S. Roberti Bellarmino Episcopi Confessoris et Ecclesiæ DoctorisSt. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

℣ 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. The Lord, King of Confessors, * come, let us adore, alleluia.

Ant. The Lord, King of Confessors, * come, let us adore, alleluia.

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. The Lord, King of Confessors, * come, let us adore, alleluia.

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, alleluia.

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. The Lord, King of Confessors, * come, let us adore, alleluia.

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, alleluia.

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. The Lord, King of Confessors, * come, let us adore, alleluia.

℣ 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, alleluia.

Ant. The Lord, King of Confessors, * come, let us adore, alleluia.

This the confessor of the Lord, whose triumph

Now all the faithful celebrate, with gladness

On this feast day year by year receiveth

Merited honors.

Saintly and prudent, modest in behaviour,

Peaceful and sober, chaste was he, and lowly.

While that life’s vigour, coursing through his members,

Quickened his being.

Sick ones of old time, to his tomb resorting,

Sorely by ailments manifold afflicted,

Oft-times have welcomed health and strength returning,

At his petition.

Whence we in chorus gladly do him honour,

Chanting his praises with devout affection,

That in his merits we may have a portion,

Now and forever.

His be the glory, power and salvation,

Who over all things reigneth in the highest,

Earth’s mighty fabric ruling and directing,

Onely and Trinal.

Amen.

At the Nocturn

Ant. Alleluia, * alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 61 [1]

61:2 Will my soul not be subject to God? * For from him is my salvation.

61:3 Yes, he himself is my God and my salvation. * He is my supporter; I will be moved no more.

61:4 How is it that you rush against a man? * Every one of you puts to death, as if you were pulling down a ruined wall, leaning over and falling apart.

61:5 So, truly, they intended to reject my price. I ran in thirst. * They blessed with their mouth and cursed with their heart.

61:6 Yet, truly, my soul will be subject to God. * For from him is my patience.

61:7 For he is my God and my Savior. * He is my helper; I will not be expelled.

61:8 In God is my salvation and my glory. * He is the God of my help, and my hope is in God.

61:9 All peoples gathered together: trust in him. Pour out your hearts in his sight. * God is our helper for eternity.

61:10 So, truly, the sons of men are untrustworthy. The sons of men are liars in the scales, * so that, by emptiness, they may deceive among themselves.

61:11 Do not trust in iniquity, and do not desire plunder. * If riches flow toward you, do not be willing to set your heart on them.

61:12 God has spoken once. I have heard two things: that power belongs to God, and that mercy belongs to you, O Lord. * For you will repay each one according to his works.

℣ 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.

Psalm 65(1-12) [2]

65:1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth. Proclaim a psalm to his name. * Give glory to his praise.

65:3 Exclaim to God, “How terrible are your works, O Lord!” * According to the fullness of your virtue, your enemies will speak lies about you.

65:4 Let all the earth adore you and sing psalms to you. * May it sing a psalm to your name.

65:5 Draw near and see the works of God, * who is terrible in his counsels over the sons of men.

65:6 He converts the sea into dry land. They will cross the river on foot. * There, we will rejoice in him.

65:7 He rules by his virtue for eternity. His eyes gaze upon the nations. * May those who exasperate him, not be exalted in themselves.

65:8 Bless our God, you Gentiles, * and make the voice of his praise be heard.

65:9 He has set my soul toward life, * and he has granted that my feet may not be shaken.

65:10 For you, O God, have tested us. * You have examined us by fire, just as silver is examined.

65:11 You have led us into a snare. You have placed tribulations on our back. * You have set men over our heads.

65:12 We have crossed through fire and water. * And you have led us out to refreshment.

℣ 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.

Psalm 65(13-20) [3]

65:13 I will enter your house with holocausts. * I will repay my vows to you, which my lips discerned

65:14 and my mouth spoke, * in my tribulation.

65:15 I will offer to you holocausts full of marrow, with the burnt offerings of rams. * I will offer to you bulls as well as goats.

65:16 Draw near and listen, all you who fear God, * and I will describe to you how much he has done for my soul.

65:17 I cried out to him with my mouth, * and I extolled him under my breath.

65:18 If I have seen iniquity in my heart, * the Lord would not heed me.

65:19 And yet, God has heeded me * and he has attended to the voice of my supplication.

65:20 Blessed is God, * who has not removed my prayer, nor his mercy, from 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.

Psalm 67(2-11) [4]

67:2 May God rise up, and may his enemies be scattered, * and may those who hate him flee from before his face.

67:3 Just as smoke vanishes, so may they vanish. * Just as wax flows away before the face of fire, so may sinners pass away before the face of God.

67:4 And so, let the just feast, and let them exult in the sight of God * and be delighted in gladness.

67:5a Sing to God, sing a psalm to his name. * Make a path for him, who ascends over the west. (bow) The Lord is his name.

67:5b Exult in his sight; * they will be stirred up before his face, (6a) the father of orphans and the judge of widows.

67:6b God is in his holy place. * (7a) It is God who makes men dwell in a house under one custom.

67:7b He leads out those who are strongly bound, * and similarly, those who exasperate, who dwell in sepulchers.

67:8 O God, when you departed in the sight of your people, * when you passed through the desert,

67:9 the earth was moved, for the heavens rained down before the face of the God of Sinai, * before the face of the God of Israel.

67:10 You will set aside for your inheritance, O God, a willing rain. * And though it was weak, truly, you have made it perfect.

67:11 Your animals will dwell in it. * O God, in your sweetness, you have provided for the poor.

℣ 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.

Psalm 67(12-24) [5]

67:12 The Lord will give the word to evangelizers, * along with great virtue.

67:13 The King of virtue is beloved among the beloved. * And the beauty of the house will divide spoils.

67:14 If you take your rest in the midst of the clergy, you will be like a dove whose wings are covered with fine silver * and edged with pale gold.

67:15 When heaven discerns kings to be over her, they will be whitened with the snows of Zalmon. * (16a) The mountain of God is a fat mountain,

67:16b a dense mountain, a thick mountain. * (17a) So then, why are you distrustful of dense mountains?

67:17b The mountain on which God is well pleased to dwell, * even there, the Lord will dwell until the end.

67:18 The chariot of God is ten thousand fold: thousands rejoice. * The Lord is with them in Sinai, in the holy place.

67:19a You have ascended on high; you have taken captivity captive. * You have accepted gifts among men.

67:19b For even those who do not believe * dwell with the Lord God.

67:20 Blessed is the Lord, day after day. * The God of our salvation will make our journey prosper for us.

67:21 Our God is the God who will bring about our salvation, * and our Lord is the Lord who has brought an end to death.

67:22 So then, truly, God will break the heads of his enemies, * the hairy skull of those who wander around in their offenses.

67:23 The Lord said: I will turn them away from Bashan, * I will turn them into the depths of the sea,

67:24 so that your feet may be soaked in the blood of your enemies, * so that the tongue of your dogs may be soaked with the same.

℣ 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.

Psalm 67(25-36) [6]

67:25 O God, they have seen your arrival, * the arrival of my God, of my king who is in a holy place.

67:26 The leaders went ahead, united with the singers of psalms, * in the midst of girls playing on timbrels.

67:27 In the churches, bless the Lord God * from the fountains of Israel.

67:28a In that place, Benjamin is a youth * in ecstasy of mind.

67:28b The leaders of Judah are their governors: * the leaders of Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.

67:29 Command by your virtue, O God. * Confirm in this place, O God, what you have wrought in us.

67:30 Before your temple in Jerusalem, * kings will offer gifts to you.

67:31a Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, a congregation of bulls with the cows of the people, * for they seek to exclude those who have been tested like silver.

67:31b Scatter the nations that are pleased by wars. (32) Ambassadors will come out of Egypt. * Ethiopia will offer in advance her hands to God.

67:33a Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. * Sing psalms to the Lord.

67:33b Sing psalms to God. (34a) He ascends, up to the heaven of the heavens, * toward the east.

67:34b Behold, he will utter his voice, the voice of virtue. (35) Give glory to God beyond Israel. * His magnificence and his virtue is in the clouds.

67:36 God is wonderful in his saints. The God of Israel himself will give virtue and strength to his people. * Blessed is God.

℣ 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.

Psalm 68(2-13) [7]

68:2 Save me, O God, * for the waters have entered, even to my soul.

68:3 I have become stuck in a deep quagmire, * and there is no firm footing.

68:3 I have arrived at the height of the sea, * and a tempest has overwhelmed me.

68:4 I have endured hardships, while crying out. My jaws have become hoarse; * my eyes have failed. Meanwhile, I hope in my God.

68:5 Those who hate me without cause * have been multiplied beyond the hairs of my head.

68:5 My enemies, who persecuted me unjustly, have been strengthened. * Then I was required to pay for what I did not take.

68:6 O God, you know my foolishness, * and my offenses have not been hidden from you.

68:7 Let those who wait for you, O Lord, * the Lord of hosts, not be shamed in me.

68:7 Let those who seek you, O God of Israel, * not be confounded over me.

68:8 For because of you, I have endured reproach; * confusion has covered my face.

68:9 I have become a stranger to my brothers * and a sojourner to the sons of my mother.

68:10 For zeal for your house has consumed me, * and the reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen upon me.

68:11 And I covered my soul with fasting, * and it has become a reproach to me.

68:12 And I put on a haircloth as my garment, * and I became a parable to them.

68:13 Those who sat at the gate spoke against me, * and those who drank wine made me their song.

68:13 But as for me, truly, my prayer is to you, O Lord. * This time has pleased you well, O God.

℣ 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.

Psalm 68(14-29) [8]

68:14 In the multitude of your mercy, * in the truth of your salvation, hear me.

68:15 Rescue me from the quagmire, so that I may not become trapped. * Free me from those who hate me and from deep waters.

68:16 Do not allow the tempest of water to submerge me, nor the deep to absorb me. * And do not allow the well to close in on me.

68:17 Hear me, O Lord, for your mercy is kind. * Look upon me, according to the fullness of your compassion.

68:18 And do not turn your face away from your servant, * for I am in trouble: heed me quickly.

68:19 Attend to my soul, and free it. * Rescue me, because of my enemies.

68:20 You know my reproach, and my confusion, * and my reverence.

68:21 All those who trouble me are in your sight; * my heart has anticipated reproach and misery.

68:21 And I sought for one who might grieve together with me, but there was no one, * and for one who might console me, and I found no one.

68:22 And they gave me gall for my food. * And in my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.

68:23 Let their table be a snare before them, * and a retribution, and a scandal.

68:24 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they may not see, * and may their back always be crooked.

68:25 Pour out your indignation upon them, * and may the fury of your anger take hold of them.

68:26 May their dwelling place be deserted, * and may there be no one who dwells in their tabernacles.

68:27 For they persecuted whomever you struck. * And they have added to the grief of my wounds.

68:28 Assign an iniquity upon their iniquity, * and may they not enter into your justice.

68:29 Delete them from the Book of the Living, * and let them not be written down with the just.

℣ 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.

Psalm 68(30-37) [9]

68:30 I am poor and sorrowful, * but your salvation, O God, has taken me up.

68:31 I will praise the name of God with a canticle, * and I will magnify him with praise.

68:32 And it will please God more than a new calf * producing horns and hoofs.

68:33 Let the poor see and rejoice. * Seek God, and your soul will live.

68:34 For the Lord has heard the poor, * and he has not despised his prisoners.

68:35 Let the heavens and the earth praise him: * the sea, and everything that crawls in it.

68:36 For God will save Zion, * and the cities of Judah will be built up.

68:36 And they will dwell there, * and they will acquire it by inheritance.

68:37 And the offspring of his servants will possess it; * and those who love his name will dwell in it.

℣ 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. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

℣ God ascended with jubilation, alleluia.

℟ And the Lord with the sound of the trumpet, alleluia.

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 Sirach

Sir 39:1-5

1 A wise man will seek the wisdom of all the ancients, and he will be occupied in the prophets.

2 He will preserve the words of renowned men, and he will enter with them into the subtleties of parables.

3 He will search for the hidden meanings of proverbs, and he will become familiar with the mysteries of parables.

4 He will minister in the midst of great men, and he will appear in the sight of the foremost leader.

5 He will pass through the land of foreign nations. For he will test good and evil among men.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Well done, good and faithful servant, because you were faithful over a few things, I will place you over many:

* Enter into the joy of your Lord, alleluia.

℣ Lord, you entrusted me with five talents; behold, I have gained five more.

℟ Enter into the joy of your Lord, alleluia.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

Sir 39:6-10

6 At first light, he will offer his heart with watchfulness to the Lord who made him, and he will pray in the sight of the Most High.

7 He will open his mouth in prayer, and he will make supplication for his offenses.

8 For if the great Lord is willing, he will fill him with the Spirit of understanding.

9 And he will send forth the eloquence of his wisdom like rain showers, and in his prayer, he will confess to the Lord.

10 And he will direct his counsel and his discipline, and he will meditate on his mysteries.

Sir 39:11-14

11 He will make the discipline of his doctrine clear, and he will glory in the law of the covenant of the Lord.

12 Many persons will together praise his wisdom, and it will never be abolished, for all ages.

13 The memory of him will not fade away, and his name will be sought from generation to generation.

14 The peoples will declare his wisdom, and the Church will announce his praise.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:

* You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, alleluia.

℣ The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand.

℟ You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, alleluia.

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

℟ You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, alleluia.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

Robert, a native of Montepulciano, from the patrician Bellarmine family, had as his most devout mother Cynthia Cervini, sister of Pope Marcellus II. Adorned with exceptional piety and most pure morals, as a young man of eighteen he entered the Society of Jesus in Rome, and in it was until death an example in all the virtues of religious life. After completing his course in philosophy, he was sent first to Florence, then to Mondovì, to Padua, and to Louvain, where he wondrously fulfilled the office of teacher and preacher, though not yet a priest. Moreover, at Louvain, having been ordained a priest, he taught theology in such a way that he was already reckoned the most distinguished theologian in Europe. Recalled to Rome, he taught the theological discipline of controversies in the Roman College, where, also appointed as master of the spiritual life, he guided the angelic young man Aloysius along the paths of holiness. Enrolled against his earnest resistance in the number of the Cardinal Fathers by Pope Clement VIII, and shortly afterward consecrated a Bishop, he governed the Archdiocese of Capua most holily for three years; having laid down that office, he lived in Rome as the most upright and faithful counselor of the Supreme Pontiff until, at nearly eighty years of age, on the seventeenth of September in the year one thousand six hundred and twenty-one, he rested piously in the Lord. Besides the volumes of the Controversies he wrote many other notable works, among which an admirable golden catechism stands out. Pope Pius XI enrolled this most valiant champion of Catholic truth in the number of the Saints and declared him a Doctor of the universal Church.

℣ 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.

O God, who adorned your blessed Bishop and Doctor Robert with wondrous learning and virtue to repel the snares of error and to champion the rights of the Apostolic See: grant by his merits and intercession that we may grow in love of truth and that the hearts of those who err may return to the unity of your Church.

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.