Week 4

Monday Morning, Week 4

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.

Psalm 90

May the Lord’s glory
shine upon us

Each morning, Lord, you fill us with your kindness.
O Lord, you have been our refuge
    from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born
    or the earth or the world brought forth,
    you are God, without beginning or end.
You turn men back into dust
    and say: ΓÇÿGo back, sons of men.‘
To your eyes a thousand years
    are like yesterday, come and gone,
    no more than a watch in the night.
You sweep men away like a dream,
    like grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
    by evening it withers and fades.
So we are destroyed in your anger,
    struck with terror in your fury.
Our guilt lies open before you;
    our secrets in the light of your face.
All our days pass away in your anger.
    Our life is over like a sigh.
Our span is seventy years,
    or eighty for those who are strong.
And most of these are emptiness and pain.
    They pass swiftly and we are gone.
Who understands the power of your anger
    and fears the strength of your fury?
Make us know the shortness of our life
    that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
    Show pity to your servants.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
    we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Give us joy to balance our affliction
    for the years when we knew misfortune.
Show forth your work to your servants;
    let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:
    give success to the work of our hands,
    give success to the work of our hands.
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.

Canticle. Isaiah 42

God, victor and savior

From the farthest bounds of earth, may God be praised!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth:
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the coastlands, and those who dwell in them.
Let the steppe and its cities cry out,
the villages where Kedar dwells;
Let the inhabitants of Sela exult,
and shout from the top of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the Lord,
and utter his praise in the coastlands.
The Lord goes forth like a hero,
like a warrior he stirs up his ardor;
he shouts out his battle cry,
against his enemies he shows his might:
I have looked away, and kept silence,
I have said nothing, holding myself in;
but now, I cry out as a woman in labor,
gasping and panting.
I will lay waste mountains and hills,
all their herbage I will dry up;
I will turn the rivers into marshes,
and the marshes I will dry up.
I will lead the blind on their journey;
by paths unknown I will guide them.
I will turn darkness into light before them,
and make crooked ways straight.
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 135

Praise the Lord,
worker of wonders

You who stand in his sanctuary, praise the name of the
Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord,
    praise him, servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord
    in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.
    Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself
    and Israel for his own possession.
For I know the Lord is great,
    that our Lord is high above all gods.
The Lord does whatever he wills,
    in heaven, on earth, in the seas.
He summons clouds from the ends of the earth;
    makes lightning produce the rain;
    from his treasuries he sends forth the wind.
The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
    of man and beast alike.
Signs and wonders he worked
    in the midst of your land, O Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.
Nations in their greatness he struck
    and kings in their splendour he slew.
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    Og, the king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
    He let Israel inherit their land;
on his people their land he bestowed.
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.
Readings from the day: www.usccb.org

Canticle of
Zechariah

Blessed be the Lord, for he has visited us and freed us.
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.

Prayers and
intercessions

Because Christ hears and saves those who hope in him, we pray:
We thank you because you are rich in mercy,
    and for the abundant love with which you have loved us.
With the Father you are always at work in the world:
    make all things new through the power of your Holy Spirit.
Open our eyes and the eyes of our brothers and sisters,
    to see your wonders this day.
You call us today to your service:
    make us stewards of your many gifts.
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.
Lord God,
    who entrusted the earth to us to till it and care for it,
    and made the sun to serve our needs:
give us grace this day to work faithfully for your glory
    and for our neighbors‘ good.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to
everlasting life.
    Amen.

Tuesday Morning, Week 4

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.

Psalm 101

Fulfill the Lord’s
commands

I will sing to you, O Lord; I will learn from you the way of
perfection.
My song is of mercy and justice;
    I sing to you, O Lord.
I will walk in the way of perfection.
    O when, Lord, will you come?
I will walk with blameless heart
    within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
    whatever is base.
I will hate the ways of the crooked;
    they shall not be my friends.
The false-hearted must keep far away;
    the wicked I disown.
The one who slanders his neighbor in secret
    I will bring to silence.
The one of proud looks and haughty heart
    I will never endure.
I look to the faithful in the land
    that they may dwell with me.
The one who walks in the way of perfection
    shall be my friend.
No one who practices deceit
    shall live within my house.
No one who utters lies shall stand
    before my eyes.
Morning by morning I will silence
    all the wicked in the land,
uprooting from the city of the Lord
    all who do evil.
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.

Canticle from
the fiery furnace. Daniel

Lord, do not withhold your compassion from us.
Blessed are you, and praiseworthy,
O Lord, the God of our fathers,
and glorious forever is your name.
For you are just in all you have done;
all your deeds are faultless, all your ways right,
and all your judgments proper.
For we have sinned and transgressed
by departing from you,
and we have done every kind of evil.
For your name‘s sake, do not deliver us up
forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no holocaust, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
as though it were holocausts of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
so let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to 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.

Psalm 144 (144)

For victory and peace

O God, I will sing to you a new song.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
    who trains my arms for battle,
    who prepares my hands for war.
He is my love, my fortress;
    he is my stronghold, my saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
    He brings peoples under my rule.
Lord, what is we that you care for us,
    Poor mortals, that you keep us in mind;
We are merely a breath
    Our life fades like a shadow?
Lower your heavens and come down;
    touch the mountains; wreathe them in smoke.
Flash your lightnings; rout the foe,
    shoot your arrows and put them to flight.
Reach down from heaven and save me;
    draw me out from the mighty waters,
    from the hands of alien foes
whose mouths are filled with lies,
    whose hands are raised in perjury.
To you, O God, will I sing a new song;
    I will play on the ten-stringed harp
to you who give kings their victory,
    who set David your servant free.
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.
Readings from the day. www.usccb.org

Zechariah’s Canticle

Lord, save us from the hands of all who hate us.
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.

Prayers and
intercessions

To the God who gives us the joy of praising him this morning, and who
strengthens our hope, we pray:
We thank you, God and Father of Jesus our Savior,
    for the knowledge and immortality you have given us through
him.
Make us humble of heart;
    help us to serve one another out of reverence for Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, your servants;
    make us sincere in our love for each other.
You instructed us to labor and to exercise dominion over the
earth:
    may our work honor you and sanctify our brothers and sisters.
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.
Increase in us, Lord, your gift of faith,
    so that the praise we offer you
    may bring fruit from heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to
everlasting life.
    Amen.

Wednesday Morning, Week 4

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.

Psalm 108

A plea for help

O God, arise above the heavens,
.
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;
    ΓÇÿI 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.
resurrection to the everlasting homeland.

Canticle. Isaiah
61-62

A vision of the New
Jerusalem

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

Psalm 146

Blessed are they
who hope in the Lord

Zion, the Lord, your God, will reign for ever.
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,
    Sion‘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.
Readings from the day: www.usccb.org

Canticle of
Zechariah

I am the Light come into the world; whoever believes in me is no
longer in darkness
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.

Prayers and intercessions

By the gift of the Father, the risen Christ was seen by the apostles.
Let us pray to the Father::
Father of lights, today we offer you our thanks and praise for
calling us into your marvelous light,
    to receive your mercy.
May human efforts to develop the world ,
    be purified and strengthened by the power of your Spirit.
May we be so dedicated to the service of others,
    that the whole human family become a pleasing in your sight.
At the dawn of a new day, fill us with your mercy,
    that the whole day be a day of joy and praise.
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.
Lord God, life of those who believe in you,
    glory of the humble and happiness of the saints,
    listen kindly to our prayer.
We long for what you promise;
    fill us from your abundance.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to
everlasting life.
    Amen.

Thursday Morning, Week 4

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.

Psalm 143

A prayer in time of
trouble

At daybreak, be merciful to me, O Lord.
Lord, listen to my prayer:
    turn your ear to my appeal.
    You are faithful, you are just; give answer.
Do not call your servant to judgement
    for no one is just in your sight.
The enemy pursues my soul;
    he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me dwell in darkness
    like the dead, long forgotten.
Therefore my spirit fails;
    my heart is numb within me.
I remember the days that are past:
    I ponder all your works.
I muse on what your hand has wrought
    and to you I stretch out my hands.
    Like a parched land my soul thirsts for you.
Lord, make haste and answer;
    for my spirit fails within me.
Do not hide your face
    lest I become like those in the grave.
In the morning let me know your love
    for I put my trust in you.
Make me know the way I should walk:
    to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me, Lord, from my enemies;
    I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will
    for you, O Lord, are my God.
Let your good spirit guide me
    in ways that are level and smooth.
For your name‘s sake, Lord, save my life;
    in your justice save my soul from distress.
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.

Canticle Isaiah 66

The joys of heaven

The Lord will make a river of peace flow through
Jerusalem.
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
all you who love her;
exult, exult with her,
all you who were mourning over her!
Oh, that you may suck fully
of the milk of her comfort,
that you may nurse with delight
at her abundant breasts!
For thus says the Lord:
Lo, I will spread prosperity over her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.
As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,
and fondled in her lap;
as a mother comforts her son,
so will I comfort you;
in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.
When you see this, your heart shall rejoice,
and your bodies flourish like the grass.
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 147

The Lord’s goodness and
power

Let us joyfully praise the Lord our God.
Praise the Lord for he is good;
    sing to our God for he is loving:
    to him our praise is due.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem
    and brings back Israel‘s exiles,
he heals the broken-hearted,
    he binds up all their wounds.
He fixes the number of the stars;
    he calls each one by its name.
Our Lord is great and almighty;
    his wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord raises the lowly;
    he humbles the wicked to the dust.
O sing to the Lord giving thanks;
    sing psalms to our God with the harp.
He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares the rain for the earth,
making mountains sprout with grass
    and with plants to serve man‘s needs.
He provides the beasts with their food
    and young ravens that call upon him.
His delight is not in horses
    nor his pleasure in warriors‘ strength.
The Lord delights in those who revere him,
    in those who wait for his love.
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.
Readings from the day; www.usccb.org

Canticle of
Zechariah

Give your people knowledge of salvation, Lord, and forgive us our
sins.
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.

Prayers and
intercessions

Let us pray to God, who gives salvation to his people:
Blessed are you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for by your mercy
we have been reborn to a living hope,
    through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
You made us in your image and renewed us in Christ:
    mold us into the likeness of your Son.
Pour out your love through the Holy Spirit:
    heal our hearts, wounded by hatred and jealousy.
Today grant work to laborers, bread to the hungry, joy to the
sorrowful,
    grace and redemption to all.
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.
Grant us, Lord, true knowledge of salvation,
    so that, freed from fear and from the power of our foes,
    we may serve you faithfully all the days of our life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to
everlasting life.
    Amen.

Friday Morning, Week 4

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.

Psalm 51

God, have mercy on
me

Create a clean heart in me, O God; renew in me a steadfast
spirit.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
    In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
    and cleanse me from my sin.
My offenses truly I know them;
    my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
    what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
    and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
    a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
    then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
    O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
    that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face
    and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
    put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
    nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
    with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
    and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
    and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips
    and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
    burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
    A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favor to Sion:
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
    holocausts offered on your altar.
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.

Canticle of Tobit

Thanksgiving
for the people’s deliverance

Rejoice, Jerusalem, for through you all will be gathered to the
Lord.
Let all speak of his majesty,
and sing his praises in Jerusalem.
O Jerusalem, holy city,
he scourged you for the works of your hands,
but will again pity the children of the righteous.
Praise the Lord for his goodness,
and bless the King of the ages,
so that his tent may be rebuilt in you with joy.
May he gladden within you all who were captives;
all who were ravaged may he cherish within you
for all generations to come.
A bright light will shine to all parts of the earth;
many nations shall come to you from afar,
and the inhabitants of all the limits of the earth,
drawn to you by the name of the Lord God,
Bearing in their hands their gifts for the King of heaven.
Every generation shall give joyful praise in you,
and shall call you the chosen one,
through all ages forever.
Go, then, rejoice over the children of the righteous,
who shall all be gathered together
and shall bless the Lord of the ages.
Happy are those who love you,
and happy those who rejoice in your prosperity.
Happy are all who shall grieve over you,
over all your chastisements,
for they shall rejoice in you
as they behold all your joy forever.
My spirit blesses the Lord, the great King.
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 147

God, the foundation of
Jerusalem

Zion, praise your God, who sent his Word to renew the
earth.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
    Sion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates
    he has blessed the children within you.
He established peace on your borders,
    he feeds you with finest wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
    and swiftly runs his command.
He showers down snow white as wool,
    he scatters hoar-frost like ashes.
He hurls down hailstones like crumbs.
    The waters are frozen at his touch;
he sends forth his word and it melts them:
    at the breath of his mouth the waters flow.
He makes his word known to Jacob,
    to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
    he has not taught them his decrees.
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.
Readings from the day: www.usccb.org
Through the loving mercy of our God, the Rising Sun has come to
visit us.
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.

Prayers and
intercessions

Trusting in God‘s concern for every person he
has created and redeemed through his Son, we renew our prayer to
him:
O God of mercy, guide us toward spiritual growth:
    fill our minds with the thoughts of truth, justice and love.
For your name‘s sake, do not abandon us for
ever,
    and do not annul your covenant.
Accept us, for our hearts are humble and our spirits contrite,
    and those who trust in you shall not be put to shame.
You have called us to a prophetic vocation in Christ:
    help us proclaim your mighty deeds.
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.
Lord God,
    bestow a full measure of your grace on us
    who come to you in prayer..
As you work to keep us in the path of your commandments,
    console us in this present life
    and bring us to eternal joys in the next.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to
everlasting life.
    Amen.

Saturday Morning, Week 4

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.

Psalm 92

Praise God, the
Creator

How wonderful are your works, O Lord,
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.

Canticle. Ezekiel 36

The Lord will renew his
people

I will pour cleansing water upon you,
I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart
and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you
and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
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 8

God creates us in his
image

All things are yours, and you are Christ‘s, and Christ is God‘s,
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 hand,
    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.
Readings from the day: www.usccb.org

Canticle of
Zechariah

When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of
unfading glory.
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.

Prayers and
intercessions

Christ has made known to us the life that lasts for ever. With faith
and joy we cry out to him, saying:
Eternal shepherd, look on your flock as it rises from sleep,
    feed us with the word of life and the bread from heaven.
Keep us safe from wolf and hireling,
    and make us faithful in listening to your voice.
You are with all who preach your Gospel, and give power to their
words,
    make us today preachers of your resurrection by our holiness of
life.
Be the great joy that no one can take from us,
    so that we may reject sin with its sadness, and reach out to
eternal life.
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.
All-powerful, ever-living God,
    keep the mystery of your love alive in us always.
You gave us a new birth in holy baptism:
    give us grace to bear much fruit,
    and bring us to the joys of eternal life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
    who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to
everlasting life.
    Amen.