Opening
Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Hymn
Servants of the Servant, lead us Where the lowly paths still run. Not for glory, not for power— Only love until day is done. Christ our strength, our joy, our portion, Keep us faithful, keep us free. Make our lives a living offering Poured in quiet charity.
Original, Prayer on Fire
Psalm I
Antiphon
Foundation stones of the Church, pray that we may be faithful.
Psalm 98 (97)
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has performed wonders. His right hand has accomplished salvation for him, with his holy arm. The Lord has made known his salvation. He has revealed his justice in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sing joyfully to God, all the earth. Sing and exult, and sing psalms. Sing psalms to the Lord with stringed instruments, with strings and the voice of a psalmist, with subtle wind instruments and the voice of woodwinds. Make a joyful noise before the Lord our king. Let the sea be moved and all its fullness, the whole world and all who dwell in it. The rivers will clap their hands, the mountains will exult together, before the presence of the Lord. For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the whole world with justice, and the peoples with fairness.
Glory Be
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.
Antiphon
Foundation stones of the Church, pray that we may be faithful.
Psalm II
Antiphon
Sent by the Lord, we go without fear, carrying only your name.
Psalm 103 (102)
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and bless his holy name, all that is within me. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his recompenses. He forgives all your iniquities. He heals all your infirmities. He redeems your life from destruction. He crowns you with mercy and compassion. He satisfies your desire with good things. Your youth will be renewed like that of the eagle. The Lord accomplishes mercies, and his judgment is for all who patiently endure injuries. He has made his ways known to Moses, his will to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, patient and full of mercy. He will not be angry forever, and he will not threaten for eternity. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, and he has not repaid us according to our iniquities. For according to the height of the heavens above the earth, so has he reinforced his mercy toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our iniquities from us. As a father is compassionate to his sons, so has the Lord been compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows our form. He has called to mind that we are dust. Man: his days are like hay. Like the flower of the field, so will he flourish. For the spirit in him will pass away, and it will not remain, and he will know his place no longer. But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity, and even unto eternity, upon those who fear him. And his justice is with the sons of the sons, with those who serve his covenant and have been mindful of his commandments by doing them. The Lord has prepared his throne in heaven, and his kingdom will rule over all. Bless the Lord, all you his Angels: powerful in virtue, doing his word, in order to heed the voice of his discourse. Bless the Lord, all his hosts: his ministers who do his will. Bless the Lord, all his works: in every place of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Glory Be
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.
Antiphon
Sent by the Lord, we go without fear, carrying only your name.
Silence
Hold the psalm a little longer.
Reading of the feast
Ephesians 2:19–22
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Now, therefore, you are no longer visitors and new arrivals. Instead, you are citizens among the saints in the household of God, having been built upon the foundation of the Apostles and of the Prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the preeminent cornerstone. In him, all that has been built is framed together, rising up into a holy temple in the Lord. In him, you also have been built together into a habitation of God in the Spirit.
Responsory
The Lord is wonderful in his saints. Blessed be God in his gifts. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Benedictus
Antiphon
In holiness and in justice before him, let this day be lived.
Luke 1:68–79
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Canticle
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel. For he has visited and has wrought the redemption of his people. And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant, just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, who are from ages past: salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate us, to accomplish mercy with our fathers, and to call to mind his holy testament, the oath, which he swore to Abraham, our father, that he would grant to us, so that, having been freed from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear, in holiness and in justice before him, throughout all our days. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the face of the Lord: to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people for the remission of their sins, through the heart of the mercy of our God, by which, descending from on high, he has visited us, to illuminate those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to direct our feet in the way of peace.”
Glory Be
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.
Antiphon
In holiness and in justice before him, let this day be lived.
Intercessions
For the Church, that we may witness with courage and gentleness on this holy day.
R. Lord, have mercy.
For those who seek the Lord with tears, that they may hear their name spoken in love.
R. Lord, have mercy.
For the poor and the forgotten, that Christ’s friends may serve them with joy.
R. Lord, have mercy.
For our household and those we carry in prayer.
R. Lord, have mercy.
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. Amen.
Closing prayer
God our Father, you give the Church this day of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. Let the grace of this Hour stay with us in work and rest. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.