Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)

For those of you who have celebrated Ascension of our Lord on Thursday, use this link to the Invitatory from Ascension to Pentecost

Lord, open my lips.

— And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.

Psalm 100

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing for joy.

Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.

He made us, we belong to him,

we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.

Enter his courts with songs of praise.

Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Ant. The Lord is risen, alleluia.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,

eternal his merciful love.

He is faithful from age to age.

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.

For those of you who have celebrated Ascension of our Lord on Thursday, use this link to the Office of Readings for Saturday in week 6 of Easter after Ascension

Ribbon Placement:

Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:

Ordinary: 1045

Proper of Seasons: 956

Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 1339

Office of Readings for Saturday in Week 6 of Easter before Ascension

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
Brightness of the Father's glory

Springing from eternal light,

Source of light by light engendered.

Day enlightening every day.

In your ever-lasting radiance

Shine upon us, Christ, true sun,

Bringing life to mind and body

Through the Holy Spirit's pow'r.

Father of unfading glory.

Rich in grace and Strong to save.

Hear our prayers and come to save us,

Keep us far from sinful ways.

Dawn is drawing ever nearer,

Dawn that brings us all we seek,

Son who dwells within the Father,

Father uttering one Word.

Glory be to God the Father.

Glory to his Only Son,

Glory now and through all ages

To the Spirit Advocate.

𝄞"Brightness of the Father's Glory" by Gabe Bouck, Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase • Musical Score • Title: Brightness of the Father's Glory; Text: Mount Saint Bernard Abbey; Tune: SHARON by William Boyce, 1710-1799; Artists: Gabe Bouck and Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2016 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 4

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Remember us, O Lord; come with your saving help, alleluia.

Psalm 106

The goodness of the Lord; the faithlessness of his people

These things have been written for a warning for us, for we are living at the end of the ages (1 Corinthians 10:11).

I

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good:

for his love endures for ever.

Who can tell the Lord’s mighty deeds?

Who can recount all his praise?

They are happy who do what is right,

who at all times do what is just.

O Lord, remember me

out of the love you have for your people.

Come to me, Lord, with your help

that I may see the joy of your chosen ones

and may rejoice in the gladness of your nation

and share the glory of your people.

Our sin is the sin of our fathers;

we have done wrong, our deeds have been evil.

Our fathers when they were in Egypt

paid no heed to your wonderful deeds.

They forgot the greatness of your love;

at the Red Sea defied the Most High.

Yet he saved them for the sake of his name,

in order to make known his power.

He threatened the Red Sea; it dried up

and he led them through the deep as through the desert.

He saved them from the hand of the foe;

he saved them from the grip of the enemy.

The waters covered their oppressors;

not one of them was left alive.

Then they believed in his words;

then they sang his praises.

But they soon forgot his deeds

and would not wait upon his will.

They yielded to their cravings in the desert

and put God to the test in the wilderness.

He granted them the favor they asked

and sent disease among them.

Then they rebelled, envious of Moses

and of Aaron, who was holy to the Lord.

The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan

and buried the clan of Abiram.

Fire blazed up against their clan

and flames devoured the rebels.

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. Remember us, O Lord; come with your saving help, alleluia.

Ant. 2 Keep it carefully in mind; the Lord your God has made a covenant with you, alleluia.

II

They fashioned a calf at Horeb

and worshiped an image of metal,

exchanging the God who was their glory

for the image of a bull that eats grass.

They forgot the God who was their savior,

who had done such great things in Egypt,

such portents in the land of Ham,

such marvels at the Red Sea.

For this he said he would destroy them,

but Moses, the man he had chosen,

stood in the breach before him,

to turn back his anger from destruction.

Then they scorned the land of promise:

they had no faith in his word.

They complained inside their tents

and would not listen to the voice of the Lord.

So he raised his hand to swear an oath

that he would lay them low in the desert;

would scatter their sons among the nations

and disperse them throughout the lands.

They bowed before the Baal of Peor;

ate offerings made to lifeless gods.

They roused him to anger with their deeds

and a plague broke out among them.

Then Phinehas stood up and intervened.

Thus the plague was ended

and this was counted in his favor

from age to age for ever.

They provoked him at the waters of Meribah.

Through their fault it went ill with Moses;

for they made his heart grow bitter

and he uttered words that were rash.

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. Keep it carefully in mind; the Lord your God has made a covenant with you, alleluia.

Ant. 3 Save your people, Lord; bring us together from among the nations, alleluia.

III

They failed to destroy the peoples

as the Lord had given command,

but instead they mingled with the nations

and learned to act as they did.

They worshiped the idols of the nations

and these became a snare to entrap them.

They even offered their own sons

and their daughters in sacrifice to demons.

They shed the blood of the innocent,

the blood of their sons and daughters

whom they offered to the idols of Canaan.

The land was polluted with blood.

So they defiled themselves by their deeds

and broke their marriage bond with the Lord

till his anger blazed against his people:

he was filled with horror at his chosen ones.

So he gave them into the hand of the nations

and their foes became their rulers.

Their enemies became their oppressors;

they were subdued beneath their hand.

Time after time he rescued them,

but in their malice they dared to defy him

and sank low through their guilt.

In spite of this he paid heed to their distress,

so often as he heard their cry.

For their sake he remembered his covenant.

In the greatness of his love he relented

and he let them be treated with mercy

by all who held them captive.

O Lord, our God, save us!

Bring us together from among the nations

that we may thank your holy name

and make it our glory to praise you.

Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,

for ever, from age to age.

Let all the people cry out:

“Amen! Amen! 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.

Psalm-prayer

God, our Creator, how wonderfully you made man. You transformed dust into your own image and gave it a share in your own nature; yet you are more wonderful in pardoning the man who had rebelled against you. Grant that where sin has abounded, grace may more abound, so that we can become holier through forgiveness and be more grateful to you.

Ant. Save your people, Lord; bring us together from among the nations, alleluia.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

My whole body rejoices, alleluia.

— With all my strength I will praise my God, alleluia.

READINGS

First reading

From the first letter of the apostle John

3:18-24

The commandment of faith and love

Little children,

let us love in deed and in truth

and not merely talk about it.

This is our way of knowing we are committed to the truth

and are at peace before him

no matter what our consciences may charge us with;

for God is greater than our hearts

and all is known to him.

Beloved,

if our consciences have nothing to charge us with,

we can be sure that God is with us

and that we will receive at his hands

whatever we ask.

Why? Because we are keeping his commandments

and doing what is pleasing in his sight.

His commandment is this:

we are to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,

and are to love one another as he commanded us.

Those who keep his commandments remain in him

and he in them.

And this is how we know that he remains in us:

from the Spirit that he gave us.

RESPONSORY 1 John 3:24; Sirach 1:9, 10

All who keep God’s commandments live in God and God lives in them.

— We know that he dwells in us, by the Spirit he has given us, alleluia.

In his Holy Spirit God created wisdom, which he has poured forth upon all creation and has offered to those who love him.

— We know that he dwells in us, by the Spirit he has given us, alleluia.

Second reading

From a homily on the Song of Songs by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, bishop

The glory you gave to me, I have given to them

When love has entirely cast out fear, and fear has been transformed into love, then the unity brought us by our savior will be fully realized, for all men will be united with one another through their union with the one supreme Good. They will possess the perfection ascribed to the dove, according to our interpretation of the text: One alone is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only child of her mother, her chosen one.

Our Lord’s words in the gospel bring out the meaning of this text more clearly. After having conferred all power on his disciples by his blessing, he obtained many other gifts for them by his prayer to the Father. Among these was included the greatest gift of all, which was that they were no longer to be divided in their judgment of what was right and good, for they were all to be united to the one supreme Good. As the Apostle says, they were to be bound together with the bonds of peace in the unity that comes from the Holy Spirit. They were to be made one body and one spirit by the one hope to which they were all called. We shall do better, however, to quote the sacred words of the gospel itself. I pray, the Lord says, that they all may be one; that as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, so they also may be one in us.

Now the bond that creates this unity is glory. That the Holy Spirit is called glory no one can deny if he thinks carefully about the Lord’s words: The glory you gave to me, I have given to them. In fact, he gave this glory to his disciples when he said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. Although he had always possessed it, even before the world existed, he himself received this glory when he put on human nature. Then, when his human nature had been glorified by the Spirit, the glory of the Spirit was passed on to all his kin, beginning with his disciples. This is why he said: The glory you gave to me, I have given to them, so that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in me, I want them to be perfectly one.

Whoever has grown from infancy to manhood and attained to spiritual maturity possesses the mastery over his passions and the purity that makes it possible for him to receive the glory of the Spirit. He is that perfect dove upon whom the eyes of the bridegroom rest when he says: One alone is my dove, my perfect one.

RESPONSORY See John 15:15; 14:26; 15:14

I no longer call you servants. Instead, I call you friends, for you have seen all the things I have done among you.

— Receive the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, whom the Father will send you, alleluia.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

— Receive the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, whom the Father will send you, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Constantly shape our minds,

we pray, O Lord, by the practice of good works,

that trying always for what is better,

we may strive to hold ever fast to the paschal mystery.

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.

— Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.

— And give him thanks.

For those of you who have celebrated Ascension of our Lord on Thursday, use this link to the Morning Prayer for Saturday in Week 6 of Easter after Ascension

Ribbon Placement:

Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:

Ordinary: 1049

Proper of Seasons: 950

Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 1345

Christian Prayer:

Ordinary: 689

Proper of Seasons: 574

Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 845

Morning Prayer for Saturday in Week 6 of Easter before Ascension

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
God, whose almighty word

Chaos and darkness heard

And took their flight:

Hear us, we humbly pray,

And where the Gospel day

Sheds not its glorious ray,

Let there be light!

Saviour, who came to give,

Those who in darkness live,

Healing and sight,

Help those who seek to find,

Heal those whose hearts are blind,

And in each humble mind

Let there be light!

Spirit of truth and love,

Life-giving, holy dove,

Speed forth your flight;

Move on the water’s face,

Bearing the lamp of grace,

And in earth’s darkest place

Let there be light!

Holy and blessed three,

Glorious Trinity,

Wisdom, Love, Might!

Boundless as ocean’s tide,

Rolling in fullest pride,

Through the earth, far and wide,

Let there be light!

𝄞"God, Whose Almighty Word" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase • Musical Score • Title: God, Whose Almighty Word; Text: John Marriot, 1813. Music: Dort Lowell Mason, 1832; Artist: Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2016 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 4

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 You have filled me with gladness, Lord; I will sing for joy at the works of your hands, alleluia.

Psalm 92

Praise of God the Creator

Sing in praise of Christ’s redeeming work (Saint Athanasius)

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to make music to your name, O Most High,

to proclaim your love in the morning

and your truth in the watches of the night,

on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute,

with the murmuring sound of the harp.

Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad;

for the work of your hands I shout with joy.

O Lord, how great are your works!

How deep are your designs!

The foolish man cannot know this

and the fool cannot understand.

Though the wicked spring up like grass

and all who do evil thrive,

they are doomed to be eternally destroyed.

But you, Lord, are eternally on high.

See how your enemies perish;

all doers of evil are scattered.

To me you give the wild ox’s strength;

you anoint me with the purest oil.

My eyes looked in triumph on my foes;

my ears heard gladly of their fall.

The just will flourish like the palm tree

and grow like a Lebanon cedar.

Planted in the house of the Lord

they will flourish in the courts of our God,

still bearing fruit when they are old,

still full of sap, still green,

to proclaim that the Lord is just.

In him, my rock, there is no wrong.

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

Take our shame away from us, Lord, and make us rejoice in your saving works. May all who have been chosen by your Son always abound in works of faith, hope, and love in your service.

Ant. You have filled me with gladness, Lord; I will sing for joy at the works of your hands, alleluia.

Ant.2 It is I who bring death and I who give life; I inflict injury and I bring healing, alleluia.

Canticle – Deuteronomy 32:1-12

God’s kindness to his people

How often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her brood under her wing. (Matthew 23:37)

Give ear, O heavens, while I speak;

let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth!

May my instruction soak in like the rain,

and my discourse permeate like the dew,

Like a downpour upon the grass,

like a shower upon the crops.

For I will sing the Lord’s renown.

Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!

The Rock – how faultless are his deeds,

how right all his ways!

A faithful God, without deceit,

how just and upright he is!

Yet basely has he been treated by his degenerate children,

a perverse and crooked race!

Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you,

O stupid and foolish people?

Is he not your father who created you?

Has he not made you and established you?

Think back on the days of old,

reflect on the years of age upon age.

Ask your father and he will inform you,

ask your elders and they will tell you:

When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,

when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,

He set up the boundaries of the peoples

after the number of the sons of God;

While the Lord’s own portion was Jacob,

His hereditary share was Israel.

He found them in a wilderness,

a wasteland of howling desert.

He shielded them and cared for them,

guarding them as the apple of his eye.

As an eagle incites its nestlings forth

by hovering over its brood,

So he spread his wings to receive them

and bore them up on his pinions.

The Lord alone was their leader,

no strange god was with him.

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. It is I who bring death and I who give life; I inflict injury and I bring healing, alleluia.

Ant. 3 You have crowned your Anointed One with glory and honor, alleluia.

Psalm 8

Praise for God’s loving compassion

I affirm that… the Gentile peoples are to praise God because of his mercy (Romans 15:8-9)

How great is your name, O Lord our God,

through all the earth!

Your majesty is praised above the heavens;

on the lips of children and of babes

you have found praise to foil your enemy,

to silence the foe and the rebel.

When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,

the moon and the stars which you arranged,

what is man that you should keep him in mind,

mortal man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him little less than a god;

with glory and honor you crowned him,

gave him power over the works of your hands,

put all things under his feet.

All of them, sheep and cattle,

yes, even the savage beasts,

birds of the air, and fish

that make their way through the waters.

How great is your name, O Lord our God

through all the 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.

Psalm-prayer

Almighty Lord, how wonderful is your name. You have made every creature subject to you; make us worthy to give you service.

Ant. You have crowned your Anointed One with glory and honor, alleluia.

READING Romans 14:7-9

None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master. While we live we are responsible to the Lord, and when we die we die as his servants. Both in life and in death we are the Lord’s. That is why Christ died and came to life again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

The Lord is risen from the tomb, alleluia, alleluia.

— The Lord is risen from the tomb, alleluia, alleluia.

He hung upon the cross for us,

— alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

— The Lord is risen from the tomb, alleluia, alleluia.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. I promise that the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name, alleluia.

Luke 1:68 – 79

The Messiah and his forerunner

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. I promise that the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

Christ has made known to us the life that lasts for ever. With faith and joy let us cry out to him, saying:

Lord, may your resurrection bring us the riches of your grace.

Eternal shepherd, look on your flock as it rises from sleep,

— feed us with the word of life and the bread from heaven.

Lord, may your resurrection bring us the riches of your grace.

Keep us safe from wolf and hireling,

— and make us faithful in listening to your voice.

Lord, may your resurrection bring us the riches of your grace.

You are present to all who preach your Gospel, and give power to their words,

— make us today preachers of your resurrection by our holiness of life.

Lord, may your resurrection bring us the riches of your grace.

Be our great joy that no one can take from us,

— so that we may reject sin with its sadness, and reach out to eternal life.

Lord, may your resurrection bring us the riches of your grace.

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

Constantly shape our minds,

we pray, O Lord, by the practice of good works,

that trying always for what is better,

we may strive to hold ever fast to the paschal mystery.

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.

— Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,

protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.

— Amen.

For those of you who have celebrated Ascension of our Lord on Thursday, use this link to the Midmorning Prayer for Saturday in Week 6 of Easter after Ascension

Ribbon Placement:

Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:

Ordinary: 1054

Complementary Psalmody: 1651 (Midmorning)

Proper of Seasons: 952 (antiphon, reading, concluding prayer)

Midmorning Prayer for Saturday in Week 6 of Easter before Ascension, using the Complementary Psalmody

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
Breathe on me, Breath of God,

fill me with life anew,

that I may love what thou dost love,

and do what thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

until my heart is pure,

until with thee I have one will,

to do and to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

till I am wholly thine,

till all this earthly part of me

glows with thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

so shall I never die,

but live with thee the perfect life

of thine eternity.

𝄞"O Breathe on Me, Breath of God" by Jane Chifley And Pat McGrath • Musical Score • Title: Breathe on Me, Breath of God; Text: Edwin Hatch, 1835-1889; Music: Robert Jackson, 1842-1914; Tune: TRENTHAM, Meter: SM; Artist: Jane Chifley And Pat McGrath; Used by permission

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 120

Longing for peace

To the Lord in the hour of my distress

I call and he answers me.

“O Lord, save my soul from lying lips,

from the tongue of the deceitful.”

What shall he pay you in return,

O treacherous tongue?

The warrior’s arrows sharpened

and coals, red-hot, blazing.

Alas, that I abide a stranger in Meshech,

dwell among the tents of Kedar!

Long enough have I been dwelling

with those who hate peace.

I am for peace, but when I speak,

they are for fighting.

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 121

Guardian of his people

Never again will they hunger and thirst, never again know scorching heat (Revelation 7:16)

I lift up my eyes to the mountains;

from where shall come my help?

My help shall come from the Lord

who made heaven and earth.

May he never allow you to stumble!

Let him sleep not, your guard.

No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,

Israel’s guard.

The Lord is your guard and your shade;

at your right side he stands.

By day the sun shall not smite you

nor the moon in the night.

The Lord will guard you from evil,

he will guard your soul.

The Lord will guard your going and coming

both now and 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 122

The holy city, Jerusalem

You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22)

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

Let us go to God’s house.

And now our feet are standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built as a city

strongly compact.

It is there that the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord.

For Israel’s law it is,

there to praise the Lord’s name.

There were set the thrones of judgment

of the house of David.

For the peace of Jerusalem pray:

“Peace be to your homes!

May peace reign in your walls,

in your palaces, peace!”

For love of my brethren and friends

I say: Peace upon you.

For love of the house of the Lord

I will ask for your good.

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. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

READING Romans 5:10-11

If, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son, it is all the more certain that we who have been reconciled will be saved by his life. Not only that; we go so far as to make God our boast through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)

A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

The Lord is risen, alleluia.

— He has appeared to Simon, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Constantly shape our minds,

we pray, O Lord, by the practice of good works,

that trying always for what is better,

we may strive to hold ever fast to the paschal mystery.

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.

— Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.

— And give him thanks.

For those of you who have celebrated Ascension of our Lord on Thursday, use this link to the Midday Prayer for Saturday in Week 6 of Easter after Ascension

Ribbon Placement:

Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:

Ordinary: 1054

Proper of Seasons: 953

Psalter: Saturday, Week II, 1350

Midday Prayer for Saturday in Week 6 of Easter before Ascension, using the Current Psalmody

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
Chorus:

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

In verdant pastures

he gives me repose;

Chorus:

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

Beside restful waters He leads me;

He refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths

for His name’s sake.

Chorus:

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me

in the sight of my foes;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me

all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

for years to come.

Chorus:

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; There is nothing I shall want.

𝄞"The Lord is My Shepherd" by Bill Goyette • Musical Score • Text: Based on Psalm 23; Music: William R. Goyette; Arrangement: Michael V. Guzman and Cesar Marquez; (c) 1997 William R. Goyette; Licensed under Creative Commons

PSALMODY

Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 119:81-88

XI (Caph)

I yearn for your saving help;

I hope in your word.

My eyes yearn to see your promise.

When will you console me?

Though parched and exhausted with waiting

I have not forgotten your commands.

How long must your servant suffer?

When will you judge my foes?

For me the proud have dug pitfalls,

against your law.

Your commands are all true; then help me

when lies oppress me.

They almost made an end of me on earth

but I kept your precepts.

Because of your love give me life

and I will do your will.

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

When evil seems to triumph, Lord, and our hope begins to fail, give us courage and perseverance in doing your will.

Psalm 61

Prayer of an exile

The prayer of the just man who places his hope in the things of heaven (Saint Hilary).

O God, hear my cry!

Listen to my prayer!

From the end of the earth I call:

my heart is faint.

On the rock too high for me to reach

set me on high,

O you who have been my refuge,

my tower against the foe.

Let me dwell in your tent for ever

and hide in the shelter of your wings.

For you, O God, hear my prayer,

grant me the heritage of those who fear you.

May you lengthen the life of the king:

may his years cover many generations.

May he sit ever enthroned before God:

bid love and truth be his protection.

So I will always praise your name

and day after day fulfill my vows.

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 Jesus, love and truth of the Father, you came to earth to relieve the pain of our exile; you took our weakness as your own. Uphold us when our hearts grow faint, until we stand with you before God and praise your name.

Psalm 64

Prayer for help against enemies

This psalm commemorates most particularly our Lord’s passion (Saint Augustine).

Hear my voice, O God, as I complain,

guard my life from dread of the foe.

Hide me from the band of the wicked,

from the throng of those who do evil.

They sharpen their tongues like swords;

they aim bitter words like arrows

to shoot at the innocent from ambush,

shooting suddenly and recklessly.

They scheme their evil course;

they conspire to lay secret snares.

They say: “Who will see us?

Who can search out our crimes?”

He will search who searches the mind

and knows the depth of the heart.

God has shot them with his arrow

and dealt them sudden wounds.

Their own tongue has brought them to ruin

and all who see them mock.

Then will all men fear;

they will tell what God has done.

They will understand God’s deeds.

The just will rejoice in the Lord

and fly to him for refuge.

All the upright hearts will glory.

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

Father, you gave your Son victory over the men who plotted evil against him; when he cried to you in his agony, you delivered him from fear of his enemies. May those who suffer with him in this life find refuge and success in you.

Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

READING 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Christ is now raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Death came through a man; hence the resurrection of the dead comes through a man also. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will come to life again.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)

A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

The disciples rejoiced, alleluia.

— When they saw the risen Lord, alleluia.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Constantly shape our minds,

we pray, O Lord, by the practice of good works,

that trying always for what is better,

we may strive to hold ever fast to the paschal mystery.

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.

— Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.

— And give him thanks.