This is what loving God is – keeping his commandments;
and his commandments are not difficult,
because anyone who has been begotten by God
has already overcome the world.
This is the victory over the world – our faith.
Who can overcome the world?
Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Short Responsory
The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him. Alleluia, alleluia.
He is my salvation.
– The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him. Alleluia, alleluia.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Rejoice, all you saints, and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, alleluia.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of peace.
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.
Rejoice, all you saints, and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Through the martyrs who were slain for God’s word, let us give glory to our Saviour, the faithful and true witness.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, who bore witness to your love,
set us free to live for you.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, who proclaimed your saving death,
give us a deep and constant faith.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, who took up your cross,
grant us courage for every trial.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, washed in the blood of the Lamb,
give us grace to conquer our weakness.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
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, who adorned your loyal confessor Alphege
with the dignity of priesthood and the palm of martyrdom,
grant us this boon,
that with his aid in pleading our cause before you,
we may be enabled to rejoice with him in everlasting bliss.
We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 21 April
Acts, St John and the Apocalypse. What is the Liturgy of the Hours? A week of missionaries. (15 minutes) Episode notes.