Feria Secunda infra Hebdomadam III in QuadragesimaMonday within the Third Week of Lent

℣ O Lord, ✠ open my lips.

℟ And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

℣ O God, ✠ come to my assistance.

℟ Lord, make haste to help me.

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 to you, O Lord, King of eternal glory.

Ant. Let it not be in vain for you to rise before the light in the morning: * for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

Ant. Let it not be in vain for you to rise before the light in the morning: * for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

Come, let us exult in the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to God, our Savior. Let us anticipate his presence with confession, and let us sing joyfully to him with psalms.

Ant. Let it not be in vain for you to rise before the light in the morning: * for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King over all gods. For the Lord will not drive away his people. For in his hand are all the limits of the earth, and he beholds the heights of the mountains.

Ant. for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands established the dry land. (kneel) Come, let us adore and fall prostrate before God, and let us weep before the Lord who made us. For he is the Lord our God, and we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Ant. Let it not be in vain for you to rise before the light in the morning: * for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted me; they tested and saw my works.

Ant. for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

For forty years, I was near to that generation, and I said: These have always strayed in heart. But they have not known my ways. To them I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest.

Ant. Let it not be in vain for you to rise before the light in the morning: * for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

℣ 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.

Ant. for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

Ant. Let it not be in vain for you to rise before the light in the morning: * for the Lord has promised a crown to those who keep vigil.

The fast, as taught by holy lore,

We keep in solemn course once more:

The fast to all men known, and bound

In forty days of yearly round.

The law and seers that were of old

In diverse ways this Lent foretold,

Which Christ, all seasons’ King and Guide,

In after ages sanctified.

More sparing therefore let us make

The words we speak, the food we take,

Our sleep and mirth, —and closer barred

Be every sense in holy guard.

Avoid the evil thoughts that roll

Like waters o’er the heedless soul;

Nor let the foe occasion find

Our souls in slavery to bind.

In prayer together let us fall,

And cry for mercy, one and all,

And weep before the Judge’s feet,

And his avenging wrath entreat.

Thy grace have we offended sore,

By sins, O God, which we deplore;

But pour upon us from on high,

O pardoning One, thy clemency.

Remember thou, though frail we be,

That yet thine handiwork are we;

Nor let the honour of thy name

Be by another put to shame.

Forgive the sin that we have wrought;

Increase the good that we have sought:

That we at length, our wanderings o'er,

May please thee here and evermore.

Grant O thou Blessed Trinity,

Grant, O Essential Unity,

That this our fast of forty days

May work our profit and thy praise.

Amen.

At the Nocturn

Ant. The Lord * has looked down from heaven upon the children of men.

Psalm 13 [1]

13:1a The fool has said in his heart, * “There is no God.”

13:1b They were corrupted, and they have become abominable in their studies. * There is no one who does good; there is not even one.

13:2 The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, * to see if there were any who were considering or seeking God.

13:3a They have all gone astray; together they have become useless. * There is no one who does good; there is not even one.

13:3b Their throat is an open sepulcher. † With their tongues, they have been acting deceitfully; * the venom of asps is under their lips.

13:3c Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. * Their feet are swift to shed blood.

13:3d Grief and unhappiness are in their ways; † and the way of peace, they have not known. * There is no fear of God before their eyes.

13:4 Will they never learn: all those who work iniquity, * who devour my people like a meal of bread?

13:5 They have not called upon the Lord. * There, they have trembled in fear, where there was no fear.

13:6 For the Lord is with the just generation. † You have confounded the counsel of the needy * because the Lord is his hope.

13:7 Who will grant the salvation of Israel from Zion? * When the Lord turns away the captivity of his people, Jacob will exult, and Israel will rejoice.

℣ 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.

Ant. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men.

Ant. He who does justice * shall rest on your holy mountain, O Lord.

Psalm 14 [2]

14:1 O Lord, who will dwell in your tabernacle? * Or who will rest on your holy mountain?

14:2 He who walks without blemish * and who works justice.

14:3a He who speaks the truth in his heart, * who has not acted deceitfully with his tongue,

14:3b and has not done evil to his neighbor, * and has not taken up a reproach against his neighbors.

14:4a In his sight, the malicious one has been reduced to nothing, * but he glorifies those who fear the Lord.

14:4b He who swears to his neighbor and does not deceive. * (5a) He who has not given his money in usury, nor accepted bribes against the innocent.

14:5b He who does these things * will be undisturbed for eternity.

℣ 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.

Ant. He who does justice shall rest on your holy mountain, O Lord.

Ant. Incline, O Lord, * your ear to me, and hear my words.

Psalm 16 [3]

16:1a Lord, listen to my justice, * attend to my supplication.

16:1b Pay attention to my prayer, * which is not from deceitful lips.

16:2 Let my judgment proceed from your presence. * Let your eyes behold fairness.

16:3 You have tested my heart and visited it by night. * You have examined me by fire, and iniquity has not been found in me.

16:4 Therefore, may my mouth not speak the works of men. * I have kept to difficult ways because of the words of your lips.

16:5 Perfect my steps in your paths, * so that my footsteps may not be disturbed.

16:6 I have cried out because you, O God, have listened to me. * Incline your ear to me and heed my words.

16:7 Make your mercies wonderful, * for you save those who hope in you.

16:8a From those who resist your right hand, preserve me * like the pupil of your eye.

16:8b Protect me under the shadow of your wings, * (9a) from the face of the impious who have afflicted me.

16:9b My enemies have surrounded my soul. † (10) They have concealed their fatness; * their mouth has been speaking arrogantly.

16:11 They have cast me out, and now they have surrounded me. * They have cast their eyes down to the earth.

16:12 They have taken me, like a lion ready for the prey, * and like a young lion dwelling in hiding.

16:13 Rise up, O Lord, arrive before him and displace him. * Deliver my soul from the impious one: your spear (14a) from the enemies of your hand.

16:14b Lord, divide them from the few of the earth in their life. * Their gut has been filled from your hidden stores.

16:14c They have been filled with sons, * and they have bequeathed to their little ones the remainder.

16:15 But as for me, I will appear before your sight in justice. * I will be satisfied when your glory appears.

℣ 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.

Ant. Incline, O Lord, your ear to me, and hear my words.

Ant. I will love you, * O Lord, my strength. ‡

Psalm 17(2-16b) [4]

17:2 I will love you, O Lord my strength. * ‡ (3a) The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my liberator.

17:3b My God is my helper, * and I hope in him:

17:3c my protector, and the horn of my salvation, * and my support.

17:4 Praising, I will call upon the Lord. * And I will be saved from my enemies.

17:5 The sorrows of death surrounded me, * and the torrents of iniquity dismayed me.

17:6 The sorrows of Hell encompassed me, * and the snares of death intercepted me.

17:7a In my tribulation, I called upon the Lord, * and I cried out to my God.

17:7b And he listened to my voice from his holy temple. * And my cry in his presence entered into his ears.

17:8 The earth was shaken, and it trembled. * The foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and they were shaken, because he was angry with them.

17:9 A smoke ascended by his wrath, † and a fire flared up from his face: * coals were kindled by it.

17:10 He bent the heavens, and they descended. * And darkness was under his feet.

17:11 And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew: * he flew upon the feathers of the winds.

17:12 And he set darkness as his hiding place, † with his tabernacle all around him: * dark waters in the clouds of the air.

17:13 At the brightness that was before his sight, the clouds crossed by, * with hail and coals of fire.

17:14 And the Lord thundered from heaven, † and the Most High uttered his voice: * hail and coals of fire.

17:15 And he sent forth his arrows and scattered them. * He multiplied lightnings, and he set them in disarray.

17:16a Then the fountains of waters appeared, * and the foundations of the world were revealed,

17:16b by your rebuke, O Lord, * by the inspiration of the Spirit of your wrath.

℣ 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.

Ant. I will love you, O Lord, my strength.

Ant. The Lord will repay me * according to my justice.

Psalm 17(17-35) [5]

17:17 He sent from on high, and he accepted me. * And he took me up, out of many waters.

17:18 He rescued me from my strongest enemies, † and from those who hated me. * For they had been too strong for me.

17:19 They intercepted me in the day of my affliction, * and the Lord became my protector.

17:20 And he led me out, into a wide place. * He accomplished my salvation, because he willed me.

17:21 And the Lord will reward me according to my justice, * and he will repay me according to the purity of my hands.

17:22 For I have preserved the ways of the Lord, * and I have not behaved impiously before my God.

17:23 For all his judgments are in my sight, * and his justice, I have not pushed away from me.

17:24 And I will be immaculate together with him, * and I will keep myself from my iniquity.

17:25 And the Lord will reward me according to my justice * and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.

17:26 With the holy, you will be holy, * and with the innocent, you will be innocent,

17:27 and with the elect, you will be elect, * and with the perverse, you will be perverse.

17:28 For you will save the humble people, * but you will bring down the eyes of the arrogant.

17:29 For you illuminate my lamp, O Lord. * My God, enlighten my darkness.

17:30 For in you, I will be delivered from temptation; * and with my God, I will climb over a wall.

17:31 As for my God, his way is undefiled. † The eloquence of the Lord has been examined by fire. * He is the protector of all who hope in him.

17:32 For who is God, except the Lord? * And who is God, except our God?

17:33 It is God who has wrapped me with virtue * and made my way immaculate.

17:34 It is he who has perfected my feet, like the feet of deer, * and who stations me upon the heights.

17:35 It is he who trains my hands for battle. * And you have set my arms like a bow of brass.

℣ 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.

Ant. The Lord will repay me according to my justice.

Ant. The Lord lives, * and blessed be God my salvation.

Psalm 17(36a-51) [6]

17:36a And you have given me the protection of your salvation. * And your right hand sustains me.

17:36b And your discipline has corrected me unto the end. * And your discipline itself will teach me.

17:37 You have expanded my footsteps under me, * and my tracks have not been weakened.

17:38 I will pursue my enemies and apprehend them. * And I will not turn back until they have failed.

17:39 I will break them, and they will not be able to stand. * They will fall under my feet.

17:40 And you have wrapped me with virtue for the battle. * And those rising up against me, you have subdued under me.

17:41 And you have given the back of my enemies to me, * and you have destroyed those who hated me.

17:42 They cried out, but there was none to save them, to the Lord, * but he did not heed them.

17:43 And I will crush them into dust before the face of the wind, * so that I will obliterate them like the mud in the streets.

17:44 You will rescue me from the contradictions of the people. * You will set me at the head of the Gentiles.

17:45 A people I did not know has served me. * As soon as their ears heard, they were obedient to me.

17:46 The sons of foreigners have been deceitful to me, * the sons of foreigners have grown weak with time, and they have wavered from their paths.

17:47 The Lord lives, and blessed is my God, * and may the God of my salvation be exalted:

17:48 O God, who vindicates me and who subdues the people under me, * my liberator from my enraged enemies.

17:49 And you will exalt me above those who rise up against me. * From the iniquitous man, you will rescue me.

17:50 Because of this, O Lord, I will confess to you among the nations, * and I will compose a psalm to your name:

17:51 magnifying the salvation of his king, † and showing mercy to David, his Christ, * and to his offspring, even for all time.

℣ 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.

Ant. The Lord lives, and blessed be God my salvation.

Ant. May the Lord hear you * in the day of tribulation. ‡

Psalm 19 [7]

19:2 May the Lord hear you in the day of tribulation. * ‡ May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

19:3 May he send you help from the sanctuary * and watch over you from Zion.

19:4 May he be mindful of all your sacrifices, * and may your burnt-offerings be fat.

19:5 May he grant to you according to your heart, * and confirm all your counsels.

19:6 We will rejoice in your salvation, * and in the name of our God, we will be magnified.

19:7a May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. * Now I know that the Lord has saved his Christ.

19:7b He will hear him from his holy heaven. * The salvation of his right hand is in his power.

19:8 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, * but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God.

19:9 They have been bound, and they have fallen. * But we have risen up, and we have been set upright.

19:10 O Lord, save the king, * and hear us on the day that we will call upon you.

℣ 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.

Ant. May the Lord hear you in the day of tribulation.

Ant. O Lord, * in your power the king shall rejoice.

Psalm 20 [8]

20:2 In your virtue, Lord, the king will rejoice, * and over your salvation, he will exult exceedingly.

20:3 You have granted him the desire of his heart, * and you have not cheated him of the wish of his lips.

20:4 For you have gone ahead of him with blessings of sweetness. * You have placed a crown of precious stones on his head.

20:5 He petitioned you for life, * and you have granted him length of days, in the present time, and forever and ever.

20:6 Great is his glory in your salvation. * Glory and great adornment, you will lay upon him.

20:7 For you will give him as a blessing forever and ever. * You will make him rejoice with gladness in your presence.

20:8 Because the king hopes in the Lord, * and in the mercy of the Most High, he will not be disturbed.

20:9 May your hand be found by all your enemies. * May your right hand discover all those who hate you.

20:10 You will make them like an oven of fire, in the time of your presence. * The Lord will stir them up with his wrath, and fire will devour them.

20:11 You will destroy their fruit from the earth * and their offspring from the sons of men.

20:12 For they have turned evils upon you; * they have devised plans, which they have not been able to accomplish.

20:13 For you will make them turn their back; * with your remnants, you will prepare their countenance.

20:14 Be exalted, Lord, by your own power. * We will play music and sing psalms to your virtues.

℣ 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.

Ant. O Lord, in your power the king shall rejoice.

Ant. I will exalt you, * O Lord, for you have upheld me.

Psalm 29 [9]

29:2 I will extol you, Lord, for you have sustained me, * and you have not allowed my enemies to delight over me.

29:3 O Lord my God, I have cried out to you, * and you have healed me.

29:4 Lord, you led my soul away from Hell. * You have saved me from those who descend into the pit.

29:5 Sing a psalm to the Lord, you his saints, * and confess with remembrance of his holiness.

29:6 For wrath is in his indignation, * and life is in his will.

29:6 Toward evening, weeping will linger, * and toward morning, gladness.

29:7 But I have said in my abundance: * “I will never be disturbed.”

29:8 O Lord, in your will, * you made virtue preferable to beauty for me.

29:8 You turned your face away from me, * and I became disturbed.

29:9 To you, Lord, I will cry out. * And I will make supplication to my God.

29:10 What use would there be in my blood, * if I descend into corruption?

29:10 Will dust confess to you * or announce your truth?

29:11 The Lord has heard, and he has been merciful to me. * The Lord has become my helper.

29:12 You have turned my mourning into gladness for me. * You have cut off my sackcloth, and you have surrounded me with joy.

29:13 So then, may my glory sing to you, and may I not regret it. * O Lord, my God, I will confess to you for eternity.

℣ 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.

Ant. I will exalt you, O Lord, for you have upheld me.

℣ He himself delivered me from the snare of hunters.

℟ And from the harsh word.

The Our Father is said silently as far as And lead us not into temptation:

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 also forgive those who trespass against us:

℣ And lead us not into temptation:

℟ But deliver us from evil.

Absolution. Hear the prayers of your servants, Lord Jesus Christ, and have mercy on us: You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the evangelical reading be our salvation and protection.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Luc 4:23-30

At that time: Jesus said to the Pharisees: Certainly, you will recite to me this saying, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ The many great things that we have heard were done in Capernaum, do here also in your own country. Etc.

A Homily of Saint Ambrose the Bishop

Book 4 on Luke, chapter 4, after the middle

No trivial envy is betrayed here, which, forgetting civic charity, turns the motives of love into bitter hatred. At the same time this example and oracle alike declares that one may vainly hope for the help of heavenly mercy if one envies others the fruits of their virtue. For the Lord is a scorner of the envious; and from those who persecute the divine benefits in others, he turns away the miracles of his power. For the acts of the Lord's flesh are an example of his divinity, and his invisible things are shown to us through those that are visible.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Take with you gifts from here, and go to the lord of the land: and when you find him, do him reverence upon the ground:

* But may my God make him favorable to you: and send back both this brother of yours with you, and him whom he holds in bonds.

℣ Take from the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and bring gifts to the man.

℟ But may my God make him favorable to you: and send back both this brother of yours with you, and him whom he holds in bonds.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

The Savior therefore does not without purpose excuse himself for having worked no miracles of power in his own homeland; lest perhaps someone should think that we ought to hold a lesser affection for our homeland. For he who loved all could not fail to love his own citizens: but they by their jealousy cast off from themselves the love of their homeland. I tell you truly: there were many widows in the days of Elijah. Not that those were days belonging to Elijah, but days in which Elijah was at work: or because Elijah was making days for those who saw in his works the light of spiritual grace and were turning to the Lord. And therefore heaven was opened to those who saw the eternal and divine mysteries: it was closed, and there was famine, when there was no abundance of knowledge of the divinity. But of this we have spoken more fully when we wrote on the subject of widows.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Is this your youngest brother, of whom you had told me? God be gracious to you, my son.

* And he hastened into the house and wept: for tears broke out, and he could not contain himself.

℣ And Joseph lifting up his eyes, saw Benjamin standing: and all his bowels were moved over his brother.

℟ And he hastened into the house and wept: for tears broke out, and he could not contain himself.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the King of Angels lead us to the company of the citizens on high.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

And many lepers were in Judea in the days of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. This word of the Lord our Savior clearly instructs us and urges us to the pursuit of the reverence due to the divinity: for none is shown to have been healed and freed from the blemish of bodily disease except one who strove after health through the observance of religion. For it is to those who are watchful, not to those who are sleeping, that divine benefits are bestowed. We have said in another book that in the widow to whom Elijah was sent, the type of the Church was prefigured. The people gathered the Church, so that the people gathered from foreigners might follow. That people formerly leprous, that people formerly blemished, before it was baptized in the mystical river: the same, after the sacraments of baptism, cleansed of the blemishes of body and mind, was no longer leprosy but an immaculate virgin, and began to be without wrinkle.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Joseph said to his eleven brothers: I am Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt; does our aged father, of whom you spoke to me, still live?

* Go, bring him to me, that he may be able to live.

℣ For it is now two years since the famine began upon the land, and there remain five years more, in which there can be neither plowing nor reaping.

℟ Go, bring him to me, that he may be able to live.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ Go, bring him to me, that he may be able to live.

The rest is omitted unless Lauds is said separately.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

Let us pray.

Pour forth your grace benignly into our hearts, we pray, O Lord, that, as we abstain from bodily food, so too we may withdraw our senses from harmful excesses.

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.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

℣ Let us bless the Lord.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℣ May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

℟ Amen.