Thursday 16 April 2020
Easter Thursday
Office of Readings
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
Love’s redeeming work is done,
fought the fight, the battle won.
Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er!
Lo, he sets in blood no more!
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal!
Christ has burst the gates of hell;
death in vain forbids him rise;
Christ has opened paradise.
Lives again our victor King;
where, O death, is now thy sting?
Dying once, he all doth save;
where thy victory, O grave?
Soar we now where Christ has led,
following our exalted Head;
made like him, like him we rise,
ours the cross, the grave, the skies.
Hail the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to thee by both be given:
thee we greet triumphant now;
hail, the Resurrection thou!
________
Psalm 117 (118)
A cry of rejoicing and triumph
“This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11).
Let the sons of Israel say: ‘His love has no end, alleluia.’
Give thánks to the Lórd for he is góod, *
for his lóve endures for éver.
Let the sóns of Ísrael sáy: *
‘His lóve endures for éver.’
Let the sóns of Áaron sáy: *
‘His lóve endures for éver.’
Let thóse who fear the Lórd sáy: *
‘His lóve endures for éver.’
I cálled to the Lórd in my distréss; *
he ánswered and fréed me.
The Lórd is at my síde; I do not féar. *
What can mán do agáinst me?
The Lórd is at my síde as my hélper; *
I shall look dówn on my fóes.
It is bétter to take réfuge in the Lórd *
than to trúst in mén;
it is bétter to take réfuge in the Lórd *
than to trúst in prínces.
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.
Let the sons of Israel say: ‘His love has no end, alleluia.’
________
Psalm 117 (118)
The Lord has become my saviour. Alleluia.
The nátions áll encómpassed me; *
in the Lórd’s name I crúshed them.
They cómpassed me, cómpassed me abóut; *
in the Lórd’s name I crúshed them.
They cómpassed me abóut like bées; †
they blázed like a fíre among thórns. *
In the Lórd’s name I crúshed them.
I was hárd-préssed and was fálling, *
but the Lórd came to hélp me.
The Lórd is my stréngth and my sóng; *
hé is my sáviour.
There are shóuts of jóy and víctory *
in the ténts of the júst.
The Lórd’s right hánd has tríumphed; †
his ríght hand ráised me. *
The Lórd’s right hánd has tríumphed;
I shall not díe, I shall líve *
and recóunt his déeds.
I was púnished, I was púnished by the Lórd, *
but nót doomed to díe.
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 Lord has become my saviour. Alleluia.
________
Psalm 117 (118)
This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes. Alleluia.
Ópen to mé the gates of hóliness: *
I will énter and give thánks.
This is the Lórd’s own gáte *
where the júst may énter.
I will thánk you for yóu have ánswered *
and yóu are my sáviour.
The stóne which the búilders rejécted *
has becóme the córner stone.
Thís is the wórk of the Lórd, *
a márvel in our éyes.
Thís day was máde by the Lórd; *
we rejóice and are glád.
O Lórd, gránt us salvátion; *
O Lórd, grant succéss.
Bléssed in the náme of the Lórd *
is hé who cómes.
We bléss you from the hóuse of the Lórd; *
the Lord Gód is our líght.
Go fórward in procéssion with bránches *
éven to the áltar.
Yóu are my Gód, I thánk you. *
My Gód, I práise you.
Give thánks to the Lórd for he is góod; *
for his lóve endures 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.
This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you have given us the great day of rejoicing: Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders, has become the cornerstone of the Church, our spiritual home. Shed upon your Church the rays of your glory, that she may be seen as the gate of salvation open to all nations. Let cries of joy and exultation ring out from her tents, to celebrate the wonder of Christ’s resurrection.
________
℣. Heaven and earth rejoice, O Christ, alleluia.
℟. Because you have risen from the dead, alleluia.
________
Readings (official one-year cycle)
First Reading
1 Peter 3:1-17
The imitation of Christ
Wives should be obedient to their husbands. Then, if there are some husbands who have not yet obeyed the word, they may find themselves won over, without a word spoken, by the way their wives behave, when they see how faithful and conscientious they are. Do not dress up for show: doing up your hair, wearing gold bracelets and fine clothes; all this should be inside, in a person’s heart, imperishable: the ornament of a sweet and gentle disposition – this is what is precious in the sight of God. That was how the holy women of the past dressed themselves attractively – they hoped in God and were tender and obedient to their husbands; like Sarah, who was obedient to Abraham, and called him her lord. You are now her children, as long as you live good lives and do not give way to fear or worry.
In the same way, husbands must always treat their wives with consideration in their life together, respecting a woman as one who, though she may be the weaker partner, is equally an heir to the life of grace. This will stop anything from coming in the way of your prayers.
Finally: you should all agree among yourselves and be sympathetic; love the brothers, have compassion and be self-effacing. Never pay back one wrong with another, or an angry word with another one; instead, pay back with a blessing. That is what you are called to do, so that you inherit a blessing yourself. Remember: Anyone who wants to have a happy life and to enjoy prosperity must banish malice from his tongue, deceitful conversation from his lips; he must never yield to evil but must practise good; he must seek peace and pursue it. Because the face of the Lord frowns on evil men, but the eyes of the Lord are turned towards the virtuous.
No one can hurt you if you are determined to do only what is right; if you do have to suffer for being good, you will count it a blessing. There is no need to be afraid or to worry about them. Simply reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring. And if it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.
Responsory
Lk 6:22-23; 1 P 3:14
℟. Happy are you when men hate you and say that you are evil, because of the Son of Man.* Rejoice when that day comes, and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven, alleluia.
℣. Even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are!* Rejoice when that day comes, and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven, alleluia.
________
Second Reading
From the Jerusalem Catecheses
Baptism is a symbol of Christ's passion
You were led down to the font of holy baptism just as Christ was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb which is before your eyes. Each of you was asked, “Do you believe in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit?” You made the profession of faith that brings salvation, you were plunged into the water, and three times you rose again. This symbolised the three days Christ spent in the tomb.
As our Saviour spent three days and three nights in the depths of the earth, so your first rising from the water represented the first day and your first immersion represented the first night. At night a man cannot see, but in the day he walks in the light. So when you were immersed in the water it was like night for you and you could not see, but when you rose again it was like coming into broad daylight. In the same instant you died and were born again; the saving water was both your tomb and your mother.
Solomon’s phrase in another context is very apposite here. He spoke of a time to give birth, and a time to die. For you, however, it was the reverse: a time to die, and a time to be born, although in fact both events took place at the same time and your birth was simultaneous with your death.
This is something amazing and unheard of! It was not we who actually died, were buried and rose again. We only did these things symbolically, but we have been saved in actual fact. It is Christ who was crucified, who was buried and who rose again, and all this has been attributed to us. We share in his sufferings symbolically and gain salvation in reality. What boundless love for men! Christ’s undefiled hands were pierced by the nails; he suffered the pain. I experience no pain, no anguish, yet by the share that I have in his sufferings he freely grants me salvation.
Let no one imagine that baptism consists only in the forgiveness of sins and in the grace of adoption. Our baptism is not like the baptism of John, which conferred only the forgiveness of sins. We know perfectly well that baptism, besides washing away our sins and bringing us the gift of the Holy Spirit, is a symbol of the sufferings of Christ. This is why Paul exclaims: Do you not know that when we were baptized into Christ Jesus we were, by that very action, sharing in his death? By baptism we went with him into the tomb.
Responsory
℟. These are the new-born lambs who have been crying out Alleluia. They have just come from the fount,* and they are filled with radiance, alleluia.
℣. They stand before the Lamb clothed in white garments and holding palms in their hands,* and they are filled with radiance, alleluia.
________
Hymn
Te Deum
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 judgement 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.
The final part of the hymn may be omitted:
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.
________
Let us pray.
Lord God,
you have made one people
out of many different races and nations,
united through confessing the glory of your name.
They were born to new life in baptism:
let there be one faith in their hearts,
one love in their Christian way of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
________
Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Copyright © 1996-2020 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.