Ordinary Time

WEEK 21 - MONDAY

Office of Readings



Invitatory
The Invitatory opens the first Office of the day. If Morning Prayer is the first Office of the day, begin below.

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: Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving.





Office of Readings
Psalter, Monday Week I

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. (Alleluia.)


HYMN

O God of truth, prepare our minds
to hear and heed your holy word.
Fill every heart that longs for You
with your mysterious presence, Lord.

Almighty Father, with your Son
and blessed Spirit, hear our prayer.
Teach us to love eternal truth
and seek its freedom everywhere.
Melody: Warrington LM, R. Harrison, 1810; Text: Stanbrook Abbey; Midi:Cyberhymnal


PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: Show me your mercy, Lord, and keep me safe, alleluia.

Psalm 6
A suffering man cries to God for mercy
I am filled with dismay...Father, save me from this hour. (John 12:27)

Lord, do not reprove me in your anger;
punish me not in your rage.
Have mercy on me, Lord, I have no strength;
Lord, heal me, my body is racked;
my soul is racked with pain.

But you, O Lord...how long?
Return, Lord, rescue my soul.
Save me in your merciful love;
for in death no one remembers you;
from the grave, who can give you praise?

I am exhausted with my groaning;
every night I drench my pillow with tears;
I bedew my bed with weeping.
My eye wastes away with grief;
I have grown old surrounded by my foes.

Leave me, all you who do evil;
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
The Lord has heard my plea;
The Lord will accept my prayer.
All my foes will retire in confusion,
foiled and suddenly confounded. Glory...

Psalm Prayer: Lord God, you love mercy and tenderness; you give life and overcome death. Look upon the many wounds of your church; restore it to health by your risen Son, so that it may sing a new song in your praise.

Antiphon 1 Show me your mercy, Lord, and keep me safe, alleluia.


Antiphon 2 The poor are not alone in their distress. God is here to help them (alleluia).

Psalm 9
The Messiah, king and conqueror
The rulers of the earth joined forces to overthrow Jesus, your anointed Son (Acts 4:27)

                     I
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will recount all your wonders.
I will rejoice in you and be glad,
and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.

See how my enemies turn back,
how they stumble and perish before you.
You upheld the justice of my cause;
you sat enthroned, judging with justice.

You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked;
you have wiped out their name for ever and ever.
The foe is destroyed, eternally ruined.
You uprooted their cities; their memory has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned for ever.
He has set up his throne for judgment;
he will judge the world with justice,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.

For the oppressed let the Lord be a stronghold,
a stronghold in times of distress.
Those who know your name will trust you;
you will never forsake those who seek you. Glory...

Antiphon 2 The poor are not alone in their distress. God is here to help them (alleluia).


Antiphon 3 I will be the herald of your praises, Lord, where the people of Zion gather (alleuia).


                   II
Sing psalms to the Lord who dwells in Zion.
Proclaim his mighty works among the peoples,
for the Avenger of blood has remembered them,
has not forgotten the cry of the poor.

Have pity on me, Lord, see my sufferings,
you who save me from the gates of death;
that I may recount all your praise
at the gates of the city of Zion
and rejoice in your saving help.

The nations have fallen in the pit which they made,
their feet caught in the snare they laid.
The Lord has revealed himself, and given judgment.
The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

Let the wicked go down among the dead,
all the nations forgetful of God;
for the needy shall not always be forgotten
nor the hopes of the poor be in vain.

Arise, Lord, let men not prevail!
Let the nations be judged before you.
Lord, strike them with terror,
let the nations know they are but men. Glory....

Psalm Prayer: Lord God, when you judge, do not be deaf to the shouts of the poor; bring havoc to the madness of oppressors. Look at our wounds and save us from the gates of death, so that we may always rejoice in your help and speak your praise in the gates of Zion.

Antiphon 3 I will be the herald of your praises, Lord, where the people of Zion gather (alleuia).


Give me insight, Lord, to know your will.
- Then I will cherish it with all my heart.


FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Zephaniah       3:8-20

Redemption is promised to Israel's poor

Wait for me, says the Lord,
  against the day when I arise as accuser;
For it is my decision to gather together the nations,
  to assemble the kingdoms,
In order to pour out upon them my wrath,
  all my blazing anger;
For in the fire of my jealousy
  shall all the earth be consumed.

For then I will change and purify
  the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the Lord,
  to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
  and as far as the recesses of the North,
  they shall bring me offerings.

     On that day
You need not be ashamed
  of all your deeds,
  your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
  the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
  on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
  a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord;
  the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
  and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
  a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
  with none to disturb them.

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
  sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
  O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has removed the judgment against you,
  he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst,
  you have no further misfortune to fear.

On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
  Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
  a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
  and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
  as one sings at festivals.

I will remove disaster from among you,
  so that none may recount your disgrace.
Yes, at that time I will deal
  with all who oppress you;
I will save the lame,
  and assemble the outcasts;
I will give them praise and renown
  in all the earth,
  when I bring about their restoration.

At that time I will bring you home,
  and at that time I will gather you;
For I will give you renown and praise,
  among all the peoples of the earth,
When I bring about your restoration
  before your very eyes, says the Lord.


RESPONSORY          Zephaniah 3:12,13,9
In your midst I shall leave a poor and lowly people,
- and the remnant in Israel will take refuge in the name of the Lord.

I shall purify the lips of the peoples
so that all of the may call on the name of the Lord.
- and the remnant in Israel will take refuge in the name of the Lord.


SECOND READING

From an exposition on John by Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest
(Cap. 10, lect 3)

The remnant of Israel shall be led to pasture. They shall lie down to rest.

I am the Good Shepherd. Surely it is fitting that Christ should be a shepherd, for just as a flock is guided and fed by a shepherd so the faithful are fed by Christ with spiritual food and with his own body and blood. The Apostle said: You were once like sheep without a shepherd, but now you have returned to the guardian and ruler of your souls. The prophet has said: As a shepherd he pastures his flock.

Christ said that the shepherd enters through the gate and that he is himself the gate as well as the shepherd. Then it is necessary that he enter through himself. By so doing, he reveals himself, and through himself he knows the Father. But we enter through him because through him we find happiness.

Take heed: no one else is the gate but Christ. Others reflect his light, but no one else is the true light. John the Baptist was not the light, but he bore witness to the light. It is said of Christ, however: He was the true light that enlightens every man. For this reason no one says that he is the gate; this title is Christ's own. However, he has made others shepherds and given that office to his members; for Peter was a shepherd, and so were the other apostles and all good bishops after them. Scripture says: I shall give you shepherds according to my own heart. Although the bishops of the Church, who are her sons, are all shepherds, nevertheless Christ refers only to one person in saying: I am the Good Shepherd, because he wants to emphasize the virtue of charity. Thus, no one can be a good shepherd unless he is one with Christ in charity. Through this we become members of the true shepherd.

The duty of a good shepherd is charity; therefore Christ said: The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. Know the difference between a good and a bad shepherd: the good shepherd cares for the welfare of his flock, but the bad shepherd cares only for his own welfare.

The Good Shepherd doe not demand that shepherds lay down their lives for  real flock of sheep. But every spiritual shepherd must endure the loss of his bodily life for the salvation of the flock, since the spiritual good of the flock is more important that the bodily life of the shepherd, when danger threatens the salvation of the flock. This is why the Lord says: The good shepherd lays down his life, that is, his physical life, for his sheep; this he does because of his authority and love. both, in fact, are required: that they should be ruled by him, and that he should love them. The first without the second is not enough.

Christ stands out  for us as the example of this teaching: If Christ laid down his life for us, so we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.


RESPONSORY          Ezekiel 34:12; John 10:28
I will seek out my sheep;
- I will rescue them from every place
where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark.

My sheep will never perish,
and no one will snatch them from my hands.
- I will rescue them from every place
where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark.

COLLECT
O God, who cause the minds of the faithful
to unite in a single purpose,
grant your people to love what you command
and to desire what you promise,
that, amid the uncertainties of this world,
our hearts may be fixed on that place
where true gladness is found.
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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