They have sinned against him, they are no children of his –
this filthy generation, wicked and perverse.
Is this how you repay the Lord,
you foolish and witless people?
Is he not your father, who took charge of you,
created you and made you exist?
Remember the days of old: think upon each generation.
Ask your father and he will tell you;
ask your ancestors, and they will let you know.
When the Most High divided the peoples,
when he was separating the children of Adam,
he laid down the boundaries of the people
according to the number of the children of Israel:
the Lord’s own portion was his people,
Jacob the measure of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land, in a place of horror,
in the howling wilderness.
He protected him, looked after him,
guarded him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle teaching its chicks to fly, hovering close above them,
he spread out his wings and lifted him up,
carried him on his back.
The Lord alone led Jacob; no foreign god was with 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.
Proclaim the greatness of our God.
Psalm 8 The greatness of God, the dignity of man
How great is your name, Lord, through all the earth.
How wonderful is your name over all the earth,
O Lord, our Lord!
How exalted is your glory
above the sky!
Out of the mouths of children and infants you have brought praise,
to confound your enemies, to destroy your vengeful foes.
When I see the heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars, which you set in their place –
what is man, that you should take thought for him?
what is the son of man, that you should look after him?
You have made him but one step lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honour;
you have set him over the works of your hands.
You have put everything beneath his feet,
cattle and sheep and the beasts of the field,
the birds in the air and the fish in the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the waters.
How wonderful is your name above all the earth,
O Lord, our 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.
How great is your name, Lord, through all the earth.
Scripture Reading
Romans 12:14-16
Bless those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow. Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the poor.
Short Responsory
When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
– When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
My tongue shall tell the tale of your justice.
– When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Lord, guide our feet into the way of peace.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of 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.
Lord, guide our feet into the way of peace.
Prayers and intercessions
God the Father has adopted us as brothers of his only Son, and through the ages has stayed with us and kept us in his love. Let us ask him for the needs of the world.
– Lord, help us as we work.
We pray for all who plan and build in our cities:
give them respect for every human value.
– Lord, help us as we work.
Pour out your Spirit on artists, craftsmen, and musicians:
may their work bring variety, joy, and inspiration to our lives.
– Lord, help us as we work.
Be with us as the cornerstone of all that we build:
for we can do nothing well without your aid.
– Lord, help us as we work.
You have created us anew in the resurrection of your Son:
give us the strength to create a new life, and a new world.
– Lord, help us as we work.
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 forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Let us praise you, O Lord,
with voice and mind and deed;
and since life itself is your gift,
may all we have and all we are be yours.
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.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 15 to 21 June
The theological season of the year. The Most Holy Trinity - two pictures which may help. Dorothy L. Sayers and creation. Cardinal Manning, Pope Leo XIII and the social teaching of the Church. (26 minutes) Episode notes.