Psalmody
Psalm 51
Ant. I abandon myself to God’s mercy and rest. (1811 retreat at Amiens)
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your merciful love;
according to your great compassion,
blot out my transgressions.
O wash me completely from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin.
My transgressions, 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.
So you are just in your sentence,
without reproach in your judgment.
Behold, in guilt I was born,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
Behold, you delight in sincerity of heart;
in secret you teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be pure;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may exult.
Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my guilt.
Create a pure heart for me, O God;
renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence;
take not your holy spirit from me.
Restore in me the joy of your salvation;
sustain in me a willing spirit.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
that sinners may return to you.
Rescue me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and then my tongue shall ring out your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight;
burnt offering from me would not please you.
My sacrifice to God, a broken spirit:
a broken and humbled heart,
you will not spurn, O God.
In your good pleasure, show favour to Zion;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in righteous sacrifice,
burnt offerings wholly consumed.
Then you will be offered young bulls on your altar.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. I abandon myself to God’s mercy and rest.
Canticle (Isa 45 15-25)
Ant. God is not demanding here sacrifices beyond our strength. (1808 letter to Madame de Mazenod, his mother)
Truly you are a God who is hidden,
the God of Israel, the saviour!
They are put to shame and disgraced,
the makers of idols are put to confusion.
Israel, you are saved by the Most High,
with everlasting salvation!
You shall never be put to shame or disgraced for all eternity.
For thus says the Most High,
the creator of the heavens,
who is God,
the designer and maker of the earth,
who established it,
not creating it as chaos,
but designing it to be lived in.
I am God, and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret,
in a land of darkness;
I have not said to the descendants of my people,
‘Look for me in chaos.’
I, your God, speak the truth,
I declare what is right.
Come and assemble, gather together,
you survivors of the nations!
They are without knowledge who bear wooden idols
and pray to gods that cannot save.
Come here and declare in counsel together!
Who declared this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, your God?
There is no other besides me,
a just and saving God!
Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I have sworn,
uttering my just decree
and my word which cannot be changed.
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
saying, ‘Only in you, our God, are justice and righteousness.
You, O God, shall be in the vindication and the glory
of all the descendants of Israel.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. God is not demanding here sacrifices beyond our strength.
Psalm 100
Ant. I ask God to grant me enlightenment. (1833 letter to Fr. Tempier)
Cry out with joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness.
Come before God, singing for joy.
Know that the LORD is God,
who made us, to whom we belong.
We are God’s people, the sheep of God’s flock.
Enter the temple gates with thanksgiving
and its courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks and bless God’s name.
Indeed, how good is the LORD,
eternal God’s merciful love.
God is faithful from age to age.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. I ask God to grant me enlightenment.
Reading
It is not about sin, defection and unworthiness of the subject. It is not about the Founder’s conversion. It is a more positive and grace-filled context that focuses on what we might call the mirabilia Dei, the wonderful works of God in the life of a (person)… (It) shifts the focus from what Eugene de Mazenod did or did not do to what God did for him in that grace-filled moment of his life.
(King, Arthur: …One Good Friday… 1807, p. 2)
Responsory
At daybreak, be merciful to me
- At daybreak, be merciful to me
Make known to me the path that I must walk
- be merciful to me
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
- At daybreak, be merciful to me
Canticle of Zachariah
Ant. Each of us, moreover, is the principal agent of his own development; throughout life’s various stages, we are called to respond generously to the promptings of the Spirit. (Constitution 49)
O God, you have come and freed your people;
from David’s house you have sent a Saviour.
Through ages the prophets have told us
that we would be saved from hatred.
You have shown to us your great mercy
by the promise to Sarah and Abraham
that we should be freed from all fear
to serve you in justice and holiness.
And you, John, are called prophet of God,
for you will prepare the way
to lead people to salvation
through the awareness and knowledge of God.
Praise to you, God of Israel.
The bright dawn will break upon us.
You give light to those in darkness.
You guide us to ways of peace.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. Each of us, moreover, is the principal agent of his own development; throughout life’s various stages, we are called to respond generously to the promptings of the Spirit.
Intercessions
For all those who are suffering because of their faith or because of their stand up for truth and justice. We pray.
That the Church may become a community of love where all are welcome and no person feels rejected. We pray.
That the homeless and displaced in our communities nay receive from Government and Church the respect and care that they deserve. We pray.
Lord’s Prayer
Concluding Prayer
Loving God, we rejoice in your greatness and power, your gentleness and love, your mercy and justice. Enable us by your Spirit to honour you in our thoughts, and words and actions, and to serve you in every aspect of our lives. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Novitiate Liturgy of the Hours 