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Monday, June 21, 2027

Liturgy of the Hours

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The Vocation of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga by Guercino [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Prayer Hours

About Today

June 21

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

Memorial

St. Aloysius was heir to the affluent and powerful House of Gonzaga, a noble family in northern Italy in the 16th century. As a young boy, he was page to King Philip II of Spain’s son and trained to become a soldier until a kidney disease forced him to rest. After his recuperation, he renounced his wealth and title and announced his plans to enter the Jesuit order. He professed in 1587 at age 19. When the plague broke out in Rome in 1591, St. Aloysius volunteered to care for the infirm. He contracted the disease within four months and died shortly before his 23rd birthday. He was canonized in 1723 by Pope Benedict XIII and is the patron saint of Christian youth. [1]

Written by Sarah Ciotti
Reviewed by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD

[1] Catholicpedia: The Original Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. s.v. “St. Aloysius Gonzaga.”

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Invitatory

Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Psalm 100

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Office of Readings - Memorial

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 651
Psalter: Saturday, Week III, 1103
Common of Holy Men: 1804
Proper of Seasons: 378
Proper of Saints: 1474

Office of Readings for Saturday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Blest are the pure in heart,
for they shall see our God;
the secret of the Lord is theirs,
their soul is Christ's abode.

The Lord, who left the heavens
our life and peace to bring,
to dwell in lowliness with us,
our pattern and our King;

He to the lowly soul
will still himself impart and
for his dwelling and his throne
will choose the pure in heart.

Lord, we thy presence seek;
may ours this blessing be;
give us a pure and lowly heart,
a temple fit for thee.

𝄞"Blest are the Pure in Heart" by Eva Zlatkovic Ristic • Title: The Christian Life; Words: Sts. 1 and 3, John Keble (1792-1866), alt.; sts. 2 and 4, William John Hall (1793-1861), alt.; Music: Franconia, melody Johann Makhasar Konig (1691-1758); Adapt. and harmony: William Henry Havergal (1793-1870); Artist: Eva Zlatkovic Ristic; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Let us praise the Lord for his mercy and for the wonderful things he has done for men.

Psalm 107
Thanksgiving for deliverance

This is God’s message to the sons of Israel; the good news of peace proclaimed through Jesus Christ (Acts 10:36).

I

“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.”

Let them say this, the Lord’s redeemed,
whom he redeemed from the hand of the foe
and gathered from far-off lands,
from east and west, north and south.

Some wandered in the desert, in the wilderness,
finding no way to a city they could dwell in.
Hungry they were and thirsty;
their soul was fainting within them.

Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress
and he led them along the right way,
to reach a city they could dwell in.

Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men:
for he satisfies the thirsty soul;
he fills the hungry with good things.

Some lay in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in misery and chains,
having defied the words of God
and spurned the counsels of the Most High.
He crushed their spirit with toil;
they stumbled; there was no one to help.

Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them forth from darkness and gloom
and broke their chains to pieces.

Let them thank the Lord for his goodness,
for the wonders he does for men:
for he bursts the gates of bronze
and shatters the iron bars.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Let us praise the Lord for his mercy and for the wonderful things he has done for men.

Ant. 2 Men have seen the works of God, the marvels he has done.

II

Some were sick on account of their sins
and afflicted on account of their guilt.
They had a loathing for every food;
they came close to the gates of death.

Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He sent forth his word to heal them
and saved their life from the grave.

Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men.
Let them offer a sacrifice of thanks
and tell of his deeds with rejoicing.

Some sailed to the sea in ships
to trade on the mighty waters.
These men have seen the Lord’s deeds,
the wonders he does in the deep.

For he spoke; he summoned the gale,
raising up the waves of the sea.
Tossed up to heaven, then into the deep;
their soul melted away in their distress.

They staggered, reeled like drunken men,
for all their skill was gone.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper:
all the waves of the sea were hushed.
They rejoiced because of the calm
and he led them to the haven they desired.

Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men.
Let them exalt him in the gathering of the people
and praise him in the meeting of the elders.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Men have seen the works of God, the marvels he has done.

Ant. 3 Those who love the Lord will see and rejoice; they will understand his loving kindness.

III

He changes streams into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
fruitful land into a salty waste,
for the wickedness of those who live there.

But he changes desert into streams,
thirsty ground into springs of water.
There he settles the hungry
and they build a city to dwell in.

They sow fields and plant their vines;
these yield crops for the harvest.
He blesses them; they grow in numbers.
He does not let their herds decrease.

He pours contempt upon princes,
makes them wander in trackless wastes.
They diminish, are reduced to nothing
by oppression, evil and sorrow.

But he raises the needy from distress;
makes families numerous as a flock.
The upright see it and rejoice
but all who do wrong are silenced.

Whoever is wise, let him heed these things.
And consider the love of the Lord.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

You fill the hungry with good things, Lord God, and break the sinner’s chains. Hear your people who call to you in their need and lead your Church from the shadows of death. Gather us from sunrise to sunset that we may grow together in faith and love and give lasting thanks for your kindness.

Ant. Those who love the Lord will see and rejoice; they will understand his loving kindness.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

The Lord led this holy man along a sure path.
He showed him the kingdom of God.

READINGS

First reading
From the book of Judges
16:4-6, 16-31
The treachery of Delilah and the death of Samson

Samson fell in love with a woman in the Wadi Sorek whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came to her and said, “Beguile him and find out the secret of his great strength, and how we may overcome and bind him so as to keep him helpless. We will each give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you may be bound so as to be kept helpless.” She importuned him continually and vexed him with her complaints till he was deathly weary of them. So he took her completely into his confidence and told her, “No razor has touched my head, for I have been consecrated to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I shall be as weak as any other man.” When Delilah saw that he had taken her completely into his confidence, she summoned the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this time, for he has opened his heart to me.”

So the lords of the Philistines came and brought up the money with them. She had him sleep on her lap, and called for a man who shaved off his seven locks of hair. Then she began to mistreat him, for his strength had left him. When she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!”, and he woke from his sleep, he thought he could make good his escape as he had done time and again, for he did not realize that the Lord had left him. But the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze fetters, and he was put to grinding in the prison. But the hair of his head began to grow as soon as it was shaved off.

The lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to make merry. They said,

“Our god has delivered into our power
Samson our enemy.”

When their spirits were high, they said, “Call Samson that he may amuse us.” So they called Samson from the prison, and he played the buffoon before them. When the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said,

“Our god has delivered into our power
our enemy, the ravager of our land,
the one who has multiplied our slain.”

Then they stationed him between the columns. Samson said to the attendant who was holding his hand, “Put me where I may touch the columns that support the temple and may rest against them.” The temple was full of men and women: all the lords of the Philistines were there, and from the roof about three thousand men and women looked on as Samson provided amusement.

Samson cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, remember me! Strengthen me, O God, this last time that for my two eyes I may avenge myself once and for all on the Philistines.” Samson grasped the two middle columns on which the temple rested and braced himself against them, one at his right hand, the other at his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard, and the temple fell upon the lords and all the people who were in it. Those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his lifetime.

All his family and kinsmen went down and bore him up for burial in the grave of his father Manoah between Zorah and Eshtaol. He had judged Israel for twenty years.

RESPONSORY Psalm 43:1; 31:4, Judges 16:28

Defend me, God; take up my cause against a faithless people.
For you are my rock and my fortress.

Remember me and give me strength just once again.
For you are my rock and my fortress.

Second reading
From a letter to his mother by Saint Aloysius
God’s mercies shall be my song for ever

May the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way on to heaven at last and to praise God for ever in the land of the living; indeed I had hoped that before this time my journey there would have been over. If charity, as Saint Paul says, means to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are glad, then, dearest mother, you shall rejoice exceedingly that God in his grace and his love for you is showing me the path to true happiness, and assuring me that I shall never lose him.

The divine goodness, most honored lady, is a fathomless and shoreless ocean, and I confess that when I plunge my mind into thought of this it is carried away by the immensity and feels quite lost and bewildered there. In return for my short and feeble labors, God is calling me to eternal rest; his voice from heaven invites me to the infinite bliss I have sought so languidly, and promises me this reward for the tears I have so seldom shed.

Take care above all things, most honored lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Savior; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies for ever, and enjoy eternal happiness. When he takes away what he once lent us, his purpose is to store our treasure elsewhere more safely and bestow on us those very blessings that we ourselves would most choose to have.

I write all this with the one desire that you and all my family may consider my departure a joy and favor and that you especially may speed with a mother’s blessing my passage across the waters till I reach the shore to which all hopes belong. I write the more willingly because I have no clearer way of expressing the love and respect I owe you as your son.

RESPONSORY Psalm 41:13; 84:11

You upheld me because of my innocence;
you let me stand in your sight for ever.

I would rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of the wicked.
You let me stand in your sight for ever.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

O God,
giver of heavenly gifts,
who in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
joined penitence to a wonderful innocence of life,
grant through his merits and intercession, that,
though we have failed to follow him in innocence,
we may imitate him in penitence.
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.

ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)

Let us praise the Lord.
And give him thanks.

Morning Prayer - Memorial

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 654
Psalter: Saturday, Week III, 1107
Common of Holy Men: 1815
Proper of Saints: 1476
Common of Holy Men For Religious: 1863

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Psalter: Saturday, Week III, 916
Proper of Saints: 1170
Common of Holy Men For Religious: 1470

Morning Prayer for Saturday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Christ our redeemer, wondrous love you show us
Ever inspiring souls to serve the Father,
By strong attraction, varied and impelling,
Gift of the Spirit.

Many are favored with the grace unrivaled,
Making them truly children of the Father,
Few are selected for a bond of union
Even yet closer.

Gently you call them, eagerly they answer,
All things forsaking, swift of foot they follow,
Choosing the pathway, trodden by their Savior
Straight to the Father.

Searcher in earnest all his strength exerting.
Your holy servant never slackened effort,
Model of virtues, seeking for you always,
Surely he found you.

Glory and honor be to the God Almighty,
Praise in the highest, power and dominion,
Who in his wisdom rules and governs all things
His love created. Amen.

𝄞"Christ Our Redeemer, Wondrous Love - for him" by Kathleen Lundquist, Sara Faux • Available for Purchase • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Lord, you are near to us, and all your ways are true.

Psalm 119
XIX (Koph)

I call with all my heart; Lord, hear me,
I will keep your commands;
I call upon you, save me
and I will do your will.

I rise before dawn and cry for help,
I hope in your word.
My eyes watch through the night
to ponder your promise.

In your love hear my voice, O Lord;
give me life by your decrees.
Those who harm me unjustly draw near:
they are far from your law.

But you, O Lord, are close:
your commands are truth.
Long have I known that your will
is established for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen

Psalm-prayer

Save us by the power of your hand, Father, for our enemies have ignored your words. May the fire of your word consume our sins and its brightness illumine our hearts.

Ant. Lord, you are near to us, and all your ways are true.

Ant.2 Wisdom of God, be with me, always at work in me.

Canticle – Wisdom 9:1-6, 9-11
Lord, give me wisdom

I will inspire you with wisdom which your adversaries will be unable to resist (Luke 21:15).

God of my fathers, Lord of mercy,
you who have made all things by your word
and in your wisdom have established man
to rule the creatures produced by you,
to govern the world in holiness and justice,
and to render judgment in integrity of heart:

Give me Wisdom, the attendant at your throne,
and reject me not from among your children:
for I am your servant, the son of your handmaid,
a man weak and short-lived
and lacking in comprehension of judgment and of laws.

Indeed, though one be perfect among the sons of men,
if Wisdom, who comes from you, be not with him,
he shall be held in no esteem.

Now with you is Wisdom who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
who understands what is pleasing in your eyes
and what is conformable with your commands.

Send her forth from your holy heavens
and from your glorious throne dispatch her
that she may be with me and work with me,
that I may know what is your pleasure.

For she knows and understands all things,
and will guide me discreetly in my affairs
and safeguard me by her glory.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen

Ant. Wisdom of God, be with me, always at work in me.

Ant. 3 The Lord remains faithful to his promise for ever.

Psalm 117
Praise for God’s loving compassion

I affirm that… the Gentile peoples are to praise God because of his mercy (Romans 15:8-9).

O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him, all you peoples!

Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen

Psalm-prayer

God, our Father, may all nations and peoples praise you. May Jesus, who is called faithful and true and who lives with you eternally, possess our hearts forever.

Ant. The Lord remains faithful to his promise for ever.

READING Romans 12:1-2

Brothers, I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.
In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.

He will never lose his way;
the law of God is his guide.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. Whoever does my Father’s will, says the Lord, he is my brother, my sister and my mother.

Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Whoever does my Father’s will, says the Lord, he is my brother, my sister and my mother.

INTERCESSIONS

My brothers, let us praise Christ, asking to serve him and to be holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. Let us acclaim him:
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You desired to experience everything we experience but sin,
have mercy on us, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You called us to love perfectly,
make us holy, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You commissioned us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world,
let your light shine on us, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You desired to serve, not to be served,
help us, Lord Jesus, to give humble service to you and to our neighbors.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You are in the form of God sharing in the splendor of the Father,
Lord Jesus, let us see the glory of your face.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

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.

Concluding Prayer

O God,
giver of heavenly gifts,
who in Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
joined penitence to a wonderful innocence of life,
grant through his merits and intercession, that,
though we have failed to follow him in innocence,
we may imitate him in penitence.
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.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Evening Prayer I

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 668
All from the Proper of Seasons: 597

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
All from the Proper of Seasons: 652

Evening Prayer I for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

According to Thy gracious word,
In meek humility,
This will I do, my dying Lord,
I will remember Thee.

Thy body, broken for my sake,
My bread from heaven shall be;
Thy testamental cup I take,
And thus remember Thee.

𝄞"According to Thy Gracious Word" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase • Title: According to Thy Gracious Word; Text: James Montgomery; Tune: TALLIS' ORDINAL by Thomas Tallis, ca. 1567; Artist: Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2017 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 The Lord is compassionate; he gives food to those who fear him as a remembrance of his great deeds.

Psalm 111
God’s marvelous works

We are lost in wonder at all that you have done for us, our Lord and mighty God (Revelation 15:3).

I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord;
to be pondered by all who love them.

Majestic and glorious his work,
his justice stands firm for ever.
He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.

He gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people
by giving them the lands of the nations.

His works are justice and truth:
his precepts are all of them sure,
standing firm for ever and ever:
they are made in uprightness and truth.

He has sent deliverance to his people
and established his covenant for ever.
Holy his name, to be feared.

To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who do so prove themselves wise.
His praise shall last for ever!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord is compassionate; he gives food to those who fear him as a remembrance of his great deeds.

Ant. 2 The Lord brings peace to his Church, and fills us with the finest wheat.

Psalm 147:12-20
The restoration of Jerusalem

Come, I will show you the bride of the Lamb (Revelation 21:9).

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!

He has strengthened the bars of your gates,
he has blessed the children within you.
He established peace on your borders,
he feeds you with finest wheat.

He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
He showers down snow white as wool,
he scatters hoar-frost like ashes.

He hurls down hailstones like crumbs.
The waters are frozen at his touch;
he sends forth his word and it melts them:
at the breath of his mouth the waters flow.

He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord brings peace to his Church, and fills us with the finest wheat.

Ant. 3 Truly I say to you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven, alleluia.

Canticle — Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a
The judgment of God

We praise you, the Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power,
you have begun your reign.

The nations have raged in anger,
but then came your day of wrath
and the moment to judge the dead:
The time to reward your servants the prophets
and the holy ones who revere you,
the great and the small alike.

Now have salvation and power come,
the reign of our God and the authority
of his Anointed One.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who night and day accused them before God.

They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
So rejoice, you heavens,
and you that dwell therein!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Truly I say to you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven, alleluia.

READING 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Is not the cup of blessing we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, many though we are, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

He gave them bread from heaven, alleluia, alleluia.
He gave them bread from heaven, alleluia, alleluia.

Man has eaten the bread of angels,
alleluia,alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
He gave them bread from heaven, alleluia, alleluia.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. How kind and gentle you are, O Lord. You showed your goodness to your sons by giving them bread from heaven. You filled the hungry with good things, and the rich you sent away empty.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. How kind and gentle you are, O Lord. You showed your goodness to your sons by giving them bread from heaven. You filled the hungry with good things, and the rich you sent away empty.

INTERCESSIONS

Christ invites all to the supper in which he gives his body and blood for the life of the world. Let us ask him:
Christ, the bread of heaven, grant us everlasting life.

Christ, Son of the living God, you commanded that this thanksgiving meal be done in memory of you,
enrich your Church through the faithful celebration of these mysteries.
Christ, the bread of heaven, grant us everlasting life.

Christ, eternal priest of the Most High, you have commanded your priests to offer your sacraments,
may they help them to exemplify in their lives the meaning of the sacred mysteries which they celebrate.
Christ, the bread of heaven, grant us everlasting life.

Christ, bread from heaven, you form one body out of all who partake of the one bread,
refresh all who believe in you with harmony and peace.
Christ, the bread of heaven, grant us everlasting life.

Christ, through your bread you offer the remedy for immortality and the pledge of future resurrection,
restore health to the sick and living hope to sinners.
Christ, the bread of heaven, grant us everlasting life.

Christ, our king who is to come, you commanded that the mysteries which proclaim your death be celebrated until you return,
grant that all who die in you may share in your resurrection.
Christ, the bread of heaven, grant us everlasting life.

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.

Concluding Prayer

O God,
who in this wonderful Sacrament
have left us a memorial of your Passion,
grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries
of your Body and Blood that we may always experience
in ourselves the fruits of your redemption.
Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

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