S. Camilli de Lellis Confessoris

Nocturn 1

Ant. The Lord our God has been mindful * for ever of his covenant.

Psalm 104(1-15)

104:1 Give praise to the Lord and call upon his name: * declare his works among the nations.
104:2 Sing to him, and sing praise to him: * tell all his wondrous works.
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 anointed ones: * 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)

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; the ruler of the peoples, 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)

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.

℣ The Lord was mindful of his holy word.

℟ Which he spoke to Abraham, his servant.

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.

Absolutio. Hear us, Lord Jesus Christ, and have mercy on your servants: You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May the eternal Father bless us with his everlasting blessing.

Reading 1

Sir 34:16-20

14 The spirit of those who fear God is sought, and they will be blessed by his providence.
15 For their hope is in him who saves them, and the eyes of God are on those who love him.
16 Those who fear the Lord will tremble at nothing, and they will not be terrified. For he is their hope.
17 The soul of him who fears the Lord is blessed.
18 To whom should he look, and who is his strength?
19 The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him. He is a powerful Protector, a Firmament of virtue, a Shelter from the heat, and a Covering from the midday sun,
20 a Guardian from offenses, and a Helper from falling, who exalts the soul and illuminates the eyes, and who gives health and life and blessing.

℟ I have sinned beyond the number of the sands of the sea, and my sins have been multiplied; and I am not worthy to look up to the height of heaven because of the multitude of my iniquity, for I have provoked your anger,

And have done evil before you.

℣ For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my transgression is ever before me; because against you only have I sinned.

℟ And have done evil before you.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 2

Camillus, born in the town of Bucchianico in the diocese of Chieti, of the noble Lelli family, followed the military profession as a young man and indulged for a time in the vices of the world; until, at the age of twenty-five, being filled with a more abundant light and sweetness of heavenly grace, he firmly resolved to cleanse the stains of his past life and to put on the new man. Wherefore, running to the Friars Minor known as the Capuchins, he earnestly besought by his highest prayers to be enrolled among their number. He obtained his wish; but, by the design of divine providence disposing greater things for him, he put off the habit of that religious order which he had received, and going to Rome he was received into the hospital called of the incurables; whose administration also, committed to him on account of his outstanding virtues, he conducted with the greatest integrity and truly fatherly solicitude. Counting himself the servant of all the sick, and giving his attention especially to relieving souls in their final peril, he gave most distinguished examples of admirable patience and heroic charity. Later initiated into the priesthood, he laid the first foundations of the congregation of Regular Clerics ministering to the sick; and in promoting this most wholesome institution, marvelously strengthened by a heavenly voice issuing from a crucifix which also extended its hands in a wondrous prodigy drawn from the wood, he overcame all adverse difficulties with a steadfast soul.

℟ The Lord loved him and adorned him: he clothed him with a robe of glory,

And at the gates of paradise he crowned him.

℣ The Lord clothed him with the breastplate of faith, and adorned him.

℟ And at the gates of paradise he crowned him.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May the mercy of Christ lead us to the joys of paradise.

Reading 3

It is wondrous with what alacrity, broken by no labors and deterred by no dangers to his life, he watched day and night until his last breath for the welfare of the sick. Made all things to all, he cheerfully and willingly took on the most menial tasks, and in order to spend himself more freely on all who were in need, and to spend himself even beyond his means, he voluntarily resigned the general leadership of the Order and the delights of heaven which he enjoyed in abundance when fixed in contemplation. At last, worn out by vigils, fasts, and constant labors, and having bravely endured five troublesome and prolonged illnesses — which he called the mercies of the Lord — he fell asleep in the Lord at Rome amid the most sweet names of Jesus and Mary, at the words: May the gentle and joyful face of Christ Jesus appear to you, in the year of salvation sixteen hundred and fourteen; him Benedict XIV, illustrious with many miracles, enrolled in the calendar of the Saints with solemn rite.

℟ O holy proclamations of blessed N., O inestimable love of charity!

Who, while he despised the pomp of the world, was joined to eternal life.

℣ For whom to live was Christ, and to die was gain.

℟ Who, while he despised the pomp of the world, was joined to eternal life.

Nocturn 2

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

Psalm 105(1-15)

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 will 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, * 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)

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, wonders in the land of Ham, and 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)

105:32 And they provoked him at the Waters of Contradiction: * and Moses was afflicted because of them,
105:33 for they exasperated his spirit: * and so he divided them with his lips.
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 handed them over into the hands of the nations: * and those who hated them held dominion over them.
105:42 And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands: * many times he delivered them.
105:43 But they provoked him with their counsel: * and they were brought low by their iniquities.
105:44 And he saw, when 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 That we may give thanks to your holy name: * and glory in your praise.
105:48 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, from age to age: * 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.

℣ The mouth of the just man shall meditate wisdom.

℟ And his tongue shall speak judgment.

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.

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

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 4

Camillus, born in the town of Bucchianico in the diocese of Chieti, of the noble Lelli family, was born of a sixty-year-old mother, who in a dream while pregnant saw herself give birth to a boy bearing the sign of the Cross on his breast, and walking at the head of a company of boys bearing the same sign. Following the military profession as a young man, he indulged for a time in the vices of the world; until, at the age of twenty-five, he was seized by so great a light of heavenly grace and grief at the offense against God that he was at once bathed in an abundant flood of tears, and firmly resolved to cleanse without ceasing the stains of his past life and to put on the new man. Wherefore, on that very feast day of the Purification of the most Blessed Virgin on which this occurred, running to the Friars Minor known as the Capuchins, he earnestly besought by the highest prayers to be enrolled among their number. He obtained his wish once and yet again; but, a foul ulcer which had at some time afflicted his leg breaking out again repeatedly, he humbly submitted himself to the counsel of divine providence disposing greater things for him; and, master of himself, he twice put off the habit of that religious order which he had twice sought and received.

℟ Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands:

For the hand of the Lord was with him; he struck down the Philistine, and took away the reproach from Israel.

℣ Is not this David, of whom they sang in the chorus, saying: Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

℟ For the hand of the Lord was with him; he struck down the Philistine, and took away the reproach from Israel.

℟ O mountains of Gilboa, let neither dew nor rain fall upon you,

where the mighty of Israel have fallen.

℣ May the Lord visit all the mountains that surround it: but from Gilboa may he pass away.

℟ where the mighty of Israel have fallen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 5

Having gone to Rome, he was received into the hospital called that of the Incurables; the administration of which, being entrusted to him on account of his manifest virtues, he carried out with the greatest integrity and with truly fatherly solicitude. Counting himself the servant of all the sick, it was his custom to make their beds, wipe away their filth, tend their wounds, and help them with pious prayers and exhortations in their final agony; in these offices he gave outstanding examples of admirable patience, unconquered fortitude, and heroic charity. But, realizing that the study of letters was of the greatest help in bringing relief to souls in extreme peril — the only thing he aimed at — at thirty-two years of age he was not ashamed to undertake a second novitiate among boys in the very first elements of grammar. Afterward duly ordained a priest, having joined some companions to himself, he laid the first foundations of the congregation of Clerics Regular ministering to the sick, despite the vain opposition of the enemy of the human race. For Camillus, wondrously confirmed by a heavenly voice sent from a crucifix whose hands were lifted in a remarkable prodigy even from the wood, obtained the approval of his order by the Apostolic See, with his companions bound by a fourth and especially arduous vow of ministering to the sick even those infected by the plague. How acceptable to God and how profitable to the salvation of souls this institute was, Saint Philip Neri, who was Camillus's confessor, confirmed when he frequently testified that he had seen Angels suggesting words to the disciples of Camillus as they ministered to the dying.

℟ O mountains of Gilboa, let neither dew nor rain fall upon you,

where the mighty of Israel have fallen.

℣ May the Lord visit all the mountains that surround it: but from Gilboa may he pass away.

℟ where the mighty of Israel have fallen.

℟ You have heard, O Lord, the prayer of your servant, that I should build a temple for your name:

Bless and sanctify this house for evermore, O God of Israel.

℣ O Lord, who keep your covenant with your servants who walk before you with their whole heart.

℟ Bless and sanctify this house for evermore, O God of Israel.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 6

Bound by these closer fetters and given over to the ministry of the sick, it is marvelous with what alacrity he watched over their needs day and night until his last breath, broken by no labors, deterred by no perils of life. Made all things to all men, he took up even the most menial services with the most humble submission and with knees frequently bent — as if he beheld Christ himself in the sick — with a cheerful and ready spirit; and in order to be at hand for the needs of all, he willingly relinquished the general governance of the order and the delights of heaven with which he was flooded as he remained fixed in contemplation. His fatherly love for the wretched shone out most of all when the City was first afflicted with a contagious disease and then with extreme scarcity of food, and a dreadful plague was raging at Nola in Campania. So great at last was the charity with which he burned toward God and neighbor that he merited to be called an angel, and in various perils of his journeys to experience the help of Angels. Gifted with the gift of prophecy and the grace of healing, he also penetrated the secrets of hearts; and at his prayers food was multiplied and water was turned into wine. At last, worn out by vigils, fasts, and unceasing labors, when he seemed to consist of nothing but skin and bones, having bravely endured five troublesome and long illnesses, which he called the mercies of the Lord, fortified with the sacraments, at Rome, amid the most sweet names of Jesus and Mary, at the words: May the face of Christ Jesus, meek and glad, appear to you — at the hour he had foretold, he fell asleep in the Lord on the day before the Ides of July, in the year of salvation one thousand six hundred and fourteen, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. Benedict XIV enrolled him among the Saints with solemn rite, illustrious as he was by many miracles; and Leo XIII, at the request of the bishops of the Catholic world and with the advice of the Congregation of Rites, declared him the heavenly patron of all hospitals and of the sick wherever they dwell, and commanded that his name be invoked in the litanies for the dying.

℟ I took you from your father's house, says the Lord, and I set you to shepherd the flock of my people:

And I was with you in all things, wherever you walked, establishing your kingdom for ever.

℣ And I made you a great name, after the name of the great ones who are on the earth; and I gave you rest from all your enemies.

℟ And I was with you in all things, wherever you walked, establishing your kingdom for 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.

℟ And I was with you in all things, wherever you walked, establishing your kingdom for ever.

℟ Lord, if your people have turned back and have prayed toward your sanctuary:

You will hear in heaven, O Lord, and deliver them from the hands of their enemies.

℣ If your people sin against you, and, having turned back, do penance, and come and pray in this place.

℟ You will hear from heaven, O Lord, and deliver them from the hands of their enemies.

Nocturn 3

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

Psalm 106(1-14)

106:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: * for his mercy endures for ever.
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 them 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 in solitude in a waterless place: * they did not find the way to a city of habitation.
106:5 Hungry and thirsty: * their soul fainted within them.
106:6 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation: * and he rescued them from their necessity.
106:7 And he led them in the right way: * that they might go forth to a city of habitation.
106:8 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders to the sons of men.
106:9 For he has satisfied the empty soul: * and the hungry soul he has filled with good things.
106:10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death: * shackled in poverty and in iron.
106:11 For they had provoked the words of God: * and had spurned the counsel 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)

106:15 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders 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 from their necessity.
106:20 He sent his word, and healed them: * and rescued them from their utter destruction.
106:21 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders to the sons of men.
106:22 And let them offer sacrifice with the sacrifice of praise: * and declare 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 arose: * and its waves were exalted.
106:26 They ascend even to the heavens, and descend even to the abyss: * their soul wasted away in distress.
106:27 They were troubled and 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 rejoiced that it was stilled: * and he led them into the haven 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)

106:31 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders to the sons of men.
106:32 And let them exalt him in the assembly 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 a waterless land.
106:34 A fruit-bearing land into brine: * because of the malice of those who dwell in it.
106:35 He has placed the desert in pools of water: * and a land without water in sources of water.
106:36 And he has gathered the hungry there: * and they have built a city of habitation.
106:37 And they sowed fields and planted vineyards: * and they yielded the fruit of their increase.
106:38 And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly: * and their cattle he did not diminish.
106:39 And they became few: * and were afflicted by the tribulation of evils and sorrow.
106:40 Contempt was poured out upon their leaders: * and he caused them to wander in trackless places and not on the way.
106:41 And he helped the poor man out of destitution: * and set families like flocks.
106:42 The upright will see and rejoice: * and every iniquity will stop 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.

℣ The law of his God is in his heart.

℟ And his steps shall not be overthrown.

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.

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

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

Reading 7

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Ioannes 15:12-16

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: This is my commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you. And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Augustine the Bishop

Tractátus 83 in Ioánnem

What do we think, my brothers? Was it only his commandment concerning that love by which we love one another? Is there not also another and greater: that we love God? Or did God command us only concerning the love of himself, so that we need seek nothing else? Certainly the Apostle commends three things, saying: But now faith, hope, and charity abide, these three; and the greatest of these is charity. And if in charity, that is, in love, those two commandments are comprised, yet charity is called the greater, not the only. How many commandments then have been given to us concerning faith, how many concerning hope! Who can gather them all together, who suffice to enumerate them? But let us observe what the same Apostle says: The fullness of the law is charity.

℟ I have sinned beyond the number of the sands of the sea, and my sins have been multiplied; and I am not worthy to look up to the height of heaven because of the multitude of my iniquity, for I have provoked your anger,

And have done evil before you.

℣ For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my transgression is ever before me; because against you only have I sinned.

℟ And have done evil before you.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

Reading 8

Where charity is present, what can be lacking? But where it is absent, what can be of profit? The demon believes, yet does not love; no one loves who does not believe. In vain indeed, yet one who does not love can still hope for pardon; but no one who loves can despair. And so where love is, there faith and hope are of necessity; and where love of neighbor is, there love of God is also of necessity. For whoever does not love God, how can he love his neighbor as himself? Since in truth he does not even love himself. For there is indeed

℟ Two Seraphim cried out one to the other:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts: * all the earth is filled with his glory.

℣ For there are Three who give testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. And these Three are One.

℟ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.

℣ 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.

℟ All the earth is filled with his glory.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 9

Therefore let us hold to this commandment of the Lord, that we love one another, and whatever else he has commanded, we shall do; for whatever else there is, we have it here. This love is, to be sure, distinguished from that love by which people love one another; for in order to distinguish it, there was added: As I have loved you. For why does Christ love us, if not that we might reign with Christ? To this end, then, let us also love one another, so that we may distinguish our love from that of others, who do not love one another for this end, because they do not truly love. But those who love one another for the sake of possessing God — these truly love themselves. Therefore, in order to love themselves, they love God. This love is not in all people: few love themselves for this reason, that God may be all in all.

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.
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)

(Brethren, when they begin 'Te ergo quaesumus,' departing from the Stalls, let them reverently bow at the words 'Quos pretioso' and the rest)

And so we beg you, help your servants, * redeemed by your most precious blood.
Number them * among your Saints in eternal glory.
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.
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.