Tuesday 7 January 2020
Tuesday after Epiphany Sunday
or Saint Raymond of Penyafort, Priest
Office of Readings
(combined with Lauds)
This is the Office of Readings joined to another Hour, as described in §99 of the General Instruction. To see the Office of Readings on its own, use the menu button on the right.
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
________
Hymn
O more than mighty cities known,
Dear Bethlehem, in thee alone
Salvation’s Lord from heaven took birth
In human form upon the earth.
And from a star that far outshone
The radiant circle of the sun
In beauty, swift the tidings ran
Of God on earth in flesh of man.
The wise men, seeing him, so fair,
Bow low before him, and with prayer
Their treasured eastern gifts unfold
Of incense, myrrh, and royal gold.
The fragrant incense which they bring,
The gold, proclaim him God and King;
The bitter spicy dust of myrrh
Foreshadows his new sepulchre.
All glory, Lord, to thee we pay
For thine Epiphany today;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
________
Psalm 36 (37)
The fate of the evil and the righteous
“Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage” (Mt 5:5).
Commit your life to the Lord, and he will act on your behalf.
Do not frét becáuse of the wícked; *
do not énvy thóse who do évil,
for they wíther quíckly like gráss *
and fáde like the gréen of the fíelds.
If you trúst in the Lórd and do góod, *
then you will líve in the lánd and be secúre.
If you fínd your delíght in the Lórd, *
he will gránt your héart’s desíre.
Commít your lífe to the Lórd, *
trust in hím and hé will áct,
so that your jústice breaks fórth like the líght, *
your cáuse like the nóon-day sún.
Be stíll before the Lórd and wait in pátience; *
do not frét at the mán who próspers;
a mán who makes évil plóts *
to bríng down the néedy and the póor.
Calm your ánger and forgét your ráge; *
do not frét, it ónly leads to évil.
For thóse who do évil shall pérish; *
the pátient shall inhérit the lánd.
A little lónger – and the wícked shall have góne. *
Lóok at his pláce, he is not thére.
But the húmble shall ówn the lánd *
and enjóy the fúllness of péace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Commit your life to the Lord, and he will act on your behalf.
________
Psalm 36 (37)
Turn away from evil and do good: the Lord will support the just.
The wícked man plóts against the júst *
and gnáshes his téeth agáinst him;
but the Lórd láughs at the wícked *
for he sées that his dáy is at hánd.
The swórd of the wícked is dráwn, *
his bow is bént to sláughter the úpright.
Their swórd shall píerce their own héarts *
and their bóws shall be bróken to píeces.
The júst man’s féw posséssions *
are bétter than the wícked man’s wéalth;
for the pówer of the wícked shall be bróken *
and the Lórd will suppórt the júst.
He protécts the líves of the úpright, *
their héritage will lást for éver.
They shall nót be put to sháme in evil dáys, *
in time of fámine their fóod shall not fáil.
But áll the wícked shall pérish *
and áll the énemies of the Lórd.
Théy are like the béauty of the méadows, *
they shall vánish, they shall vánish like smóke.
The wícked man bórrows without repáying, *
but the júst man is génerous and gíves.
Those bléssed by the Lórd shall own the lánd, *
but thóse he has cúrsed shall be destróyed.
The Lórd guides the stéps of a mán *
and makes sáfe the páth of one he lóves.
Though he stúmble he shall néver fáll *
for the Lórd hólds him by the hánd.
I was yóung and nów I am óld, †
but I have néver seen the júst man forsáken *
nor his chíldren bégging for bréad.
All the dáy he is génerous and lénds *
and his chíldren becóme a bléssing.
Then túrn away from évil and do góod *
and yóu shall have a hóme for éver;
for the Lórd lóves jústice *
and will néver forsáke his fríends.
The unjúst shall be wíped out for éver *
and the chíldren of the wícked destróyed.
The júst shall inhérit the lánd; *
thére they shall líve for éver.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Turn away from evil and do good: the Lord will support the just.
________
Psalm 36 (37)
Wait for the Lord, keep to his way.
The júst man’s móuth utters wísdom *
and his líps spéak what is ríght;
the láw of his Gód is in his héart, *
his stéps shall be sáved from stúmbling.
The wícked man wátches for the júst *
and séeks occásion to kíll him.
The Lórd will not léave him in his pówer *
nor lét him be condémned when he is júdged.
Then wáit for the Lórd, keep to his wáy. *
It is hé who will frée you from the wícked,
raise you úp to posséss the lánd *
and sée the wícked destróyed.
I have séen the wícked triúmphant, *
tówering like a cédar of Lébanon.
I pássed by agáin; he was góne. *
I séarched; he was nówhere to be fóund.
See the júst man, márk the úpright, *
for the péaceful man a fúture lies in stóre,
but sínners shall áll be destróyed. *
No fúture lies in stóre for the wícked.
The salvátion of the júst comes from the Lórd, *
their strónghold in tíme of distréss.
The Lórd hélps them and delívers them *
and sáves them: for their réfuge is in hím.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Wait for the Lord, keep to his way.
Psalm-prayer
You proclaimed the poor to be blessed, Lord Jesus, for the kingdom of heaven is given to them. Fill us generously with your gifts. Teach us to put our trust in the Father and to seek his kingdom first of all rather than imitate the powerful and envy the rich.
________
℣. O praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
℟. He sends out his word to the earth.
________
First Reading
Isaiah 62:1-12
The nearness of redemption
About Zion I will not be silent,
about Jerusalem I will not grow weary,
until her integrity shines out like the dawn
and her salvation flames like a torch.
The nations then will see your integrity,
all the kings your glory,
and you will be called by a new name,
one which the mouth of the Lord will confer.
You are to be a crown of splendour in the hand of the Lord,
a princely diadem in the hand of your God;
no longer are you to be named ‘Forsaken’,
nor your land ‘Abandoned’,
but you shall be called ‘My Delight’
and your land ‘The Wedded’;
for the Lord takes delight in you
and your land will have its wedding.
Like a young man marrying a virgin,
so will the one who built you wed you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride,
so will your God rejoice in you.
On your walls, Jerusalem,
I set watchmen.
Day or night
they must never be silent.
You who keep the Lord mindful
must take no rest.
Nor let him take rest
till he has restored Jerusalem,
and made her
the boast of the earth.
The Lord has sworn it by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
Never again shall I give your corn
to feed your enemies.
Never again will foreigners drink your wine
that you laboured for.
But those who gather the harvest will eat it
and praise the Lord.
Those who gathered the grapes will drink
in the courts of my sanctuary.
Pass through, pass through the gates.
Make a way for the people.
Bank up, bank up the highway,
clear it of stones.
Hoist the signal for the peoples.
This the Lord proclaims
to the ends of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look,
your saviour comes,
the prize of his victory with him,
his trophies before him.’
They shall be called ‘The Holy People’,
‘The Lord’s Redeemed.’
And you shall be called ‘The-sought-after’,
‘City-not-forsaken.’
Responsory
Is 62:2-3
℟. The nations will see your integrity, all the kings your glory,* and you will be called by a new name, one which the mouth of the Lord will confer.
℣. You are to be a crown of splendour in the hand of the Lord, a princely diadem in the hand of your God,* and you will be called by a new name, one which the mouth of the Lord will confer.
________
Second Reading
A discourse on the Theophany by pseudo-Hippolytus
Water and the Spirit
That Jesus should come and be baptized by John is surely cause for amazement. To think of the infinite river that gladdens the city of God being bathed in a poor little stream; of the eternal and unfathomable fountainhead that gives life to all men being immersed in the shallow waters of this transient world!
He who fills all creation, leaving no place devoid of his presence, he who is incomprehensible to the angels and hidden from the sight of man, came to be baptized because it was his will. And behold, the heavens opened and a voice said: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
The beloved Father begets love, and the immaterial Light generates light inaccessible. This is he who was called the son of Joseph and in his divine nature is my only Son.
This is my beloved Son. Though hungry himself, he feeds thousands; though weary, he refreshes those who labour. He has no place to lay his head yet he holds all creation in his hand. By his suffering he heals all sufferings; by receiving a blow on the cheek he gives the world its liberty; by being pierced in the side he heals the wound in Adam’s side.
And now, please pay close attention, for I want to return to that fountain of life and contemplate its healing waters as they gush out.
The Father of immortality sent his immortal Son and Word into the world, to come to us men and cleanse us with water and the Spirit. To give us a new birth that would make our bodies and souls immortal, he breathed into us the spirit of life and armed us with incorruptibility. Now if we become immortal, we shall also be divine; and if we become divine after rebirth in baptism through water and the Holy Spirit, we shall also be heirs along with Christ, after the resurrection of the dead.
So I cry out, like a herald: Let peoples of every nation come and receive the immortality that flows from baptism. This is the water that is linked to the Spirit, the water that irrigates Paradise, makes the earth fertile, gives growth to plants, and brings forth living creatures. In short, this is the water by which a man receives new birth and life, the water in which even Christ was baptized, the water into which the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove.
Whoever goes down into these waters of rebirth with faith renounces the devil and pledges himself to Christ. He repudiates the enemy and confesses that Christ is God, throws off his servitude and becomes an adopted son. He comes up from baptism resplendent as the sun and radiating purity and, above all, he comes as a son of God and a co-heir with Christ.
To him be glory and power, to him and his most holy, good and life-giving Spirit, both now and for ever. Amen.
Responsory
℟. I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting upon him.* I saw it myself, and I have borne witness: this is God’s Chosen One.
℣. He who sent me to baptize with water has said to me, The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.* I saw it myself, and I have borne witness: this is God’s Chosen One.
________
Psalm 42 (43)
Longing for the temple
“I, the light, have come into the world” (Jn 12:46).
Lord, send forth your light and your truth.
Defénd me, O Gód, and plead my cáuse *
against a gódless nátion.
From decéitful and cúnning mén *
réscue me, O Gód.
Since yóu, O Gód, are my strónghold, *
whý have you rejécted me?
Whý do Í go móurning *
oppréssed by the fóe?
O sénd forth your líght and your trúth; *
let thése be my gúide.
Let them bríng me to your hóly móuntain, *
to the pláce where you dwéll.
And I will cóme to the áltar of Gód, *
the Gód of my jóy.
My redéemer, I will thánk you on the hárp, *
O Gód, my Gód.
Whý are you cast dówn my sóul, *
why gróan withín me?
Hope in Gód; I will práise him stíll, *
my sáviour and my Gód.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Lord, send forth your light and your truth.
Psalm-prayer
Almighty Father, source of everlasting light, send forth your truth into our hearts and pour over us the brightness of your light.
Or:
Father, your Son was condemned by reason of our sins, but on Easter morning you glorified him with the glory he always had with you. Do not leave us, his members, in the enemy’s hands, but bring us, through our joyful participation at your altar, to your eternal tabernacle on high to adore in spirit and truth.
________
Canticle
Isaiah 38
The psalm of Hezekiah on recovering from sickness
“I was dead and behold, I am alive and I hold the keys of death” (Rev 1:17-18).
Lord, come to our help all the days of our life.
I said, In the noontide of my days I must depart; †
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol *
for the rest of my years.
I said, I shall not see the Lord *
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon man no more *
among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me *
like a shepherd’s tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life; *
he cuts me off from the loom.
From day to night you bring me to an end; *
I cry for help until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones; *
from day to night you bring me to an end.
Like a swallow or a crane I clamour, *
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward. *
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.
Lo, it was for my welfare *
that I had great bitterness;
but you have held back my life *
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins *
behind your back.
For Sheol cannot thank you, *
death cannot praise you;
those who go down to the pit *
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, he thanks you, †
as I do this day; *
the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.
The Lord will save me, *
and we will sing to stringed instruments
all the days of our life, *
at the house of the Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Lord, come to our help all the days of our life.
________
Psalm 64 (65)
A solemn thanksgiving
“Sion is to be understood as the heavenly city” (Origen)
To you our praise is due in Sion, O God. †
To yóu our práise is dúe *
in Síon, O Gód.
To yóu we páy our vóws, *
you who héar our práyer.
To yóu all flésh will cóme *
with its búrden of sín.
Too héavy for ús, our offénces, *
but you wípe them awáy.
Blessed is hé whom you chóose and cáll *
to dwéll in your cóurts.
We are fílled with the bléssings of your hóuse, *
of your hóly témple.
You kéep your plédge with wónders, *
O Gód our sáviour,
the hópe of áll the éarth *
and of fár distant ísles.
You uphóld the móuntains with your stréngth, *
you are gírded with pówer.
You stíll the róaring of the séas, †
(the róaring of their wáves) *
and the túmult of the péoples.
The énds of the éarth stand in áwe *
at the síght of your wónders.
The lánds of súnrise and súnset *
you fíll with your jóy.
You cáre for the éarth, give it wáter, *
you fíll it with ríches.
Your ríver in héaven brims óver *
to províde its gráin.
And thús you províde for the éarth; *
you drénch its fúrrows;
you lével it, sóften it with shówers; *
you bléss its grówth.
You crówn the yéar with your góodness. †
Abúndance flóws in your stéps, *
in the pástures of the wílderness it flóws.
The hílls are gírded with jóy, *
the méadows cóvered with flócks,
the válleys are décked with whéat. *
They shóut for jóy, yes they síng.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
To you our praise is due in Sion, O God.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, hope of all the earth, hear the humble prayer of your children as we sing your praises. Pour out your Spirit on us so that our lives may bear fruit abundantly.
Or:
Father, you created everything in and for your Son, not because you needed creation, but you wished to make your goodness the source of goodness for others. Abide with your Church and fill her to overflowing through your sacraments that she may give us more abundantly the fruits of your favour which bring fullness of life.
________
Short Reading
Isaiah 4:2-3
That day, the branch of the Lord shall be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be the pride and adornment of Israel’s survivors. Those who are left of Zion and remain of Jerusalem shall be called holy and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.
________
Short Responsory
All the kings of the earth will adore him.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
All the peoples will serve him.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– All the kings of the earth will adore him.
________
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and the one who was sent before him
The Magi offered the Lord three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They offered these gifts to the Son of God, to the great King, alleluia.
Bléssed be the Lórd, the Gód of Ísrael! *
He has vísited his péople and redéemed them.
He has raised úp for ús a mighty sáviour *
in the hóuse of Dávid his sérvant,
as he prómised by the líps of holy mén, *
thóse who were his próphets from of óld.
A sáviour who would frée us from our fóes, *
from the hánds of áll who háte us.
So his lóve for our fáthers is fulfílled *
and his hóly covenant remémbered.
He swóre to Ábraham our fáther to gránt us, *
that frée from féar, and sáved from the hánds of our fóes,
we might sérve him in hóliness and jústice *
all the dáys of our lífe in his présence.
As for yóu, little chíld, *
you shall be cálled a próphet of Gód, the Most Hígh.
You shall go ahéad of the Lórd *
to prépare his wáys befóre him,
To make knówn to his péople their salvátion *
through forgíveness of áll their síns,
the loving-kíndness of the héart of our Gód *
who vísits us like the dáwn from on hígh.
He will give líght to those in dárkness, †
those who dwéll in the shádow of déath, *
and gúide us into the wáy of péace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
The Magi offered the Lord three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They offered these gifts to the Son of God, to the great King, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Christ came that creation might be freed from its slavery to corruption, and so enjoy the freedom of the sons of God. Let us ask him:
– From all evil, save us through your birth.
Lord Jesus, you came to bring us new life;
renew us by the mystery of your birth.
– From all evil, save us through your birth.
Christ, God and man, may your divine life penetrate our humanity;
may we live as sons of God.
– From all evil, save us through your birth.
Light of the nations, teacher of holiness;
may your word enlighten our path through life.
– From all evil, save us through your birth.
You were made flesh in Mary’s womb;
dwell always in our hearts through faith.
– From all evil, save us through your birth.
________
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
________
God, our Father,
when your Only-Begotten Son revealed himself in flesh and blood,
we came to know him as our fellow-man.
May he transform us inwardly until we bear his likeness,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
________
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.