Monday

Hymn:
O great Creator of the sky,
Who willed not the floods on high
With earthly waters to confound,
But made the firmament their bound –

Framing for some on earth below,
For others in the heav’ns a place;
That, tempered thus, the sun’s hot glow
Might not thy beauteous works efface.

Upon our fainting souls distill
The grace of thy celestial dew;
Let no fresh snare to sin beguile,
No former sin revive anew.

Grant us the grace, for love of thee,
To scorn all vanities below;
Faith to detect each falsity,
And knowledge thee alone to know.

O Father grant that this be done,
Through Jesus Christ thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Spirit and thee
Shall live and reign eternally. Amen.

Ant.1. We who live * bless the Lord.
Ps. 113
When Israel came forth from Egypt, * Jacob’s sons from an alien people,
Judah became the Lord’s temple, * Israel became his kingdom.
The sea fled at the sight: * the Jordan turned back on its course,
The mountains leapt like rams * and the hills like yearling sheep.
Why was it, sea that you fled, * that you turned back, Jordan, on your course?
Mountains, that you leapt like rams, * hills, like yearling sheep?
Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, * in the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turns the rock into a pool * and flint into a spring of water.
Not to us, Lord, not to us, * but to your name give the glory.
For the sake of your love and your truth, * least the heathen say:  “Where is their God?”
But our God he is in the heavens; * he does whatever he wills.
Their idols are silver and gold, * the work of human hands.
They have mouths but they cannot speak; * they have eyes but they cannot see.
They have ears but they cannot hear; * they have nostrils but they cannot smell.
With their hands they cannot feel; † with their feet they cannot walk. *
No sound comes from their throats.
Their makers will become like them; * so will all who trust in them.
Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord: * he is their help and their shield.
Sons of Aaron, trust in the Lord: * he is their help and their shield.
You who fear him, trust in the Lord: * he is their help and their shield.
He remembers us, will give us his blessing; † he will bless the sons of Israel. *
He will bless the sons of Aaron.
The Lord will bless those who fear him, * the little no less then the great:
To you may the Lord grant increase, * to you and all your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord, * the maker of heaven and earth.
The heavens belong to the Lord * but the earth he has given to men.
The dead shall not praise the Lord, * nor those who go down into the silence.
But we who live bless the Lord * now and forever. Amen.
Glory be 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.
Ant. 1. We who live bless the Lord.

Ant. 2. The Lord * turned his ear to me
Ps. 114
I love the Lord * for he has heard the cry of my appeal;
For he turned his ear to me * in the day when I called him.
They surrounded me, the snares of death, † with the anguish of the tomb; * they caught me, sorrow and distress.
I called on the Lord’s name: * O Lord my God deliver me!
How gracious is the Lord, and just; * our God has compassion.
The Lord protects the simple hearts; * I was helpless so he saved me.
Turn back, my soul, to your rest, * for the Lord has been good;
He has kept my soul from death, † (my eyes from tears) * and my feet from stumbling.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord * in the land of the living.
Glory be 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.
Ant. 2. The Lord turned his ear to me.

Ant. 3 I trusted, * even when I spoke
Ps.115 Do not repeat in Psalm.
(I trusted, even when I spoke): * “I am sorely afflicted.”
And when I said in my alarm: * “No man can be trusted.”
How can I repay the Lord * for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise; * I will call on the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfill * before all his people.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord * is the death of his faithful.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; * you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; * I will call on the Lord’s name.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfill * before all his people,
In the courts of the house of the Lord, * in your midst, O Jerusalem.
No Glory be, but add immediately:
Ps. 116
O praise the Lord, all you nations, * acclaim him all you peoples!
Strong is his love for us; * he is faithful forever.
Glory be 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.
Ant. 3. I trusted, even when I spoke.

Ant. 4. They have pressed me hard * from my youth.
Ps. 128 Do not repeat in Psalm.
(They have pressed me hard from my youth) * this is Israel’s song.
“They have pressed me hard from my youth * but could never destroy me.
They ploughed my back like ploughmen, * drawing long furrows.
But the Lord who is just, has destroyed * the yoke of the wicked.”
Let them be shamed and routed, * those who hate Sion!
Let them be like grass on the roof * that withers before it flowers.
With that no reaper fills his arms, * no binder makes his sheaves.
And those passing by will not say: “On you the Lord’s blessing!” *
“We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Glory be 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.
Ant. 4. They have pressed me hard from my youth.

Reading: Colossians 1:9b-11
We have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience.

Responsory:
I will bless the Lord * at all times.
I will bless…
His praise always on my lips.
At all times.
Glory be…
I will bless…

Magnificat Antiphon: My soul proclaims * the greatness of the Lord, for God has looked upon my lowliness.
Luke 1: 45-55 
My soul proclaims the greatness on the Lord, * my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
For he has looked upon the lowliness of his handmaid; * henceforth all ages shall call me blessed.
He who is mighty has done great things for me — * Holy is his name!
His mercy extends from age to age * upon those who fear him.
He has shown the power of his arm * and scattered the proud of heart.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones * and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things * and sent the rich empty away.
He has protected his servant Israel, * mindful of his mercy,
The mercy he promised to our Fathers, * Abraham and his descendants forever.
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.
Magnificat Antiphon: My soul proclaims * the greatness of the Lord, for God has looked upon my lowliness.