Psalmody
Psalm 141 (1-9)
Ant. One must have patience, confidence in God and in prayer.
(1824 letter to Fr. Courtès)
I have called to you, LORD; O hasten to help me!
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be as incense before you,
the raising of my hands like an evening oblation.
Set, O LORD, a guard on my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips!
Do not turn my heart to things that are evil,
to wicked deeds with those who are sinners.
Never allow me to share in their feasting.
If someone righteous strikes me it is kindness;
but let the oil of the wicked not anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.
If they fall into the merciless hands of their judges,
they will grasp how kind are my words.
As clods of earth plowed up on the ground,
so their bones were strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
To you my eyes are turned, O LORD, my Lord.
In you I take refuge; spare my soul!
From the trap they have laid for me, keep me safe;
keep me from the snares of those who do evil.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. One must have patience, confidence in God and in prayer.
Psalm 142
Ant. Providence will come to our help. (1832 letter to Fr. Guigues)
With my voice I cry to you, O LORD;
with my voice I entreat you, O LORD.
I pour out my trouble before you;
I recount to you all my distress
while my spirit faints within me.
But you, O Lord, know my path.
On the way where I shall walk,
they have hidden a snare to entrap me.
Look on my right hand and see:
there is no one who pays me heed.
No escape remains open to me;
no one cares for my soul.
To you I cry, O LORD.
I have said, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Listen, then, to my cry,
for I am brought down very low.
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison,
and I shall give thanks to your name.
Around me the righteous will assemble,
because of your goodness to me.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. Providence will come to our help.
Canticle (Phil 2:6-11)
Ant. In the midst of the unimaginable and perpetual disturbances that I sustain, I do not cease to think of you. (1859 letter to Archbishop Guibert)
Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not count equality with God
something to be grasped at.
But emptied himself
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
Being found in human estate,
he humbled himself and became obedient,
obediently accepting death,
even death on a cross!
Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name.
So that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God:
Jesus Christ is Lord!
Glory to the Father…
Ant. In the midst of the unimaginable and perpetual disturbances that I sustain, I do not cease to think of you.
Reading
The different situations into which God has placed me… let me see clearly that his way of acting toward me is one of predilection… I consider all those favours as a continuation of creation – as if God, after having formed me, took me by the hand, and placed me in those situations, telling me, “I created you so that you love and serve me.” Lord, you have created me for yourself. All I want is to be yours – to work and to die for you.
(Saint Eugène de Mazenod, Selected Texts, p. 256.)
Responsory
We will let our lives be enriched by the poor and the marginalized as we work with them
-We will let our lives be enriched by the poor and the marginalized as we work with them
for they can make us hear in new ways the Gospel we proclaim
-the poor and the marginalized
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
-We will let our lives be enriched by the poor and the marginalized as we work with them
Canticle of Mary
Ant. The charism of Saint Eugene de Mazenod is a gift of the Spirit to the Church, and it radiates throughout the world. (Rule 37a)
My heart is radiant, overflowing with joy,
for you have loved my lowliness.
You have shown me great favour;
all people will call me blest.
Your mercy extends throughout the ages
toward those who revere your holy name.
You have revealed your strength,
scattering the proud of heart.
You dethrone the powerful
and lift up the lowly.
The famished are filled;
the rich sent empty away.
Your people Israel you have remembered,
true to your loving kindness,
just as you have promised long ago
to Sarah and Abraham.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. The charism of Saint Eugene de Mazenod is a gift of the Spirit to the Church, and it radiates throughout the world.
Intercessions
Heaven and earth will pass away, but your word will remain, O God; let this promise of eternal life in you give meaning to our lives and energize us in your service.
Jesus, you foresaw the stark reality of the future, and you encouraged your followers to have patience; help us to live the gospel so faithfully that our lives will be a beacon of hope to others.
We are your children and you look upon us with Love. Help us to refrain from judging others negatively and to temper justice with mercy.
Lord’s Prayer
Concluding Prayer
We thank You, God, for all your many blessings. We are surrounded with your goodness and mercy, if only we have eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to touch, and hearts to confess them. As you love us beyond what we do, caring for us simply because you created us — so we praise you for who you are, after and beyond what you give to us. We thank you for your everlasting presence in all of creation. This we ask through Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Novitiate Liturgy of the Hours 