Office of Readings
1023 Pastor Memorial
Invitatory Antiphon
【Ant.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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
A reading from the treatise of Saint John of Capistrano A Mirror for Clergy [Part I]
The life of virtuous clergy brings light and happiness
Let all those men who are called to preside at the table of our Lord be shining examples of good and praiseworthy lives, rid of all the stains and impurities of vice. Let them be the salt of the earth, living honourable lives among men, working to improve both themselves and others. Like the light of the world let them enlighten the rest of men with the shining forth of their own good judgment. Let them learn from Jesus Christ, the highest of teachers, that he was proclaiming a message not only for his apostles and disciples but for all the priests and clergy who would be their successors, when he said: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men."
Yes, to be trodden underfoot by men as if they were the vilest dirt will indeed be the lot of the clergy if they are impure and immoral, if their lives are rotten with foul vices and entangled in the chains of their misdeeds. Then they will indeed be good for nothing, either to themselves or to others, because, as Saint Gregory remarks: "If a man's life is despicable, his preaching will be despised."
"Let the priests who do their work well be considered worthy of a twofold charge, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching." Those priests are worthy indeed carry out a twofold charge, twofold in the sense that it includes both persons and things, that it is a charge both temporal and spiritual, both transitory and eternal. For although their life on this earth, in common with that of all mortal creatures, is subject to the limitations of nature, nevertheless in their efforts and cares they are busily at work in heaven with the angels, that they may find acceptance by the King as servants who showed understanding. Therefore just as in God's heaven the sun rises over the world, so let the light of the clergy shine before men that they may see their good works and give glory to the Father who is in heaven.
"You are the light of the world." For just as no light shines on itself but sheds its beams on other objects around it and lights them up, so the life of good and upright clergy is a light which casts its rays with the brightness of holiness upon all who see them and brings happiness to them. And so if the clergy exist to take care of others, they should themselves be a living demonstration of how the rest of men should live in the house of the Lord.
Responsory [Sir. 4, 23-24; 2 Tim. 4, 2]
【V】:Do not remain silent when you should speak, and do not hide your wisdom;
【R】:for wisdom is recognized in speech, and it is the tongue that gives good counsel.
【V】:Proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience - but do all with the patience that the work of teaching requires,
【R】:for wisdom is recognized in speech, and it is the tongue that gives good counsel.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty God, you sent Saint John of Capistrano to comfort Christian people in a time of distress. Keep us, we pray, in the safety of your protection, and give your Church lasting peace: we make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
【Ant.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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.】:How wonderful is God among his saints: come let us adore him.
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
A reading from the treatise of Saint John of Capistrano A Mirror for Clergy [Part I]
The life of virtuous clergy brings light and happiness
Let all those men who are called to preside at the table of our Lord be shining examples of good and praiseworthy lives, rid of all the stains and impurities of vice. Let them be the salt of the earth, living honourable lives among men, working to improve both themselves and others. Like the light of the world let them enlighten the rest of men with the shining forth of their own good judgment. Let them learn from Jesus Christ, the highest of teachers, that he was proclaiming a message not only for his apostles and disciples but for all the priests and clergy who would be their successors, when he said: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men."
Yes, to be trodden underfoot by men as if they were the vilest dirt will indeed be the lot of the clergy if they are impure and immoral, if their lives are rotten with foul vices and entangled in the chains of their misdeeds. Then they will indeed be good for nothing, either to themselves or to others, because, as Saint Gregory remarks: "If a man's life is despicable, his preaching will be despised."
"Let the priests who do their work well be considered worthy of a twofold charge, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching." Those priests are worthy indeed carry out a twofold charge, twofold in the sense that it includes both persons and things, that it is a charge both temporal and spiritual, both transitory and eternal. For although their life on this earth, in common with that of all mortal creatures, is subject to the limitations of nature, nevertheless in their efforts and cares they are busily at work in heaven with the angels, that they may find acceptance by the King as servants who showed understanding. Therefore just as in God's heaven the sun rises over the world, so let the light of the clergy shine before men that they may see their good works and give glory to the Father who is in heaven.
"You are the light of the world." For just as no light shines on itself but sheds its beams on other objects around it and lights them up, so the life of good and upright clergy is a light which casts its rays with the brightness of holiness upon all who see them and brings happiness to them. And so if the clergy exist to take care of others, they should themselves be a living demonstration of how the rest of men should live in the house of the Lord.
Responsory [Sir. 4, 23-24; 2 Tim. 4, 2]
【V】:Do not remain silent when you should speak, and do not hide your wisdom;
【R】:for wisdom is recognized in speech, and it is the tongue that gives good counsel.
【V】:Proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience - but do all with the patience that the work of teaching requires,
【R】:for wisdom is recognized in speech, and it is the tongue that gives good counsel.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty God, you sent Saint John of Capistrano to comfort Christian people in a time of distress. Keep us, we pray, in the safety of your protection, and give your Church lasting peace: we make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.