God raised Jesus to life on the third day and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead – and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.
Short Responsory
Have mercy on us, Christ, Son of the living God, alleluia, alleluia.
– Have mercy on us, Christ, Son of the living God, alleluia, alleluia.
You have risen from the dead.
– Have mercy on us, Christ, Son of the living God, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Have mercy on us, Christ, Son of the living God, alleluia, alleluia.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
I am the shepherd of the flock; I am the way, the truth and the life; I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 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.
I am the shepherd of the flock; I am the way, the truth and the life; I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to the Father, the all-powerful God, who raised up Jesus, our prince and our Saviour.
– Glorify us, Lord, with the glory of Christ.
Father, you brought your beloved Son from the darkness of death to the light of glory;
let us enter into the regions of your own wonderful light.
– Glorify us, Lord, with the glory of Christ.
You saved us through faith in Jesus Christ;
help us to live today in the grace of our baptism.
– Glorify us, Lord, with the glory of Christ.
You have told us to seek the things that are in heaven;
enable us to resist the attraction of sin.
– Glorify us, Lord, with the glory of Christ.
Reveal the riches of our hidden life in Christ
that men may see the signs of the new heaven and the new earth.
– Glorify us, Lord, with the glory of Christ.
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.
Almighty, ever-living God,
bring us to the joy of your heavenly city:
so that we, your little flock,
may follow where Christ, our Good Shepherd,
has gone before us by the power of his resurrection.
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.