May you be blessed, Lord, in your sacred temple. Alleluia.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, you heavens;
all his angels, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, you waters above the heavens;
all his powers, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, sun and moon;
all stars of the sky, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, rain and dew;
all you winds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, fire and heat;
cold and warmth, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, dew and frost;
ice and cold, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, ice and snow;
day and night, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
lightning and storm-clouds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, all the earth,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;
all growing things, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;
springs and fountains, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, whales and fish;
birds of the air, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, wild beasts and tame;
sons of men, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, O Israel,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Bless the Lord, his priests;
all his servants, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the just;
all who are holy and humble, bless the Lord.
Ananias, Azarias, Mishael, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him for ever.
Let us bless Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
praise and exalt them for ever.
Bless the Lord in the firmament of heaven,
praise and glorify him for ever.
May you be blessed, Lord, in your sacred temple. Alleluia.
Psalm 149 The saints rejoice
Praise the Lord in his holy Church. Alleluia.
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker,
and the sons of Zion delight in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
sing to him with timbrel and lyre,
for the Lord’s favour is upon his people,
and he will honour the humble with victory.
Let the faithful celebrate his glory,
rejoice even in their beds,
the praise of God in their throats;
and swords ready in their hands,
to exact vengeance upon the nations,
impose punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings in fetters
and their nobles in manacles of iron,
to carry out the sentence that has been passed:
this is the glory prepared for all his faithful.
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.
Praise the Lord in his holy Church. Alleluia.
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 56:7
I will bring them to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.
Short Responsory
Great is the Lord. He is worthy of our greatest praise. Alleluia, alleluia.
– Great is the Lord. He is worthy of our greatest praise. Alleluia, alleluia.
In the city of our God, upon his holy mountain.
– Great is the Lord. He is worthy of our greatest praise. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Great is the Lord. He is worthy of our greatest praise. Alleluia, alleluia.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay with you today.’ He came down with great haste and received the Lord joyfully in his house. Today salvation has come from God to this house, 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.
‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay with you today.’ He came down with great haste and received the Lord joyfully in his house. Today salvation has come from God to this house, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Since we are living stones in the temple of Christ’s body, let us pray to the Father for his beloved Church and profess our faith in her.
– This is the house of God and the gate of heaven.
Father, cleanse the vineyard of your Church,
watch over it with care and cultivate it with love, until it fills the world and is wonderful to see.
– This is the house of God and the gate of heaven.
Eternal shepherd, protect and extend the sheepfold of your Church;
let there be one flock, with your Son its only shepherd.
– This is the house of God and the gate of heaven.
Almighty Father, sow your word in the field of the Church;
produce its crop a hundredfold for your eternal harvest.
– This is the house of God and the gate of heaven.
God of all wisdom, sanctify your house and all the members of your family;
let men see the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, the bride adorned with glory.
– This is the house of God and the gate of heaven.
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.
Lord God, you have called your people to become your Church.
Grant that all who are gathered in your name
may fear you and love you and follow you
and, under your guidance, attain to your promises in heaven.
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 17 to 23 May
The days after Ascension: a lost and gloomy time. The unknown Advocate. Life without life. Days without salt. Getting a handle on the Spirit. Giving life to a creation; images of fire and electricity. Salvation history as re-wiring. Arianism and Pope St John I. Blessed Raphael Louis Rafiringa and Madagascar. St Christopher Magallanes and the politeness of martyrs. Bernardino of Siena. The Liturgy of the Hours continued: Terce, Sext and None. (20 minutes) Episode notes.