WEEK C
O Lord, open our lips:
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.
PSALMODY
Antiphon: Be joyful in God, all you lands;*
Sing the glory of his name!
Opening – From Psalms 66 and 92
All the earth bows down before you,*
sings to you, sings out your name.
Bless our God, you peoples;*
make the voice of his praise to be heard.
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord,*
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning*
and of your faithfulness in the night season.
Glory to the Father…
Psalm 107:1-32
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,*
and his mercy endures for ever.
Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim*
that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
He gathered them out of the lands;*
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
Some wandered in desert wastes;*
they found no way to a city where they might dwell.
They were hungry and thirsty;*
their spirits languished within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,*
and he delivered them from their distress.
He put their feet on a straight path*
to go to a city where they might dwell.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy*
and the wonders he does for his children.
For he satisfies the thirsty*
and fills the hungry with good things.
Some sat in darkness and deep gloom,*
bound fast in misery and iron;
Because they rebelled against the words of God*
and despised the counsel of the Most High.
So he humbled their spirits with hard labour;*
they stumbled, and there was none to help.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,*
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them out of darkness and deep gloom*
and broke their bonds asunder.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy*
and the wonders he does for his children.
For he shatters the doors of bronze*
and breaks in two the iron bars.
Some were fools and took to rebellious ways;*
they were afflicted because of their sins.
They abhorred all manner of food*
and drew near to death’s door.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,*
and he delivered them from their distress.
He sent forth his word and healed them*
and saved them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy*
and the wonders he does for his children.
Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving*
and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.
Some went down to the sea in ships*
and plied their trade in deep waters;
They beheld the works of the Lord*
and his wonders in the deep.
Then he spoke, and a stormy wind arose,*
which tossed high the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths;*
their hearts melted because of their peril.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards*
and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,*
and he delivered them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper*
and quieted the waves of the sea.
Then were they glad because of the calm,*
and he brought them to the harbour they were bound for.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy*
and the wonders he does for his children.
Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people*
and praise him in the council of the elders.
Glory to the Father . . .
Conclusion (from Isaiah 12)
Behold God is my salvation;*
I will trust and not be afraid;
the Lord God is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water*
from the wells of salvation.
Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name;*
make known his deeds among the nations.
Sing to the Lord for he has done gloriously;*
let this be known in all the earth.
Shout and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Sion,*
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Glory to the Father…
Antiphon: Be joyful in God, all you lands;*
Sing the glory of his name!
READINGS
2 Samuel 4.1-12
When Saul’s son Ishbaal heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. Saul’s son had two captains of raiding bands; the name of one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab. They were sons of Rimmon, a Benjaminite from Beeroth—for Beeroth is considered to belong to Benjamin. (Now the people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim and are there as resident aliens to this day).
Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled; and, in her haste to flee, it happened that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ishbaal, while he was taking his noonday rest. They came inside the house as though to take wheat, and they struck him in the stomach; then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. Now they had come into the house while he was lying on his couch in his bedchamber; they attacked him, killed him, and beheaded him. Then they took his head and travelled by way of the Arabah all night long. They brought the head of Ishbaal to David at Hebron and said to the king, ‘Here is the head of Ishbaal, son of Saul your enemy who sought your life; the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.’
David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, ‘As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, when the one who told me, “See, Saul is dead”, thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag—this was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more then, when wicked men have killed a righteous man on his bed in his own house! And now shall I not require his blood at your hand, and destroy you from the earth?’ So David commanded the young men, and they killed them; they cut off their hands and feet, and hung their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. But the head of Ishbaal they took and buried in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.
Acts of the Apostles 16.25-40
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, ‘Let those men go.’ And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, ‘The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.’ But Paul replied, ‘They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.’ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens; so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.
Silence
Response (Ps. 63:4)
V. I will bless you Lord as long as I live.
R. I will bless you Lord as long as I live.
V. And lift up my hands in your name.
R. As long as I live.
V. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
R. I will bless you Lord as long as I live.
BENEDICTUS
Benedictus Antiphon: God has come to us * and set us free
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,*
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour,*
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 that hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our forebears,*
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 all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God*
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of
death,*
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father.
Benedictus Antiphon: God has come to us * and set us free
PRAYERS
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
Collects
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us your mercy, that with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
God most holy, we give you thanks for bringing us out of the shadow of night into the light of morning; and we ask you for the joy of spending this day in your service, so that when evening comes, we may once more give you thanks, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil;
and bring us to life eternal. Amen.
