Sunday 19 April 2020
Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Sunday of Easter)
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 1
The two paths
“Blessed are those who placed their trust in the cross of the Lord and descended into the waters of baptism” (an unknown author of the 2nd century).
I am who I am, and wicked men do not understand my ways: my delight is the law of the Lord. Alleluia.
Háppy indéed is the mán *
who fóllows not the cóunsel of the wícked;
nor língers in the wáy of sínners *
nor síts in the cómpany of scórners,
but whose delíght is the láw of the Lórd *
and who pónders his láw day and níght.
Hé is like a trée that is plánted *
besíde the flówing wáters,
that yíelds its frúit in due séason *
and whose léaves shall néver fáde;
and áll that he dóes shall prósper. *
Not só are the wícked, not só!
For théy like wínnowed cháff *
shall be dríven awáy by the wínd.
When the wícked are júdged they shall not stánd, *
nor find róom among thóse who are júst;
for the Lórd guards the wáy of the júst *
but the wáy of the wícked leads to dóom.
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.
I am who I am, and wicked men do not understand my ways: my delight is the law of the Lord. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, you are the fullness of life, of holiness and of joy. Fill our days and nights with the love of your wisdom, that we may bear fruit in the beauty of holiness, like a tree watered by running streams.
Or:
We are like trees by flowing streams, for you, Lord, have placed us by the source of life, the cross of your Son. May we bear fruit for ever and be counted in the assembly of your saints.
________
Psalm 2
The Messiah, king and victor
“They rose up together against your servant Jesus, whom you had anointed” (Acts 4:27).
I asked my Father and he gave me the nations for my heritage. Alleluia.
Whý this túmult among nátions, *
among péoples this úseless múrmuring?
They aríse, the kíngs of the éarth, *
princes plót against the Lórd and his Anóinted.
‘Cóme, let us bréak their fétters, *
cóme, let us cást off their yóke.’
He who síts in the héavens láughs; *
the Lórd is láughing them to scórn.
Thén he will spéak in his ánger, *
his ráge will stríke them with térror.
‘It is Í who have sét up my kíng *
on Síon, my hóly móuntain.’
I will annóunce the decrée of the Lórd: †
The Lórd said to me: ‘Yóu are my Són. *
It is Í who have begótten you this dáy.
Ásk and I shall bequéath you the nátions, *
put the énds of the éarth in your posséssion.
With a ród of íron you will bréak them, *
shátter them like a pótter’s jár.’
Nów, O kíngs, understánd, *
take wárning, rúlers of the éarth;
sérve the Lórd with áwe *
and trémbling, páy him your hómage
lést he be ángry and you pérish; *
for súddenly his ánger will bláze.
Blessed are théy who put their trúst in 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.
I asked my Father and he gave me the nations for my heritage. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you gave the peoples of the world as the inheritance of your only Son; you crowned him as King of Zion, your holy city, and gave him your Church to be his Bride. As he proclaims the law of your eternal kingdom, may we serve him faithfully, and so share his royal power for ever.
________
Psalm 3
The Lord is my protector
“He slept and took his rest, but he rose again from the dead, since the Lord was his protector” (St Irenaeus).
I lay down to rest and I slept; but I rose again, for the Lord upheld me. Alleluia.
How mány are my fóes, O Lórd! *
How mány are rísing up agáinst me!
How mány are sáying abóut me: *
‘There is nó help for hím in Gód.’
But yóu, Lord, are a shíeld abóut me, *
my glóry, who líft up my héad.
I crý alóud to the Lórd. *
He ánswers from his hóly móuntain.
I líe down to rést and I sléep. *
I wáke, for the Lórd uphólds me.
I will not féar even thóusands of péople *
who are ránged on every síde agáinst me.
Aríse, Lord; sáve me, my Gód, *
you who stríke my fóes on the móuth,
you who bréak the téeth of the wícked! *
O Lórd of salvátion, bless your péople!
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.
I lay down to rest and I slept; but I rose again, for the Lord upheld me. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you heard the cry of your Son when he was oppressed and saved him from the sleep of death. Arise, Lord, help your Church. Be her shield so that she may hold up her head and radiate the glory of the resurrection.
________
℣. The disciples rejoiced, alleluia.
℟. When they saw the Lord, alleluia.
________
The one-year and two-year cycles of readings are identical today.
First Reading
Colossians 3:1-17
Your life is hidden with Christ in God
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed – and he is your life – you too will be revealed in all your glory with him.
That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry. And it is the way in which you used to live when you were surrounded by people doing the same thing, but now you, of all people, must give all these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised or the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.
You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.
Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Responsory
Col 3:1-3
℟. You have been raised to life with Christ. Set your hearts, then, on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God.* Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth, alleluia.
℣. You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.* Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth, alleluia.
________
Second Reading
From a sermon by Saint Augustine
A new creation in Christ
I speak to you who have just been reborn in baptism, my little children in Christ, you who are the new offspring of the Church, gift of the Father, proof of Mother Church’s fruitfulness. All of you who stand fast in the Lord are a holy seed, a new colony of bees, the very flower of our ministry and fruit of our toil, my joy and my crown. It is the words of the Apostle that I address to you: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh and its desires, so that you may be clothed with the life of him whom you have put on in this sacrament. You have all been clothed with Christ by your baptism in him. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor freeman; there is neither male nor female; you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Such is the power of this sacrament: it is a sacrament of new life which begins here and now with the forgiveness of all past sins, and will be brought to completion in the resurrection of the dead. You have been buried with Christ by baptism into death in order that, as Christ has risen from the dead, you also may walk in newness of life.
You are walking now by faith, still on pilgrimage in a mortal body away from the Lord; but he to whom your steps are directed is himself the sure and certain way for you: Jesus Christ, who for our sake became man. For all who fear him he has stored up abundant happiness, which he will reveal to those who hope in him, bringing it to completion when we have attained the reality which even now we possess in hope.
This is the octave day of your new birth. Today is fulfilled in you the sign of faith that was prefigured in the Old Testament by the circumcision of the flesh on the eighth day after birth. When the Lord rose from the dead, he put off the mortality of the flesh; his risen body was still the same body, but it was no longer subject to death. By his resurrection he consecrated Sunday, or the Lord’s day. Though the third after his passion, this day is the eighth after the Sabbath, and thus also the first day of the week.
And so your own hope of resurrection, though not yet realised, is sure and certain, because you have received the sacrament or sign of this reality, and have been given the pledge of the Spirit. If, then, you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your hearts on heavenly things, not the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Responsory
℟. You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.* Your real life is Christ, and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory, alleluia.
℣. You are to think of yourselves as dead to sin but alive to God in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.* Your real life is Christ, and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory, alleluia.
________
Vigils
If time allows, those who celebrate the Office of Readings of a Sunday (or solemnity, or feast of the Lord) on the evening before, or at the crack of dawn on the day itself, may enrich the celebration with three Old Testament canticles and a Gospel reading.
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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.
God of eternal compassion,
each Easter you rekindle the faith of your consecrated people.
Give them still greater grace, so that all may truly understand
the waters in which they were cleansed,
the Spirit by which they were reborn,
the blood by which they were redeemed.
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.