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: Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness.

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

Lord Jesus Christ, be present now,
And let your Holy Spirit bow
All hearts in love and truth today
To hear your word and keep your way.

Give us the grace to grasp your word,
That we may do what we have heard.
Instruct us through the Scriptures, Lord,
As we draw near, O God adored.

May your glad tidings always bring
Good news to men that they may sing
Of how you came to save all men.
Instruct us till you come again.

To God the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, three in one;
To you, O blessed Trinity
Be praise throughout eternity.
Text: Catherine Winkworth; Melody: Herr Jesu Christ; Midi: Cyberhymnal


PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: Bless the Lord, O my soul; never forget all he has done for you.

                       I
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.

It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion,
who fills your life with good things,
renewing your youth like an eagle's.

The Lord does deeds of justice,
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses
and his deeds to Israel's sons.  Glory...

Antiphon 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; never forget all he has done for you.


Antiphon 2 As a father is gentle with his children, so is the Lord with those who revere him.

                       II
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.

For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.

As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;
for he knows of what we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flowers like the flower of the field;
the wind blows and he is gone
and his place never sees him again.  Glory...

Antiphon 2 As a father is gentle with his children, so is the Lord with those who revere him.


Antiphon 3 Bless the Lord, all you his works.

                           III
But the love of the Lord is everlasting
upon those who hold him in fear;
his justice reaches out to children's children
when they keep his covenant in truth,
when they keep his will in their mind.

The Lord has set his sway in heaven
and his kingdom is ruling over all.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels,
mighty in power, fulfilling his word,
who heed the voice of his word.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,
his servants who do his will.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his works,
in every place where he rules.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord!  Glory...

Antiphon 3 Bless the Lord, all you his works.


Lord, make me understand the way of your precepts,
- And I will marvel at your wisdom.


FIRST READING

From the book of Job       7:1-21

In despair, Job calls on God

Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?
  Are not his days those of a hireling?
He is a slave who longs for the shade,
  a hireling who waits for his wages.
So I have been assigned months of misery,
  and troubled nights have been told off for me.
If in bed I say, "When shall I arise?"
  then the night drags on;
  I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.
My flesh is clothed with worms and scabs;
  my skin cracks and festers;
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle;
  they come to an end without hope.
Remember that my life is like the wind;
  I shall not see happiness again.
The eye that now sees me shall no more behold me;
  as you look at me, I shall be gone.
As a cloud dissolves and vanishes,
  so he who goes down to the nether world
  shall come up no more.
He shall not again return to his house;
  his place shall know him no more.
My own utterance I will not restrain;
  I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
  I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.  
Am I the sea, or a monster of the deep,
  that you place a watch over me?
Why have you set me up as an object of attack;
  or why should I be a target for you?
When I say, "My bed shall comfort me,
  my couch shall ease my complaint,"
Then you affright me with dreams
  and with visions terrify me,
So that I should prefer choking and death
  rather than my pains.
I waste away: I cannot live forever;
  let me alone, for my days are but a breath.
What is man, that you make much of him,
  or pay him any heed?
You observe him with each new day
  and try him at every moment!
How long will it be before you look away from me,
  and let me alone long enough to swallow my spittle?
Though I have sinned, what can I do to you,
  O watcher of men?
Why do you not pardon my offense,
  or take away my guilt?
For soon I shall lie down in the dust;
  and should you seek me I shall then be gone.


RESPONSORY          Job 7:5,7,6
My flesh is covered with rottenness;
my skin is cracked and festering.
 - Remember, O Lord, that my life is like a breath of wind.

My life passes swiftly like a weaver's shuttle
and once it has gone there is no hope of calling it back again.
 - Remember, O Lord, that my life is like a breath of wind.


SECOND READING

From the Confessions of Saint Augustine, bishop
(Lib. 10, 26, 37-29, 40: CSEL 33, 255-256)

All my hope lies in your great mercy

Where did I find you, that I came to know you? You were not within my memory before I learned of you. Where, then, did I find you before I came to know you, if not within yourself, far above me? We come to you and go from you, but no place in involved in this process. In every place, O Truth, you are present to those who seek your help, and at one and the same time you answer all, though they seek your counsel on different matters.

You respond clearly, but not everyone hears clearly. All ask what they wish, but do not always hear the answer they wish. Your best servant is he who is intent not so much on hearing his petition answered, as rather on willing whatever he hears from you.

Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you; now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

When once I shall be united to you with my whole being, I shall at last be free of sorrow and toil. Then my life will be alive, filled entirely with you. When you fill someone, you relieve him of his burden, but because I am not yet filled with you, I am a burden to myself. My joy when I should be weeping struggles with my sorrows when I should be rejoicing. I know not where victory lies. Woe is me! Lord, have mercy on me! My evil sorrows and good joys are at war with one another. I know not where victory lies. Woe is me! Lord, have mercy! Woe is me! I make no effort to conceal my wounds. You are my physician, I your patient. You are merciful; I stand in need of mercy.

Is not the life of man upon earth a trial? Who would want troubles and difficulties? You command us to endure them, not to love them. No person loves what he endures, though he may love the act of enduring. For even if he is happy to endure his own burden, he would still prefer that the burden not exist. I long for prosperity in times of adversity, and I fear adversity when times are good. Yet what middle ground is there between these two extremes where the life of man would be other than trial? Pity the prosperity of this world, pity it once and again, for it corrupts joy and brings the fear of adversity. Pity the adversity of this world, pity it again, then a third time; for it fills men with a longing for prosperity, and because adversity itself is hard for them to bear and can even break their endurance. Is not the life of man upon earth a trial, a continuous trial?


RESPONSORY          
Rejoice, my brothers. Strive for perfection;
listen to my appeals; agree with one another, and live in peace,
- and the God of love and peace will be with you.
May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace
by means of your faith in him,
- and the God of love and peace will be with you.


COLLECT
Grant us, O Lord, we pray,
that the course of our world
may be directed by your peaceful rule
and that your Church may rejoice,
untroubled in her devotion.
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.