Lord, open my lips.
 - And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Psalm 95 is the traditional Invitatory Psalm. Psalm 24, 67, or 100 may be substituted.

Antiphon: Come, let us worship the Lord, for he is our God.

Psalm 95

Psalm 24

Psalm 67

Psalm 100

God, come to my assistance.
 - Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
 -  


HYMN

Eternal Father, through your Word
You gave new life to Adam's race,
Transformed them into sons of light,
New creatures by your saving grace.

To you who stooped to sinful man
We render homage and all praise:
To Father, Son and Spirit blest
Whose gift to man is endless days.
Text: Stanbrook Abbey; Melody Erhalt uns, Herr L.M.; Midi: Cyberhymnal.


PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: Look on us, Lord, and see how we are despised.

                      I
And yet you have spurned, rejected,
you are angry with the one you have anointed.
You have broken your covenant with your servant
and dishonored his crown in the dust.

You have broken down all his walls
and reduced his fortresses to ruins.
He is despoiled by all who pass by;
he has become the taunt of his neighbors.

You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
You have made his sword give way,
you have not upheld him in battle.

You have brought his glory to an end;
you have hurled his throne to the ground.
You have cut short the years of his youth;
you have heaped disgrace upon him. Glory...

Antiphon 1 Look on us, Lord, and see how we are despised.


Antiphon 2 I am the root and stock of David; I am the morning star.

How long will your anger burn like a fire?
Remember, Lord, the shortness of my life
and how frail you have made the sons of men.
What man can live and never see death?
Who can save himself from the grasp of the grave?

Where are the mercies of the past, O Lord,
which you have sworn in your faithfulness to David?
Remember, Lord, how your servant is taunted,
how I have to bear all the insults of the peoples.
Thus your enemies taunt me, O Lord,
mocking your anointed at every step.

Blessed be the Lord for ever.
Amen, amen! Glory...

Antiphon 2 I am the root and stock of David; I am the morning star.


Antiphon 3 Our years wither away like grass, but you, Lord God, are eternal.

                    
O Lord, you have been our refuge
from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born
or the earth or the world brought forth,
you are God, without beginning or end.

You turn men back to dust
and say: Go back, sons of men.
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.

You sweep men away like a dream,
like the grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.

So we are destroyed in your anger,
struck with terror in your fury.
Our guilt lies open before you;
our secrets in the light of your face.

All our days pass away in your anger.
Our life is over like a sigh.
Our span is seventy years,
or eighty for those who are strong.

And most of these are emptiness and pain.
They pass swiftly and we are gone.
Who understands the power of your anger
and fears the strength of your fury?

Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.

In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Give us joy to balance our affliction
for the years when we knew misfortune.

Show forth your work to your servants;
let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favor of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands.
give success to the work of our hands. Glory...

Psalm Prayer: Eternal Father, you give us life despite our guilt and even add days and years to our lives in order to bring us wisdom. Make us love and obey you, that the work of our hands may always display what your hands have done, until the day we gaze upon the beauty of your face.

Antiphon 3 Our years wither away like grass, but you, Lord God, are eternal.


In you in the source of life.
- In your light we see light itself.


FIRST READING

From the Book of Judges           8:22-23,30-32; 9:1-15,19-20

The people of God attempt to find a king

The Israelites then said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son, and your son's son--for you rescued us from the power of Midian." But Gideon answered them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The LORD must rule over you."
 
Now Gideon had seventy sons, his direct descendants, for he had many wives.  His concubine who lived in Shechem also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech. At a good old age Gideon, son of Joash, died and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
 
Abimelech, son of Jerubbaal, went to his mother's kinsmen in Shechem, and said to them and to the whole clan to which his mother's family belonged, "Put this question to all the citizens of Shechem: 'Which is better for you: that seventy men, or all Jerubbaal's sons, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?' You must remember that I am your own flesh and bone." When his mother's kin repeated these words to them on his behalf, all the citizens of Shechem sympathized with Abimelech, thinking, "He is our kinsman." They also gave him seventy silver shekels from the temple of Baal of Berith, with which Abimelech hired shiftless men and ruffians as his followers.

He then went to his ancestral house in Ophrah, and slew his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. Only the youngest son of Jerubbaal, Jotham, escaped, for he was hidden. Then all the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together and proceeded to make Abimelech king by the terebinth at the memorial pillar in Shechem.
When this was reported to him, Jotham went to the top of Mount Gerizim, and standing there, cried out to them in a loud voice: "Hear me, citizens of Shechem, that God may then hear you! Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. So they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'  But the olive tree answered them, 'Must I give up my rich oil, whereby men and gods are honored, and go to wave over the trees?'

Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come; you reign over us!' But the fig tree answered them, 'Must I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?'

Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come you, and reign over us.'  But the vine answered them, 'Must I give up my wine that cheers gods and men, and go to wave over the trees?'

Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, 'Come; you reign over us!' But the buckthorn replied to the trees, 'If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith, come and take refuge in my shadow. Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'
 
"If, then, you have acted in good faith and with honor toward Jerubbaal and his family this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he in turn rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come forth from Abimelech to devour the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come forth from the citizens and from Beth-millo to devour Abimelech."

Praise and honor, glory and power to him who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb for ever and ever.
 - The Lord will rule over you.


SECOND READING

From a Treatise on the Lord's Prayer by St. Cyprian of Carthage, bishop and martyr
(Nn. 18:22: CSEL 3, 280-281-283-284)

After the gift of bread we ask pardon for our sins

As the Lord’s Prayer continues, we ask: Give us this day our daily bread.  We can understand this petition in a spiritual and in a literal sense.  For in the divine plan both senses may help toward our salvation.  For Christ is the bread of life; this bread does not belong to everyone, but is ours alone.  When we say, our Father we understand that he is the Father of those who know him and believe in him.  In the same way we speak of our daily bread, because Christ is the bread of those who touch his body.

Now, we who live in Christ and receive his Eucharist, the food of salvation, ask for this bread to be given us every day.  Otherwise we may be forced to abstain from this communion because of some serious sin.  In this way we shall be separated from the Body of Christ, as he taught us in the words: I am the bread of life which has come down from heaven.  Anyone who eats my bread will live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.  Christ is saying, then, that anyone who eats his bread will live for ever.  Clearly they possess life who approach his body and share in the Eucharistic communion.  For this reason we should be apprehensive and pray that no one has to abstain from this communion, lest he be separated from the body of Christ and be far from salvation.  Christ has warned of this: If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you will have no life in you.  We pray for our daily bread, Christ, to be given to us. With this help, we who live and abide in him will never be separated from his body and his grace.

After this we ask pardon for our sins, in the words: and forgive us our trespasses.  The gift of bread is followed by a prayer for forgiveness.  To be reminded that we are sinners and forced to ask forgiveness for our faults is prudent and sound.  Even while we are asking God’s forgiveness, our hearts are aware of our state!  This command to pray daily for our sins reminds us that we commit sin every day.  No one should complacently think himself innocent, lest his pride lead to further sin.  Such is the warning that John gives us in his letter: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.  His letter includes both points, that we should beg for forgiveness for our sins, and that we receive pardon when we do.  He calls the Lord faithful, because he remains loyal to his promise, by forgiving us our sins.  He both taught us to pray for our sins and our faults, and also promised to show us a father’s mercy and forgiveness.


RESPONSORY          Psalm 31:1,4; Psalm 25:18
In you, Lord, is my hope;
and I shall never hope in vain,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
 - For your name's sake, lead and guide me.

Look at my misery and suffering,
and forgive all my sins.
 - For your name's sake, lead and guide me.


COLLECT
O God, strength of those who hope in you,
graciously hear our pleas,
and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing,
grant us always the help of your grace,
that in following your commands
we may please you by our resolve and our deeds.
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.