S. Ioannis Cantii Confessoris

Nocturn 1

Ant. Fight, O Lord, * against those who fight against me.

Psalm 34(1-10)

34:1 O Lord, judge those who harm me; * assail those who attack me.
34:2 Take hold of weapons and a shield, * and rise up in assistance to me.
34:3 Bring forth the spear, and close in on those who persecute me. * Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
34:4 Let them be confounded and in awe, * who pursue my soul.
34:4 Let them be turned back and be confounded, * who think up evil against me.
34:5 May they become like dust before the face of the wind, * and let the Angel of the Lord hem them in.
34:6 May their way become dark and slippery, * and may the Angel of the Lord pursue them.
34:7 For, without cause, they have concealed their snare for me unto destruction. * Over nothing, they have rebuked my soul.
34:8 Let the snare, of which he is ignorant, come upon him, and let the deception, which he has hidden, take hold of him: * and may he fall into that very snare.
34:9 But my soul will exult in the Lord * and delight over his salvation.
34:10 All my bones will say, * “Lord, who is like you?”
34:10 He rescues the needy from the hand of the stronger one, * the indigent and the poor from those who plunder 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. Fight, O Lord, against those who fight against me.

Ant. Rescue my soul * from their evil deeds, O Lord.

Psalm 34(11-17)

34:11 Unfair witnesses have risen up, * interrogating me about things of which I am ignorant.
34:12 They repaid me evil for good, * to the deprivation of my soul.
34:13 But as for me, when they were harassing me, * I was clothed with haircloth.
34:13 I humbled my soul with fasting, * and my prayer will become my sinews.
34:14 Like a neighbor, and like our brother, so did I please; * like one mourning and contrite, so was I humbled.
34:15 And they have been joyful against me, and they joined together. * Scourges have been gathered over me, and I was ignorant of it.
34:16 They have been scattered, yet they were unremorseful. They have tested me. They scoffed at me with scorn. * They gnashed their teeth over me.
34:17 Lord, when will you look down upon me? * Restore my soul from before their malice, my only one from before the lions.

℣ 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. Rescue my soul from their evil deeds, O Lord.

Ant. Arise, O Lord, * and attend to my judgment.

Psalm 34(18-28)

34:18 I will confess to you in a great Church. * I will praise you among a weighty people.
34:19 May those who are my unjust adversaries not be glad over me: * those who have hated me without cause, and who nod agreement with their eyes.
34:20 For indeed, they spoke peacefully to me; * and speaking with passion to the earth, they intended deceit.
34:21 And they opened their mouth wide over me. * They said, “Well, well, our eyes have seen.”
34:22 You have seen, O Lord, do not be silent. * Lord, do not depart from me.
34:23 Rise up and be attentive to my judgment, * to my cause, my God and my Lord.
34:24 Judge me according to your justice, O Lord, my God, * and do not let them be glad over me.
34:25 Do not let them say in their hearts, “Well, well, to our soul.” * Neither let them say, “We have devoured him.”
34:26 Let them blush and be in awe together, * those who congratulate at my misfortunes.
34:26 Let them be clothed with confusion and awe, * who speak great things against me.
34:27 Let them exult and rejoice, who wish my justice, * and let them ever say, “The Lord be magnified,” who will the peace of his servant.
34:28 And so my tongue will express your justice: * your praise all day long.

℣ 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, and attend to my judgment.

Ant. Do not vie * with him who prospers and commits iniquity.

Psalm 36(1-15)

36:1 Do not choose to imitate the malicious; * neither should you envy those who work iniquity.
36:2 For they will quickly wither away like dry grass, * and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop.
36:3 Hope in the Lord and do good, * and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches.
36:4 Delight in the Lord, * and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart.
36:5 Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, * and he will accomplish it.
36:6 And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday. * Be subject to the Lord and pray to him.
36:7 Do not choose to compete with him who prospers in his way, * with the man who does injustice.
36:8 Cease from wrath and leave behind rage. * Do not choose to imitate the malicious.
36:9 For those who are malicious will be exterminated. * But those who remain with the Lord, these will inherit the land.
36:10 Yet still a little while, and the sinner will not be. * And you will search his place and find nothing.
36:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, * and they will delight in the multitude of peace.
36:12 The sinner will observe the just, * and he will gnash his teeth over him.
36:13 But the Lord will laugh at him: * for he knows in advance that his day will come.
36:14 The sinners have drawn the sword, * they have bent their bow,
36:14 so as to cast down the poor and the needy, * so as to massacre the upright of heart.
36:15 Let their sword enter into their own hearts, * and let their bow be broken.

℣ 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. Do not vie with him who prospers and commits iniquity.

Ant. The arms of sinners * shall be broken, but the Lord strengthens the just.

Psalm 36(16-29)

36:16 A little is better to the just * than the many riches of sinners.
36:17 For the arms of sinners will be crushed, * but the Lord confirms the just.
36:18 The Lord knows the days of the immaculate, * and their inheritance will be in eternity.
36:19 They will not be confounded in an evil time; and in days of famine, they will be satisfied: * for sinners will perish.
36:20 Truly, the adversaries of the Lord, soon after they have been honored and exalted, * will fade away, in the same way that smoke fades away.
36:21 The sinner will lend and not release, * but the just one shows compassion and donates.
36:22 For those who bless him will inherit the earth, * but those who curse him will perish.
36:23 The steps of a man will be directed by the Lord, * and he will choose his way.
36:24 When he falls, he will not be harmed, * because the Lord places his hand under him.
36:25 I have been young, and now I am old; * and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his offspring seeking bread.
36:26 He shows compassion and lends, all day long, * and his offspring will be in blessing.
36:27 Turn away from evil and do good, * and dwell forever and ever.
36:28 For the Lord loves judgment, and he will not abandon his saints. * They will be kept safe in eternity.
36:28 The unjust will be punished, * and the offspring of the impious will perish.
36:29 But the just will inherit the earth, * and they will dwell upon it forever and ever.

℣ 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 arms of sinners shall be broken, but the Lord strengthens the just.

Ant. Keep innocence * and behold equity.

Psalm 36(30-40)

36:30 The mouth of the just one will express wisdom, * and his tongue will speak judgment.
36:31 The law of his God is in his heart, * and his steps shall not be supplanted.
36:32 The sinner considers the just one * and seeks to put him to death.
36:33 But the Lord will not abandon him into his hands, * nor condemn him, when he will be judged.
36:34 Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way. And he will exalt you, so as to inherit the land that you may seize. * When the sinners will have passed away, then you shall see.
36:35 I have seen the impious over-exalted, * and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon.
36:36 And I passed by, and behold, he was not. * And I sought him, and his place was not found.
36:37 Keep to innocence, and gaze upon fairness: * because there are allotments for the peaceful man.
36:38 But the unjust will be destroyed together: * the allotments of the impious will pass away.
36:39 But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, * and he is their protector in time of tribulation.
36:40 And the Lord will help them and free them. * And he will rescue them from sinners and save them, because they have hoped 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. Keep innocence and behold equity.

Ant. Do not rebuke me, O Lord, * in your anger.

Psalm 37(2-11)

37:2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, * nor chastise me in your wrath.
37:3 For your arrows have been driven into me, * and your hand has been confirmed over me.
37:4 There is no health in my flesh before the face of your wrath. * There is no peace for my bones before the face of my sins.
37:5 For my iniquities have walked over my head, * and they have been like a heavy burden weighing upon me.
37:6 My sores have putrefied and been corrupted * before the face of my foolishness.
37:7 I have become miserable, and I have been bent down, even to the end. * I have walked with contrition all day long.
37:8 For my loins have been filled with illusions, * and there is no health in my flesh.
37:9 I have been afflicted and greatly humbled. * I bellowed from the groaning of my heart.
37:10 O Lord, all my desire is before you, * and my groaning before you has not been hidden.
37:11 My heart has been disturbed. My strength has abandoned me, * and the light of my eyes has abandoned me, and it is not with 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.

Ant. Do not rebuke me, O Lord, in your anger.

Ant. Be intent upon my help, * O Lord, the strength of my salvation.

Psalm 37(12-23)

37:12 My friends and my neighbors * have drawn near and stood against me.
37:12 And those who were next to me stood far apart. * And those who sought my soul used violence.
37:13 And those who sought evil accusations against me were speaking emptiness. * And they practiced deceitfulness all day long.
37:14 But, like someone deaf, I did not hear. * And I was like someone mute, not opening his mouth.
37:15 And I became like a man who does not hear, * and who has no reproofs in his mouth.
37:16 For in you, Lord, I have hoped. * You will listen to me, O Lord my God.
37:17 For I said, “Lest at any time, my enemies might rejoice over me,” * and, “While my feet are being shaken, they have spoken great things against me.”
37:18 For I have been prepared for scourges, * and my sorrow is ever before me.
37:19 For I will announce my iniquity, * and I will think about my sin.
37:20 But my enemies live, and they have been stronger than me. * And those who have wrongfully hated me have been multiplied.
37:21 Those who render evil for good have dragged me down, * because I followed goodness.
37:22 Do not forsake me, O Lord my God. * Do not depart from me.
37:23 Be attentive to my help, * O Lord, the God of my salvation.

℣ 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. Be intent upon my help, O Lord, the strength of my salvation.

Ant. Remove, O Lord, * your plagues from me.

Psalm 38

38:2 I said, “I will keep to my ways, * so that I will not offend with my tongue.”
38:2 I posted a guard at my mouth, * when a sinner took up a position against me.
38:3 I was silenced and humbled, and I was quiet before good things, * and my sorrow was renewed.
38:4 My heart grew hot within me, * and, during my meditation, a fire would flare up.
38:5 I spoke with my tongue, * “O Lord, make me know my end,
38:5 and what the number of my days will be, * so that I may know what is lacking to me.”
38:6 Behold, you have made my days measurable, * and, before you, my substance is as nothing.
38:6 Yet truly, all things are vanity: * every living man.
38:7 So then, truly man passes by like an image; * even so, he is disquieted in vain.
38:7 He stores up, * and he knows not for whom he will gather these things.
38:8 And now, what is it that awaits me? Is it not the Lord? * And my substance is with you.
38:9 Rescue me from all my iniquities. * You have handed me over as a reproach to the foolish.
38:10 I was silenced, and I did not open my mouth, because it was you who acted. * Remove your scourges from me.
38:12 I fall short at corrections from the strength of your hand. * For you have chastised man for iniquity.
38:12 And you have made his soul shrink away like a spider. * Nevertheless, it is in vain that any man be disquieted.
38:13 O Lord, heed my prayer and my supplication. * Pay attention to my tears.
38:13 Do not be silent. For I am a newcomer with you, and a sojourner, * just as all my fathers were.
38:14 Forgive me, so that I may be refreshed, before I will go forth * and be no more.

℣ 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. Remove, O Lord, your plagues from me.

℣ O God, do not be silent toward me; forgive me.

℟ For I am a sojourner with you and a pilgrim.

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.

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 he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

℟ Amen.

Reading 1

From the Second Book of Maccabees

2 Mac 3:1-4

1 Therefore, when the holy city was inhabited with all peace, and also the laws were still being kept very well because of the piety of Onias, the high priest, and the hatred that his soul held for evil,
2 it happened that even the kings and princes themselves considered the place worthy of the highest honor, and so they glorified the temple with very great gifts,
3 so much so that Seleucus, king of Asia, furnished from his revenues all of the expenses for the ministry pertaining to the sacrifices.
4 But Simon, from the tribe of Benjamin, having been appointed as overseer of the temple, obstructed the chief priest, in order to undertake some kind of iniquity in the city.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ This is the lover of his brethren and of the people of Israel:

This is he who prays much for the people and for all the holy city of Jerusalem.

℣ This man appeared most gentle among his people.

℟ This is he who prays much for the people and for all the holy city of Jerusalem.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May he whose feast we celebrate intercede for us to the Lord.

℟ Amen.

Reading 2

2 Mac 3:5-8

5 But when he was not able to overcome Onias, he went to Apollonius, the son of Tarsus, who at that time was governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia,
6 and he announced to him that the treasury in Jerusalem was full of innumerable sums of money, and that the common storehouse, which did not pertain to the allotment for the sacrifices, was immense, and that it was possible for all of it to fall under the authority of the king.
7 And when Apollonius had presented to the king the report about the money that had been given to him, he summoned Heliodorus, who was in charge of this matter, and sent him with orders to transport the aforesaid money.
8 And immediately Heliodorus set forth on the way, indeed, appearing as if sojourning to the cities of Coelesyria and Phoenicia, but in truth to complete the proposition of the king.

2 Mac 3:9-12

9 But, when he had arrived at Jerusalem and had been kindly accepted into the city by the high priest, he explained to him the information that had been given concerning the money, and made known for what purpose he had come. And he inquired whether these things were truly so.
10 Then the high priest revealed to him that these things had been deposited, along with provisions for the widows and the orphans;
11 and that a certain part belonged to Hyrcanus, son of Tobias, a very eminent man, as that impious Simon had reported; and that the entire amount was four hundred talents of silver and two hundred of gold.
12 For in truth, to deceive those who had trusted in the place and the temple that is honored throughout the whole world for its veneration and sanctity would be altogether impossible.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Open your eyes, O Lord, and behold our affliction: the nations have surrounded us to punish us:

But you, O Lord, stretch out your arm, and deliver our souls.

℣ Afflict those who oppress us and make insult in their pride; and guard your own portion.

℟ But you, O Lord, stretch out your arm, and deliver our souls.

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

℟ But you, O Lord, stretch out your arm, and deliver our souls.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

℟ Amen.

Reading 3

John, born in the town of Kęty in the diocese of Kraków — from which he took the surname Cantius — of devout and upright parents Stanislaus and Anna, gave from his very infancy the promise of the greatest virtue by the gentleness of his character and his innocence. Once ordained a priest, he increased his pursuit of Christian perfection. He administered the parish of Ilkuś admirably for some years. Whatever time remained from study he devoted partly to the care of the salvation of his neighbor, especially through sacred preaching, and partly to prayer. Four times he came on foot to the threshold of the Apostles, bearing his traveling pack, both to honor the Apostolic See and, as he would say, to redeem on those days of indulgence for sinners daily offered there the pains of his own purgatory. He guarded his virginal chastity most vigilantly, and refrained from eating meat for some thirty-five years before his death. He flew to heaven on the eve of the Nativity of Christ. Enrolled in the register of the Saints by Pope Clement XIII, he is venerated among the principal patrons of Poland and Lithuania.

℣ 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.