ Jesus, the radiance of the Father's glory and the full expression of his being,
upholds all things by the power of his word.
He cleansed us from our sins,
- and now he has taken his place in heaven,
at the right hand of God in his majesty.
Our faith rests on Jesus,
who endured the cross for the sake of the joy that lay before him.
- And now he has taken his place in heaven,
at the right hand of God in his majesty.
SECOND READING
From an Easter letter by Saint Athanasius, bishop
(Ep. 14, 1-2: PG 26, 1419-1420)
We keep the coming feast of the Lord through deeds, not words
The Word who became all things for us is close to us, our Lord Jesus Christ who promises to remain with us always. He cries out, saying: “See, I am with you all the days of this age.” He is himself the shepherd, the high priest, the way and the door, and has become all things at once for us. In the same way, he has come among us as our feast and holy day as well. The blessed Apostle says of him who was awaited: “Christ has been sacrificed as our Passover.” It was Christ who shed his light on the psalmist as he prayed: “You are my joy, deliver me from those surrounding me.” True joy, genuine festival, means the casting out of wickedness. To achieve this one must live a life of perfect goodness and, in the serenity of the fear of God, practise contemplation in one’s heart.
This was the way of the saints, who in their lifetime and at every stage of life rejoiced as at a feast. Blessed David, for example, not once but seven times rose at night to win God’s favour through prayer. The great Moses was full of joy as he sang God’s praises in hymns of victory for the defeat of Pharaoh and the oppressors of the Hebrew people. Others had hearts filled always with gladness as they performed their sacred duty of worship, like the great Samuel and the blessed Elijah. Because of their holy lives they gained freedom, and now keep festival in heaven. They rejoice after their pilgrimage in shadows, and now distinguish the reality from the promise.
When we celebrate the feast in our own day, what path are we to take? As we draw near to this feast, who is to be our guide? Beloved, it must be none other than the one whom you will address with me as our Lord Jesus Christ. He says: “I am the way.” As blessed John tells us: it is Christ “who takes away the sin of the world.” It is he who purifies our souls, as the prophet Jeremiah says: “Stand upon the ways; look and see which is the good path, and you will find in it the way of amendment for your souls.”
In former times the blood of goats and the ashes of a calf were sprinkled on those who were unclean, but they were able to purify only the body. Now through the grace of God’s Word everyone is made abundantly clean. If we follow Christ closely we shall be allowed, even on this earth, to stand as it were on the threshold of the heavenly Jerusalem, and enjoy the contemplation of that everlasting feast, like the blessed apostles, who in following the Saviour as their leader, showed, and still show, the way to obtain the same gift from God. They said: “See, we have left all things and followed you.” We too follow the Lord, and we keep his feast by deeds rather than by words.
RESPONSORY Hebrew 6:20; John 1:29
For our sake,
Jesus went before us into heaven,
- and he has become like Melchizedek,
a high priest for ever.
This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
- and he has become like Melchizedek,
a high priest for ever.
COLLECT
By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God,
may we walk eagerly in that same charity
with which, out of love for the world,
your Son handed himself over to death.
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.
Let us praise the Lord.
- And give him thanks.
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.
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