April 29

Psalm 95
A call to praise God

Ant.  Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.

Come, let us sing to the Lord *
  and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving *
  and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

Ant.  Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.
The Lord is God, the mighty God, *
  the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth *
  and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him, *
  the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.

Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.

Come, then, let us bow down and worship, *
  bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people, *
  the flock he shepherds.

Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.

Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: †
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did
  in the wilderness, *
when at Meriba and Massah
  they challenged me and provoked me, *
Although they had seen all of my works.

Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.

Forty years I endured that generation. *
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
  and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger, *
  “They shall not enter into my rest.”

Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.

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.

Ant. Come, let us worship the Lord, fount of all wisdom, alleluia.

If the Invitatory is not said, then the following is used:

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

Cath’rine wise Virgin, comes with wise companions;
fit for the Bridegroom, she goes forth to meet him;
her lamp is ready, night and fearful darkness
  flee its pure radiance.

Christ honors Cath’rine with a ring of gemstones
gleaming in splendor, gage of wondrous beauty,
as he pronounces: With this ring I give you
  love’s holy promise.

Spurred by the impulse of a flaming passion
lost to her senses, often rapt in wonder,
Cath’rine is wounded, bearing marks that Jesus
  bore in his Passion.

Thus she is happy, three and four times blessed,
tenderly leaning on her loving Bridegroom;
souls bright and holy tell of her arrival:
  new light in heaven.

May God almighty, be for ever blessed,
dwelling in heaven, Three yet undivided,
who rules and governs all the world with power,
  in perfect order. Amen.

Tune: ISTE CONFESSOR (ROUEN/POITIERS) 11 11 11 5
Music: from the Poitiers Antiphoner, 1746
or Mode IV, melody 66; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Virgo prudentium comitata cœtum, 14th c., © 2023 ICEL

PSALMODY

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

Psalm 103

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 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.

Ant. Bless the Lord, my soul; never forget all he has done for you, alleluia.

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

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 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.

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

Ant. 3 Bless the Lord, all you his works, alleluia!

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 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.

Ant. Bless the Lord, all you his works, alleluia!

God raised up Christ from the dead, alleluia.
— So that all our faith and hope might be in God, alleluia.

READINGS

FIRST READING

From the Book of Revelation
14:14—15:4

The harvest at the end of time

As I, John, watched, a white cloud appeared, and on the cloud sat One like a Son of Man wearing a gold crown on his head and holding a sharp sickle in his hand. Another angel came out of the temple and in a loud voice cried out to him who sat on the cloud, “Use your sickle and cut down the harvest, for now is the time to reap; the earth’s harvest is fully ripe.” So the one sitting on the cloud wielded his sickle over all the earth and reaped the earth’s harvest.

Then out of the temple in heaven came another angel, who likewise held a sharp sickle. A second angel, who was in charge of the fire at the altar of incense, cried out in a loud voice to the one who held the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the grapes from the vines of the earth, for the clusters are ripe.” So the angel wielded his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth. He threw them into the huge winepress of God’s wrath. The winepress was trodden outside the city, and so much blood poured out of the winepress that for two hundred miles around, it reached as high as a horse’s bridle.

I saw in heaven another sign, great and awe-inspiring: seven angels holding the seven final plagues which would bring God’s wrath to a climax.

I then saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire. On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast and its image, and also the number that signified its name. They were holding the harps used in worshiping God, and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

  “Mighty and wonderful are your works,
  Lord God Almighty!
  Righteous and true are your ways,
      O King of the nations!
  Who would dare refuse you honor,
      or the glory due your name, O Lord?
  Since you alone are holy,
      all nations shall come
      and worship in your presence.
  Your mighty deeds are clearly seen.”

RESPONSORY
Revelation 15:3; Exodus 15:11

They sang the song of the Lamb:
How wonderful and great are your works,
Lord God Almighty!
— Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations, alleluia.

O Lord, you have performed wonderful deeds.
Who is your equal among all the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness?
— Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations, alleluia.

SECOND READING

From the dialogue On Divine Providence by Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin
(Cap 167, Gratiarum actio ad Trinitatem)

I tasted and I saw

Eternal God, eternal Trinity, you have made the blood of Christ so precious through his sharing in your divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light. I desire above all to see you, the true light, as you really are.

I have tasted and seen the depth of your mystery and the beauty of your creation with the light of my understanding. I have clothed myself with your likeness and have seen what I shall be. Eternal Father, you have given me a share in your power and the wisdom that Christ claims as his own, and your Holy Spirit has given me the desire to love you. You are my Creator, eternal Trinity, and I am your creature. You have made of me a new creation in the blood of your Son, and I know that you are moved with love at the beauty of your creation, for you have enlightened me.

Eternal Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you could give me no greater gift than the gift of yourself. For you are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being. Yes, you are a fire that takes away the coldness, illuminates the mind with its light and causes me to know your truth. By this light, reflected as it were in a mirror, I recognize that you are the highest good, one we can neither comprehend nor fathom. And I know that you are beauty and wisdom itself. The food of angels, you gave yourself to man in the fire of your love.

You are the garment which covers our nakedness, and in our hunger you are a satisfying food, for you are sweetness and in you there is no taste of bitterness, O triune God!

RESPONSORY

My sister and my beloved, open yourself to me,
you are a coheir of my kingdom
and you have understood the hidden mysteries of my truth.
— You are enriched with the gift of my Spirit,
cleansed of all sin by the shedding of my blood, alleluia.

Go forth from the quiet of contemplation
and courageously bear witness to my truth.
— You are enriched with the gift of my Spirit,
cleansed of all sin by the shedding of my blood, alleluia.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

LAUDS

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 O God, arise above the heavens, alleluia.

Psalm 108

My heart is ready, O God; *
I will sing, sing your praise.
Awake, my soul; †
awake, lyre and harp. *
I will awake the dawn.

I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples, *
among the nations I will praise you,
for your love reaches to the heavens *
and your truth to the skies.
O God, arise above the heavens; *
may your glory shine on earth!

O come and deliver your friends; *
help with your right hand and reply.
From his holy place God has made this promise: †
“I will triumph and divide the land of Shechem; *
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.

Gilead is mine and Manasseh. *
Ephraim I take for my helmet,
Judah for my commander’s staff. *
Moab I will use for my washbowl,
on Edom I will plant my shoe. *
Over the Philistines I will shout in triumph.”

But who will lead me to conquer the fortress? *
Who will bring me face to face with Edom?
Will you utterly reject us, O God, *
and no longer march with our armies?

Give us help against the foe: *
for the help of man is vain.
With God we shall do bravely *
and he will trample down our foes.

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.

Ant. O God, arise above the heavens, alleluia.

Ant. 2 The Lord will make praise and justice blossom before all the nations, alleluia.

Canticle: Isaiah 61:10—62:5

I rejoice heartily in the Lord, *
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, *
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, *
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.

As the earth brings forth its plants, *
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord God make justice and praise *
spring up before all the nations.

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, *
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines forth like the dawn *
and her victory like a burning torch.

Nations shall behold your vindication, *
and all kings your glory;
you shall be called by a new name *
pronounced by the mouth of the Lord.
You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, *
a royal diadem held by your God.

No more shall men call you “Forsaken,” *
or your land “Desolate,”
but you shall be called “My Delight,” *
and your land “Espoused.”
For the Lord delights in you, *
and makes your land his spouse.

As a young man marries a virgin, *
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride *
so shall your God rejoice in you.

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.

Ant. The Lord will make praise and justice blossom before all the nations, alleluia.

Ant. 3 Zion, the Lord, your God, will reign for ever, alleluia.

Psalm 146

My soul, give praise to the Lord; †
I will praise the Lord all my days, *
make music to my God while I live.

Put no trust in princes, *
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay *
and their plans that day come to nothing.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God, *
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth, *
the seas and all they contain.

It is he who keeps faith for ever, *
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry, *
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,

the Lord who gives sight to the blind, *
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger *
and upholds the widow and orphan.

It is the Lord who loves the just *
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever, *
Zion’s God, from age to age.

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.

Ant. Zion, the Lord, your God, will reign for ever, alleluia.

READING
[Doctors] Wisdom 7:13-14

Simply I learned about Wisdom, and ungrudgingly do I share—
  her riches I do not hide away;
For to men she is an unfailing treasure;
  those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God,
  to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them.

RESPONSORY

Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints, alleluia, alleluia.
— Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints, alleluia, alleluia.

With joyful praise let the Church tell forth,
— alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— Let the peoples proclaim the wisdom of the saints, alleluia, alleluia.


RESPONSORY

My heart is ever pleading, show me your face, alleluia, alleluia.
— My heart is ever pleading, show me your face, alleluia, alleluia.

I long to gaze upon you, Lord.
— Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— My heart is ever pleading, show me your face, alleluia, alleluia.


GOSPEL CANTICLE

Ant. The holy virgin Catherine steadfastly begged the Lord to restore peace to his holy Church, alleluia.

Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79

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 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.

Ant. The holy virgin Catherine steadfastly begged the Lord to restore peace to his holy Church, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

Christ is the spouse and crowning glory of virgins. Let us praise him with joy in our voices and pray to him with sincerity in our hearts:
Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.

Christ, the holy virgins loved you as their one true spouse,
— grant that nothing may separate us from your love.
Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.

You crowned Mary, your mother, queen of virgins,
— through her intercession, let us continually serve you with pure hearts.
Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.

Your handmaids were always careful to love you with whole and undivided attention, that they might be holy in body and spirit,
— through their intercession grant that the lure of this passing world may not distract our attention from you.
Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.

Lord Jesus, you are the spouse whose coming was anticipated by the wise virgins,
— grant that we may wait for you in hope and expectation.
Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.

Through the intercession of Saint Catherine, who was one of the wise and prudent virgins,
— grant us wisdom and innocence of life.
Jesus, crown of virgins, hear us.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

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 who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Father,
in meditating on the sufferings of your Son
and in serving your Church,
Saint Catherine was filled with the fervor of your love.
By her prayers,
may we share in the mystery of Christ’s death
and rejoice in the revelation of his glory,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.