Tuesday 28 April 2020
Tuesday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
or Saint Peter Chanel, Priest, Martyr
or Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest
Office of Readings
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
________
Hymn
Love’s redeeming work is done,
fought the fight, the battle won.
Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er!
Lo, he sets in blood no more!
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal!
Christ has burst the gates of hell;
death in vain forbids him rise;
Christ has opened paradise.
Lives again our victor King;
where, O death, is now thy sting?
Dying once, he all doth save;
where thy victory, O grave?
Soar we now where Christ has led,
following our exalted Head;
made like him, like him we rise,
ours the cross, the grave, the skies.
Hail the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to thee by both be given:
thee we greet triumphant now;
hail, the Resurrection thou!
________
Psalm 67 (68)
The Lord's triumphal journey
“When he ascended on high he led captivity captive, he gave gifts to men” (Eph 4:8).
Let God arise, let those who hate him flee before him. Alleluia.
Let Gód aríse, let his fóes be scáttered. *
Let thóse who háte him flée befóre him.
As smóke is blown awáy so will théy be blown awáy; †
like wáx that mélts befóre the fíre, *
so the wícked shall pérish at the présence of Gód.
But the júst shall rejóice at the présence of Gód, *
they shall exúlt and dánce for jóy.
O síng to the Lórd, make músic to his náme; †
make a híghway for hím who rídes on the clóuds. *
Rejóice in the Lórd, exúlt at his présence.
Fáther of the órphan, defénder of the wídow, *
súch is Gód in his hóly pláce.
Gód gives the lónely a hóme to líve in; †
he léads the prísoners fórth into fréedom: *
but rébels must dwéll in a párched lánd.
When you wént forth, O Gód, at the héad of your péople, *
when you márched across the désert, the éarth trémbled:
the héavens mélted at the présence of Gód, *
at the présence of Gód, Ísrael’s Gód.
You póured down, O Gód, a génerous ráin: *
when your péople were stárved you gáve them new lífe.
It was thére that your péople fóund a hóme, *
prepáred in your góodness, O Gód, for the póor.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Let God arise, let those who hate him flee before him. Alleluia.
________
Psalm 67 (68)
This God of ours is a God who saves. The Lord holds the keys of death. Alleluia.
The Lórd gives the wórd to the béarers of good tídings: *
‘The Almíghty has deféated a númberless ármy
and kíngs and ármies are in flíght, in flíght *
while yóu were at rést amóng the shéepfolds.’
At hóme the wómen alréady share the spóil. *
They are cóvered with sílver as the wíngs of a dóve,
its féathers brílliant with shíning góld *
and jéwels fláshing like snów on Mount Zálmon.
The móuntains of Báshan are míghty móuntains; *
hígh-ridged móuntains are the móuntains of Báshan.
Why lóok with énvy, you hígh-ridged móuntains, †
at the móuntain where Gód has chósen to dwéll? *
It is thére that the Lórd shall dwéll for éver.
The cháriots of Gód are thóusands upon thóusands. *
The Lórd has come from Sínai to the hóly pláce.
You have góne up on hígh; you have táken cáptives, †
recéiving mén in tribúte, O Gód, *
even thóse who rebél, into your dwélling, O Lórd.
May the Lórd be bléssed dáy after dáy. *
He béars our búrdens, Gód our sáviour.
This Gód of óurs is a Gód who sáves. *
The Lórd our Gód holds the kéys of déath.
And Gód will smíte the héad of his fóes, *
the crówn of thóse who persíst in their síns.
The Lord sáid: ‘I will bríng them báck from Báshan; *
I will bríng them báck from the dépth of the séa.
Thén your féet will tréad in their blóod *
and the tóngues of your dógs take their sháre of the fóe.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
This God of ours is a God who saves. The Lord holds the keys of death. Alleluia.
________
Psalm 67 (68)
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, praise the Lord. Alleluia.
They sée your sólemn procéssion, O Gód, *
the procéssion of my Gód, of my kíng, to the sánctuary:
the síngers in the fórefront, the musícians coming lást, *
betwéen them, máidens sóunding their tímbrels.
‘In féstive gátherings, bléss the Lórd; *
bless Gód, O yóu who are Ísrael’s sóns.’
There is Bénjamin, léast of the tríbes, at the héad, †
Júdah’s prínces, a míghty thróng, *
Zébulun’s prínces, Náphtali’s prínces.
Show fórth, O Gód, show fórth your míght, *
your míght, O Gód, which you have shówn for ús.
For the sáke of your témple hígh in Jerúsalem *
may kíngs cóme to you brínging their tríbute.
Thréaten the wíld beast that dwélls in the réeds, *
the bánds of the míghty and lórds of the péoples.
Lét them bow dówn óffering sílver. *
Scátter the péoples who delíght in wár.
Prínces will máke their wáy from Égypt: *
Ethiópia will strétch out her hánds to Gód.
Kíngdoms of the éarth, sing to Gód, praise the Lórd *
who rídes on the héavens, the áncient héavens.
He thúnders his vóice, his míghty vóice. *
Cóme, acknówledge the pówer of Gód.
His glóry is on Ísrael; his míght is in the skíes. *
Gód is to be féared in his hóly pláce.
Hé is the Lórd, Ísrael’s Gód. *
Hé gives stréngth and pówer to his péople.
Bléssed be Gód!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, praise the Lord. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, King of the universe, you have given us joy in your holy meal. Help us to understand the significance of your death and to acknowledge you as the conqueror of death seated at the right hand of the Father.
Or:
God our Father, the Exodus foreshadowed the eternal liberation of all peoples from bondage; by the paschal mystery you have rescued us from our former slavery. Bring us rejoicing to the promised land where we shall sing your glory continually.
________
℣. Christ has risen from the dead: he will never die again, alleluia.
℟. No more has death any power over him, alleluia.
________
Readings (official one-year cycle)
First Reading
Apocalypse 8:1-13
The seven angels punish the earth
The Lamb then broke the seventh seal, and there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Next I saw seven trumpets being given to the seven angels who stand in the presence of God. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. A large quantity of incense was given to him to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that stood in front of the throne; and so from the angel’s hand the smoke of the incense went up in the presence of God and with it the prayers of the saints. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire from the altar, which he then threw down on to the earth; immediately there came peals of thunder and flashes of lightning, and the earth shook.
The seven angels that had the seven trumpets now made ready to sound them. The first blew his trumpet and, with that, hail and fire, mixed with blood, were dropped on the earth; a third of the earth was burnt up, and a third of all trees, and every blade of grass was burnt. The second angel blew his trumpet, and it was as though a great mountain, all on fire, had been dropped into the sea: a third of the sea turned into blood, a third of all the living things in the sea were killed, and a third of all ships were destroyed. The third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star fell from the sky, burning like a ball of fire, and it fell on a third of all rivers and springs; this was the star called Wormwood, and a third of all water turned to bitter wormwood, so that many people died from drinking it. The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were blasted, so that the light went out of a third of them and for a third of the day there was no illumination, and the same with the night.
In my vision, I heard an eagle, calling aloud as it flew high overhead, ‘Trouble, trouble, trouble, for all the people on earth at the sound of the other three trumpets which the three angels are going to blow.’
Responsory
Rv 8:3-4, 5:8
℟. An angel, who had a golden censer, stood at the altar. A large quantity of incense was given to him to offer,* and the smoke of the incense went up in the presence of God, alleluia.
℣. Each angel had a bowl filled with incense, which is the prayer of God’s people,* and the smoke of the incense went up in the presence of God, alleluia.
________
Second Reading
From a sermon by Saint Augustine
Let us sing to the Lord a song of love
Sing to the Lord a new song; his praise is in the assembly of the saints. We are urged to sing a new song to the Lord, as new men who have learned a new song. A song is a thing of joy; more profoundly, it is a thing of love. Anyone, therefore, who has learned to love the new life has learned to sing a new song, and the new song reminds us of our new life. The new man, the new song, the new covenant, all belong to the one kingdom of God, and so the new man will sing a new song and will belong to the new covenant.
There is not one who does not love something, but the question is, what to love. The psalms do not tell us not to love, but to choose the object of our love. But how can we choose unless we are first chosen? We cannot love unless someone has loved us first. Listen to the apostle John: We love him, because he first loved us. The source of man’s love for God can only be found in the fact that God loved him first. He has given us himself as the object of our love, and he has also given us its source. What this source is you may learn more clearly from the apostle Paul who tells us: The love of God has been poured into our hearts. This love is not something we generate ourselves; it comes to us through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Since we have such an assurance, then, let us love God with the love he has given us. As John tells us more fully: God is love, and whoever dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. It is not enough to say: Love is from God. Which of us would dare to pronounce the words of Scripture: God is love? He alone could say it who knew what it was to have God dwelling within him. God offers us a short route to the possession of himself. He cries out: Love me and you will have me for you would be unable to love me if you did not possess me already.
My dear brothers and sons, fruit of the true faith and holy seed of heaven, all you who have been born again in Christ and whose life is from above, listen to me; or rather, listen to the Holy Spirit saying through me: Sing to the Lord a new song. Look, you tell me, I am singing. Yes indeed, you are singing; you are singing clearly, I can hear you. But make sure that your life does not contradict your words. Sing with your voices, your hearts, your lips and your lives: Sing to the Lord a new song.
Now it is your unquestioned desire to sing of him whom you love, but you ask me how to sing his praises. You have heard the words: Sing to the Lord a new song, and you wish to know what praises to sing. The answer is: His praise is in the assembly of the saints; it is in the singers themselves. If you desire to praise him, then live what you express. Live good lives, and you yourselves will be his praise.
Responsory
℟. Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father: let us, too, live a new life,* and let us love one another just as he commanded us, alleluia.
℣. Let us sing a song to the Lord, let us sing a new song to our God,* and let us love one another just as he commanded us, alleluia.
________
Let us pray.
God our Father,
you open the gates of the kingdom of heaven
to those who are born again of water and the Holy Spirit
Increase the grace you have given,
so that the people you have purified from all sin
may not forfeit the promised blessings of your love.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
________
Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Copyright © 1996-2020 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.