Lord open our lips And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us (3x)
Opening Sentence
You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:19-22
Antiphon: The Lord is glorious in his Saints; Come let us adore him.
Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)
Come let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Today you would hearken to his voice,
harden not your hearts.
Antiphon: The Lord is glorious in his Saints; Come let us adore him.
The Psalms
Ant. 1: Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way? Jesus replied: I am the way, the truth and the life.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd :
therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He will make me lie down in green pastures :
and lead me beside still waters.
3 He will refresh my soul :
and guide me in right pathways for his name's sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil :
for you are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me
in the face of those who trouble me :
you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup will be full.
6 Surely your goodness and loving-kindness
will follow me all the days of my life :
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Ant. 1: Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way? Jesus replied: I am the way, the truth and the life.
Ant. 2: Thomas, who was called the Twin, was not present when Jesus appeared to the apostles; so they told him: we have seen the Lord, alleluia.
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills :
but where shall I find help?
2 My help comes from the Lord :
who has made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer your foot to stumble :
and he who watches over you will not sleep.
4 Be sure he who has charge of Israel :
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord himself is your keeper :
the Lord is your defence upon your right hand;
6 The sun shall not strike you by day :
nor shall the moon by night.
7 The Lord will defend you from all evil :
it is he who will guard your life.
8 The Lord will defend your going out and your coming in :
from this time forward for evermore.
Ant. 2: Thomas, who was called the Twin, was not present when Jesus appeared to the apostles; so they told him: we have seen the Lord, alleluia.
Ant. 3: With your hand, touch the mark of the nails; doubt no longer, but believe, alleluia.
Psalm 63:1-9
1 O God, you are my God :
eagerly will I seek you.
2 My soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you :
as a dry and thirsty land where no water is.
3 So it was when I beheld you in the sanctuary :
and saw your power and your glory.
4 For your unchanging goodness is better than life :
therefore my lips shall praise you.
5 And so I will bless you as long as I live :
and in your name will I lift my hands on high.
6 My longing shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness :
my mouth shall praise you with exultant lips.
7 When I remember you upon my bed :
when I meditate upon you in the night watches,
8 How you have been my helper :
then I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings,
9 Then my soul clings to you :
and your right hand upholds me.
Ant. 3: With your hand, touch the mark of the nails; doubt no longer, but believe, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
First Reading Job 42:1-6
Then Job answered the Lord: "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.' I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
God chose us in him before the world began
to be holy and blameless in his sight.
He predestined us to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.
In him and through his blood,
we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous is God’s favor to us.
God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased to decree in Christ.
A plan to be carried out in Christ,
in the fulness of time,
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on earth.
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.
Second Reading 1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Second Canticle Benedictus
Antiphon: Because you have seen me + Thomas, you have found faith. Happy are those who have never seen and yet have believed.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Antiphon: Because you have seen me + Thomas, you have found faith. Happy are those who have never seen and yet have believed.
Collect:
Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Personal Prayers and Thanksgivings
Intercessions
Dearly beloved brethren, since we have received from the Apostles a heavenly inheritance, let us cry out in gratitude to the Father for all his gifts: - Lord, the Apostles sing your praises.
Praise to you, Lord, for the feast of body and blood that was handed down to us by the Apostles:
- it refreshes us and gives us life. (R.)
Praise to you for the feast of your word that was prepared for us by the Apostles:
- it fills us with light and brings us joy. (R.)
Praise to you for your holy Church, founded upon the Apostles:
- it draws us together into one body. (R.)
Praise to you for the purification of baptism and penitence, which we believe in together with the Apostles:
- it washes us clean of all sin. (R.)
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Closing Prayer:
Almighty Father, as we honor Thomas the apostle,
Let us always experience the help of his prayers.
May we have eternal life by believing in Jesus,
whom Thomas acknowledged as Lord,
for he lives and reign with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.