Psalmody

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 O Lord, defend my cause; rescue me from deceitful and impious men.

Psalm 43
Longing for the Temple



Defend me, O God, and plead my cause *
against a godless nation.
From deceitful and cunning men *
rescue me, O God.

Since you, O God, are my stronghold, *
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go mourning *
oppressed by the foe?

O send forth your light and your truth; *
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain *
to the place where you dwell.

And I will come to the altar of God, *
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp, *
O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, my soul, *
why groan within me?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, *
my savior and my God.

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

Almighty Father, source of everlasting light, send forth your truth into our hearts and pour over us the brightness of your light.

Ant. O Lord, defend my cause; rescue me from deceitful and impious men.

Ant. 2 Lord, my God, you defended my cause; you ransomed my life.

Canticle: Isaiah 38:10-14, 17b-20
Anguish of a dying man and joy in his restoration



Once I said, *
“In the noontime of life I must depart!
To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned *
for the rest of my years.”

I said, “I shall see the Lord no more *
in the land of the living.
No longer shall I behold my fellow men *
among those who dwell in the world.”

My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent, *
is struck down and borne away from me;
you have folded up my life, like a weaver *
who severs the last thread.

Day and night you give me over to torment; *
I cry out until the dawn.
Like a lion he breaks all my bones; *
day and night you give me over to torment.

Like a swallow I utter shrill cries; *
I moan like a dove.
My eyes grow weak, gazing heavenward: *
O Lord, I am in straits; be my surety!

You have preserved my life *
from the pit of destruction,
When you cast behind your back *
all my sins.

For it is not the nether world that gives you thanks, *
nor death that praises you;
Neither do those who go down into the pit *
await your kindness.

The living, the living give you thanks, *
as I do today.
Fathers declare to their sons, *
O God, your faithfulness.

The Lord is our savior; *
we shall sing to stringed instruments
In the house of the Lord *
all the days of our life.

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. Lord, my God, you defended my cause; you ransomed my life.

Ant. 3 My servant, the Just One, will justify many by taking their sins on himself.

Psalm 65
Solemn thanksgiving


To you our praise is due *
in Zion, O God.
To you we pay our vows, *
you who hear our prayer.

To you all flesh will come *
with its burden of sin.
Too heavy for us, our offenses, *
but you wipe them away.

Blessed is he whom you choose and call *
to dwell in your courts.
We are filled with the blessings of your house, *
of your holy temple.

You keep your pledge with wonders, *
O God our savior,
the hope of all the earth *
and of far distant isles.

You uphold the mountains with your strength, *
you are girded with power.
You still the roaring of the seas, †
the roaring of their waves *
and the tumult of the peoples.

The ends of the earth stand in awe *
at the sight of your wonders.
The lands of sunrise and sunset *
you fill with your joy.

You care for the earth, give it water; *
you fill it with riches.
Your river in heaven brims over *
to provide its grain.

And thus you provide for the earth; *
you drench its furrows,
you level it, soften it with showers, *
you bless its growth.

You crown the year with your goodness. †
Abundance flows in your steps, *
in the pastures of the wilderness it flows.

The hills are girded with joy, *
the meadows covered with flocks,
the valleys are decked with wheat. *
They shout for joy, yes they sing.

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

Lord God, hope of all the earth, hear the humble prayer of your children as we sing your praises. Pour out your Spirit on us so that our lives may bear fruit abundantly.

Ant. My servant, the Just One, will justify many by taking their sins on himself.

1st Reading

Is 49:1-6

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah

Hear me, O islands,
   listen, O distant peoples.
The Lord called me from birth,
   from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
   and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
   in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
   Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
   and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the Lord,
   my recompense is with my God.
For now the Lord has spoken
   who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
   and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the Lord,
   and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
   to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
   and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
   that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.