Office of Readings
1128 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 of the Weekday
The Second Reading
From a Sermon by Saint James of the Marches
Preaching the Word of God causes all virtues to spring forth
Some seed fell upon good soil and grew and yielded fruit a hundredfold. That is, the hearts of the devout are nourished by the fullness of the Holy Spirit when the word of God sows in them sorrow for their sins, the violet of humility, the rose of charity, the lily of chastity, divine fear and love, the desire of eternal goods and the making small account of earthly ones, in fine, the beauty of all the virtues.
O gracious and most holy word of God! You enlighten the hearts of the faithful, you refresh the hungry, you console the afflicted, you enrich the mind with every good and make all virtues spring up; you snatch souls from the jaws of the devil, you justify the wicked and make heavenly those who were earthly minded.
You are holy? It is due to preaching. Where do you lament your sins? At a sermon. Where do you forgive an injury? At a sermon. Where have you put away your evil will? At a sermon. Where do you acquire patience and find again your lost soul? At a sermon. Where do you learn to know God? At a sermon. Where are evil lives changed into good men? At a sermon. Where are innumerable evils taken away - murders, fornications, treachery, hatred and suchlike? By preaching. What keeps people in the faith? Preaching. Because those who do not hear the word of God are like beasts. What crushes errors and heresies? Preaching. What did Christ command the apostles? To preach. What sows graces and virtues in souls? Preaching; because it is not you who speak.
O most holy preaching, precious beyond all treasures! Blessed are those who hear you gladly, since you are a great light, enlightening the whole world: Bernard says: "The word of God must be heard graciously, received devoutly, and whatever pertains to the salvation of souls must be preserved with care. And it must be heard not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God, whether it consoles or warns or rebukes.” And as a careless sower wastes his seed on this side and on that, so is the negligent hearer of God's word. Whence says Augustine: "Again I ask you, my brothers and sisters, tell me: which appears to you the greater, the body of Christ, or the word of God? If you are willing to reply, you ought to say that the word of God is not less than the body of Christ. He who hears the word of God negligently, is no less guilty than he who through his own carelessness would allow the body of Christ to fall to the ground."
Responsory [2 Tim. 4, 2; Rom. 10, 15]
【V】:Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and teaching. *
【R】:Be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist.
【V】:How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news. *
【R】:Be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist.
Concluding Prayer
O God, you made blessed James an outstanding preacher to recall sinners to the path of virtue. Mercifully grant that by his intercession we may be cleansed from all sin and attain to eternal life: grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ: your 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 of the Weekday
The Second Reading
From a Sermon by Saint James of the Marches
Preaching the Word of God causes all virtues to spring forth
Some seed fell upon good soil and grew and yielded fruit a hundredfold. That is, the hearts of the devout are nourished by the fullness of the Holy Spirit when the word of God sows in them sorrow for their sins, the violet of humility, the rose of charity, the lily of chastity, divine fear and love, the desire of eternal goods and the making small account of earthly ones, in fine, the beauty of all the virtues.
O gracious and most holy word of God! You enlighten the hearts of the faithful, you refresh the hungry, you console the afflicted, you enrich the mind with every good and make all virtues spring up; you snatch souls from the jaws of the devil, you justify the wicked and make heavenly those who were earthly minded.
You are holy? It is due to preaching. Where do you lament your sins? At a sermon. Where do you forgive an injury? At a sermon. Where have you put away your evil will? At a sermon. Where do you acquire patience and find again your lost soul? At a sermon. Where do you learn to know God? At a sermon. Where are evil lives changed into good men? At a sermon. Where are innumerable evils taken away - murders, fornications, treachery, hatred and suchlike? By preaching. What keeps people in the faith? Preaching. Because those who do not hear the word of God are like beasts. What crushes errors and heresies? Preaching. What did Christ command the apostles? To preach. What sows graces and virtues in souls? Preaching; because it is not you who speak.
O most holy preaching, precious beyond all treasures! Blessed are those who hear you gladly, since you are a great light, enlightening the whole world: Bernard says: "The word of God must be heard graciously, received devoutly, and whatever pertains to the salvation of souls must be preserved with care. And it must be heard not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God, whether it consoles or warns or rebukes.” And as a careless sower wastes his seed on this side and on that, so is the negligent hearer of God's word. Whence says Augustine: "Again I ask you, my brothers and sisters, tell me: which appears to you the greater, the body of Christ, or the word of God? If you are willing to reply, you ought to say that the word of God is not less than the body of Christ. He who hears the word of God negligently, is no less guilty than he who through his own carelessness would allow the body of Christ to fall to the ground."
Responsory [2 Tim. 4, 2; Rom. 10, 15]
【V】:Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and teaching. *
【R】:Be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist.
【V】:How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news. *
【R】:Be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist.
Concluding Prayer
O God, you made blessed James an outstanding preacher to recall sinners to the path of virtue. Mercifully grant that by his intercession we may be cleansed from all sin and attain to eternal life: grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ: your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.