Office of Readings
0302 Virgins Memorial
Invitatory Antiphon
【Ant.】:The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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.】:The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
HYMN
Let us with joy our voices raise
In that heroic woman's praise,
Whose courage, strength, and holy fame
Have given her an honored name.
O Strength of all the strong, God's Son,
Through whom alone great things are done,
By Your great strength and through her prayer
May we bear witness everywhere.
Praise God the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
Who gave this noble woman grace,
A life of virtue to embrace.
PSALMODY
Antiphons and Psalms and The First Reading of the Weekday
The Second Reading
From a letter of Saint Clare to Saint Agnes of Prague
I give thanks to the giver of all grace, from whom every best gift and every perfect gift is believed to derive, because he has ennobled you with the endowment of so much virtue and marked you out for great perfection. Having become a diligent imitator of a perfect Father, may you deserve to become perfect yourself and not allow his eye to discern any imperfection in you.
This is the perfection by which the king will unite you to himself in the heavenly wedding-chamber, where he sits in glory beyond the constellations and planets, because earthly palaces mean nothing to you; you little valued the advantages of an imperial marriage; you became a devotee of most holy poverty, and in a spirit of humility and ardent love you followed with unfaltering step a bridegroom in whose embrace you have deserved to know the unity of love.
Since I know how endowed you are with virtue I do not wish to be prolix, burdening you with a superfluity of words. To you, though, nothing is superfluous that comes by way of encouragement. Yet, because only one thing is needful, I emphasise the one thing and counsel you for love of him to whom you have offered yourself as a holy and pleasing victim, that you remember your firm purpose like a second Rachel; that you keep in mind the principle - what you have, hold on to; what you are doing, do; never stop, but run your course light-footed, with sinless tread, getting no dust on your feet; secure, joyful, swift and alert on the road to happiness. Believe nothing, consent to nothing that would revoke your purpose or might put a stumbling block in your path and prevent you keeping your vows to the most high God with the perfection to which the spirit of the Lord has called you.
Should anyone suggest or say anything to mar that perfection, anything apparently contrary to your divine vocation, no matter how estimable they may otherwise be, ignore the suggestion. A poor virgin is to embrace a poor Christ. See one made contemptible for your sake and follow him, contemptible in this world for his sake. Behold your spouse with more than mortal beauty. For your salvation he became the lowest of all, despised, rejected, buffeted, scourged all over his body, dying in the anguish of a cross. Noble queen, feast your eyes and heart in contemplation and desire to imitate him. If you suffer with him, you shall reign with him; grieve with him and you shall rejoice with him. Die with him on the cross of trials and you shall possess the eternal mansions in the splendour of the saints. Your name will be enrolled in the book of life and be glorious on earth. So it will come about that in exchange for this transitory world you shall have unending glory in the heavenly kingdom and the blessings of eternity in exchange for the perishable joys of time.
Responsory
【V】:How beautiful you are, virgin of Christ; *
【R】:You were found worthy to receive a crown from the Lord; the crown of perpetual virginity.
【V】: You were not to be enticed from a life of virginity nor separated from the love of the Son of God; *
【R】:You were found worthy to receive a crown from the Lord; the crown of perpetual virginity.
Concluding Prayer
God our Father, you led Saint Agnes along the way of perfection through her renunciation of the pleasures of a royal court, and the humble following of the cross. Grant that we may imitate her and set our hearts not on this passing world but on the unfading happiness of heaven. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
【Ant.】:The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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 holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
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.】:The holy virgins praise their Lord and King; come, let us join in their worship.
HYMN
Let us with joy our voices raise
In that heroic woman's praise,
Whose courage, strength, and holy fame
Have given her an honored name.
O Strength of all the strong, God's Son,
Through whom alone great things are done,
By Your great strength and through her prayer
May we bear witness everywhere.
Praise God the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
Who gave this noble woman grace,
A life of virtue to embrace.
PSALMODY
Antiphons and Psalms and The First Reading of the Weekday
The Second Reading
From a letter of Saint Clare to Saint Agnes of Prague
I give thanks to the giver of all grace, from whom every best gift and every perfect gift is believed to derive, because he has ennobled you with the endowment of so much virtue and marked you out for great perfection. Having become a diligent imitator of a perfect Father, may you deserve to become perfect yourself and not allow his eye to discern any imperfection in you.
This is the perfection by which the king will unite you to himself in the heavenly wedding-chamber, where he sits in glory beyond the constellations and planets, because earthly palaces mean nothing to you; you little valued the advantages of an imperial marriage; you became a devotee of most holy poverty, and in a spirit of humility and ardent love you followed with unfaltering step a bridegroom in whose embrace you have deserved to know the unity of love.
Since I know how endowed you are with virtue I do not wish to be prolix, burdening you with a superfluity of words. To you, though, nothing is superfluous that comes by way of encouragement. Yet, because only one thing is needful, I emphasise the one thing and counsel you for love of him to whom you have offered yourself as a holy and pleasing victim, that you remember your firm purpose like a second Rachel; that you keep in mind the principle - what you have, hold on to; what you are doing, do; never stop, but run your course light-footed, with sinless tread, getting no dust on your feet; secure, joyful, swift and alert on the road to happiness. Believe nothing, consent to nothing that would revoke your purpose or might put a stumbling block in your path and prevent you keeping your vows to the most high God with the perfection to which the spirit of the Lord has called you.
Should anyone suggest or say anything to mar that perfection, anything apparently contrary to your divine vocation, no matter how estimable they may otherwise be, ignore the suggestion. A poor virgin is to embrace a poor Christ. See one made contemptible for your sake and follow him, contemptible in this world for his sake. Behold your spouse with more than mortal beauty. For your salvation he became the lowest of all, despised, rejected, buffeted, scourged all over his body, dying in the anguish of a cross. Noble queen, feast your eyes and heart in contemplation and desire to imitate him. If you suffer with him, you shall reign with him; grieve with him and you shall rejoice with him. Die with him on the cross of trials and you shall possess the eternal mansions in the splendour of the saints. Your name will be enrolled in the book of life and be glorious on earth. So it will come about that in exchange for this transitory world you shall have unending glory in the heavenly kingdom and the blessings of eternity in exchange for the perishable joys of time.
Responsory
【V】:How beautiful you are, virgin of Christ; *
【R】:You were found worthy to receive a crown from the Lord; the crown of perpetual virginity.
【V】: You were not to be enticed from a life of virginity nor separated from the love of the Son of God; *
【R】:You were found worthy to receive a crown from the Lord; the crown of perpetual virginity.
Concluding Prayer
God our Father, you led Saint Agnes along the way of perfection through her renunciation of the pleasures of a royal court, and the humble following of the cross. Grant that we may imitate her and set our hearts not on this passing world but on the unfading happiness of heaven. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.