Office of Readings
0918 Pastors Memorial
Invitatory Antiphon
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the God who save us.
Let us come before him giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the Lord.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
A mighty God is the Lord,
a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his.
To him belongs the sea, for he made it,
and the dry land shaped by his hands.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us
for he is our God and we +
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert +
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
For forty years I was wearied of these people
and I said: 'Their hearts are astray,
these people do not know my ways.' +
Then I took an oath in my anger:
'Never shall they enter my rest.'"
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
HYMN
The king of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness fails me never:
I nothing lack if I am his,
And he is mine for ever.
Where streams of living water flow,
To rest my soul he leads me:
Where fresh and fertile pastures grow,
With heav’nly food he feeds me.
Perverse and foolish I have strayed,
But he with love has sought me,
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death’s dark vale, I fear no ill,
With you, dear Lord, beside me:
Your rod and staff my comfort still,
Your cross will ever guide.
You spread a banquet in my sight,
My head with oil anointing,
And let me taste the sweet delight
From your pure chalice flowing.
And so through all the length of days
Your goodness fails me never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing your praise
Within your house forever.
PSALMODY
Antiphons and Psalms and The First Reading of the Weekday
The Second Reading
From the sayings and maxims of Saint Joseph of Cupertino
No one can attain perfection without the love of God
Three things become a religious person in a special way: to love God with one’s whole heart, to praise him with heart and voice, and to edify one’s neighbour by the example of good works. No one’s neighbour by the example of good works. No one who seeks to live a spiritual or religious life can ever hope to attain perfection without the love of God. Whoever possesses charity is rich even though he does not know it; but he who does not have charity leads a life of misery and does not realise it. The grace of God is like the sun which shines on the trees and plants and gives light and colour to their leaves without in any way changing their nature. So the grace of God enlightens man, adorns him with virtues and makes him glow with the fire of divine love. It endows him with beauty in God's eyes, but it does not alter his nature, even though it perfects it. What God especially asks of man is his will, because there is nothing else that he can so truly call his own, even though in creating him God gave it to him as a free gift. When a man practices virtue, the ability to practise it comes from God as do all his other gifts. Man has nothing but his will; that is why it is most pleasing to God, and, indeed why it is absolutely imperative, that a man renounce his own will and surrender himself completely into the hands of God.
He should be like a fruit tree which,after all the care that has been given to planting, cultivating and watering it, finally bears abundant fruit. Once he has begun to walk in the ways of God, he must constantly grow and make progress so that he may bring forth precious fruits of holiness and an example of virtue which will attract others to walk with greater determination in the ways of God. The ability to bear patiently for the love of God the adversities and tribulations which come our way should be esteemed as a most singular grace given by God to those who love him. For since our Lord Jesus Christ endured so many bitter sufferings for our sake, God wishes that we should have our share of the Passion. If you are gold, you will be cleansed of your dross in this crucible; if you are baser metal, you will be purged of your rust.
True servants of God should follow the example of the birds of the air. See how they alight on the ground for just as long as it takes to snatch a little food, and then are off again, mounting into the sky with a song. In the same way, servants of God should not get bogged down on earth; they should remain only as long as necessity requires, and then forthwith let their minds and hearts soar aloft, praising and glorifying God. Again, see how birds dislike coming down on muddy soil, and, to avoid getting dirty, do so only with the greatest caution. In the same way men should not become involved in things which defile the soul, but lift their hearts above, and glorify the most high God with good and holy works.
Responsory [2 Cor. 12, 7-10]
【V】:I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties *
【R】:in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.
【V】:For fear that these surpassing revelations should make me proud, I delight to boast of my weakness. *
【R】:in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.
Concluding Prayer
O God, by a wonderful dispensation of your wisdom, you decreed that all things should find their centre in your only-begotten Son lifted up from the earth. Mercifully grant by the merits and example of blessed Joseph, that we may be unimpeded by worldly desires, and have the strength to be perfectly conformed to that same Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the God who save us.
Let us come before him giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the Lord.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
A mighty God is the Lord,
a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his.
To him belongs the sea, for he made it,
and the dry land shaped by his hands.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us
for he is our God and we +
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert +
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
For forty years I was wearied of these people
and I said: 'Their hearts are astray,
these people do not know my ways.' +
Then I took an oath in my anger:
'Never shall they enter my rest.'"
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
【Ant.】:Come, let us worship Christ, chief shepherd of the flock.
HYMN
The king of love my shepherd is,
Whose goodness fails me never:
I nothing lack if I am his,
And he is mine for ever.
Where streams of living water flow,
To rest my soul he leads me:
Where fresh and fertile pastures grow,
With heav’nly food he feeds me.
Perverse and foolish I have strayed,
But he with love has sought me,
And on his shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death’s dark vale, I fear no ill,
With you, dear Lord, beside me:
Your rod and staff my comfort still,
Your cross will ever guide.
You spread a banquet in my sight,
My head with oil anointing,
And let me taste the sweet delight
From your pure chalice flowing.
And so through all the length of days
Your goodness fails me never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing your praise
Within your house forever.
PSALMODY
Antiphons and Psalms and The First Reading of the Weekday
The Second Reading
From the sayings and maxims of Saint Joseph of Cupertino
No one can attain perfection without the love of God
Three things become a religious person in a special way: to love God with one’s whole heart, to praise him with heart and voice, and to edify one’s neighbour by the example of good works. No one’s neighbour by the example of good works. No one who seeks to live a spiritual or religious life can ever hope to attain perfection without the love of God. Whoever possesses charity is rich even though he does not know it; but he who does not have charity leads a life of misery and does not realise it. The grace of God is like the sun which shines on the trees and plants and gives light and colour to their leaves without in any way changing their nature. So the grace of God enlightens man, adorns him with virtues and makes him glow with the fire of divine love. It endows him with beauty in God's eyes, but it does not alter his nature, even though it perfects it. What God especially asks of man is his will, because there is nothing else that he can so truly call his own, even though in creating him God gave it to him as a free gift. When a man practices virtue, the ability to practise it comes from God as do all his other gifts. Man has nothing but his will; that is why it is most pleasing to God, and, indeed why it is absolutely imperative, that a man renounce his own will and surrender himself completely into the hands of God.
He should be like a fruit tree which,after all the care that has been given to planting, cultivating and watering it, finally bears abundant fruit. Once he has begun to walk in the ways of God, he must constantly grow and make progress so that he may bring forth precious fruits of holiness and an example of virtue which will attract others to walk with greater determination in the ways of God. The ability to bear patiently for the love of God the adversities and tribulations which come our way should be esteemed as a most singular grace given by God to those who love him. For since our Lord Jesus Christ endured so many bitter sufferings for our sake, God wishes that we should have our share of the Passion. If you are gold, you will be cleansed of your dross in this crucible; if you are baser metal, you will be purged of your rust.
True servants of God should follow the example of the birds of the air. See how they alight on the ground for just as long as it takes to snatch a little food, and then are off again, mounting into the sky with a song. In the same way, servants of God should not get bogged down on earth; they should remain only as long as necessity requires, and then forthwith let their minds and hearts soar aloft, praising and glorifying God. Again, see how birds dislike coming down on muddy soil, and, to avoid getting dirty, do so only with the greatest caution. In the same way men should not become involved in things which defile the soul, but lift their hearts above, and glorify the most high God with good and holy works.
Responsory [2 Cor. 12, 7-10]
【V】:I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties *
【R】:in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.
【V】:For fear that these surpassing revelations should make me proud, I delight to boast of my weakness. *
【R】:in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.
Concluding Prayer
O God, by a wonderful dispensation of your wisdom, you decreed that all things should find their centre in your only-begotten Son lifted up from the earth. Mercifully grant by the merits and example of blessed Joseph, that we may be unimpeded by worldly desires, and have the strength to be perfectly conformed to that same Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.