See, my servant will prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights. As the crowds were appalled on seeing him – so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before.
Short Responsory
It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
And from the evil word.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– It is he who will free me from the snare of the hunters.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
I have done many good works for you to see, said the Lord. For which of these works do you wish to kill me?
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.
I have done many good works for you to see, said the Lord. For which of these works do you wish to kill me?
Prayers and intercessions
We give thanks to Christ the Lord, who died on the cross that we might live. Let us pray to him with all our heart.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
Master and Saviour, you have taught us by your life and renewed us by your passion;
do not allow us to grow used to sin.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
You call on us to feed the hungry;
let us deny ourselves some food this day to help our brothers in their need.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
May we accept from your hands this day of Lent;
may we make it yours by deeds of love.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
End the rebellion within our hearts;
make us generous and willing to share.
– Lord Jesus, may your death bring us to life.
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.
Lord, break the bonds of sin
which our weaknesses have forged to enchain us,
and in your loving mercy
forgive your people’s guilt.
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 28 April
Saint Joseph the Worker. The mysterious 7th Hour in the Liturgy of the Hours. (16 minutes) Episode notes.