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 listen to the voice of God; let us enter into his rest.

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:
 -  as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
Amen. (Alleluia.)


HYMN

Praise the Lord: ye heavens, adore Him;
Praise Him, angels in the height.
Sun and moon, rejoice before Him;
Praise Him, all ye stars of light.
Praise the Lord, for He hath spoken;
Worlds His mighty voice obeyed.
Laws which never shall be broken
For their guidance He hath made.

Praise the Lord, for He is glorious;
Never shall His promise fail.
God hath made His saints victorious;
Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation;
Hosts on high, His power proclaim.
Heaven and earth and all creation,
Laud and magnify His Name.

Worship, honor, glory, blessing,
Lord, we offer unto Thee.
Young and old, Thy praise expressing,
In glad homage bend the knee.
All the saints in heaven adore Thee;
We would bow before Thy throne.
As Thine angels serve before Thee,
So on earth Thy will be done.
Text: Foundling Hospital Collection, Stanza 3, Edward Ostler; Melody: Austria 87.87. D Franz Joseph Haydn


PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: None but the Lord has done such marvels; his love endures for ever.

                 I
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love endures for ever
Give thanks to the God of gods
for his love endures for ever
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love endures for ever;

who alone has wrought marvelous works,
for his love endures for ever;
whose wisdom it was made the skies,
for his love endures for ever;
who fixed the earth firmly on the seas,
for his love endures for ever.

It was he who made the great lights,
for his love endures for ever;
the sun to rule in the day,
for his love endures for ever;
the moon and the stars in the night,
for his love endures for ever. Glory...

Antiphon 1 None but the Lord has done such marvels; his love endures for ever.


Antiphon 2 He brought Israel out of Egypt with powerful hand and arms outstretched.

He divided the Red Sea in two,
for his love endures for ever;
he made Israel pass through the midst,
for his love endures for ever;
he flung Pharaoh and his force in the sea,
for his love endures for ever. Glory...

Antiphon 2 He brought Israel out of Egypt with powerful hand and arms outstretched.


Antiphon 3 Give praise to the God of heaven; he has ransomed us from our enemies.

                    III
Through the desert his people he led,
for his love endures for ever
Nations in their greatness he struck,
for his love endures for ever
Kings in their splendor he slew,
for his love endures for ever.

Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his love endures for ever;
and Og, the king of Bashan,
for his love endures for ever.

He let Israel inherit their land,
for his love endures for ever
On his servant their land he bestowed,
for his love endures for ever
He remembered us in our distress,
for his love endures for ever.

And he snatched us away from our foes,
for his love endures for ever
He gives food to all living things,
for his love endures for ever
To the God of heaven give thanks,
for his love endures for ever. Glory...

Antiphon 3 Give praise to the God of heaven; he has ransomed us from our enemies.


Lord, show me your ways,
- Teach me to walk in your footsteps.


FIRST READING

From the book of Wisdom           11:20b-12:2, 11b-19

Concerning the mercy and patience of God

You have disposed all things by measure and number and weight, O Lord.
For with you great strength abides always;
  who can resist the might of your arm?
Indeed, before you the whole universe is as a grain from a balance,
  or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.
But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;
  and you overlook the sins of men that they may repent.

For you love all things that are
  and loathe nothing that you have made;
  for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;
  or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
But you spare all things, because they
  are yours, O Lord and lover of souls,
  for your imperishable spirit is in all things!

Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,
  warn them, and remind them of the sins they are committing,
  that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O Lord!
Neither out of fear for anyone
  did you grant amnesty for their sins.
For who can say to you, "What have you done?"
  or who can oppose your decree?
Or when peoples perish, who can challenge you, their maker;
  or who can come into your presence as vindicator of unjust men?

For neither is there any god besides you who have the care of all,
  that you need show you have not unjustly condemned;
Nor can any king or prince confront you on behalf of those you have punished.

But as you are just, you govern all things justly;
  you regard it as unworthy of your power
  to punish one who has incurred no blame.
For your might is the source of justice;
  your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.
For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;
  and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.
But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
  and with much lenience you govern us;
  for power, whenever you will, attends you.

And you taught your people, by these deeds,
  that those who are just must be kind;
And you gave your sons good ground for hope
  that you would permit repentance for their sins.


RESPONSORY          See Wisdom 11:24,27; Sirach 36:1
Lord, you show mercy to all
and you despise nothing you have created.
You overlook the sins of men,
that they may be repentant
and that you might spare them,
- because you are the Lord our God.

Look down on us with pity,
and may the light of your mercy shine on us.
- because you are the Lord our God.


SECOND READING

From a dialogue On Divine Providence by Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin
(Cap. 134, ed. latina, Ingolstadii, 1583, ff° 215v-216)

How good and comforting is your spirit dwelling in all men, O Lord

With a look of mercy that revealed his indescribable kindness, God the Father spoke to Catherine:

"Beloved daughter, everything I give to man comes from the love and care I have for him. I desire to show my mercy to the whole world and my protective love to all those who want it.

But in his ignorance man treats himself very cruelly. My care is constant, but he turns my life-giving gifts into a source of death. Yes, I created him with loving care and formed him in my image and likeness. I pondered, and I was moved by the beauty of my creation.

I gave him a memory to recall my goodness, for I wanted to share in my own power. I gave him an intellect to know and understand my will through the wisdom of my Son, for I am the giver of every good gift and I love him with a father's constant love. Through the Holy Spirit I gave him a will to love what he would come to know with his intellect.

In my loving care I did all this, so that he could know me and perceive my goodness and rejoice to see me for ever. But as I have recounted elsewhere, heaven had been closed off because of Adam's disobedience. Immediately after his sin all manner of evil made its advance throughout the world.

So that I might commute the death consequent upon this disobedience, I attended to you with loving care - out of provident concern I handed over my only-begotten Son to make satisfaction for your needs. I demanded supreme obedience from him so that the human race might be freed of the poison which had infected the entire earth because of Adam's disobedience. With eager love he submitted to a shameful death on the cross and by that death he gave you life, not merely human but divine.


RESPONSORY          Psalm 17:8,7
Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye.
- Gather us under the shadow of your wings.

Show us your wonderful love,
O Savior of all who seek refuge in you.
- Gather us under the shadow of your wings.



COLLECT
Almighty ever-living God,
increase our faith, hope and charity,
and make us love what you command,
so that we may merit what you promise.
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.