Pretiosissimi Sanguinis Domini Nostri Jesu ChristiMost Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

℣ 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.

Alleluia.

Ant. Christ, the Son of God, who redeemed us by his blood, * Come, let us adore.

Ant. Christ, the Son of God, who redeemed us by his blood, * Come, let us adore.

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. Christ, the Son of God, who redeemed us by his blood, * Come, let us adore.

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. Come, let us adore.

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. Christ, the Son of God, who redeemed us by his blood, * Come, let us adore.

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. Come, let us adore.

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. Christ, the Son of God, who redeemed us by his blood, * Come, let us adore.

℣ 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. Come, let us adore.

Ant. Christ, the Son of God, who redeemed us by his blood, * Come, let us adore.

He who once, in righteous vengeance,

Whelmed the world beneath the flood,

Once again in mercy cleansed it

With the stream of his own blood,

Coming from his throne on high

On the painful cross to die.

Blest with this all-saving shower,

Earth her beauty straight resumed;

In the place of thorns and briars,

Myrtles sprang, and roses bloomed:

Bitter wormwood of the waste

Into honey changed its taste.

Scorpions ceased; the slimy serpent

Laid his deadly poison by;

Savage beasts of cruel instinct

Lost their wild ferocity;

Welcoming the gentle reign

Of the Lamb for sinners slain.

Oh, the wisdom of th' eternal!

Oh, its depth and height divine!

Oh, the sweetness of that mercy

Which in Jesus Christ doth shine!

Slaves we were condemned to die!

Our King pays the penalty!

When before the Judge we tremble,

Conscious of his broken laws,

May this blood, in that dread hour,

Cry aloud, and plead our cause;

Bid our guilty terrors cease,

Be our pardon and our peace.

Prince and author of salvation!

Lord of majesty supreme!

Jesu, praise to thee be given

By the world thou didst redeem;

Who with the Father and the Spirit,

Reignest in eternal merit.

Amen.

Nocturn I

Ant. After eight days were completed, * that the Child might be circumcised, his name was called Jesus.

Psalm 2 [1]

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. After eight days were completed, that the Child might be circumcised, his name was called Jesus.

Ant. Being in agony, * he prayed at greater length, and his sweat became as drops of blood running down upon the ground.

Psalm 3 [2]

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. Being in agony, he prayed at greater length, and his sweat became as drops of blood running down upon the ground.

Ant. Judas, who betrayed him, * moved by repentance, returned the thirty pieces of silver, saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.

Psalm 15 [3]

15:1 Preserve me, O Lord, because I have hoped in you. † (2) I have said to the Lord: “You are my God, * so you have no need of my goodness.”

15:3 As for the saints, who are in his land: * he has made all my desires wonderful in them.

15:4a Their infirmities have been multiplied; * after this, they acted more quickly.

15:4b I will not gather for their convocations of blood, * nor will I remember their names with my lips.

15:5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup. * It is you who will restore my inheritance to me.

15:6 The lots have fallen upon me with clarity. * And, indeed, my inheritance has been very clear to me.

15:7 I will bless the Lord, who has bestowed understanding upon me. * Moreover, my temperament has also corrected me, even through the night.

15:8 I have made provision for the Lord always in my sight. * For he is at my right hand, so that I may not be disturbed.

15:9 Because of this, my heart has been joyful, and my tongue has exulted. * Moreover, even my body will rest in hope.

15:10 For you will not abandon my soul to Hell, * nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

15:11 You have made known to me the ways of life; † you will fill me with joy by your countenance. * At your right hand are delights, even 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. Judas, who betrayed him, moved by repentance, returned the thirty pieces of silver, saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.

℣ You have redeemed us, O Lord.

℟ In your blood.

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 eternal Father bless us with his everlasting blessing.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

From the Letter of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews

Heb 9:11-15

11 Christ, standing as the High Priest of future good things, through a greater and more perfect tabernacle, one not made by hand, that is, not of this creation,

12 Entered once into the Holy of Holies, having obtained eternal redemption, neither by the blood of goats, nor of calves, but by his own blood.

13 For if the blood of goats and oxen, and the ashes of a calf, when these are sprinkled, sanctify those who have been defiled, in order to cleanse the flesh,

14 How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit has offered himself, immaculate, to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, in order to serve the living God?

15 And thus he is the Mediator of the new testament, so that, by his death, he intercedes for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, so that those who have been called may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Jesus, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside the gate:

* Let us go forth therefore to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.

℣ For you have not yet resisted unto blood, while striving against sin.

℟ And so, let us go forth to him, outside the camp, bearing his reproach.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the Only Begotten Son of God be pleased to bless and assist us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

Heb 9:16-22

16 For where there is a testament, it is necessary for the death of the one who testifies to intervene.

17 For a testament is confirmed by death. Otherwise, it as yet has no force, as long as the one who testifies lives.

18 Therefore, indeed, the first was not dedicated without blood.

19 For when every commandment of the law had been read by Moses to the entire people, he took up the blood of calves and goats, with water and with scarlet wool and hyssop, and he sprinkled both the book itself and the entire people,

20 Saying: “This is the blood of the testament which God has commanded for you.”

21 And even the tabernacle, and all the vessels for the ministry, he similarly sprinkled with blood.

22 And nearly everything, according to the law, is to be cleansed with blood. And without the shedding of blood, there is no remission.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Moses took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people:

* And said: This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you.

℣ By faith he celebrated the Passover and the shedding of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

℟ And said: This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the grace of the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and hearts.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

Heb 10:19-24

19 And so, brothers, have faith in the entrance into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Christ,

20 And in the new and living Way, which he has initiated for us by the veil, that is, by his flesh,

21 And in the Great Priest over the house of God.

22 So, let us draw near with a true heart, in the fullness of faith, having hearts cleansed from an evil conscience, and bodies absolved with clean water.

23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope, without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

24 And let us be considerate of one another, so as to prompt ourselves to charity and to good works,

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ You, who were once far off, have been made near in the blood of Christ:

* For he himself is our peace, who has made both one.

℣ It pleased him through him to reconcile all things unto himself, making peace through the blood of his Cross, whether things in heaven.

℟ For he himself is our peace, who has made both one.

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

℟ For he himself is our peace, who has made both one.

Nocturn II

Ant. Pilate, * wishing to satisfy the people, delivered Jesus to them, having scourged him.

Psalm 22 [4]

22:1 The Lord directs me, and nothing will be lacking to me. * He has settled me here, in a place of pasture.

22:2 He has led me out to the water of refreshment. * He has converted my soul.

22:3 He has led me away on the paths of justice, * for the sake of his name.

22:4 For, even if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils. * For you are with me.

22:4 Your rod and your staff, * they have given me consolation.

22:5 You have prepared a table in my sight, * opposite those who trouble me.

22:5 You have anointed my head with oil, * and my cup, which inebriates me, how brilliant it is!

22:6 And your mercy will follow me * all the days of my life,

22:6 and so may I dwell in the house of the Lord * for length of days.

℣ 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. Pilate, wishing to satisfy the people, delivered Jesus to them, having scourged him.

Ant. But seeing * that he profited nothing, taking water, he washed his hands before the people, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this Just Man.

Psalm 29 [5]

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. But seeing that he profited nothing, taking water, he washed his hands before the people, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this Just Man.

Ant. And all * the people answered and said: His blood be upon us and upon our children.

Psalm 63 [6]

63:2 Hear, O God, my prayer of supplication. * Rescue my soul from the fear of the enemy.

63:3 You have protected me from the assembly of the malignant, * from a multitude of workers of iniquity.

63:4 For they have sharpened their tongues like a sword; * they have formed their bow into a bitter thing, so that they may shoot arrows from hiding at the immaculate.

63:6 They will suddenly shoot arrows at him, and they will not be afraid. * They are resolute in their wicked talk.

63:6 They have discussed hidden snares. * They have said, “Who will see them?”

63:7 They have been searching carefully for iniquities. * Their exhaustive search has failed.

63:7 Man will approach with a deep heart, * and God will be exalted.

63:8 The arrows of the little ones have become their wounds, * and their tongues have been weakened against them.

63:9 All those who saw them have been troubled; * and every man was afraid.

63:10 And they announced the works of God, * and they understood his acts.

63:11 The just will rejoice in the Lord, and they will hope in him. * And all the upright of heart will be praised.

℣ 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. And all the people answered and said: His blood be upon us and upon our children.

℣ The Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

℟ Cleanses us from all sin.

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. May his loving kindness and mercy assist us, he who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May God the almighty Father be gracious and merciful to us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 4

Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom

Homily to the Newly Baptized

Do you wish to hear of the power of the Blood of Christ? Let us return to his example, and call to mind the earlier type, and recall the ancient Scripture. In Egypt, in the middle of the night, God threatened the Egyptians with the tenth plague, so that their firstborn should perish, because they were detaining his firstborn people. But, lest the beloved people of the Jews should be endangered together with them, since one place contained them all, a remedy of distinction was found. This is a wondrous example, so that you may learn in truth of his power. The wrath of divine indignation was at work, and the deadly angel went about each house. What then did Moses say? Kill, he said, a year-old lamb, and smear your doorposts with its blood. What do you say, Moses? Is the blood of a sheep accustomed to deliver a rational human being? Greatly, he says; not because it is blood, but because by it is shown forth the example of the Lord's Blood.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourning here

* knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible gold or silver.

℣ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of an immaculate lamb.

℟ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible gold or silver.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 5

For just as the statues of kings, which are without reason or speech, sometimes come to the aid of men who flee to them, though endowed with soul and reason, not because they are made of bronze, but because they bear the image of the sovereign; so also that blood, which was without reason, freed men who possessed souls, not because it was blood, but because it foreshadowed the coming of this Blood. And then that destroying Angel, when he saw the doorposts and entrances smeared, passed by and did not dare to enter. Now, therefore, if the enemy should see, not the blood of a type placed on doorposts, but the true Blood of Christ shining from the lips of the faithful, dedicated to the doorposts of the temple, he will far more surely draw back. For if the Angel yielded to a figure, how much more will the enemy be terrified when he beholds the truth itself? Do you wish to examine yet another power of this Blood? I do. Consider where it first presented itself, and from what fountain it flowed. It proceeded first from the Cross itself; that side of the Lord was the beginning. The soldier opened that side and laid open the wall of the holy temple; and I have found a glorious treasure and rejoice that I have discovered radiant riches.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ You have been bought at a great price:

* glorify and carry God in your body.

℣ You have been bought with a price. Do not be willing to become the servants of men.

℟ glorify and carry God in your body.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May God kindle the fire of his love in our hearts.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 6

So also from that lamb it was done: the Jews slew the sheep, and I came to know the fruit from the sacrament. Blood and water from his side. I would not have you, hearer, pass so easily over the secrets of so great a mystery; for I still have a mystical and hidden discourse to offer. I said that the water and blood signify the symbol of baptism and of the mysteries. For the holy Church has been founded through these by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Through baptism, I say, and the mysteries, which are seen to have been brought forth from the side. From his side therefore Christ built the Church, as from the side of Adam his wife Eve was brought forth. For this reason Paul also testifies, saying: We are of his body and of his bones; meaning clearly that side. For just as from that side God caused a woman to be born, so too from his side Christ gave us water and blood, by which the Church is to be restored.

Moreover, on the nineteen-hundredth anniversary of the redemption of the human race, which the Supreme Pontiff Pius XI willed to be celebrated with a solemn Jubilee above all others for the recalling of so ineffable a benefit; so that the fruits of the most precious Blood by which we have been redeemed, of the Immaculate Lamb Christ, might flow more abundantly upon men, and its memory might be commended to the faithful more vividly, that same Supreme Pontiff elevated the feast of the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be celebrated each year by the whole Church, to the rank of a double feast of the first class.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ God commends his charity toward us:

* For when we were still sinners, Christ died for us at the appointed time.

℣ Much more therefore, now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him.

℟ For when we were still sinners, Christ died for us at the appointed time.

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

℟ For when we were still sinners, Christ died for us at the appointed time.

Nocturn III

Ant. Jesus therefore came forth * bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And he said to them: Behold the Man.

Psalm 73 [7]

73:1 O God, why have you rejected us to the end. * Why has your fury become enraged over the sheep of your pasture?

73:2 Be mindful of your congregation, * which you have possessed from the beginning.

73:2 You redeemed the scepter of your inheritance, * mount Zion, in which you have dwelt.

73:3 Lift up your hands against their arrogance in the end. * How great the malice of the enemy has been in the sanctuary!

73:4 And those who hate you have been glorified, * in the midst of your solemnity.

73:5 They have set up their own signs as a proof, * as if it had been issued from on high; yet they did not understand.

73:6 As in a forest of chopped wood, they have cut down the entrances themselves. * With axe and hatchet, they have brought it down.

73:7 They have set fire to your Sanctuary. * They have polluted the tabernacle of your name on earth.

73:8 They have said in their heart, the whole group of them together: * “Let us cause all the feast days of God to cease from the land.

73:9 We have not seen our proof; there is now no prophet. * And he will no longer know us.”

73:10 How long, O God, will the enemy place blame? * Is the adversary to provoke your name until the end?

73:11 Why do you turn your hand away, even your right hand, * from the midst of your sinews, until the end?

73:12 But God is our king before all ages. * He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.

73:13 In your virtue, you confirmed the sea. * You crushed the heads of the serpents in the waters.

73:14 You have broken the heads of the serpent. * You have given him as food for the people of the Ethiopians.

73:15 You have disrupted the fountains and the torrents. * You have dried up the rivers of Ethan.

73:16 Yours is the day, and yours is the night. * You have made the morning light and the sun.

73:17 You have made all the limits of the earth. * The summer and the spring were formed by you.

73:18 Be mindful of this: the enemy placed blame against the Lord, * and a foolish people has incited against your name.

73:19 Do not hand over to beasts the souls that confess to you; * and do not forget the souls of your poor until the end.

73:20 Consider your covenant. * For those who have been darkened upon the earth have been filled by the iniquity of the houses.

73:21 Do not allow the humble to be turned away in confusion. * The poor and the needy will praise your name.

73:22 Rise up, O God, judge your own case. * Call to mind the accusations against you, which are made by the foolish all day long.

73:23 Do not forget the voices of your adversaries. * The arrogance of those who hate you rises up continually.

℣ 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. Jesus therefore came forth bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And he said to them: Behold the Man.

Ant. And bearing his own cross, * he went forth to the place called Calvary, where they crucified him.

Psalm 87 [8]

87:2 O Lord, God of my salvation: * I have cried out, day and night, in your presence.

87:3 Let my prayer enter in your sight. * Incline your ear to my petition.

87:4 For my soul has been filled with evils, * and my life has drawn near to Hell.

87:5 I am considered to be among those who will descend into the pit. * I have become like a man without assistance, idle among the dead.

87:6 I am like the wounded sleeping in sepulchers, whom you no longer remember, * and who have been repelled by your hand.

87:7 They have lain me in the lower pit: * in dark places and in the shadow of death.

87:8 Your fury has been confirmed over me. * And you have brought all your waves upon me.

87:9 You have sent my acquaintances far from me. * They have set me as an abomination to themselves.

87:9 I was handed over, yet I did not depart. * My eyes languished before destitution.

87:10 All day long, I cried out to you, O Lord. * I stretched out my hands to you.

87:11 Will you perform wonders for the dead? * Or will physicians raise to life, and so confess to you?

87:12 Could anyone declare your mercy in the sepulcher, * or your truth from within perdition?

87:13 Will your wonders be known in the darkness, * or your justice in the land of oblivion?

87:14 And I have cried out to you, O Lord, * and in early morning, my prayer will come before you.

87:15 Lord, why do you reject my prayer? * Why do you turn your face away from me?

87:16 I am poor, and I have been amid hardships from my youth. * And, though I have been exalted, I am humbled and disturbed.

87:17 Your wrath has crossed into me, * and your terrors have disturbed me.

87:18 They have surrounded me like water, all day long. * They have surrounded me, all at once.

87:19 Friend and neighbor, * and my acquaintances, you have sent far away from me, away from misery.

℣ 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. And bearing his own cross, he went forth to the place called Calvary, where they crucified him.

Ant. When they saw that he was already dead, * they did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers opened his side with a lance, and immediately blood and water came forth.

Psalm 93 [9]

93:1 The Lord is the God of retribution. * The God of retribution acts in order to deliver.

93:2 Lift yourself up, for you judge the earth. * Repay the arrogant with retribution.

93:3 How long will sinners, O Lord, * how long will sinners glory?

93:4 How long will they utter and speak iniquity? * How long will all who work injustice speak out?

93:5 They have humiliated your people, O Lord, * and they have harassed your inheritance.

93:6 They have executed the widow and the new arrival, * and they have slaughtered the orphan.

93:7 And they have said, “The Lord will not see, * nor will the God of Jacob understand.”

93:8 Understand, you senseless ones among the people. * And be wise at last, you foolish ones.

93:9 He who formed the ear, will he not hear? * And he who forged the eye, does he not look closely?

93:10 He who chastises nations, * he who teaches man knowledge, will he not rebuke?

93:11 The Lord knows the thoughts of men: * that these are in vain.

93:12 Blessed is the man whom you will instruct, O Lord. * And you will teach him from your law.

93:13 So may you soothe him from the evil days, * until a pit may be dug for sinners.

93:14 For the Lord will not drive away his people, * and he will not abandon his inheritance,

93:15 even until the time when justice is being converted into judgment, * and when those who are close to justice are all those who are upright of heart.

93:16 Who will rise up with me against the malignant? * Or who will stand with me against the workers of iniquity?

93:17 Except that the Lord assisted me, * my soul almost would have dwelt in Hell.

93:18 If ever I said, “My foot is slipping,” * then your mercy, O Lord, assisted me.

93:19 According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, * your consolations have given joy to my soul.

93:20 Does the seat of iniquity adhere to you, * you who contrive hardship within a commandment?

93:21 They will hunt down the soul of the just, * and they will condemn innocent blood.

93:22 And the Lord has been made into a refuge for me, * and my God into the assistance of my hope.

93:23 And he will repay them their iniquity, and he will destroy them in their malice. * The Lord our God will utterly destroy them.

℣ 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. When they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers opened his side with a lance, and immediately blood and water came forth.

℣ Christ loved us.

℟ And washed us from our sins in his own blood.

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. May the almighty and merciful Lord absolve us from the bonds of our sins.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

℟ Amen.

Lesson 7

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Ioannes 19:30-35

At that time: Jesus, when he had received the vinegar, said: “It is consummated.” And bowing down his head, he surrendered his spirit. And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Augustine, Bishop

Tractate 120 on John

The Evangelist used a watchful word, so as not to say: He struck his side, or wounded it, or anything else, but Opened it; so that there, in a manner of speaking, the door of life might be thrown open, from which the sacraments of the Church flowed forth, without which one does not enter into life, which is true life. That blood which was shed was shed for the forgiveness of sins. That water tempers the saving cup; it also furnishes both a washing and a drink. This was foreshadowed when Noah was commanded to make a door in the side of the ark, through which the animals that were not to perish in the flood might enter — by which the Church was prefigured. For this reason the first woman was made from the side of the sleeping man, and was called life and mother of the living. For she signified a great good, before the great evil of the transgression. This second Adam, bowing his head, slept upon the Cross, so that from there a spouse might be formed for him, which flowed from the side of the sleeper. O death, by which the dead return to life! What is purer than that blood? What more wholesome than that wound?

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ:

* Not in water only, but in water and blood.

℣ On that day a fountain shall be open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for the washing of the sinner.

℟ Not in water only, but in water and blood.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 8

Exposition of Psalm 95, section 5

Men were held captive under the devil and served demons; but they were redeemed from captivity. For they were able to sell themselves, but they were not able to redeem themselves. The Redeemer came and paid the price; he shed his blood and bought the whole world. You ask what he bought? See what he gave, and you will find what he bought. The blood of Christ is the price. What is of such great worth? What, if not the whole world? What, if not all nations? They are greatly ungrateful for their price, or very proud, who say either that it was so small as to have bought only the Africans, or that they themselves are so great that it was given for them alone. Let them therefore not exult, let them not be proud. He gave as much as he gave for the whole.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ God has predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,

* in whom we have redemption through his blood.

℣ The remission of sins in accord with the riches of his grace, which is superabundant in us.

℟ in whom we have redemption through his blood.

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

℟ in whom we have redemption through his blood.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

℟ Amen.

Lesson 9

Sermon 31, also numbered 344

He had blood by which he might redeem us; and for this purpose he received blood, so that there might be what he could pour out for our redemption. The blood of your Lord, if you will, was given for you; if you are unwilling, it was not given for you. For perhaps you say: My God had blood by which to redeem me, but now that he has suffered, he has given all of it; what remains to him that he might give even for me? This is the great thing: that he gave it once, and gave it for all. The blood of Christ is salvation for one who is willing, punishment for one who is not. Why then do you hesitate — you who do not wish to die — not rather to be freed from the second death? From it you are freed, if you are willing to take up your cross and follow the Lord; because he bore his own cross and sought his servant.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

Te Deum

O God, we praise you; * O Lord, we acclaim you.

Eternal Father, * all the earth reveres you.

To you all the Angels, * the heavens and all the Powers of heaven:

To you the Cherubim and Seraphim * cry out in endless praise:

(A bow is made) Holy, Holy, Holy * Lord God of hosts;

Heaven and earth are filled * with the majesty of your glory.

The glorious choir of Apostles * sings to you,

the noble company of Prophets * praises you,

the white-robed army of Martyrs * glorifies you.

Holy Church throughout the earth * proclaims you,

the Father * of boundless majesty;

your true and only Son, * worthy of adoration;

and the Holy Spirit, * the Paraclete.

You, O Christ, * are the King of glory.

You are * the Father's everlasting Son.

(A bow is made) When you resolved to save the human race, * you did not spurn the Virgin's womb.

You overcame the sting of death * and opened the Kingdom of Heaven to those who put their faith in you.

You are seated at the right hand of God * in the glory of the Father.

We believe you are the Judge * who is to come.

(The following verse is said kneeling) And so we beg you, help your servants, * redeemed by your most precious blood.

Number them * among your Saints in eternal glory.

Save your people, Lord, * and bless your inheritance.

Shepherd them * and raise them to eternal life.

Day by day * we bless you,

(A bow is made, according to custom) and we praise your name * for endless ages evermore.

Be gracious, Lord, on this day, * and keep us from all sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, * have mercy.

May your mercy be upon us, Lord, * as we place our trust in you.

In you, O Lord, I rest my hope: * let me never be put to shame.

The rest is omitted unless Lauds is said separately.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

Let us pray.

Almighty ever-living God, who appointed your Only Begotten Son as Redeemer of the world and willed to be appeased by his Blood: grant, we pray, that we may so venerate with solemn worship the price of our salvation and be defended on earth from the evils of this present life by its power, that we may rejoice in perpetual fruit in heaven.

Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, 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.