Office of Readings/Lauds

INVITATORY

Psalm 95
A call to praise God

Encourage each other daily while it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).

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. The Lord is risen, 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. The Lord is risen, 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. The Lord is risen, 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. The Lord is risen, 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. The Lord is risen, 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. The Lord is risen, 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

Alternate Hymns

This is the day, true day of God,
serene with clear and holy light,
on which the sacred blood has washed
both shame and guilt from all the world.

In this the lost regain their faith,
the blind receive the gift of light;
can one remain in anxious fear
who sees forgiveness for the thief?

The angels wonder at this work,
they see the body wracked with pain,
they see a thief draw near to Christ
to pluck the fruit of blessed life.

How wondrous is the mystery:
that flesh should cleanse the sins of flesh,
to take away the guilt of all
and wash the world of foul decay.

What could be more sublime than this:
that guilt should seek the gift of grace,
that charity should cast out fear,
and death should render life renewed?

O Jesus, be for mind and heart
our everlasting paschal joy
and gather us, reborn by grace,
to share your triumphs evermore.

To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,
who shine in vict’ry over death,
with God the Father, ever blest,
and loving Spirit, ever one. Amen.

Tune: EISENACH, 8 8 8 8
Music: Johann Hermann Schein, 1586-1630
or Mode III, melody 56; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Hic est dies verus Dei, Saint Ambrose, 340-397, © 2023 ICEL

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him, alleluia.

Psalm 18:31-51
Hymn of thanksgiving

If God is on our side who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

IV

As for God, his ways are perfect; *
the word of the Lord, purest gold.
He indeed is the shield *
of all who make him their refuge.

For who is God but the Lord? *
Who is a rock but our God?
The God who girds me with strength *
and makes the path safe before me.

My feet you made swift as the deer’s; *
you have made me stand firm on the heights.
You have trained my hands for battle *
and my arms to bend the heavy bow.

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 word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him, alleluia.

Ant. 2 Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord, alleluia.

V

You gave me your saving shield; *
you upheld me, trained me with care.
You gave me freedom for my steps; *
my feet have never slipped.

I pursued and overtook my foes, *
never turning back till they were slain.
I smote them so they could not rise; *
they fell beneath my feet.

You girded me with strength for battle; *
you made my enemies fall beneath me,
you made my foes take flight; *
those who hated me I destroyed.

They cried, but there was no one to save them; *
they cried to the Lord, but in vain.
I crushed them fine as dust before the wind; *
trod them down like dirt in the streets.

You saved me from the feuds of the people *
and put me at the head of the nations.
People unknown to me served me: *
when they heard of me they obeyed me.

Foreign nations came to me cringing: †
foreign nations faded away. *
They came trembling out of their strongholds.

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. Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord, alleluia.

Ant. 3 May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever, alleluia.

VI

Long life to the Lord, my rock! *
Praised be the God who saves me,
the God who gives me redress *
and subdues people under me.

You saved me from my furious foes. *
You set me above my assailants.
You saved me from violent men, †
so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations: *
I will sing a psalm to your name.

He has given great victories to his king †
and shown his love for his anointed, *
for David and his sons for ever.

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.

Psalm Prayer

Lord God, our strength and salvation, put in us the flame of your love and make our love for you grow to a perfect love which reaches to our neighbor.

Ant. May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever, alleluia.

God raised the Lord to life, alleluia,
— Through his power he will also raise us up, alleluia.

READINGS

FIRST READING

From the book of Revelation
21:9-27

The vision of the heavenly city Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb

One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The one who spoke to me held a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city was square, its length the same as also its width. He measured the city with the rod and found it fifteen hundred miles in length and width and height. He also measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits according to the standard unit of measurement the angel used. The wall was constructed of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every precious stone; the first course of stones was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made from a single pearl; and the street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass.

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and to it the kings of the earth will bring their treasure. During the day its gates will never be shut, and there will be no night there. The treasure and wealth of the nations will be brought there, but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any one who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

RESPONSORY
See Revelation 21:21; Tobit 13:21, 22, 13

Your streets of gold, Jerusalem, will ring with happy song,
— throughout your length and breadth one great cry from the lips of all:
Alleluia.

You will shine in splendor like the sun;
all men on earth will pay you homage.
— Throughout your length and breadth one great cry from the lips of all:
Alleluia.

SECOND READING

From a treatise by Saint Gaudentius of Brescia, bishop
(Tract. 2: CSEL 68, 26, 29-30)

The eucharist is The Lord’s passover

One man has died for all, and now in every church in the mystery of bread and wine he heals those for whom he is offered in sacrifice, giving life to those who believe and holiness to those who consecrate the offering. This is the flesh of the Lamb; this is his blood. The bread that came down from heaven declared: The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. It is significant, too, that his blood should be given to us in the form of wine, for his own words in the gospel, I am the true vine, imply clearly enough that whenever wine is offered as a representation of Christ’s passion, it is offered as his blood. This means that it was of Christ that the blessed patriarch Jacob prophesied when he said: He will wash his tunic in wine and his cloak in the blood of the grape. The tunic was our flesh, which Christ was to put on like a garment and which he was to wash in his own blood.

Creator and Lord of all things, whatever their nature, he brought forth bread from the earth and changed it into his own body. Not only had he the power to do this, but he had promised it; and, as he had changed water into wine, he also changed wine into his own blood. It is the Lord’s passover, Scripture tells us, that is, the Lord’s passing. We are no longer to look upon the bread and wine as earthly substances. They have become heavenly, because Christ has passed into them and changed them into his body and blood. What you receive is the body of him who is the heavenly bread, and the blood of him who is the sacred vine; for when he offered his disciples the consecrated bread and wine, he said: This is my body, this is my blood. We have put our trust in him. I urge you to have faith in him; truth can never deceive.

When Christ told the crowds that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood, they were horrified and began to murmur among themselves: This teaching is too hard; who can be expected to listen to it? As I have already told you, thoughts such as these must be banished. The Lord himself used heavenly fire to drive them away by going on to declare: It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

RESPONSORY
John 6:58; Luke 22:19

The living Father sent me,
and I have life because of the Father;
— whoever eats me will live because of me, alleluia.

This is my body which will be given up for you.
— Whoever eats me will live because of me, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Father,
in your love you have brought us
from evil to good and from misery to happiness.
Through your blessings
give the courage of perseverance
to those you have called and justified in faith.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.