’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
Melody: New Britian 86.86; James P. Carrell and David S. Clayton, 1831; Text: John Newton; Midi: Cyberhymnal

Or:


For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Music: Sine Nomine, 10.10.10 with Alleuia; Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906Words: William W. How, 1864.


PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: If anyone declares himself for me before men, I will declare myself for him before my Father.

He did no wrong;
no deceit was found in His mouth.
When He was insulted,
He returned no insult.

When He was made to suffer,
He did not counter with threats.
Instead He delivered Himself up
to the One who judges justly.

In His own body
He brought your sins to the Cross,
so that all of us, dead to sin,
could live in accord with God's will.

By His wounds you were healed.  Glory...

Antiphon 3 If we share fully in the sufferings of Christ, through Christ we shall know the fullness of his consolation..


READING     Romans 8:35,37-39
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us. For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.


RESPONSORY


For a man:
With glory and honor, you have crowned him.
 - With glory and honor, you have crowned him.
You set him over the works of your hands;
 - you have crowned him.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
 - With glory and honor, you have crowned him.

For a woman:
The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.
- The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.
He has taken her to live with him,
- his loved one from the beginning.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
- The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.



MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)


For a man:
Antiphon: For the law of God this holy man engaged in combat to the death. His faith was founded on solid rock; he feared no wicked threats.

For a woman:
Antiphon: She has girded herself with strength and made her arms sturdy. The light she has kindled will never go out.


INTERCESSIONS
This is the hour when the King of martyrs offered his life in the upper room and laid it down on the cross. Let us thank him and say:
                  We praise you, O Lord.

We praise you, O Lord, our Savior, inspiration and example for every martyr, for loving us to the end:
                  We praise you, O Lord.

For calling all repentant sinners to the rewards of life:
                  We praise you, O Lord.

For entrusting to your Church the blood of the new and everlasting covenant poured out for the remission of sin:
                  We praise you, O Lord.

For our perseverance in your grace today:
                  We praise you, O Lord.

For incorporating our dead brothers and sisters into your own death today:
                  We praise you, O Lord.


Our Father...


PRAYER

If there is no proper prayer, one of the following is said:

God of power and mercy,
you gave N., your martyr, victory over pain and suffering.
Strengthen us who celebrate this day of his triumph
and help us to be victorious over the evils that threaten us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Or:

All powerful, ever living God,
You gave N. the courage to witness to the Gospel of Christ,
even to the point of giving his life for it.
By his prayers help us to endure all suffering for love of you
and to seek you with all our hearts,
for you alone are the source of life.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

For virgin martyrs:
God our Father,
you give us joy each year
in honoring the memory of Saint N. .  
May her prayers be a source of help for us,
and may her example of courage and chastity be our inspiration.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

For holy women:
Father,
in our weakness your power reaches perfection.
You gave Saint N. the strength
to defeat the power of sin and evil.
May we who celebrate her glory share in their triumph.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and 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.