Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 651
Psalter: Friday, Week I, 786
Common of One Martyr: 1711 (verse)
Proper of Seasons: 310 (first reading, responsory)
Proper of Saints: 1455 (second reading, responsory, concluding prayer)
Office of Readings for Friday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
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.
HYMN
Lo! round the throne, a glorious band,
The saints in countless myriads stand;
Of every tongue redeemed to God,
Arrayed in garments washed in blood,
Through tribulation great they came;
They bore the cross, despised the shame;
From all their labors now they rest,
In God’s eternal glory blest,
They see their Savior face to face;
And sing the triumphs of His grace;
Him day and night, they ceaseless praise,
To Him their loud thanksgiving raise,
“Worthy the Lamb, for sinners slain,
Through endless years to live and reign;
Thou hast redeemed us by Thy blood,
And made us kings and priests to God.”
O may we tread the sacred road
That saints and holy martyrs trod;
Wage to the end the glorious strife,
And win, like them, a crown of life,
𝄞"Lo! Round The Throne, A Glorious Band" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase • Musical Score • Title: Lo! Round The Throne, A Glorious Band; Text: Rowland Hill, 1783; Music: • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 1
Ant. 1 Rise up, Lord, and come to my aid.
Psalm 35: 1-2, 3c, 9-19, 22-23, 27-28
The Lord as Savior in time of persecution
They came together… and laid their plans to capture Jesus by treachery and put him to death (Matthew 26:3-4).
O Lord, plead my cause against my foes;
fight those who fight me.
Take up your buckler and shield;
But my soul shall be joyful in the Lord
and rejoice in his salvation.
My whole being will say:
“Lord, who is like you
who rescue the weak from the strong
and the poor from the oppressor?”
and accuse me unjustly.
They repay me evil for good:
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. Rise up, Lord, and come to my aid.
Ant. 2 All-powerful Lord, stand by me and defend me.
When they were sick I went into mourning,
afflicted with fasting.
My prayer was ever on my lips,
as for a brother, a friend.
I went as though mourning a mother,
Now that I am in trouble they gather,
they gather and mock me.
They take me by surprise and strike me
and tear me to pieces.
They provoke me with mockery on mockery
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. All-powerful Lord, stand by me and defend me.
Ant. 3 My tongue will speak of your goodness all the day long.
O Lord, how long will you look on?
Come to my rescue!
Save my life from these raging beasts,
my soul from these lions.
I will thank you in the great assembly,
amid the throng I will praise you.
rejoice over me.
Do not let those who hate me unjustly
O Lord, you have seen, do not be silent,
do not stand afar off!
Awake, stir to my defense,
Let there be joy for those who love my cause.
Let them say without end:
“Great is the Lord who delights
in the peace of his servant.”
Then my tongue shall speak of your justice,
all day long of your praise.
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.
Lord, you rescue the poor from their oppressors, and you rose to the aid of your beloved Son against those who unjustly sought his life. Look on your Church as we journey to you, that the poor and week may recognize the help you provide and proclaim your saving acts.
Ant. My tongue will speak of your goodness all the day long.
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.
I have known tribulations and distress.
— But in your commands I have found consolation.
From the book of Job
40:1-14; 42:1-6
Job submits himself to the divine majesty
Will we have arguing with the Almighty by the critic?
Let him who would correct God give answer!
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.
Then the Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Gird up your loins now, like a man.
I will question you, and you tell me the answers!
Would you refuse to acknowledge my right?
Would you condemn me that you may be justified?
Have you an arm like that of God,
or can you thunder with a voice like his?
Adorn yourself with grandeur and majesty,
and array yourself with glory and splendor.
Let loose the fury of your wrath;
tear down the wicked and shatter them.
Bring down the haughty with a glance;
bury them in the dust together;
in the hidden world imprison them.
Then will I too acknowledge
that your own right hand can save you.
Then Job answered the Lord and said:
I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.
I have dealt with great things that I do not understand;
things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.
I had heard of you by word of mouth,
but now my eye has seen you.
Therefore I disown what I have said,
and repent in dust and ashes.
RESPONSORY Job 42:5-6; 40:5, 4
I have heard of you by word of mouth, O Lord, but now that I have seen you for myself I disown all that I have said,
— and I repent in dust and ashes.
Though I have spoken once, I will not speak again; though twice, I will do so no more. I shall put my finger against my lips.
— And I repent in dust and ashes.
From a letter by Saint Boniface, bishop and martyr
The careful shepherd watches over Christ’s flock In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course.
The ancient fathers showed us how we should carry out this duty: Clement, Cornelius and many others in the city of Rome, Cyprian at Carthage, Athanasius at Alexandria. They all lived under emperors who were pagans; they all steered Christ’s ship—or rather his most dear spouse, the Church. This they did by teaching and defending her, by their labors and sufferings, even to the shedding of blood.
I am terrified when I think of all this. Fear and trembling came upon me and the darkness of my sins almost covered me. I would gladly give up the task of guiding the Church which I have accepted if I could find such an action warranted by the example of the fathers or by holy Scripture.
Since this is the case, and since the truth can be assaulted but never defeated or falsified, with our tired mind let us turn to the words of Solomon: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own prudence. Think on him in all your ways, and he will guide your steps. In another place he says: The name of the Lord is an impregnable tower. The just man seeks refuge in it and he will be saved.
Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to him: O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.
Let us trust in him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful and he tells us: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Let us continue the fight on the day of the Lord. The days of anguish and of tribulation have overtaken us; if God so wills, let us die for the holy laws of our fathers, so that we may deserve to obtain an eternal inheritance with them.
Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor silent onlookers nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. Instead let us be careful shepherds watching over Christ’s flock. Let us preach the whole of God’s plan to the powerful and to the humble, to rich and to poor, to men of every rank and age, as far as God gives us the strength, in season and out of season, as Saint Gregory writes in his book of Pastoral Instruction.
RESPONSORY 1 Thessalonians 2:8; Galatians 4:19
I have longed to give you the Gospel, and more than that, to give you my very life;
— you have become very dear to me.
My little children, I am like a mother giving birth to you, until Christ is formed in you.
— You have become very dear to me.
May the Martyr Saint Boniface
be our advocate, O Lord,
that we may firmly hold the faith he taught
with his lips and sealed in his blood
and confidently profess it by our deeds.
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.
ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)
