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Midafternoon Prayer for

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 659
Proper of Saints: 1327
Complementary Psalmody: 1295
*Psalm 126 replaced with Psalm 129

Midafternoon Prayer for the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, using the Complementary Psalmody

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

Praise to the Lord, the almighty, the king of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Let all who hear, now to his temple draw near;
Joining in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who over all things is wondrously reigning;
And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining.
Have you not seen all that is needful has been
Sent by his gracious ordaining?

Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
Surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
As with his love he befriends you.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again,
Gladly forever adore Him.

𝄞"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" by Rebecca Hincke • Musical Score • Title: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty; Text: Lobe den Herren, den machtigen Konig der Ehren, Joachim Neunter; Translation: Catherine Winkworth; Tune: 17th c. German; Artist: Rebecca Hincke; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 The Lord said to Saul: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.

Psalm 129
God’s people reaffirm their trust in time of affliction

The voice of the Church lamenting its suffering is heard in this psalm (Saint Augustine).

“They have pressed me hard from my youth,”
this is Israel’s song.
“They have pressed me hard from my youth
but could never destroy me.

They ploughed my back like ploughmen,
drawing long furrows.
But the Lord, who is just, has destroyed
the yoke of the wicked.”

Let them be shamed and routed,
those who hate Zion!
Let them be like grass on the roof
that withers before it flowers.

With that no reaper fills his arms,
no binder makes his sheaves
and those passing by will not say:
“On you the Lord’s blessing!”

“We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

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.

Psalm 127
Apart from God our labors are worthless

You are God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9)

If the Lord does not build the house,
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city,
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.

In vain is your earlier rising,
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat,
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.

Truly sons are a gift from the Lord,
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

O the happiness of the man
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.

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.

Psalm 128
Happiness of family life rooted in God

“May the Lord bless you from Zion,” that is, from the Church (Arnobius)

O blessed are those who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways!

By the labor of your hands you shall eat.
You will be happy and prosper;
your wife like a fruitful vine
in the heart of your house;
Your children like shoots of the olive,
around your table.

Indeed thus shall be blessed
the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion
all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children
in a happy Jerusalem!

On Israel, peace!

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. The Lord said to Saul: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.

READING 1 Timothy 1:16

I was dealt with mercifully, so that in me, as an extreme case, Jesus Christ might display all his patience, and that I might become an example to those who would later have faith in him and gain everlasting life.

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 will glorify your name for ever, Lord.
So great has been your compassion toward me.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

O God,
who taught the whole world
through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul,
draw us, we pray, nearer to you
through the example of him
whose conversion we celebrate today,
and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world.
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.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.
And give him thanks.

Liturgy of the Hours for January 25 -