Office of Readings
1129 Feast
Invitatory Antiphon
【Ant.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all his saints: come, let us adore him.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;v as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
【Ant.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all his saints: come, let us adore him.
Hymn
Redeemer Christ of all mankind,
Protect your servants with your care;
The ever-virgin Mary find
This answer to her holy prayer.
Oh! All angelic hosts draw near,
Those evils, which our lives assail
Drive far away; so constant fear
Within our lives may not prevail.
God's noble, blood-stained martyrs rise,
Confessors shining clear in light,
By all your constant prayer and sighs
Bring all of us to heaven's height.
Children of Francis and of Clare,
Who in their holy footsteps trod,
With all the saints bring them to share
As friends of Christ the Son of God.
Contention's coals come take away
From confines of all Christian lands,
That Christ's bright peace may hold its sway
And ever flourish in our hands.
Give glory to the Trinity,
Unite your voices in this song,
That all due praise may ever be
In all our minds, our heart, our tongue.
Psalmody
Psalm 1
Ant. 1:The Lord guards the way of the just who ponder his law day and night.
Happy indeed is the man *
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners *
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord *
and who ponders his law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted *
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season +
and whose leaves shall never fade; *
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff *
shall be driven away by the wind.
When the wicked are judged they shall not stand, *
nor find room among those who are just;
for the Lord guards the way of the just *
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
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. 1:The Lord guards the way of the just who ponder his law day and night.
Psalm 8
Ant. 2:Your name is wonderful, O God, because with glory and honour you have crowned your saints.
How great is your name, O Lord our God, *
through all the earth!
Your majesty is praised above the heavens; *
on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy, *
to silence the foe and the rebel.
When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, *
the moon and the stars which you arranged,
what is man that you should keep him in mind, *
mortal man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god; *
with glory and honour you crowned him,
gave him power over the work of your hand, *
put all things under his feet.
All of them, sheep and cattle, *
yes, even the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and fish *
that make their way through the waters.
How great is your name, O Lord our God, *
through all the earth!
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. 2:Your name is wonderful, O God, because with glory and honour you have crowned your saints.
Psalm 14
Ant. 3:Those who act with justice shall dwell on your mountain, Lord.
Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent *
and dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault; *
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart; *
he who does not slander with his tongue.
He who does no wrong to his brother, *
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain, *
but honours those who fear the Lord.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may; *
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent. *
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
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. 3:Those who act with justice shall dwell on your mountain, Lord.
【V】:Rejoice, you just, in the Lord, and shout for joy.
【R】:Let the upright sing praise.
The First Reading
A reading from the second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [2 Cor. 4, 5-18; 5, 14-15;6, 1&4-10]
The life of Jesus is manifested in our bodies
What we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For it is he who said: ''Let light shine out of darkness", who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote: "I believed, and so I spoke", we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is wasting away, our inner man is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labours, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Responsory [Psalm 133, 1]
【V】:On account of the testament of the Lord and the laws of their fathers, the saints of God stood firm in brotherly love *
【R】:because they had one spirit and one faith.
【V】:How good it is and how pleasant where brothers dwell at one. *
【R】:because they had one spirit and one faith.
The Second Reading
A reading from Saint Bonaventure [The Defence of the Mendicants Chap. III, nn. 8-10]
Let us not set our minds on high things, but condescend to the lowly
When our Saviour said first: "Blessed are the poor in spirit", he suggested perfect renunciation of temporal possessions; when he continued: "Blessed are the meek", he counseled denial of self-will and of that desire for personal gratification by which a man is made harsh and violent. When he said, thirdly: "Blessed are they who mourn", he proposed the perfect avoidance of the delights of the flesh. When he continued: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice" and "Blessed are the merciful", he called for a just, kind, and loving attitude towards neighbours. When he added after this "Blessed are the clean of heart" and "Blessed are the peacemakers", he attracted men towards a limpid elevation of the intelligence, and a tranquil and peaceful lifting up of the heart, by which the souls of the just are made to conform to Jerusalem, which is interpreted as "a vision of peace". Finally, when he concluded: "Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven", he returned to the origin, as if completing a circle; for it is in this persecution for justice' sake that the sum of all things is accomplished.
As a confirmation of this truth, blessed Francis, the father of the mendicants, proposed in the beginning of his rule the first three points as requiring a vow because of their fundamental character. For he said: "The rule and life of the Friars Minor is this, namely, to observe the holy, Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without property and in chastity." Later, he recommended the other three as desirable complements when he said: "I also admonish the friars ... to strive above all things to have the spirit of the Lord and his holy operation, to pray to him with a pure heart, and to have humility patience in persecution and in infirmity, and to love those who persecute, reprehend and blame us.” Here he is touching upon the other three points. He first recommends elevation to God and he ends with love towards neighbour. Between these he places charity towards enemies.
In the first three instances, the perfect man is crucified to the world; in the next three, he is made to conform to God: like a six winged seraph, he is elevated above the things of the world and carried aloft to the divine. How fittingly, then, in the seraphic apparition did Christ impress his stigmata in approbation upon the holy little poor man! For Francis perfectly served and perfectly taught the perfection of the Gospel and (by the mark of his wounds) Christ gave us a clear sign of the way of perfection as opposed to the dangerous darkness of these later times; a sign through which we may return to him, the exemplar and end of perfect virtue; a sign of how to attain perfection if we learn not to set our minds on high things, but condescend to the lowly.
Responsory [Mt. 19, 29; Lk. 6,20]
【V】:Everyone who has left all things and followed me will be repaid a hundred times over and inherit eternal life. *
【R】:Yours is the kingdom of God.
【V】:How happy are you who are poor; *
【R】:Yours is the kingdom of God.
TeDeum
We praise you, O God: *
we acclaim you as the Lord.
Everlasting Father, *
all the world bows down before you.
All the angels sing your praise, *
the hosts of heaven and all the angelic powers,
all the cherubim and seraphim *
call out to you in unending song:
Holy, Holy, Holy, *
is the Lord God of angel hosts!
The heavens and the earth are filled *
with your majesty and glory.
The glorious band of apostles, *
the noble company of prophets,
the white-robed army who shed their blood for Christ, *
all sing your praise.
And to the ends of the earth *
your holy Church proclaims her faith in you:
Father, whose majesty is boundless, +
your true and only Son, who is to be adored *
the Holy Spirit sent to be our Advocate.
You, Christ, are the king of glory, *
Son of the eternal Father.
When you took our nature to save mankind *
you did not shrink from birth in the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the power of death *
opening the Father's kingdom to all who believe in you.
Enthroned at God's right hand in the glory of the Father, *
you will come in judgment according to your promise.
You redeemed your people by your precious blood. *
Come we implore you, to our aid.
Grant us with the saints *
a place in eternal glory.
***
Lord, save your people *
and bless your inheritance.
Rule them and uphold them *
for ever and ever.
Day by day we praise you: *
we acclaim you now and to all eternity.
In your goodness, Lord, keep us free from sin. *
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
May your mercy always be with us, Lord, *
for we have hoped in you.
In you, Lord, we put our trust: *
we shall not be put to shame.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty and ever-living God, you were pleased to make your Church illustrious through the varied splendour of the Saints of the Seraphic Order. As we venerate their memory in one festival may we also follow such shining examples of virtues on earth and thus obtain merited crowns in heaven: we ask 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all 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.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all his saints: come, let us adore him.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;v as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
【Ant.】:The Lord is the King of Kings, the crown of all his saints: come, let us adore him.
Hymn
Redeemer Christ of all mankind,
Protect your servants with your care;
The ever-virgin Mary find
This answer to her holy prayer.
Oh! All angelic hosts draw near,
Those evils, which our lives assail
Drive far away; so constant fear
Within our lives may not prevail.
God's noble, blood-stained martyrs rise,
Confessors shining clear in light,
By all your constant prayer and sighs
Bring all of us to heaven's height.
Children of Francis and of Clare,
Who in their holy footsteps trod,
With all the saints bring them to share
As friends of Christ the Son of God.
Contention's coals come take away
From confines of all Christian lands,
That Christ's bright peace may hold its sway
And ever flourish in our hands.
Give glory to the Trinity,
Unite your voices in this song,
That all due praise may ever be
In all our minds, our heart, our tongue.
Psalmody
Psalm 1
Ant. 1:The Lord guards the way of the just who ponder his law day and night.
Happy indeed is the man *
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners *
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord *
and who ponders his law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted *
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season +
and whose leaves shall never fade; *
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff *
shall be driven away by the wind.
When the wicked are judged they shall not stand, *
nor find room among those who are just;
for the Lord guards the way of the just *
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
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. 1:The Lord guards the way of the just who ponder his law day and night.
Psalm 8
Ant. 2:Your name is wonderful, O God, because with glory and honour you have crowned your saints.
How great is your name, O Lord our God, *
through all the earth!
Your majesty is praised above the heavens; *
on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy, *
to silence the foe and the rebel.
When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, *
the moon and the stars which you arranged,
what is man that you should keep him in mind, *
mortal man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god; *
with glory and honour you crowned him,
gave him power over the work of your hand, *
put all things under his feet.
All of them, sheep and cattle, *
yes, even the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and fish *
that make their way through the waters.
How great is your name, O Lord our God, *
through all the earth!
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. 2:Your name is wonderful, O God, because with glory and honour you have crowned your saints.
Psalm 14
Ant. 3:Those who act with justice shall dwell on your mountain, Lord.
Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent *
and dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault; *
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart; *
he who does not slander with his tongue.
He who does no wrong to his brother, *
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain, *
but honours those who fear the Lord.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may; *
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent. *
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
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. 3:Those who act with justice shall dwell on your mountain, Lord.
【V】:Rejoice, you just, in the Lord, and shout for joy.
【R】:Let the upright sing praise.
The First Reading
A reading from the second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians [2 Cor. 4, 5-18; 5, 14-15;6, 1&4-10]
The life of Jesus is manifested in our bodies
What we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For it is he who said: ''Let light shine out of darkness", who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote: "I believed, and so I spoke", we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is wasting away, our inner man is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labours, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Responsory [Psalm 133, 1]
【V】:On account of the testament of the Lord and the laws of their fathers, the saints of God stood firm in brotherly love *
【R】:because they had one spirit and one faith.
【V】:How good it is and how pleasant where brothers dwell at one. *
【R】:because they had one spirit and one faith.
The Second Reading
A reading from Saint Bonaventure [The Defence of the Mendicants Chap. III, nn. 8-10]
Let us not set our minds on high things, but condescend to the lowly
When our Saviour said first: "Blessed are the poor in spirit", he suggested perfect renunciation of temporal possessions; when he continued: "Blessed are the meek", he counseled denial of self-will and of that desire for personal gratification by which a man is made harsh and violent. When he said, thirdly: "Blessed are they who mourn", he proposed the perfect avoidance of the delights of the flesh. When he continued: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice" and "Blessed are the merciful", he called for a just, kind, and loving attitude towards neighbours. When he added after this "Blessed are the clean of heart" and "Blessed are the peacemakers", he attracted men towards a limpid elevation of the intelligence, and a tranquil and peaceful lifting up of the heart, by which the souls of the just are made to conform to Jerusalem, which is interpreted as "a vision of peace". Finally, when he concluded: "Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven", he returned to the origin, as if completing a circle; for it is in this persecution for justice' sake that the sum of all things is accomplished.
As a confirmation of this truth, blessed Francis, the father of the mendicants, proposed in the beginning of his rule the first three points as requiring a vow because of their fundamental character. For he said: "The rule and life of the Friars Minor is this, namely, to observe the holy, Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience, without property and in chastity." Later, he recommended the other three as desirable complements when he said: "I also admonish the friars ... to strive above all things to have the spirit of the Lord and his holy operation, to pray to him with a pure heart, and to have humility patience in persecution and in infirmity, and to love those who persecute, reprehend and blame us.” Here he is touching upon the other three points. He first recommends elevation to God and he ends with love towards neighbour. Between these he places charity towards enemies.
In the first three instances, the perfect man is crucified to the world; in the next three, he is made to conform to God: like a six winged seraph, he is elevated above the things of the world and carried aloft to the divine. How fittingly, then, in the seraphic apparition did Christ impress his stigmata in approbation upon the holy little poor man! For Francis perfectly served and perfectly taught the perfection of the Gospel and (by the mark of his wounds) Christ gave us a clear sign of the way of perfection as opposed to the dangerous darkness of these later times; a sign through which we may return to him, the exemplar and end of perfect virtue; a sign of how to attain perfection if we learn not to set our minds on high things, but condescend to the lowly.
Responsory [Mt. 19, 29; Lk. 6,20]
【V】:Everyone who has left all things and followed me will be repaid a hundred times over and inherit eternal life. *
【R】:Yours is the kingdom of God.
【V】:How happy are you who are poor; *
【R】:Yours is the kingdom of God.
TeDeum
We praise you, O God: *
we acclaim you as the Lord.
Everlasting Father, *
all the world bows down before you.
All the angels sing your praise, *
the hosts of heaven and all the angelic powers,
all the cherubim and seraphim *
call out to you in unending song:
Holy, Holy, Holy, *
is the Lord God of angel hosts!
The heavens and the earth are filled *
with your majesty and glory.
The glorious band of apostles, *
the noble company of prophets,
the white-robed army who shed their blood for Christ, *
all sing your praise.
And to the ends of the earth *
your holy Church proclaims her faith in you:
Father, whose majesty is boundless, +
your true and only Son, who is to be adored *
the Holy Spirit sent to be our Advocate.
You, Christ, are the king of glory, *
Son of the eternal Father.
When you took our nature to save mankind *
you did not shrink from birth in the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the power of death *
opening the Father's kingdom to all who believe in you.
Enthroned at God's right hand in the glory of the Father, *
you will come in judgment according to your promise.
You redeemed your people by your precious blood. *
Come we implore you, to our aid.
Grant us with the saints *
a place in eternal glory.
***
Lord, save your people *
and bless your inheritance.
Rule them and uphold them *
for ever and ever.
Day by day we praise you: *
we acclaim you now and to all eternity.
In your goodness, Lord, keep us free from sin. *
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
May your mercy always be with us, Lord, *
for we have hoped in you.
In you, Lord, we put our trust: *
we shall not be put to shame.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty and ever-living God, you were pleased to make your Church illustrious through the varied splendour of the Saints of the Seraphic Order. As we venerate their memory in one festival may we also follow such shining examples of virtues on earth and thus obtain merited crowns in heaven: we ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.