Universalis
Saturday 17 January 2026    (other days)
Saint Antony, Abbot 
 on Saturday of week 1 in Ordinary Time

Using calendar: Asia - India - Goa & Daman - Old Goa. You can change this.

Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.
Based on the liturgy for the Common of Abbots.
INTRODUCTION
O God, come to our aid.
  O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
Hymn
How great the tale, that there should be,
In God’s Son’s heart, a place for me!
That on a sinner’s lips like mine
The cross of Jesus Christ should shine!
Christ Jesus, bend me to thy will,
My feet to urge, my griefs to still;
That e’en my flesh and blood may be
A temple sanctified to Thee.
No rest, no calm my soul may win,
Because my body craves to sin;
Till thou, dear Lord, thyself impart
Peace on my head, light in my heart.
May consecration come from far,
Soft shining like the evening star.
My toilsome path make plain to me,
Until I come to rest in thee.

Psalm 130 (131)
Childlike trust in God

Whoever humbles himself like a little child will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.
Lord, I do not puff myself up or stare about,
  or walk among the great or seek wonders beyond me.
Truly calm and quiet I have made my spirit:
  quiet as a weaned child in its mother’s arms –
  like an infant is my soul.
Let Israel hope in the Lord, now and for all time.
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.
Whoever humbles himself like a little child will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.

How to listen

Psalm 131 (132)
God's promise to the house of David

With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully, O my God.
Lord, remember David
  and how he served you.
He swore to the Lord,
  vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
“I will not go into my tent, my home,
  nor go up to my bed of rest;
I will not let my eyes sleep
  or my eyelids grow heavy
until I have found a place for the Lord,
  a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
We heard that it was in Ephratha,
  we found it in the plains of Jaar.
So let us go into his dwelling-place
  and let us worship before his footstool.
Rise up, Lord, and come to your place of rest.
  Come with the Ark of your power.
Let your priests be robed in your justice,
  and let your chosen ones rejoice.
Remember what David did for you,
  and do not turn your face from your Anointed.
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.
With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully, O my God.

Psalm 131 (132)

The Lord swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word; he made his kingdom firm for ever.
The Lord swore David a true oath,
  he will not go back on his word:
“The fruit of your body
  I will place on your throne.
If your children keep my covenant and the commands I teach them,
  their children’s children will occupy your throne for ever.”
For the Lord has chosen Zion,
  taken it for his dwelling-place:
“Here will I take my rest for all time:
  here will I live, such is my desire.
I will bless its crops with my blessing,
  I will fill its poor with bread.
I will clothe its priests with righteousness.
  Its chosen ones will exult with joy.
There will I plant the sign of David,
  and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
I will wrap his enemies in confusion,
  but over his head my crown will shine.
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.
The Lord swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word; he made his kingdom firm for ever.
℣. The Lord led the virtuous man along straight paths.
℟. He showed him the kingdom of God.
First Reading
Ecclesiasticus 44:1-2,16-45:6

Praise of the patriarchs from Enoch to Moses

Let us praise illustrious men,
  our ancestors in their successive generations.
The Lord has created an abundance of glory,
  and displayed his greatness from earliest times.
Enoch pleased the Lord and was taken up,
  an example for the conversion of all generations.
Noah was found perfectly virtuous,
  in the time of wrath he became the scion:
because of him a remnant was preserved for the earth
  at the coming of the Flood.
Everlasting covenants were made with him
  that never again should every living creature perish by flood.
Abraham, the great forefather of a host of nations,
  no one was ever his equal in glory.
He observed the Law of the Most High,
  and entered into a covenant with him.
He confirmed the covenant in his own flesh,
  and proved himself faithful under ordeal.
The Lord therefore promised him on oath
  to bless the nations through his descendants,
to multiply him like the dust on the ground,
  to exalt his descendants like the stars,
and give them the land for their inheritance,
  from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth.
To Isaac too, for the sake of Abraham his father,
  he assured the blessing of all mankind;
  he caused the covenant to rest on the head of Jacob.
He confirmed him in his blessings
  and gave him the land for his inheritance;
he divided it into portions,
  and shared it out among the twelve tribes.
From him he produced a generous man
  who found favour in the eyes of all mankind,
beloved by God and men,
  Moses, of blessed memory.
He made him the equal of the holy ones in glory
  and made him strong, to the terror of his enemies.
At the word of Moses he made the miracles stop,
  he raised him high in the respect of kings;
he gave him commandments for his people,
  and showed him something of his glory.
For his loyalty and gentleness he sanctified him,
  choosing him alone out of all mankind;
he allowed him to hear his voice,
  and led him into the darkness;
he gave him the commandments face to face,
  the law of life and knowledge,
to teach Jacob his ordinances
  and Israel his decrees.
Responsory
℟. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to keep the commandments which the Lord has given you,* and you will come to know that the Lord is a faithful God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him.
℣. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might,* and you will come to know that the Lord is a faithful God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him.
Second Reading
From the Life of Saint Antony by Saint Athanasius, bishop

Saint Antony receives his vocation

When Antony was about eighteen or twenty years old, his parents died, leaving him with an only sister. He cared for her as she was very young, and also looked after their home.
  Not six months after his parents’ death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Saviour, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles the money for distribution to the needy. He reflected too on the great hope stored up in heaven for such as these. This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he heard the Lord’s words to the rich man: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor – you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.
  It seemed to Antony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church and gave away to the villagers all the property he had inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land, so that it would cause no distraction to his sister and himself. He sold all his other possessions as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.
  The next time he went to church he heard the Lord say in the Gospel: Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Without a moment’s hesitation he went out and gave the poor all that he had left. He placed his sister in the care of some well-known and trustworthy virgins and arranged for her to be brought up in the convent. Then he gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He kept a careful watch over himself and practised great austerity. He did manual work because he had heard the words: If anyone will not work, do not let him eat. He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor.
  Having learned that we should always be praying, even when we are by ourselves, he prayed without ceasing. Indeed, he was so attentive when Scripture was read that nothing escaped him and because he retained all he heard, his memory served him in place of books.
  Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as both son and brother.
Responsory
℟. If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;* then come, follow me.
℣. None of you can be my disciple unless he give up all his possessions;* then come, follow me.
Let us pray.
Lord God, you bestowed on Saint Antony
  the grace of serving you in the wilderness.
Grant that through his intercession
  we may deny ourselves and love you above all things.
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.
Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

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.

You can also view this page in Latin and English.

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