Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.
O 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.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 36 (37)
The fate of the evil and the righteous
Do not envy the wicked; do not be jealous of those that do evil. They will dry up as quickly as hay; they will wither like the grass. Put your trust in the Lord and do good, and your land and habitation will be secure. Take your delight in the Lord, and he will give you what your heart desires. Entrust your journey to the Lord, and hope in him: and he will act. He will make your uprightness shine like the light, your judgement like the sun at noon. Take your rest in the Lord, and hope in him: do not envy the one who thrives in his own way, the man who weaves plots. Abstain from wrath, abandon anger: do not envy him who turns to evil, for those who do evil will be destroyed, but those on the side of the Lord will inherit the earth. A moment yet – and the sinner will be gone: you will look where he was and find nothing. But the needy will inherit the land and delight in abundant peace. 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 36 (37)

The fate of the evil and the righteous

Do not envy the wicked;
do not be jealous of those that do evil.
They will dry up as quickly as hay;
they will wither like the grass.

Put your trust in the Lord and do good,
and your land and habitation will be secure.
Take your delight in the Lord,
and he will give you what your heart desires.

Entrust your journey to the Lord, and hope in him:
and he will act.
He will make your uprightness shine like the light,
your judgement like the sun at noon.

Take your rest in the Lord, and hope in him:
do not envy the one who thrives in his own way,
the man who weaves plots.
Abstain from wrath, abandon anger:
do not envy him who turns to evil,
for those who do evil will be destroyed,
but those on the side of the Lord
will inherit the earth.

A moment yet – and the sinner will be gone:
you will look where he was and find nothing.
But the needy will inherit the land
and delight in abundant peace.

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 36 (37)
The wicked will plot against the righteous and gnash his teeth at him; but the Lord will deride him in his turn, for the Lord has seen what awaits him. The wicked have pulled out their swords, the wicked have drawn their bows, to throw down the poor and the destitute, to murder whoever follows the straight path. But their swords will enter their own hearts, and their bows will splinter. For the righteous, the little they have is better than the abundant wealth of the wicked. The limbs of the wicked will be broken while the Lord gives his strength to the just. The Lord knows when the day of the perfect will come; and their inheritance will be eternal. They will not be troubled in evil times, and in times of famine they will have more than enough. For the wicked will perish: the enemies of the Lord will be like the flowers of the fields, and like smoke they will vanish away. The wicked man borrows and does not return; but the righteous takes pity and gives. The blessed ones of the Lord will inherit the earth, but those whom he curses will be cut off. It is the Lord who strengthens the steps of man and chooses his path. Even if he trips he will not fall flat, for the Lord is holding his hand. I was young and I have grown old, but I have not seen the righteous man abandoned nor his children seeking for bread. All day long he takes pity and lends, and his seed will be blessed. Shun evil and do good, and you will live for ever. For the Lord loves right judgement, and will not abandon his chosen ones. The unjust will be destroyed for ever, and the seed of the wicked will be cut off, but the righteous will inherit the earth and live there from age to age. 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 36 (37)

The wicked will plot against the righteous
and gnash his teeth at him;
but the Lord will deride him in his turn,
for the Lord has seen what awaits him.

The wicked have pulled out their swords,
the wicked have drawn their bows,
to throw down the poor and the destitute,
to murder whoever follows the straight path.
But their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will splinter.

For the righteous, the little they have is better
than the abundant wealth of the wicked.
The limbs of the wicked will be broken
while the Lord gives his strength to the just.

The Lord knows when the day of the perfect will come;
and their inheritance will be eternal.
They will not be troubled in evil times,
and in times of famine they will have more than enough.

For the wicked will perish:
the enemies of the Lord will be like the flowers of the fields,
and like smoke they will vanish away.

The wicked man borrows and does not return;
but the righteous takes pity and gives.
The blessed ones of the Lord will inherit the earth,
but those whom he curses will be cut off.

It is the Lord who strengthens the steps of man
and chooses his path.
Even if he trips he will not fall flat,
for the Lord is holding his hand.

I was young and I have grown old,
but I have not seen the righteous man abandoned
nor his children seeking for bread.
All day long he takes pity and lends,
and his seed will be blessed.

Shun evil and do good,
and you will live for ever.
For the Lord loves right judgement,
and will not abandon his chosen ones.

The unjust will be destroyed for ever,
and the seed of the wicked will be cut off,
but the righteous will inherit the earth
and live there from age to age.

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 36 (37)
The mouth of the righteous will speak wisdom, and his tongue will utter right judgement. The law of his God is in his heart and his steps will not stumble. The wicked man watches the just and seeks to kill him; but the Lord will rescue the just man from his hands and not condemn the just in the time of judgement. Put your hope in the Lord and follow his paths, and he will raise you up and make the land your inheritance, let you watch as the wicked are cut off. I have seen the sinner triumph, flourish like a green cedar, but he is gone, he is there no longer: I have looked for him but have not found him. Preserve innocence, follow uprightness: for the future belongs to the man of peace. The unrighteous will be destroyed altogether, their posterity will be cut off. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, and their protection in time of trouble. The Lord will come to their help and free them, rescue them from the wicked and save them, because they have put their trust in him. 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 36 (37)

The mouth of the righteous will speak wisdom,
and his tongue will utter right judgement.
The law of his God is in his heart
and his steps will not stumble.
The wicked man watches the just
and seeks to kill him;
but the Lord will rescue the just man from his hands
and not condemn the just in the time of judgement.

Put your hope in the Lord and follow his paths,
and he will raise you up and make the land your inheritance,
let you watch as the wicked are cut off.
I have seen the sinner triumph,
flourish like a green cedar,
but he is gone, he is there no longer:
I have looked for him but have not found him.

Preserve innocence, follow uprightness:
for the future belongs to the man of peace.
The unrighteous will be destroyed altogether,
their posterity will be cut off.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord,
and their protection in time of trouble.
The Lord will come to their help and free them,
rescue them from the wicked and save them,
because they have put their trust in him.

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.

Reading	Proverbs 8:1 - 36 ©
Does Wisdom not call meanwhile? Does Discernment not lift up her voice? On the hilltop, on the road, at the crossways, she takes her stand; beside the gates of the city, at the approaches to the gates she cries aloud, ‘O men! I am calling to you; my cry goes out to the sons of men. You ignorant ones! Study discretion; and you fools, come to your senses! ‘I, Wisdom, am mistress of discretion, the inventor of lucidity of thought. Good advice and sound judgement belong to me, perception to me, strength to me. (To fear the Lord is to hate evil.) I hate pride and arrogance, wicked behaviour and a lying mouth. I love those who love me; those who seek me eagerly shall find me. By me monarchs rule and princes issue just laws; by me rulers govern, and the great impose justice on the world. With me are riches and honour, lasting wealth and justice. The fruit I give is better than gold, even the finest, the return I make is better than pure silver. I walk in the way of virtue, in the paths of justice, enriching those who love me, filling their treasuries. ‘The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded, before the oldest of his works. From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being. The deep was not, when I was born, there were no springs to gush with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I came to birth; before he made the earth, the countryside, or the first grains of the world’s dust. When he fixed the heavens firm, I was there, when he drew a ring on the surface of the deep, when he thickened the clouds above, when he fixed fast the springs of the deep, when he assigned the sea its boundaries – and the waters will not invade the shore – when he laid down the foundations of the earth, I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world, delighting to be with the sons of men. ‘And now, my sons, listen to me; listen to instruction and learn to be wise, do not ignore it. Happy those who keep my ways! Happy the man who listens to me, who day after day watches at my gates to guard the portals. For the man who finds me finds life, he will win favour from the Lord; but he who does injury to me does hurt to his own soul, all who hate me are in love with death.’

Reading

Proverbs 8:1 - 36 ©

Does Wisdom not call meanwhile?
Does Discernment not lift up her voice?
On the hilltop, on the road,
at the crossways, she takes her stand;
beside the gates of the city,
at the approaches to the gates she cries aloud,
‘O men! I am calling to you;
my cry goes out to the sons of men.
You ignorant ones! Study discretion;
and you fools, come to your senses!

‘I, Wisdom, am mistress of discretion,
the inventor of lucidity of thought.
Good advice and sound judgement belong to me,
perception to me, strength to me.
(To fear the Lord is to hate evil.)
I hate pride and arrogance,
wicked behaviour and a lying mouth.
I love those who love me;
those who seek me eagerly shall find me.
By me monarchs rule
and princes issue just laws;
by me rulers govern,
and the great impose justice on the world.
With me are riches and honour,
lasting wealth and justice.
The fruit I give is better than gold, even the finest,
the return I make is better than pure silver.
I walk in the way of virtue,
in the paths of justice,
enriching those who love me,
filling their treasuries.

‘The Lord created me when his purpose first unfolded,
before the oldest of his works.
From everlasting I was firmly set,
from the beginning, before earth came into being.
The deep was not, when I was born,
there were no springs to gush with water.
Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills, I came to birth;
before he made the earth, the countryside,
or the first grains of the world’s dust.
When he fixed the heavens firm, I was there,
when he drew a ring on the surface of the deep,
when he thickened the clouds above,
when he fixed fast the springs of the deep,
when he assigned the sea its boundaries
– and the waters will not invade the shore –
when he laid down the foundations of the earth,
I was by his side, a master craftsman,
delighting him day after day,
ever at play in his presence,
at play everywhere in his world,
delighting to be with the sons of men.

‘And now, my sons, listen to me;
listen to instruction and learn to be wise,
do not ignore it.
Happy those who keep my ways!
Happy the man who listens to me,
who day after day watches at my gates
to guard the portals.
For the man who finds me finds life,
he will win favour from the Lord;
but he who does injury to me does hurt to his own soul,
all who hate me are in love with death.’

Reading	From the Discourses against the Arians by Saint Athanasius, bishop
We know the Father through creative and incarnate wisdom
The only-begotten Son, the Wisdom of God, created the entire universe. Scripture says: You have made all things by your wisdom, and the earth is full of your creatures. Yet simply to be was not enough: God also wanted his creatures to be good. That is why he was pleased that his own wisdom should descend to their level and impress upon each of them singly and upon all of them together a certain resemblance to their Model. It would then be manifest that God’s creatures shared in his wisdom and that all his works were worthy of him. For as the word we speak is an image of the Word who is God’s Son, so also is the wisdom implanted in us an image of the Wisdom who is God’s Son. It gives us the ability to know and understand and so makes us capable of receiving him who is the all-creative Wisdom, through whom we can come to know the Father. Whoever has the Son has the Father also, Scripture says, and Whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. And so, since this image of the Wisdom of God has been produced in us and in all creatures, the true and creative Wisdom rightly takes to himself what applies to his image and says: The Lord created me in his works. But because the World was not wise enough to recognise God in his wisdom, as we have explained it, God determined to save those who believe by means of the “foolishness” of the message that we preach. Not wishing to be known any longer, as in former times, through the mere image and shadow of his wisdom existing in creatures, he caused the true Wisdom himself to take flesh, to become man, and to suffer death on the cross so that all who believed in him might be saved by faith. Yet this was the same Wisdom of God who had in the beginning revealed himself and his Father through himself by means of his image in creatures (which is why Wisdom too is said to be created). Later, as John declares, that Wisdom, who is also the Word, became flesh, and after destroying the power of death and saving our race, he revealed himself and his Father through himself with greater clarity. Grant, he prayed, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. So now the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of God, since it is one and the same thing to know the Father through the Son, and to know the Son who comes from the Father. The Father rejoices in his Son, and with the same joy the Son delights in the Father and says: I was his joy; every day I took delight in his presence.

Reading

From the Discourses against the Arians by Saint Athanasius, bishop

We know the Father through creative and incarnate wisdom

The only-begotten Son, the Wisdom of God, created the entire universe. Scripture says: You have made all things by your wisdom, and the earth is full of your creatures. Yet simply to be was not enough: God also wanted his creatures to be good. That is why he was pleased that his own wisdom should descend to their level and impress upon each of them singly and upon all of them together a certain resemblance to their Model. It would then be manifest that God’s creatures shared in his wisdom and that all his works were worthy of him.
For as the word we speak is an image of the Word who is God’s Son, so also is the wisdom implanted in us an image of the Wisdom who is God’s Son. It gives us the ability to know and understand and so makes us capable of receiving him who is the all-creative Wisdom, through whom we can come to know the Father. Whoever has the Son has the Father also, Scripture says, and Whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. And so, since this image of the Wisdom of God has been produced in us and in all creatures, the true and creative Wisdom rightly takes to himself what applies to his image and says: The Lord created me in his works.
But because the World was not wise enough to recognise God in his wisdom, as we have explained it, God determined to save those who believe by means of the “foolishness” of the message that we preach. Not wishing to be known any longer, as in former times, through the mere image and shadow of his wisdom existing in creatures, he caused the true Wisdom himself to take flesh, to become man, and to suffer death on the cross so that all who believed in him might be saved by faith.
Yet this was the same Wisdom of God who had in the beginning revealed himself and his Father through himself by means of his image in creatures (which is why Wisdom too is said to be created). Later, as John declares, that Wisdom, who is also the Word, became flesh, and after destroying the power of death and saving our race, he revealed himself and his Father through himself with greater clarity. Grant, he prayed, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
So now the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of God, since it is one and the same thing to know the Father through the Son, and to know the Son who comes from the Father. The Father rejoices in his Son, and with the same joy the Son delights in the Father and says: I was his joy; every day I took delight in his presence.

Concluding Prayer
Lord, it is your desire to dwell in humble and sincere hearts. Give us your grace and make us a fit habitation for you. 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.

May 2008
Sun 11	Pentecost
Mon 12	Monday of week 6 of the year or Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs or Saint Pancras, Martyr
Tue 13	Tuesday of week 6 of the year or Our Lady of Fátima
Wed 14	Saint Matthias, Apostle Feast
Thu 15
Fri 16
Sat 17
Sun 18	The Most Holy Trinity Solemnity
Mon 19	Monday of week 7 of the year or Saint Dunstan, Bishop

Calendar used: Europe - England

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. For on-line information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see the Internet web site at http://www.randomhouse.com.

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