Feb 14, Office of Readings for Sunday of the 6th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 651
Proper of Seasons: 197
Psalter: Sunday, Week II, 827

Office of Readings for Sunday in Ordinary Time

God, come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia.

Psalm 104
Hymn to God the Creator
To be in Christ means being a completely new creature. Everything of the old is gone, now everything is made anew (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I

Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord God, how great you are,
clothed in majesty and glory,
wrapped in light as in a robe!

Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia.

You stretch out the heavens like a tent.
Above the rains you build your dwelling.
You make the clouds your chariot,
and walk on the wings of the wind;
you make the winds your messengers
and flashing fire your servants.

Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia.

You founded the earth on its base,
to stand firm from age to age.
You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak:
the waters stood higher than the mountains.

Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia.

At your threat they took to flight;
at the voice of your thunder they fled.
They rose over the mountains and flowed down
to the place which you had appointed.
You set the limits they might not pass
lest they return to cover the earth.

Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys:
they flow in between the hills.
They give drink to all the beasts of the field;
the wild-asses quench their thirst.
On their banks dwell the birds of heaven;
from the branches they sing their song.

Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe, alleluia.

Ant. 2 The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia.

II

From your dwelling you water the hills;
earth drinks its fill of your gift.
You make the grass grow for the cattle
and the plants to serve man’s needs,

that he may bring forth bread from the earth
and wine to cheer man’s heart;
oil, to make him glad
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia.

The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
the cedars he planted on Lebanon;
there the birds build their nests:
on the tree-top the stork has her home.
The goats find a home on the mountains
and rabbits hide in the rocks.

Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia.

You made the moon to mark the months;
the sun knows the time for its setting.
When you spread the darkness it is night
and all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
The young lions roar for their prey
and ask their food from God.

Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia.

At the rising of the sun they steal away
and go to rest in their dens.
Man goes forth to his work,
to labor till evening falls.

Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts, alleluia.

Ant. 3 The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

III

How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

There is the sea, vast and wide,
with its moving swarms past counting,
living things great and small.
The ships are moving there
and the monsters you made to play with.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

All of these look to you
to give them their food in due season.
You give it, they gather it up:
you open your hand, they have their fill.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

You hide your face, they are dismayed;
you take back your spirit, they die,
returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the earth.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

May the glory of the Lord last forever!
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
He looks on the earth and it trembles;
the mountains send forth smoke at his touch.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

I will sing to the Lord all my life,
make music to my God while I live.
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
I find my joy in the Lord.
Let sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked exist no more.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

Bless the Lord, my soul.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Father, as you made springs in valleys to form streams between mountains, so you made living streams of grace flow from the apostles that their teaching may bring salvation to all nations. May we have a practical knowledge of their doctrine, be obedient to their commands, obtain remission of sins through their prayers and finally receive the reward of eternal happiness.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

Blessed are your eyes, for they see God’s works.
— And your ears, for they hear his word.

READINGS

First reading
The beginning of the book of Proverbs
1:1-7, 20-33
An exhortation to choose wisdom

The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David,
king of Israel:
That men may appreciate wisdom and discipline,
may understand words of intelligence;
May receive training in wise conduct,
in what is right, just and honest;
That resourcefulness may be imparted to the simple,
to the young man knowledge and discretion.
A wise man by hearing them will advance in learning,
an intelligent man will gain sound guidance,
That he may comprehend proverb and parable,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
wisdom and instruction fools despise.

Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the open squares she raises her voice;
Down the crowded ways she calls out,
at the city gates she utters her words:
“How long, you simple ones, will you love inanity,
how long will you turn away at my reproof?
Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit,
I will acquaint you with my words.

“Because I called and you refused,
I extended my hand and no one took notice;
Because you disdained all my counsel,
and my reproof you ignored —
I, in my turn, will laugh at your doom;
I will mock when terror overtakes you;
When terror comes upon you like a storm,
and your doom approaches like a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish befall you.

“Then they call me, but I answer not;
they seek me, but find me not;
Because they hated knowledge,
and chose not the fear of the Lord;
They ignored my counsel,
they spurned all my reproof;
And in their arrogance they preferred arrogance,
and like fools they hated knowledge:

“Now they must eat the fruit of their own way,
and with their own devices be glutted.
For the self-will of the simple kills them,
the smugness of fools destroys them.
But he who obeys me dwells in security,
in peace, without fear of harm.”

RESPONSORY Romans 12:16; 1 Corinthians 3:18-19; 1:23, 24

Never allow yourself to be self-satisfied; if you pride yourself on your worldly wisdom, you will have to unlearn it all before you are truly wise;
— worldly wisdom is foolishness in the eyes of God.

We preach a crucified Christ, and he is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
— Worldly wisdom is foolishness in the eyes of God.

Second reading
From a commentary on the Diatessaron by Saint Ephrem, deacon
God’s word is an inexhaustible spring of life

Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colors, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits him. Within it he has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out.

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food and they drank spiritual drink.

And so whenever anyone discovers some part of the treasure, he should not think that he has exhausted God’s word. Instead he should feel that this is all that he was able to find of the wealth contained in it. Nor should he say that the word is weak and sterile or look down on it simply because this portion was all that he happened to find. But precisely because he could not capture it all he should give thanks for its riches.

Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to your own harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on.

RESPONSORY 1 Peter 1:25; Baruch 4:1

The word of the Lord endures for ever.
— This same word, the Gospel, has been proclaimed to you.

This is the book of the commandments of God, the law that stands for ever; all who keep it shall live.
— This same word, the Gospel, has been proclaimed to you.

TE DEUM

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the King of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.

When you became man to set us free
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
— Govern and uphold them now and always.

Day by day we bless you.
— We praise your name for ever.

Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
— Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

Lord, show us your love and mercy,
— for we have put our trust in you.

In you, Lord, is our hope:
— And we shall never hope in vain.

Concluding Prayer

O God,
who teach us that you abide
in hearts that are just and true,
grant that we may be so fashioned
by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)

Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.