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Ribbon Placement:
Christian Prayer:
Office of Readings for Wednesday in Ordinary Time
God, come to my assistance.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
HYMN
For the beauty of the earth,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For the beauty of each hour
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For the joy of ear and eye,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For the joy of human love,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For each perfect gift of Thine,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies.
Psalm 39
I
I said: I will be watchful of my ways
My heart was burning within me.
You have given me a short span of days;
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Ant. We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies.
Ant. 2 Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain.
II
And now, Lord, what is there to wait for?
Take away your scourge from me.
O Lord, turn your ear to my cry.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Psalm-prayer
Through your Son you taught us, Father, not to be fearful of tomorrow but to commit our lives to your care. Do not withhold your Spirit from us but help us find a life of peace after these days of trouble.
Ant. Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain.
Ant. 3 I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy.
Psalm 52
Why do you boast of your wickedness,
You love evil more than good,
For this God will destroy you
The just shall see and fear.
But I am like a growing olive tree
I will thank you for evermore;
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Psalm-prayer
Father, you cut down the unfruitful branch for burning and prune the fertile to make it bear more fruit. Make us grow like laden olive trees in your domain, firmly rooted in the power and mercy of your Son, so that you may gather from us fruit worthy of eternal life.
Ant. I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy.
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 put my trust in the word of the Lord.
READINGS
First reading
In times past there were false prophets among God’s people, and among you also there will be false teachers who will smuggle in pernicious heresies. They will go so far as to deny the Master who acquired them for his own, thereby bringing on themselves swift disaster. Their lustful ways will lure many away. Through them, the true way will be made subject to contempt.
They will deceive you with fabricated tales, in a spirit of greed. Their condemnation has not lain idle all this time, however; their destruction is not asleep. Did God spare even the angels who sinned? He did not! He held them captive in Tartarus–consigned them to pits of darkness, to be guarded until judgment. Nor did he spare the ancient world–even though he preserved Noah as a preacher of holiness, with seven others, when he brought down the flood on that godless earth. He blanketed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in ashes and condemned them to destruction, thereby showing what would happen in the future to the godless.
He did deliver Lot, however, a just man oppressed by the conduct of men unprincipled in their lusts. (Day after day that just one, good as he was, felt himself tormented by seeing and hearing about the lawless deeds of those among whom he lived.) The Lord, indeed, knows how to rescue devout men from trial, and how to continue the punishment of the wicked up to the day of judgment.
RESPONSORY Matthew 7:15; 24:11, 24
Beware of false prophets
Many false prophets shall rise up;
Second reading
When God was displeased with the Jews, he delivered Jerusalem to the enemy, and they were conquered by those who hated them; there were no more sacrifices or feasts. Likewise angered at a soul who had broken his commands, God handed it over to its enemies, who corrupted and totally dishonoured it. When a house has no master living in it, it becomes dark, vile and contemptible, choked with filth and disgusting refuse. So too is a soul which has lost its master, who once rejoiced there with his angels. This soul is darkened with sin, its desires are degraded, and it knows nothing but shame.
Woe to the path that is not walked on, or along which the voices of men are not heard, for then it becomes the haunt of wild animals. Woe to the soul if the Lord does not walk within it to banish with his voice the spiritual beasts of sin. Woe to the house where no master dwells, to the field where no farmer works, to the pilotless ship, storm-tossed and sinking. Woe to the soul without Christ as its true pilot; drifting in the darkness, buffeted by the waves of passion, storm-tossed at the mercy of evil spirits, its end is destruction. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ to cultivate it with care to produce the good fruit of the Holy Spirit. Left to itself, it is choked with thorns and thistles; instead of fruit it produces only what is fit for burning. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ dwelling in it; deserted and foul with the filth of the passions, it becomes a haven for all the vices.
When a farmer prepares to till the soil he must put on clothing and use tools that are suitable. So Christ, our heavenly king, came to till the soil of mankind devastated by sin. He assumed a body and, using the cross as his ploughshare, cultivated the barren soul of man. He removed the thorns and thistles which are the evil spirits and pulled up the weeds of sin. Into the fire he cast the straw of wickedness. And when he had ploughed the soul with the wood of the cross, he planted in it a most lovely garden of the Spirit, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most pleasant fruit of every kind.
RESPONSORY John 15:1, 5, 9
I am the true vine and you are the branches.
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Stir up
ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)
Let us praise the Lord.
By Divine Office (DivineOffice.org)4.9
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Ribbon Placement:
Christian Prayer:
Office of Readings for Wednesday in Ordinary Time
God, come to my assistance.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
HYMN
For the beauty of the earth,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For the beauty of each hour
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For the joy of ear and eye,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For the joy of human love,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
For each perfect gift of Thine,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies.
Psalm 39
I
I said: I will be watchful of my ways
My heart was burning within me.
You have given me a short span of days;
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Ant. We groan in pain as we await the redemption of our bodies.
Ant. 2 Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain.
II
And now, Lord, what is there to wait for?
Take away your scourge from me.
O Lord, turn your ear to my cry.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Psalm-prayer
Through your Son you taught us, Father, not to be fearful of tomorrow but to commit our lives to your care. Do not withhold your Spirit from us but help us find a life of peace after these days of trouble.
Ant. Hear and answer my prayer, O Lord; let me not weep in vain.
Ant. 3 I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy.
Psalm 52
Why do you boast of your wickedness,
You love evil more than good,
For this God will destroy you
The just shall see and fear.
But I am like a growing olive tree
I will thank you for evermore;
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
Psalm-prayer
Father, you cut down the unfruitful branch for burning and prune the fertile to make it bear more fruit. Make us grow like laden olive trees in your domain, firmly rooted in the power and mercy of your Son, so that you may gather from us fruit worthy of eternal life.
Ant. I have put all my trust in God’s never-failing mercy.
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 put my trust in the word of the Lord.
READINGS
First reading
In times past there were false prophets among God’s people, and among you also there will be false teachers who will smuggle in pernicious heresies. They will go so far as to deny the Master who acquired them for his own, thereby bringing on themselves swift disaster. Their lustful ways will lure many away. Through them, the true way will be made subject to contempt.
They will deceive you with fabricated tales, in a spirit of greed. Their condemnation has not lain idle all this time, however; their destruction is not asleep. Did God spare even the angels who sinned? He did not! He held them captive in Tartarus–consigned them to pits of darkness, to be guarded until judgment. Nor did he spare the ancient world–even though he preserved Noah as a preacher of holiness, with seven others, when he brought down the flood on that godless earth. He blanketed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in ashes and condemned them to destruction, thereby showing what would happen in the future to the godless.
He did deliver Lot, however, a just man oppressed by the conduct of men unprincipled in their lusts. (Day after day that just one, good as he was, felt himself tormented by seeing and hearing about the lawless deeds of those among whom he lived.) The Lord, indeed, knows how to rescue devout men from trial, and how to continue the punishment of the wicked up to the day of judgment.
RESPONSORY Matthew 7:15; 24:11, 24
Beware of false prophets
Many false prophets shall rise up;
Second reading
When God was displeased with the Jews, he delivered Jerusalem to the enemy, and they were conquered by those who hated them; there were no more sacrifices or feasts. Likewise angered at a soul who had broken his commands, God handed it over to its enemies, who corrupted and totally dishonoured it. When a house has no master living in it, it becomes dark, vile and contemptible, choked with filth and disgusting refuse. So too is a soul which has lost its master, who once rejoiced there with his angels. This soul is darkened with sin, its desires are degraded, and it knows nothing but shame.
Woe to the path that is not walked on, or along which the voices of men are not heard, for then it becomes the haunt of wild animals. Woe to the soul if the Lord does not walk within it to banish with his voice the spiritual beasts of sin. Woe to the house where no master dwells, to the field where no farmer works, to the pilotless ship, storm-tossed and sinking. Woe to the soul without Christ as its true pilot; drifting in the darkness, buffeted by the waves of passion, storm-tossed at the mercy of evil spirits, its end is destruction. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ to cultivate it with care to produce the good fruit of the Holy Spirit. Left to itself, it is choked with thorns and thistles; instead of fruit it produces only what is fit for burning. Woe to the soul that does not have Christ dwelling in it; deserted and foul with the filth of the passions, it becomes a haven for all the vices.
When a farmer prepares to till the soil he must put on clothing and use tools that are suitable. So Christ, our heavenly king, came to till the soil of mankind devastated by sin. He assumed a body and, using the cross as his ploughshare, cultivated the barren soul of man. He removed the thorns and thistles which are the evil spirits and pulled up the weeds of sin. Into the fire he cast the straw of wickedness. And when he had ploughed the soul with the wood of the cross, he planted in it a most lovely garden of the Spirit, that could produce for its Lord and God the sweetest and most pleasant fruit of every kind.
RESPONSORY John 15:1, 5, 9
I am the true vine and you are the branches.
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Stir up
ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)
Let us praise the Lord.

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