Office of Readings
0917 Holy Men Feast
Invitatory Antiphon
【Ant.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; come, let us adore him.
Hymn
All honour be to him, who bore
Upon his flesh Christ's marks of strife,
In them our Father Francis saw
The very pledge of future life.
He pondered Christ in depth of thought
Until his soul was crucified
And with his tears he always sought
To wash those wounds on limbs and side.
Within Alverna's lonely cave
He mourned the sorrows of the Lord
And Christ his wounded image gave
To pierce his flesh with sorrow's sword.
Redeemer's wounds in you now shine,
So wrought by God in limbs and side
Pour in our hearts that love divine,
That love for Jesus crucified.
Be thanks and honour always raised
To God, who reigns in Trinity
And be our Saviour always praised
By those he saves eternally. Amen.
Psalmody
Psalm 20
Ant. 1:The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he led me up a high mountain.
O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king; *
how your saving help makes him glad!
You have granted him his heart's desire; *
you have not refused the prayer of his lips.
You came to meet him with the blessings of success *
you have set on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked you for life and this you have given *
days that will last from age to age.
Your saving help has given him glory. *
You have laid upon him majesty and splendour,
you have granted your blessings to him for ever. *
You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence.
The king has put his trust in the Lord: *
through the mercy of the Most High he shall stand firm.
O Lord, arise in your strength; *
we shall sing and praise your power.
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 hand of the Lord was upon me, and he led me up a high mountain.
Psalm 91 I
Ant. 2:I saw this great vision and my whole appearance was transformed.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord *
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning *
and your truth in the watches of the night,
on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute, *
with the murmuring sound of the harp.
Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad; *
for the work of your hands I shout with joy.
O Lord, how great are your works! *
How deep are your designs!
The foolish man cannot know this *
and the fool cannot understand.
Though the wicked spring up like grass *
and all who do evil thrive:
they are doomed to be eternally destroyed. *
But you, Lord, are eternally on high.
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:I saw this great vision and my whole appearance was transformed.
Psalm 91 II
Ant. 3:The glory of the Lord appeared as a burning fire on top of the mountain.
See how your enemies perish; *
all doers of evil are scattered.
To me you give the wild -ox's strength; *
you anoint me with the purest oil.
My eyes looked in triumph on my foes; *
my ears heard gladly of their fall.
The just will flourish like the palm-tree *
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of the Lord *
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old, *
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just. *
In him, my rock, there is no wrong.
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:The glory of the Lord appeared as a burning fire on top of the mountain.
【V】:Your arrows have sunk deep in me.
【R】:Your hand has pressed down upon me.
The First Reading
A reading from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [Gal. 5, 24-26; 6, 2-5, 7-10, 14-18]
I bear the scars of the Lord Jesus printed on my body
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another.
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbour. For each man will have to bear his own load.
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
Responsory [2 Cor. 4, 10; Rom. 8, 29]
【V】:I carry about in my body the dying state of Jesus *
【R】:so that the living power of Jesus may be manifested in my body too.
【V】:God has destined me for the first to be moulded into the image of his Son. *
【R】:So that the living power of Jesus may be manifested in my body too.
The Second Reading
A reading from Saint Bonaventure on the sacred stigmata [Legenda Minor XIll, 1-4]
Two years before his death, Francis, faithful servant of Christ, was led by divine providence to a high mountain called La Verna, where he could be alone. There he began a forty day fast in honour of Saint Michael the Archangel, as was his custom, and he soon experienced an extraordinary in-pouring of divine contemplation. He was all on fire with heavenly desires and he realised that the gifts of divine grace were being poured out on him in greater abundance than ever.
The fervour of his seraphic longings raised Francis up to God and in an ecstasy of compassion made him like Christ who allowed himself to be crucified in the excess of his love. Then one morning about the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, while he was praying on the mountainside, Francis saw a seraph with six fiery wings coming down from the highest point in the heavens. The vision descended swiftly and came to rest in the air near him. Then he saw the image of a man crucified in the midst of the wings, with his hands and feet outstretched and nailed to a cross. Two of the wings were raised above his head and two were stretched out in flight, while the remaining two shielded his body. Francis was dumbfounded at the sight and his heart was flooded with a mixture of joy and sorrow. He was overjoyed at the way Christ regarded him so graciously under the appearance of the seraph, but the fact that he was nailed to a cross pierced his soul with a sword of compassionate sorrow.
As the vision disappeared, it left his heart ablaze with eagerness and impressed upon his body a miraculous likeness. There and then, the marks of the nails began to appear in his hands and feet, just as he had seen them in the vision of the man nailed to a cross. His hands and feet appeared pierced through the centre with nails, the heads of which were in the palms of his hands and on the instep of each foot, while the points stuck out on the opposite side. His right side seemed as if it had been pierced with a lance and was marked with a livid scar which often bled.
True love of Christ had now transformed his lover into his image, and when the forty days which he had intended spending in solitude were over and the feast of Saint Michael had come, Saint Francis came down from the mountain. With him he bore the representation of Christ crucified which was not the work of an artist in wood or stone, but had been reproduced in the members of his body by the hand of the living God.
Responsory [Gal. 6, 14&17]
【V】:As for me, the only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ *
【R】:through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
【V】:The marks on my body are those of Jesus. *
【R】:through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
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 God, you renewed the marks of the sufferings of Jesus in the body of our holy Father Francis in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of your love. Through his prayers may we be made conformable to the death of your Son and thus share also in his resurrection: 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; 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.】:Christ renewed his wounds in the body of Francis; come, let us adore him.
Hymn
All honour be to him, who bore
Upon his flesh Christ's marks of strife,
In them our Father Francis saw
The very pledge of future life.
He pondered Christ in depth of thought
Until his soul was crucified
And with his tears he always sought
To wash those wounds on limbs and side.
Within Alverna's lonely cave
He mourned the sorrows of the Lord
And Christ his wounded image gave
To pierce his flesh with sorrow's sword.
Redeemer's wounds in you now shine,
So wrought by God in limbs and side
Pour in our hearts that love divine,
That love for Jesus crucified.
Be thanks and honour always raised
To God, who reigns in Trinity
And be our Saviour always praised
By those he saves eternally. Amen.
Psalmody
Psalm 20
Ant. 1:The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he led me up a high mountain.
O Lord, your strength gives joy to the king; *
how your saving help makes him glad!
You have granted him his heart's desire; *
you have not refused the prayer of his lips.
You came to meet him with the blessings of success *
you have set on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked you for life and this you have given *
days that will last from age to age.
Your saving help has given him glory. *
You have laid upon him majesty and splendour,
you have granted your blessings to him for ever. *
You have made him rejoice with the joy of your presence.
The king has put his trust in the Lord: *
through the mercy of the Most High he shall stand firm.
O Lord, arise in your strength; *
we shall sing and praise your power.
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 hand of the Lord was upon me, and he led me up a high mountain.
Psalm 91 I
Ant. 2:I saw this great vision and my whole appearance was transformed.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord *
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning *
and your truth in the watches of the night,
on the ten-stringed lyre and the lute, *
with the murmuring sound of the harp.
Your deeds, O Lord, have made me glad; *
for the work of your hands I shout with joy.
O Lord, how great are your works! *
How deep are your designs!
The foolish man cannot know this *
and the fool cannot understand.
Though the wicked spring up like grass *
and all who do evil thrive:
they are doomed to be eternally destroyed. *
But you, Lord, are eternally on high.
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:I saw this great vision and my whole appearance was transformed.
Psalm 91 II
Ant. 3:The glory of the Lord appeared as a burning fire on top of the mountain.
See how your enemies perish; *
all doers of evil are scattered.
To me you give the wild -ox's strength; *
you anoint me with the purest oil.
My eyes looked in triumph on my foes; *
my ears heard gladly of their fall.
The just will flourish like the palm-tree *
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
Planted in the house of the Lord *
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old, *
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just. *
In him, my rock, there is no wrong.
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:The glory of the Lord appeared as a burning fire on top of the mountain.
【V】:Your arrows have sunk deep in me.
【R】:Your hand has pressed down upon me.
The First Reading
A reading from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [Gal. 5, 24-26; 6, 2-5, 7-10, 14-18]
I bear the scars of the Lord Jesus printed on my body
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another.
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbour. For each man will have to bear his own load.
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
Responsory [2 Cor. 4, 10; Rom. 8, 29]
【V】:I carry about in my body the dying state of Jesus *
【R】:so that the living power of Jesus may be manifested in my body too.
【V】:God has destined me for the first to be moulded into the image of his Son. *
【R】:So that the living power of Jesus may be manifested in my body too.
The Second Reading
A reading from Saint Bonaventure on the sacred stigmata [Legenda Minor XIll, 1-4]
Two years before his death, Francis, faithful servant of Christ, was led by divine providence to a high mountain called La Verna, where he could be alone. There he began a forty day fast in honour of Saint Michael the Archangel, as was his custom, and he soon experienced an extraordinary in-pouring of divine contemplation. He was all on fire with heavenly desires and he realised that the gifts of divine grace were being poured out on him in greater abundance than ever.
The fervour of his seraphic longings raised Francis up to God and in an ecstasy of compassion made him like Christ who allowed himself to be crucified in the excess of his love. Then one morning about the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, while he was praying on the mountainside, Francis saw a seraph with six fiery wings coming down from the highest point in the heavens. The vision descended swiftly and came to rest in the air near him. Then he saw the image of a man crucified in the midst of the wings, with his hands and feet outstretched and nailed to a cross. Two of the wings were raised above his head and two were stretched out in flight, while the remaining two shielded his body. Francis was dumbfounded at the sight and his heart was flooded with a mixture of joy and sorrow. He was overjoyed at the way Christ regarded him so graciously under the appearance of the seraph, but the fact that he was nailed to a cross pierced his soul with a sword of compassionate sorrow.
As the vision disappeared, it left his heart ablaze with eagerness and impressed upon his body a miraculous likeness. There and then, the marks of the nails began to appear in his hands and feet, just as he had seen them in the vision of the man nailed to a cross. His hands and feet appeared pierced through the centre with nails, the heads of which were in the palms of his hands and on the instep of each foot, while the points stuck out on the opposite side. His right side seemed as if it had been pierced with a lance and was marked with a livid scar which often bled.
True love of Christ had now transformed his lover into his image, and when the forty days which he had intended spending in solitude were over and the feast of Saint Michael had come, Saint Francis came down from the mountain. With him he bore the representation of Christ crucified which was not the work of an artist in wood or stone, but had been reproduced in the members of his body by the hand of the living God.
Responsory [Gal. 6, 14&17]
【V】:As for me, the only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ *
【R】:through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
【V】:The marks on my body are those of Jesus. *
【R】:through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
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 God, you renewed the marks of the sufferings of Jesus in the body of our holy Father Francis in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of your love. Through his prayers may we be made conformable to the death of your Son and thus share also in his resurrection: 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.