Friday 17 April 2020
Easter Friday
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 135 (136)
A paschal hymn
“To tell of the works of the Lord is to give praise” (Cassiodorus).
Give thanks to the Lord, who alone has wrought marvellous works. Alleluia.
O give thánks to the Lórd for he is góod, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
Give thánks to the Gód of góds *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
Give thánks to the Lórd of lórds, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
who alóne has wrought márvellous wórks, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
whose wísdom it wás made the skíes, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
who fíxed the earth fírmly on the séas, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
It was hé who máde the great líghts, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
the sún to rúle in the dáy, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
the móon and stárs in the níght, *
for his lóve endúres 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.
Give thanks to the Lord, who alone has wrought marvellous works. Alleluia.
________
Psalm 135 (136)
He brought Israel out from Egypt, for his great love is without end. Alleluia.
The fírst-born of the Egýptians he smóte, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
He brought Ísrael óut from their mídst, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
arm outstrétched, with pówer in his hánd, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
He divíded the Réd Sea in twó, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
he made Ísrael páss through the mídst, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
he flung Pháraoh and his fórce in the séa, *
for his lóve endúres 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.
He brought Israel out from Egypt, for his great love is without end. Alleluia.
________
Psalm 135 (136)
The Lord redeemed us from our foes. Alleluia.
Through the désert his péople he léd, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
Nátions in their gréatness he strúck, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
Kíngs in their spléndour he sléw, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
Síhon, kíng of the Ámorites, *
for his lóve endúres for éver;
and Óg, the kíng of Báshan, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
He let Ísrael inhérit their lánd, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
On his sérvant their lánd he bestówed, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
He remémbered ús in our distréss, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
And he snátched us awáy from our fóes, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
He gives fóod to áll living thíngs, *
for his lóve endúres for éver.
To the Gód of héaven give thánks, *
for his lóve endúres 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.
The Lord redeemed us from our foes. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Almighty God, remember our lowliness and have mercy. Once you gave our fathers a foreign land to inherit. Free us today from sin and give us a share in your inheritance.
Or:
God of everlasting love, in and through your Son you made all things in heaven and on earth. You have opened to us the Easter path from death to life. Listen to the song of the universe, the hymn of resurrection, sung by your Church. May we gain life from your bread and inherit a place in heaven.
________
℣. God has given us a new birth and a living hope, alleluia.
℟. By the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, alleluia.
________
Readings (official one-year cycle)
First Reading
1 Peter 3:18-4:11
Awaiting the Lord’s coming
Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. Now it was long ago, when Noah was still building that ark which saved only a small group of eight people ‘by water’, and when God was still waiting patiently, that these spirits refused to believe. That water is a type of the baptism which saves you now, and which is not the washing off of physical dirt but a pledge made to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand, now that he has made the angels and Dominations and Powers his subjects.
Think of what Christ suffered in this life, and then arm yourselves with the same resolution that he had: anyone who in this life has bodily suffering has broken with sin, because for the rest of his life on earth he is not ruled by human passions but only by the will of God. You spent quite long enough in the past living the sort of life that pagans live, behaving indecently, giving way to your passions, drinking all the time, having wild parties and drunken orgies and degrading yourselves by following false gods. So people cannot understand why you no longer hurry off with them to join this flood which is rushing down to ruin, and then they begin to spread libels about you. They will have to answer for it in front of the judge who is ready to judge the living and the dead. And because he is their judge too, the dead had to be told the Good News as well, so that though, in their life on earth, they had been through the judgement that comes to all humanity, they might come to God’s life in the spirit.
Everything will soon come to an end, so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober mind. Above all, never let your love for each other grow insincere, since love covers over many a sin. Welcome each other into your houses without grumbling. Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others. If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ, since to him alone belong all glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
Responsory
1 P 3:18,22
℟. Christ, innocent though he was, died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God.* In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, alleluia.
℣. He is at God’s right hand, having submitted to death so that we might inherit eternal life.* In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, alleluia.
________
Second Reading
From the Jerusalem Catecheses
The anointing with the Holy Spirit
When we were baptized into Christ and clothed ourselves in him, we were transformed into the likeness of the Son of God. Having destined us to be his adopted sons, God gave us a likeness to Christ in his glory, and living as we do in communion with Christ, God’s anointed, we ourselves are rightly called “the anointed ones.” When he said: Do not touch my anointed ones, God was speaking of us.
We became “the anointed ones” when we received the sign of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, everything took place in us by means of images, because we ourselves are images of Christ. Christ bathed in the river Jordan, imparting to its waters the fragrance of his divinity, and when he came up from them the Holy Spirit descended upon him, like resting upon like. So we also, after coming up from the sacred waters of baptism, were anointed with chrism, which signifies the Holy Spirit, by whom Christ was anointed and of whom blessed Isaiah prophesied in the name of the Lord: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor.
Christ’s anointing was not by human hands, nor was it with ordinary oil. On the contrary, having destined him to be the Saviour of the whole world, the Father himself anointed him with the Holy Spirit. The words of Peter bear witness to this: Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit. And David the prophet proclaimed: Your throne, O God, shall endure for ever; your royal sceptre is a sceptre of justice. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above all your fellows.
The oil of gladness with which Christ was anointed was a spiritual oil; it was in fact the Holy Spirit himself, who is called the oil of gladness because he is the source of spiritual joy. But we too have been anointed with oil, and by this anointing we have entered into fellowship with Christ and have received a share in his life. Beware of thinking that this holy oil is simply ordinary oil and nothing else. After the invocation of the Spirit it is no longer ordinary oil but the gift of Christ, and by the presence of his divinity it becomes the instrument through which we receive the Holy Spirit. While symbolically, on our foreheads and senses, our bodies are anointed with this oil that we see, our souls are sanctified by the holy and life-giving Spirit.
Responsory
℟. You have believed the good news, and have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit, the pledge of our inheritance,* which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised, alleluia.
℣. God has anointed us, giving us the pledge, the Spirit that we carry in our hearts, and marking us with his seal,* which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised, 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.
Almighty, ever-living God,
you offer the covenant of reconciliation to mankind
in the mystery of Easter.
Grant that what we celebrate in worship
we may carry out in our lives.
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.