Dominica IV in QuadragesimaThe Fourth Sunday 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. Blessed is the man * who meditates on the law of the Lord.

Psalm 1 [1]

1:1 Blessed is the man who has not followed the counsel of the impious, † and has not remained in the way of sinners, * and has not sat in the chair of pestilence.

1:2 But his will is with the law of the Lord, * and he will meditate on his law, day and night.

1:3a And he will be like a tree that has been planted beside running waters, * which will provide its fruit in its time,

1:3b and its leaf will not fall away, * and all things whatsoever that he does will prosper.

1:4 Not so the impious, not so. * For they are like the dust that the wind casts along the face of the earth.

1:5 Therefore, the impious will not prevail again in judgment, * nor sinners in the council of the just.

1:6 For the Lord knows the way of the just. * And the path of the impious will pass away.

℣ 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. Blessed is the man who meditates on the law of the Lord.

Ant. Serve the Lord * in fear, and rejoice before him with trembling.

Psalm 2 [2]

2:1 Why have the Gentiles been seething, * and why have the people been pondering nonsense?

2:2 The kings of the earth have stood up, and the leaders have joined together as one, * against the Lord and against his Christ:

2:3 “Let us shatter their chains * and cast their yoke away from us.”

2:4 He who dwells in heaven will ridicule them, * and the Lord will mock them.

2:5 Then will he speak to them in his anger * and trouble them with his fury.

2:6 Yet I have been appointed king by him over Zion, his holy mountain, * preaching his precepts.

2:7 The Lord has said to me: * You are my son, this day have I begotten you.

2:8 Ask of me and I will give to you: the Gentiles for your inheritance, * and the ends of the earth for your possession.

2:9 You will rule them with an iron rod, * and you will shatter them like a potter’s vessel.

2:10 And now, O kings, understand. * Receive instruction, you who judge the earth.

2:11 Serve the Lord in fear, * and exult in him with trembling.

2:12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord might become angry, * and you would perish from the way of the just.

2:13 Though his wrath can flare up in a short time, * blessed are all those who trust in him.

℣ 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. Serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice before him with trembling.

Ant. Arise, * O Lord, save me, O my God.

Psalm 3 [3]

3:2 Lord, why have those who trouble me been multiplied? * Many rise up against me.

3:3 Many say to my soul, * “There is no salvation for him in his God.”

3:4 But you, Lord, are my supporter, * my glory, and the one who raises up my head.

3:5 I have cried out to the Lord with my voice, * and he has heard me from his holy mountain.

3:6 I have slept, and I have been stupefied. * But I awakened because the Lord has taken me up.

3:7 I will not fear the thousands of people surrounding me. * Rise up, Lord. Save me, my God.

3:8 For you have struck all those who oppose me without cause. * You have broken the teeth of sinners.

3:9 Salvation is of the Lord, * and your blessing is upon your people.

℣ 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. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God.

Ant. How wonderful * is your name, O Lord, throughout all the earth!

Psalm 8 [4]

8:2a O Lord, our Lord, * how admirable is your name throughout all the earth!

8:2b For your magnificence is elevated * above the heavens.

8:3 Out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have perfected praise, because of your enemies, * so that you may destroy the enemy and the revenger.

8:4 For I will behold your heavens, the works of your fingers: * the moon and the stars, which you have founded.

8:5 What is man, that you are mindful of him, * or the son of man, that you visit him?

8:6 You reduced him to a little less than the Angels; † you have crowned him with glory and honor, * (7) and you have set him over the works of your hands.

8:8 You have subjected all things under his feet, * all sheep and oxen, and in addition: the beasts of the field,

8:9 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, * which pass through the paths of the sea.

8:10 O Lord, our Lord, * how admirable is your name throughout all the earth!

℣ 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. How wonderful is your name, O Lord, throughout all the earth!

Ant. You sit upon the throne, * O you who judge with justice.

Psalm 9(2-11) [5]

9:2 I will confess to you, Lord, with my whole heart. * I will recount all your wonders.

9:3 I will rejoice and exult in you. * I will sing a psalm to your name, O Most High.

9:4 For my enemy will be turned back. * They will be weakened and perish before your face.

9:5 For you have accomplished my judgment and my cause. * You have sat upon the throne that judges justice.

9:6 You have rebuked the Gentiles, and the impious one has perished. * You have deleted their name in eternity and for all generations.

9:7a The spears of the enemy have failed in the end, * and their cities, you have destroyed.

9:7b Their memory has perished with a loud noise. * (8a) But the Lord remains in eternity.

9:8b He has prepared his throne in judgment. * (9) And he will judge the whole world in equity. He will judge the people in justice.

9:10 And the Lord has become a refuge for the poor, * a helper in opportunity, in tribulation.

9:11 And may they hope in you, who know your name. * For you have not abandoned those seeking you, Lord.

℣ 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. You sit upon the throne, O you who judge with justice.

Ant. Arise, O Lord, * let not man prevail.

Psalm 9(12-21) [6]

9:12 Sing a psalm to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. * Announce his study among the Gentiles.

9:13 Because of those who yearned for their blood, he has remembered them. * He has not forgotten the cry of the poor.

9:14 Have mercy on me, Lord. * See my humiliation from my enemies.

9:15 You lift me up from the gates of death, * so that I may announce all your praises at the gates of the daughter of Zion.

9:16a I will exult in your salvation. * The Gentiles have become trapped in the ruin that they made.

9:16b Their foot has been caught * in the same snare that they themselves had hidden.

9:17 The Lord will be recognized when making judgments. * The sinner has been caught in the works of his own hands.

9:18 The sinners will be turned into Hell: * all the Gentiles who have forgotten God.

9:19 For the poor will not be forgotten in the end. * The patience of the poor will not perish in the end.

9:20 Rise up, Lord: do not let man be strengthened. * Let the Gentiles be judged in your sight.

9:21 O Lord, establish a lawgiver over them, * so that the Gentiles may know that they are only men.

℣ 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. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail.

Ant. Why, O Lord, * have you withdrawn far away?

Psalm 9(22-32) [7]

9:22 So then, why, O Lord, have you withdrawn far away? * Why have you overlooked us in opportunity, in tribulation?

9:23 While the impious is arrogant, the poor is enflamed. * They are held by the counsels that they devise.

9:24 For the sinner is praised by the desires of his soul, * and the iniquitous is blessed.

9:25 The sinner has provoked the Lord; * according to the multitude of his wrath, he will not seek him.

9:26a God is not before his sight. * His ways are stained at all times.

9:26b Your judgments are removed from his face. * He will be master of all his enemies.

9:27 For he has said in his heart, * “I will not be disturbed: from generation to generation without evil.”

9:28 His mouth is full of curses, and bitterness, and deceit. * Under his tongue are hardship and sorrow.

9:29 He sits in ambush, with resources in hidden places, * so that he may execute the innocent.

9:30a His eyes catch sight of the poor. * He lies in ambush, in hiding like a lion in his den.

9:30b He lies in ambush, so that he may seize the poor, * to seize the poor as he draws him in.

9:31 With his snare, he will bring him down. * He will crouch down and pounce, when he has power over the poor.

9:32 For he has said in his heart, “God has forgotten, * he has turned away his face, lest he see to the end.”

℣ 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. Why, O Lord, have you withdrawn far away?

Ant. Arise, * O Lord God, let your hand be exalted.

Psalm 9(33-39) [8]

9:33 O Lord God, rise up. Let your hand be exalted. * Do not forget the poor.

9:34 How has the impious one provoked God? * For he has said in his heart, “He will not inquire.”

9:35a You do see, for you examine hardship and sorrow, * so that you may deliver them into your hands.

9:35b The poor one has been abandoned to you. * You will be a helper to the orphan.

9:36 Break the arm of the sinner and the malicious. * His sin will be sought, and it will not be found.

9:37 The Lord shall reign in eternity, even forever and ever. * You will perish the Gentiles from his land.

9:38 The Lord has heeded the desire of the poor. * Your ear has listened to the preparation of their heart,

9:39 so as to judge for the orphan and the humble, * so that man may no longer presume to magnify himself upon the earth.

℣ 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. Arise, O Lord God, let your hand be exalted.

Ant. The Lord is just * and has loved justice.

Psalm 10 [9]

10:2 I trust in the Lord. † How can you say to my soul, * “Sojourn to the mountain, like a sparrow.”

10:3 For behold, the sinners have bent their bow. † They have prepared their arrows in the quiver, * so as to shoot arrows in the dark at the upright of heart.

10:4 For they have destroyed the things that you have completed. * But what has the just one done?

10:5a The Lord is in his holy temple. * The Lord’s throne is in heaven.

10:5b His eyes look upon the poor. * His eyelids question the sons of men.

10:6 The Lord questions the just and the impious. * Yet he who loves iniquity, hates his own soul.

10:7 He will rain down snares upon sinners. * Fire and brimstone and windstorms will be the portion of their cup.

10:8 For the Lord is just, and he has chosen justice. * His countenance has beheld equity.

℣ 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 is just and has loved justice.

℣ 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 he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

From the Book of Exodus

Exod 3:1-6

1 Now Moses was pasturing the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro, a priest of Midian. And when he had driven the flock into the interior of the desert, he came to the mountain of God, Horeb.

2 And the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. And he saw that the bush was burning and was not burnt.

3 Therefore, Moses said, “I will go and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”

4 Then the Lord, discerning that he proceeded on to see it, called to him from the midst of the bush, and he said, “Moses, Moses.” And he responded, “Here I am.”

5 And he said: “Lest you should approach here, remove the shoes from your feet. For the place on which you stand is holy ground.”

6 And he said, “I am the God of your father: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he dared not look directly at God.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go down into Egypt, and say to Pharaoh:

* Let my people go: the heart of Pharaoh is hardened; he will not let my people go except by a mighty hand.

℣ The cry of the children of Israel has come to me, and I have seen their affliction: but come, I will send you to Pharaoh.

℟ Let my people go: the heart of Pharaoh is hardened; he will not let my people go except by a mighty hand.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

Exod 3:7-10

7 And the Lord said to him: “I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their outcry because of the harshness of those who are over the works.

8 And knowing their sorrow, I have descended in order to free them from the hands of the Egyptians, and to lead them from that land into a good and spacious land, into a land which flows with milk and honey, to the places of the Canaanite, and Hittite, and Amorite, and Perizzite, and Hivite, and Jebusite.

9 And so, the outcry of the sons of Israel has come to me. And I have seen their affliction, with which they are oppressed by the Egyptians.

10 But come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may lead my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Exod 3:11-15

11 And Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should lead the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 And he said to him: “I will be with you. And you will have this as a sign that I have sent you: When you will have brought people out of Egypt, you will offer sacrifice to God upon this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God: “Behold, I will go to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ If they say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What shall I say to them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO AM.” He said: “Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel: ‘HE WHO IS has sent me to you.’ ”

15 And God said again to Moses: “Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is the name for me in eternity, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Let us sing to the Lord: for he is gloriously honored; he has thrown the horse and rider into the sea:

* The Lord has become my helper and protector unto salvation.

℣ The Lord is like a fighting man. Almighty is his name.

℟ The Lord has become my helper and protector unto salvation.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. Through the words of the Gospel may our offenses be blotted out.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John

John 6:1-15

At that time: Jesus traveled across the sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude was following him, for they saw the signs that he was accomplishing toward those who were infirm. And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Augustine the Bishop

Tractate 24 on John

The miracles which our Lord Jesus Christ performed are indeed divine works, and they admonish the human mind to understand God from visible things. For since he is not a substance of such a kind as can be seen by the eyes, and his miracles by which he governs the entire world and administers all creation have grown cheap through familiarity — so much so that scarcely anyone deigns to attend to the wondrous and astonishing works of God in any single grain of seed — in accordance with his own mercy he reserved for himself certain things to do at the fitting time, beyond the accustomed course and order of nature; so that those for whom everyday things had grown cheap might be astonished not at greater things, but at unwonted ones.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Attend, O my people, to my law:

* Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

℣ I will open my mouth in parables: I will speak of things proposed from the beginning of the world.

℟ Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

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

℟ Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

The rest is omitted unless Lauds is said separately.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

Let us pray.

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we who are afflicted as our own actions deserve may find relief in the consolation of your grace.

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.