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 46
God is our refuge and strength,*
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,*
and though the mountains be toppled into the
depths of the sea;
Though its waters rage and foam,*
and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.
The Lord of hosts is with us;*
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,*
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be overthrown;*
God shall help her at the break of day.
The nations make much ado, and the kingdoms are shaken;*
God has spoken, and the earth shall melt away.
The Lord of hosts is with us;*
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come now and look upon the works of the Lord,*
what awesome things he has done on earth.
It is he who makes war to cease in all the world;*
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,
and burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, then, and know that I am God;*
I will be exalted among the nations;
I will be exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;*
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Glory to the Father . . .
God our strength, your power is for peace, and the pride of your mighty acts secures the city of the humble. Teach us to put our trust in your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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
Ecclesiastes 8.14-9.10
There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to the conduct of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.
When I applied my mind to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how one’s eyes see sleep neither day nor night, then I saw all the work of God, that no one can find out what is happening under the sun. However much they may toil in seeking, they will not find it out; even though those who are wise claim to know, they cannot find it out.
All this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hate one does not know. Everything that confronts them is vanity, since the same fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to those who sacrifice and those who do not sacrifice. As are the good, so are the sinners; those who swear are like those who shun an oath. This is an evil in all that happens under the sun, that the same fate comes to everyone. Moreover, the hearts of all are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But whoever is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no more reward, and even the memory of them is lost. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished; never again will they have any share in all that happens under the sun.
Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
Galatians 4.21-31
Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. For it is written,
‘Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children,
burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs;
for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous
than the children of the one who is married.’
Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, like Isaac. But just as at that time the child who was born according to the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the scripture say? ‘Drive out the slave and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the child of the free woman.’ So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave but of the free woman.
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 remembered* his holy covenant
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 remembered* his holy covenant
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, you have assured the human family of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Deliver us from the death of sin and raise us to new life in him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for 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.
