Sabbato infra Hebdomadam II in QuadragesimaSaturday within the Second Week in 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 our God has been mindful * for ever of his covenant.

Psalm 104(1-15) [1]

104:1 Confess to the Lord, and invoke his name. * Announce his works among the nations.

104:2 Sing to him, and sing psalms to him. * Describe all his wonders.

104:3 Be praised in his holy name. * Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

104:4 Seek the Lord, and be confirmed. * Seek his face always.

104:5 Remember his miracles, which he has done, * his portents and the judgments of his mouth:

104:6 you offspring of Abraham his servant, * you sons of Jacob his elect.

104:7 He is the Lord our God. * His judgments are throughout the entire earth.

104:8 He has remembered his covenant for all ages: * the word that he entrusted to a thousand generations,

104:9 which he assigned to Abraham, * and his oath to Isaac.

104:10 And he stationed the same for Jacob with a precept, * and for Israel with an eternal testament,

104:11 saying: To you, I will give the land of Canaan, * the allotment of your inheritance.

104:12 Though they may have been but a small number, * very few and foreigners there,

104:13 and though they passed from nation to nation, * and from one kingdom to another people,

104:14 he allowed no man to harm them, * and he reproved kings on their behalf.

104:15 Do not be willing to touch my Christ, * and do not be willing to malign my prophets.

℣ 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 our God has been mindful for ever of his covenant.

Ant. The Lord increased * his people: and strengthened them against their enemies.

Psalm 104(16-27) [2]

104:16 And he called a famine upon the land, * and he crushed every foundation of the bread.

104:17 He sent a man before them: * Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.

104:18 They humbled his feet in shackles; the iron pierced his soul, * until his word arrived.

104:19 The eloquence of the Lord inflamed him. * The king sent and released him; he was the ruler of the people, and he dismissed him.

104:21 He established him as master of his house * and ruler of all his possessions,

104:22 so that he might instruct his princes as himself, * and teach his elders prudence.

104:23 And Israel entered into Egypt, * and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.

104:24 And he helped his people greatly, * and he strengthened them over their enemies.

104:25 He turned their heart to hate his people, * and to deal deceitfully with his servants.

104:26 He sent Moses, his servant, * and Aaron, the one whom he chose.

104:27 He placed with them signs of his word, * and portents in the land of Ham.

℣ 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 increased his people: and strengthened them against their enemies.

Ant. God led out * his people in exultation, and his chosen ones in gladness.

Psalm 104(28-45) [3]

104:28 He sent darkness and made it conceal, * and he did not afflict them with his speech.

104:29 He turned their waters into blood, * and he slaughtered their fish.

104:30 Their land brought forth frogs, * even in the inner chambers of their kings.

104:31 He spoke, and there came forth common flies * and gnats, in every region.

104:32 He gave them a shower of hail * and a burning fire, in the same land.

104:33 And he struck their vineyards and their fig trees, * and he crushed the trees of their region.

104:34 He spoke, and the locust came forth, and the caterpillar, * of which there was no number.

104:35 And it devoured all the grass in their land, * and it consumed all the fruit of their land.

104:36 And he struck all the first-born in their land, * the first-fruits of all their labor.

104:37 And he led them out with silver and gold, * and there was not an infirm one among their tribes.

104:38 Egypt was joyful at their departure, * for the fear of them lay heavy upon them.

104:39 He spread a cloud for their protection, * and a fire, to give them light through the night.

104:40 They petitioned, and the quail came; * and he satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

104:41 He ruptured the rock and the waters flowed: * rivers gushed in the dry land.

104:42 For he had called to mind his holy word, * which he kept near to his servant Abraham.

104:43 And he led forth his people in exultation, * and his elect in rejoicing.

104:44 And he gave them the regions of the Gentiles, * and they possessed the labors of the peoples,

104:45 so that they might observe his justifications, * and inquire about his law.

℣ 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. God led out his people in exultation, and his chosen ones in gladness.

Ant. The Lord saved them * for his name's sake.

Psalm 105(1-15) [4]

105:1 Confess to the Lord, for he is good, * for his mercy is with every generation.

105:2 Who will declare the powers of the Lord? * Who make a hearing for all his praises?

105:3 Blessed are those who keep judgment * and who do justice at all times.

105:4 Remember us, O Lord, with good will for your people. * Visit us with your salvation,

105:5 so that we may see the goodness of your elect, so that we may rejoice in the joy of your nation, * so that you may be praised along with your inheritance.

105:6 We have sinned, as have our fathers. * We have acted unjustly; we have wrought iniquity.

105:7 Our fathers did not understand your miracles in Egypt. * They did not remember the multitude of your mercies.

105:7 And they provoked you, while going up to the sea, * even the Red Sea.

105:8 And he saved them for the sake of his name, * so that he might make known his power.

105:9 And he rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up. * And he led them into the abyss, as if into a desert.

105:10 And he saved them from the hand of those who hated them. * And he redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

105:11 And the water covered those who troubled them. * Not one of them remained.

105:12 And they believed his words, * and they sang his praises.

105:13 As soon as they had finished, they forgot his works, * and they would not endure his counsel.

105:14 And they coveted their desire in the desert, * and they tempted God in a waterless place.

105:15 And he granted to them their request, * and he sent abundance into their souls.

℣ 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 saved them for his name's sake.

Ant. They forgot God * who saved them.

Psalm 105(16-31) [5]

105:16 And they provoked Moses in the camp, * and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.

105:17 The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, * and it covered the congregation of Abiram.

105:18 And a fire broke out in their congregation. * A flame burned up the sinners.

105:19 And they fashioned a calf at Horeb, * and they adored a graven image.

105:20 And they exchanged their glory * for the likeness of a calf that eats hay.

105:21 They forgot God, who saved them, * who did great things in Egypt: miracles in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.

105:23 And he said that he would destroy them, * yet Moses, his elect, stood firm before him in the breach,

105:24 in order to avert his wrath, lest he destroy them. * And they held the desirable land to be nothing.

105:25 They did not trust in his word. And they murmured in their tabernacles. * They did not heed the voice of the Lord.

105:26 And he lifted up his hand over them, * in order to prostrate them in the desert,

105:27 and in order to cast their offspring among the nations, * and to scatter them among the regions.

105:28 And they were initiated into Baal of Peor, * and they ate the sacrifices of the dead.

105:29 And they provoked him with their inventions, * and ruination was multiplied in them.

105:30 Then Phinehas stood up and placated him: * and so the violent disturbance ceased.

105:31 And it was reputed to him unto justice, * from generation to generation, even forever.

℣ 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. They forgot God who saved them.

Ant. When they were in tribulation * the Lord saw them: and heard their prayer.

Psalm 105(32-48) [6]

105:32 And they provoked him at the Waters of Contradiction, * and Moses was afflicted because of them, for they exasperated his spirit.

105:33 And so he divided them with his lips. * They did not destroy the nations, about which the Lord had spoken to them.

105:35 And they were mixed among the Gentiles. And they learned their works, and they served their graven images, * and it became a scandal to them.

105:37 And they sacrificed their sons * and their daughters to demons.

105:38 And they shed innocent blood: * the blood of their sons and of their daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan.

105:39 And the land was infected with bloodshed, and was contaminated with their works. * And they fornicated according to their own inventions.

105:40 And the Lord became furiously angry with his people, * and he abhorred his inheritance.

105:41 And he delivered them into the hands of the nations. * And those who hated them became rulers over them.

105:42 And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands. * Many times, he delivered them.

105:43 Yet they provoked him with their counsel, * and they were brought low by their iniquities.

105:44 And he saw that they were in tribulation, * and he heard their prayer.

105:45 And he was mindful of his covenant, * and he repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

105:46 And he provided for them with mercies, * in the sight of all those who had seized them.

105:47 Save us, O Lord our God, * and gather us from the nations,

105:47 so that we may confess your holy name * and glory in your praise.

105:48 Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, from ages past, even to all ages. * And let all the people say: Amen. Amen.

℣ 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 were in tribulation the Lord saw them: and heard their prayer.

Ant. They cried out to the Lord * and he delivered them from their distress.

Psalm 106(1-14) [7]

106:1 Confess to the Lord, for he is good, * for his mercy is with every generation.

106:2 Let those who have been redeemed by the Lord say so: those whom he redeemed from the hand of the enemy * and gathered from the regions,

106:3 from the rising of the sun and its setting, * from the north and from the sea.

106:4 They wandered into solitude in a waterless place. * They did not find the way of the city to be their dwelling place.

106:5 They were hungry, and they were thirsty. * Their soul fainted within them.

106:6 And they cried out to the Lord in tribulation, * and he rescued them in their necessity.

106:7 And he led them in the right way, * so that they might go forth to a city of habitation.

106:8 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:9 For he has satisfied the empty soul, * and he has satisfied the hungry soul with good things:

106:10 those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, * shackled by extreme poverty and by iron.

106:11 For they exasperated the eloquence of God, * and they irritated the deliberation of the Most High.

106:12 And their heart was brought low with hardships. * They were weakened, and there was no one to help them.

106:13 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, * and he freed them from their distress.

106:14 And he led them out of darkness and the shadow of death, * and he broke apart their chains.

℣ 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. They cried out to the Lord and he delivered them from their distress.

Ant. They themselves saw * the works of God and his wonders.

Psalm 106(15-30) [8]

106:15 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:16 For he has crushed the gates of brass * and broken the iron bars.

106:17 He has taken them up, from the way of their iniquity. * For they were brought low, because of their injustices.

106:18 Their soul abhorred all food, * and they drew near even to the gates of death.

106:19 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, * and he delivered them in their necessity.

106:20 He sent his word, and he healed them, * and he rescued them from their utter destruction.

106:21 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:22 And let them offer sacrifice with the sacrifice of praise, * and let them announce his works in exultation.

106:23 Those who descend to the sea in ships, * making their livelihood in the great waters:

106:24 these have seen the works of the Lord * and his wonders in the deep.

106:25 He spoke: and a windstorm stood up, * and its waves were exalted.

106:26 They ascend even to the heavens, and they descend even to the abyss. * Their soul will waste away in distress.

106:27 They were troubled, and they moved like a drunkard, * and all their wisdom was consumed.

106:28 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, * and he led them out of their distress.

106:29 And he replaced the storm with a breeze, * and its waves were stilled.

106:30 And they were joyful that it was stilled, * and he led them into the haven that they desired.

℣ 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. They themselves saw the works of God and his wonders.

Ant. The righteous shall see * and rejoice, and shall understand the mercies of the Lord.

Psalm 106(31-43) [9]

106:31 Let his mercies confess to the Lord, * and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

106:32 And let them exalt him in the Church of the people, * and praise him in the chair of the elders.

106:33 He has placed rivers in the desert * and sources of water in dry places,

106:34 a fruit-bearing land in the midst of brine, * before the malice of those who dwell in it.

106:35 He has placed a desert in the midst of pools of waters, * and a land without water in the midst of sources of water.

106:36 And he has gathered the hungry together there, * and they constructed a city of habitation.

106:37 And they sowed fields and planted vineyards, * and they produced the fruit of nativity.

106:38 And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly. * And he did not diminish their beasts of burden.

106:39 And they became few, * and they were afflicted by the tribulation of evils and of sorrow.

106:40 Contempt was poured over their leaders, * and he caused them to wander in an impassable place, and not on the way.

106:41 And he helped the poor out of destitution, * and he stationed families like sheep.

106:42 The upright will see, and they will rejoice. * And every iniquity will block its mouth.

106:43 Who is wise and will keep these things? * And who will understand the mercies of the 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. The righteous shall see and rejoice, and shall understand the mercies of the Lord.

℣ His truth will surround you as a shield.

℟ You will not fear the terror of the night.

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 1

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Luc 15:11-32

At that time: Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes this parable: A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to the father, ‘Father, give me the portion of your estate which would go to me.’ And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Ambrose the Bishop

Book 8 of the Commentary on Luke, chapter 15, after the beginning

You see that the divine inheritance is given to those who ask. Nor should you judge the father at fault for giving it to the younger son. No age is too feeble for the Kingdom of God, nor is faith burdened by years. He judged himself fit who made the request. And would that he had not departed from the father — he would have known no hindrance of age. But after he left his father’s house and went off to a far country, he began to be in want. With good reason, then, did he squander his inheritance, he who had departed from the Church.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son:

* Make me as one of your hired servants.

℣ How many hired servants in my father's house have bread in abundance, while I am here perishing with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him.

℟ Make me as one of your hired servants.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

He departed into a far country. What is farther than to withdraw from oneself: to be separated not by regions but by morals; to be divided by pursuits, not by lands; and, as it were, with the swelling tide of worldly luxury flowing between, to stand apart from the saints? For whoever separates himself from Christ is an exile from his homeland, a citizen of the world. But we are not strangers and pilgrims, but fellow citizens of the Saints and members of the household of God. For we who were far off have been made near in the Blood of Christ. Let us not be envious of those returning from a far country: for we too were in a far country, as Isaiah teaches. For thus you read: Those who sat in the region of the shadow of death, upon them a light has arisen. The far country, therefore, is the shadow of death.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ I saw the Lord face to face:

* And my soul was saved.

℣ And he said to me: You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.

℟ And my soul was saved.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

But we, for whom Christ the Lord is a spirit before our face, live in the shadow of Christ. And therefore the Church says: I longed for and sat in his shadow. That man, therefore, by living luxuriously, consumed all the adornments of his nature. Wherefore you, who have received the image of God, who have his likeness, do not consume it in irrational defilement. You are the work of God: do not say to wood, You are my father; lest you receive the likeness of wood, because it is written: Let those who make them become like them.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ When Jacob heard that Esau was coming against him, he divided his sons and wives, saying: If Esau strikes one company, the other shall be saved.

* Deliver me, O Lord, who said to me. * I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven and like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for their multitude.

℣ O Lord, who said to me, Return to the land of your birth: O Lord, who have fed me from my youth.

℟ Deliver me, O Lord, who said to me.

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

℟ I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven and like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for their multitude.

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, O Lord, a saving effect to our fasting, so that the chastisement taken up in the flesh may pass over into the renewal of our souls.

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.