Psalmody
Psalm 51
Ant. Great is the mercy of God with regard to his poor children. (1811 Conference on the fear of God)
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. Great is the mercy of God with regard to his poor children.
Canticle (Jer 14:17-21)
Ant. We must not try to do everything at once, all beginnings are painful and difficult. Be patient and do not try to travel any faster than the sails of the winds of Providence allow. (1846 letter to Fr. Dassy)
Let my eyes stream with tears
Night and day, without rest,
For the virgin daughter of my people
Is smitten with a great wound,
With a very grievous blow.
If I walk out into the field,
Behold those slain by the sword!
If I enter the city,
Behold the diseases of famine!
Both the prophet and the priest
Ply their trade throughout the land,
Ignorant of their doings.
Have you utterly rejected Judah?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you smitten us
So that there is no healing?
We looked for peace to no avail;
For a time of healing,
But terror comes instead.
We acknowledge our wickedness,
And the guilt of our ancestors,
For we have sinned against you.
Spurn us not for your Name’s sake;
Do not dishonour your glorious throne;
Remember your covenant with us,
And break it not.
Glory to the Father…
Ant. We must not try to do everything at once, all beginnings are painful and difficult. Be patient and do not try to travel any faster than the sails of the winds of Providence allow.
Psalm 100
Ant. Take heart, do not resist the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, be faithful and you will be happy. (1853 letter to Frs. Tissot and Maisonneuve)
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. Take heart, do not resist the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, be faithful and you will be happy.
Reading
Fraternal life is meant to be an experience of salvation. At the root of this fraternal communion is acceptance of the spiritual poverty of Christ and the desire to share our lives with others as Christ shares his life with us. His commandment is that we “have love one for another”. Where there is love, there is community; where there is community, there is the Kingdom of God in process; and where there is the Kingdom, there is salvation. Sure enough, salvation is not yet definitevly won. The idyllic style of Acts should give us no illusions. Sometimes the forces of separation are violent and seem legitimate. But we are called to welcome Christ who makes us return to our brothers and sisters and travel the same road with them once again. Community may be interrupted by moments of separation and disharmony but it can also rise to heights of pardon and reconciliation. This is its normal itinerary and the basis of our hope.
(Community, 1972, p.11-12)
Responsory
They will bear with one another in much patience and meekness
-They will bear with one another in much patience and meekness
and strive to outdo one another
-in much patience and meekness
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
-They will bear with one another in much patience and meekness
Canticle of Zachariah
Ant. We fulfill our mission in and through the community to which we belong. (Constitution 37)
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. We fulfill our mission in and through the community to which we belong.
Intercessions
Let us pray for the Church around the world; may it be a church that takes the side of the Poor and the Oppressed.
You promised that you would provide living water, the fountain of eternal life, pour fourth your gentle Spirit upon all people.
You have given the sick and the suffering a share in your cross, give them patience and peace.
Lord’s Prayer
Concluding Prayer
Lord Jesus, Christ and Saviour, we thank you for having united us so closely to yourself. We beseech you, with the very force of our weakness and our fear, fill us with the power of your love so that we may be strong witnesses of this new world which you have revealed through your success in failure. Open us more and more to your Spirit so that we may be truly present to your Body which is today suffering and dying before our eyes. Give us also a strong awareness of the resurrection made possible through the daily work we do in hope. Amen.
Novitiate Liturgy of the Hours 