S. Iosephi de Cupertino 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

From the Second Letter of the blessed Apostle Paul to the Corinthians

2 Cor 4:6-11

6 For God, who told the light to shine out of darkness, has shined a light into our hearts, to illuminate the knowledge of the splendor of God, in the person of Christ Jesus.
7 But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, so that what is sublime may be of the power of God, and not of us.
8 In all things, we endure tribulation, yet we are not in anguish. We are constrained, yet we are not destitute.
9 We suffer persecution, yet we have not been abandoned. We are thrown down, yet we do not perish.
10 We ever carry around the mortification of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
11 For we who live are ever handed over unto death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh.

℟ Who will grant me that you would protect me in the underworld and hide me, until your wrath passes, O Lord, if not you, who alone are God?

And that you would appoint me a time in which you would remember me?

℣ Are your days like the days of man, that you would seek out my iniquity; since there is no one who can deliver from your hand?

℟ And that you would appoint me a time in which you would remember me?

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 2

2 Cor 5:1-8

1 For we know that, when our earthly house of this habitation is dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven.
2 And for this reason also, we groan, desiring to be clothed from above with our habitation from heaven.
3 If we are so clothed, then we will not be found to be naked.
4 Then too, we who are in this tabernacle groan under the burden, because we do not want to be stripped, but rather to be clothed from above, so that what is mortal may be absorbed by life.
5 Now the One who accomplishes this very thing in us is God, who has given us the pledge of the Spirit.
6 Therefore, we are ever confident, knowing that, while we are in the body, we are on a pilgrimage in the Lord.
7 For we walk by means of faith, and not by sight.
8 So we are confident, and we have the good will to be on a pilgrimage in the body, so as to be present to the Lord.

℟ Would that my sins were weighed, by which I have deserved your wrath,

And the calamity that I suffer in a balance.

℣ This would appear heavier than the sand of the sea, and therefore my words are full of sorrow.

℟ And the calamity that I suffer in a balance.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 3

2 Cor 12:1-9

1 If it is necessary (though certainly not expedient) to glory, then I will next tell of visions and revelations from the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ, who, more than fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I do not know, or out of the body, I do not know: God knows), was enraptured to the third heaven.
3 And I know a certain man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I do not know: God knows),
4 who was enraptured into Paradise. And he heard words of mystery, which it is not permitted for man to speak.
5 On behalf of someone like this, I will glory. But on behalf of myself, I will not glory about anything, except my infirmities.
6 For even though I am willing to glory, I will not be foolish. But I will speak the truth. Yet I will do so sparingly, lest anyone may consider me to be anything more than what he sees in me, or anything more than what he hears from me.
7 And lest the greatness of the revelations should extol me, there was given to me a prodding in my flesh: an angel of Satan, who struck me repeatedly.
8 Because of this, three times I petitioned the Lord that it might be taken away from me.
9 And he said to me: 'My grace is sufficient for you. For virtue is perfected in weakness.' And so, willingly shall I glory in my weaknesses, so that the virtue of Christ may live within me.

℟ Why have you detracted from words of truth? You compose words to rebuke, and you strive to overthrow your friend:

Yet carry out what you have planned.

℣ Judge what is just; and you will not find iniquity on my tongue.

℟ Yet carry out what you have planned.

℣ 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.

℟ Yet carry out what you have planned.

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

Joseph of Cupertino, born in the year sixteen hundred and three in a town in the Salentine country of the diocese of Nardò of devout parents there, and forestalled by the love of God, spent his boyhood and youth in the greatest simplicity of conduct and innocence of life and, after patiently bearing a troublesome illness, was freed through the aid of the Virgin Mother of God, and gave himself entirely to works of piety and the cultivation of virtues; and in order to unite himself more intimately with God who was calling him to higher things, he resolved to join the Seraphic Order. After various events, finally attaining the goal of his desire, he was enrolled among the Conventual Friars Minor at the monastery of Grotella — first among the lay brothers on account of his lack of learning, and then by divine disposition among the clerics. Initiated into the priesthood after solemn vows, he proposed to himself a more perfect rule of life. To this end, at once renouncing whatever worldly affections and earthly things almost necessary for life, he afflicted his body with hair-shirts, disciplines, chains, and every kind of austerity and penance; but he sweetly nourished his spirit with the constant practice of holy prayer and of the highest contemplation. From this it came about that the charity of God, which had already been poured out in his heart from his earliest years, shone forth day by day in a wondrous and altogether singular manner.

℟ The Lord made him honorable, and guarded him from his enemies, and protected him from those who would lead him astray:

And gave him everlasting glory.

℣ The Lord led the just man by straight paths, and showed him the kingdom of God.

℟ And gave him everlasting glory.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 5

His most ardent charity shone forth especially in the sweetest ecstasies and wondrous raptures toward God, by which he was frequently seized. Remarkable it was that, when his mind was taken from his senses, obedience alone immediately recalled him from ecstasy. This virtue he pursued with exceptional zeal, being accustomed to say that he was led about by it as if blind, and that he would rather die than not obey. He so emulated the poverty of the Seraphic Patriarch that, when near death, he could truly affirm to his superior that he had nothing that he needed to resign in the manner of religious. And so, dead to the world and to himself, he manifested the life of Jesus in his flesh; which, whenever it perceived some shameful vileness in others, breathed forth from itself a wondrous fragrance, a sign of that most pure chastity which, while an unclean spirit long strove in vain to obscure it with the most violent temptations, he preserved unharmed — by strict custody of the senses, by continual mortification of the body, and finally by the special protection of the most pure Virgin Mary, whom he was accustomed to call his mother, and whom he venerated with the deepest affection of heart as a most sweet mother, and desired that she be venerated by others, so that, as he himself would say, all good things might be obtained through her patronage.

℟ 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 God kindle the fire of his love in our hearts.

Reading 6

This solicitude of blessed Joseph flowed from his charity toward his neighbors; for he burned with such zeal for souls that he sought the salvation of all by every possible means with the utmost urgency. He likewise extended his charity to his neighbor, whether poor, sick, or afflicted by any other tribulation, and refreshed that person as much as was within his power. Nor were those who attacked him with reproaches, insults, and injuries of every kind estranged from his charity; for he received such treatment with the same patience, gentleness, and cheerfulness of countenance with which he shone amid so many and such great vicissitudes, while he was compelled by the order of his superiors or of the Holy Inquisition to wander and move from place to place. Yet although not only the people but also princes of rank admired his outstanding holiness and heavenly charisms, he was nonetheless so humble that, counting himself a great sinner, he earnestly besought God to withdraw his illustrious gifts from him; and he implored men to cast his dead body into a place where all memory of him would be utterly obliterated. But God, who raises the humble on high, who had adorned his servant during his life with heavenly wisdom, prophecy, the discernment of hearts, the grace of healing, and many other gifts in the most lavish measure, also made his death precious — in the place and at the time he had himself foretold — in the sixty-first year of his age, at Osimo in Picenum, and rendered his tomb glorious. Benedict XIV enrolled him among the Blessed; Clement XIII numbered him among the Saints on his rolls. And Clement XIV of the same order extended his Office and Mass to the universal Church.

℟ This man fulfilled all that God spoke to him, and God said to him: Enter into my rest:

For I have seen you to be just before me among all the nations.

℣ This is he who despised the life of the world, and attained the heavenly kingdoms.

℟ For I have seen you to be just before me among all the nations.

℣ 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.

℟ For I have seen you to be just before me among all the nations.

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 Matthew

Matt 22:1-14

At that time: Jesus spoke to the chief priests and the Pharisees in parables, saying: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was king, who celebrated a wedding for his son. And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Gregory, Pope.

Liber 2 Homiliar. Hom. 38, circa medium

Since you have now entered the house of the wedding feast — that is, the holy Church — by the gift of the Lord, look carefully, brethren, lest the king upon entering should find anything to reproach in the disposition of your mind. For what is immediately added must be weighed with great fear of heart: But the king entered to see the guests, and he saw there a man who was not clothed in a wedding garment. What, dearest brethren, do we take to be signified by the wedding garment? If we call the wedding garment baptism or faith, who has entered this wedding feast without baptism and faith? For he who has not yet believed is thereby excluded. What then ought we to understand by the wedding garment, if not charity? For he who stands in the holy Church, having faith but not having charity, enters the wedding feast but does not enter with the wedding garment. For charity is rightly called the wedding garment, because our Creator had this within himself when he came to the wedding feast to unite the Church to himself.

℟ This is he who before God worked great deeds of power, and with his whole heart praised the Lord:

May he intercede for the sins of all peoples.

℣ Behold a man without complaint, a true worshiper of God, abstaining from every evil work, and remaining in his innocence.

℟ May he intercede for the sins of all peoples.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

Reading 8

It was by the love of God alone that his Only-Begotten came to unite to himself the minds of chosen human beings. Hence John also says: For God so loved the world that he gave his Only-Begotten Son for us. He who therefore came to mankind through charity made known that same charity to be the wedding garment. Every one of you, then, who, placed in the Church, has believed in God, has already entered the wedding feast; but he has not come in the wedding garment if he does not keep the grace of charity. And indeed, brethren, if anyone were invited to a bodily wedding, he would change his garment, he would show by the very elegance of his dress that he rejoiced with the bridegroom and bride, and he would be ashamed to appear among those rejoicing and celebrating the feast in shabby clothes. We come to the wedding feast of God, and we are unwilling to change the garment of our heart. The Angels rejoice when the elect are taken up into heaven. With what spirit, then, do we behold these spiritual festivities, we who do not have the wedding garment, that is, charity, which alone makes us beautiful?

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 9

We must know that, just as a garment is woven on two beams, the upper and the lower, so charity is held in two precepts, namely in the love of God and of neighbor. For it is written: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. In this matter it must be noted that in the love of neighbor a measure of love is set, when it is said: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But the love of God is bound by no measure, when it is said: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole strength. For one is not commanded how much to love, but from what depth, when it is said, From your whole; because he truly loves God who keeps nothing for himself. Therefore whoever takes care to have the wedding garment at the marriage feast must keep the two precepts of charity.

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.