(Make the sign of the cross, saying:)

God, come to my assistance,
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be 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: Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will give you eternal life.

Psalm 37 (36)
Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not envy those who do evil,
for they wither quickly like grass
and fade like the green of the fields.

If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart's desire.

Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait in patience;
do not fret at those who prosper;
those who make evil plots
to bring down the needy and the poor.

Calm your anger and forget your rage;
do not fret, it only leads to evil.
For those who do evil shall perish;
the patient shall inherit the land.

A little longer and the wicked shall have gone.
Look at their homes, they are not there.
But the humble shall own the land
and enjoy the fullness of peace

The wicked make plots against the just
and gnash their teeth against them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked
for he sees that their day is at hand.

The sword of the wicked is drawn,
the bow bent to slaughter the upright.
Their sword shall pierce their own hearts
and their bows shall be broken to pieces.

The few things owned by the just
are better than the wealth of the wicked;
for the power of the wicked shall be broken
and the Lord will support the just.

He protects the lives of the upright,
their heritage will last for ever.
They shall not be put to shame in evil days,
in time of famine their food shall not fail.

But all the wicked shall perish
and all the enemies of the Lord.
They are like the beauty of the meadows,
they shall vanish, they shall vanish like smoke.

The wicked borrow without repaying,
but the just are generous and give.
Those blest by the Lord shall own the land,
but those he has cursed shall be destroyed.

The Lord guards the steps of the upright
and makes safe the path of those he loves.
Though they stumble they shall never fall
for the Lord holds them by the hand.

I was young and now I am old,
but I have never seen the just forsaken
nor their children begging for bread.
All the day they are generous and lend
and their children become a blessing.

Then turn away from evil and do good
and you shall have a home for ever;
for the Lord loves justice
and will never forsake his friends.

The unjust shall be wiped out for ever
and the children of the wicked destroyed.
The just shall inherit the land;
there they shall live for ever.

The mouths of the just speak wisdom
and their lips say what is right;
the law of their God is in their heart,
their steps shall be saved from stumbling.

The wicked are watching for the just
and seeking occasion to destroy them.
The Lord will not leave them undefended
nor let them be condemned when they are judged.

Then wait for the Lord, keep to his way.
It is he who will free you from the wicked,
raise you up to possess the land
and see the wicked destroyed.

I have seen the wicked triumphant,
towering like the cedars of Lebanon.
I passed by again, they were gone.
I searched, they could not be found.

See the just and mark the upright,
a future lies in store for the peaceful,
but sinners shall all be destroyed.
No future lies in store for the wicked.

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them, for their refuge is in him.

Glory be 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: Commit your life to the Lord, trust in him and he will give you eternal life.

ANT: The Father has given Christ all power, honor, and kingship;
all people will obey him.

Canticle 28 (Revelation 11 and 12)
We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty,
who are and who were,
that you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
The nations raged, but your wrath came
and the time for the dead to be judged,
for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name, both small and great.

Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down,
who accuses them day and night before our God.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
for they loved not their lives even un-to death.
Rejoice then, O heaven | and you that dwell therein!

Glory be 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: The Father has given Christ all power, honor, and kingship;
all people will obey him.

READING (James 4:7-8,10)
Submit to God; resist the devil and he will take flight.
Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts,
you backsliders. Be humbled in the sight of the Lord
and he will raise you on high.

[Reflect on the Reading, applying it to your life today.]

ANT: Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find,
knock and the door shall be opened to you.

CANTICLE OF MARY (Lk 1:46-55)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be 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: Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find,
knock and the door shall be opened to you.

INTERCESSIONS
Christ the Lord gave us a new commandment of love for each other.
We pray that he will build up his people in love.

Lord, teach us to love you in our neighbors,
and in serving them we will serve you.

Lord, forgive me all the sins I have committed today.

Give to our dead loved ones the perfect joy of your eternal love,
and number them among your chosen ones.

[Pray for your special intentions.]

OUR FATHER
And now we pray to God the Father in the words that Jesus taught us.

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.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen

PRAYER
Father, without you we can do nothing.
By your Spirit help us to know what is right
and to be eager in doing your will.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen