Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 615
Psalter: Friday, Week IV, 11944
Common of One Martyr: 1721 (verse before first reading)
Proper of Seasons: 394 (first reading)
Proper of Saints: 1490 (second reading, concluding prayer)

Christian Prayer:
Does not contain Office of Readings.

Office of Readings for Friday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, 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.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 My God, do not reject my cry for help, assailed as I am by the wicked.

Psalm 55
Against a friend proved traitor
Jesus was seized with fear and distress (Mark 14:33).

I

O God, listen to my prayer,
do not hide from my pleading,
attend to me and reply;
with my cares, I cannot rest.

I tremble at the shouts of the foe,
at the cries of the wicked;
for they bring down evil upon me.
They assail me with fury.

My heart is stricken within me,
death’s terror is on me,
trembling and fear fall upon me
and horror overwhelms me.

O that I had wings like a dove
to fly away and be at rest.
So I would escape far away
and take refuge in the desert.

I would hasten to find a shelter
from the raging wind,
from the destructive storm, O Lord,
and from their plotting tongues.

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. My God, do not reject my cry for help, assailed as I am by the wicked.

Ant. 2 The Lord himself will free us from hostile and treacherous hands.

II

For I can see nothing but violence
and strife in the city.
Night and day they patrol
high on the city walls.

It is full of wickedness and evil;
it is full of sin.
Its streets are never free
from tyranny and deceit.

If this had been done by an enemy
I could bear his taunts.
If a rival had risen against me,
I could hide from him.

But it is you, my own companion,
my intimate friend!
How close was the friendship between us.
We walked together in harmony
in the house of God.

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 himself will free us from hostile and treacherous hands.

Ant. 3 Entrust your cares to the Lord; he will sustain you.

III

As for me, I will cry to God
and the Lord will save me.
Evening, morning and at noon
I will cry and lament.

He will deliver my soul in peace
in the attack against me:
for those who fight me are many,
but he hears my voice.

God will hear and will humble them,
the eternal judge:
for they will not amend their ways.
They have no fear of God.

The traitor has turned against his friends;
he has broken his word.
His speech is softer than butter,
but war is in his heart.
His words are smoother than oil,
but they are naked swords.

Entrust your cares to the Lord
and he will support you.
He will never allow
the just man to stumble.

But you, O God, will bring them down
to the pit of death.
Deceitful and bloodthirsty men
shall not live half their days.
O Lord, I will trust in you.

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-prayer

Lord Jesus, you were rejected by your people, betrayed by the kiss of a friend, and deserted by your disciples. Give us the confidence that you had in the Father, and our salvation will be assured.

Ant. Entrust your cares to the Lord; he will sustain you.

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 tribulation and distress.
— But in your commands I have found consolation.

READINGS

First reading
From the beginning of the book of the prophet Malachi
1:1-14; 2:13-16
A prophecy concerning negligent priests and concerning repudiation

An oracle. The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.

I have loved you, says the Lord;
but you say, “How have you loved us?”
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the Lord:
yet I loved Jacob, but hated Esau;
I made his mountains a waste,
his heritage a desert for jackals.
If Edom says, “We have been crushed
but we will rebuild the ruins,”
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
They indeed may build, but I will tear down,
And they shall be called the land of guilt,
the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.
Your own eyes shall see it, and you will say,
“Great is the Lord, even beyond the land of Israel.”

A son honors his father,
and a servant fears his master;
If then I am a father,
where is the honor due to me?
And if I am a master,
where is the reverence due to me?–
So says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests,
who despise his name.

But you ask, “How have we despised your name?”
By offering polluted food on my altar!
Then you ask, “How have we polluted it?”
By saying the table of the Lord may be slighted!
When you offer a blind animal for sacrifice,
is this not evil?
When you offer the lame or the sick,
is it not evil?
Present it to your governor; see if he will accept it,
or welcome you, says the Lord of hosts.

So now if you implore God for mercy on us,
when you have done the like
Will he welcome any of you?
says the Lord of hosts.
Oh, that one among you would shut the temple gates
to keep you from kindling fire on my altar in vain!
I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts;
neither will I accept any sacrifice from your hands,
For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting,
my name is great among the nations;
And everywhere they bring sacrifice to my name,
and a pure offering;
For great is my name among the nations,
says the Lord of hosts.

But you behave profanely toward me by thinking
the Lord’s table and its offering may be polluted,
and its food slighted.
You also say, “What a burden!”
and you scorn it, says the Lord of hosts;
You bring in what you seize, or the lame, or the sick;
yes, you bring it as a sacrifice.
Shall I accept it from your hands?
says the Lord.

Cursed is the deceiver, who has in his flock a male,
but under his vow sacrifices to the Lord a gelding;
For a great King am I, says the Lord of hosts,
and my name will be feared among the nations.

This also you do: the altar of the Lord you cover
with tears, weeping and groaning,
Because he no longer regards your sacrifice
nor accepts it favorably from your hand;
And you say, “Why is it?”–
Because the Lord is witness
between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have broken faith
though she is your companion, your betrothed wife.

Did he not make one being, with flesh and spirit:
and what does that one require but godly offspring?
You must then safeguard life that is your own,
and not break faith with the wife of your youth.
For I hate divorce,
says the Lord, the God of Israel,
And covering one’s garment with injustice,
says the Lord of hosts;
You must then safeguard life that is your own,
and not break faith.

RESPONSORY Malachi 2:5, 6; Psalm 110:4

I made a covenant with Levi, the priest.
In it I promised him life and peace.
I filled him with fear,
and he revered me.
— His teaching was true,
and no dishonesty fell from his lips.

The Lord has sworn an oath
which he will not regret:
You are a priest for ever in the line of Melchizedek.
— His teaching was true,
and no dishonesty fell from his lips.

Second reading
From a letter to the Romans by Saint Ignatius, bishop and martyr
I am God’s wheat and shall be ground by the teeth of wild animals

I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God’s wheat and shall be ground by their teeth so that I may become Christ’s pure bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God.

No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. Do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light. Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being. Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. If you have him in your heart, you will understand what I wish. You will sympathize with me because you will know what urges me on.

The prince of this world is determined to lay hold of me and to undermine my will which is intent on God. Let none of you here help him; instead show yourselves on my side, which is also God’s side. Do not talk about Jesus Christ as long as you love this world. Do not harbor envious thoughts. And supposing I should see you, if then I should beg you to intervene on my behalf, do not believe what I say. Believe instead what I am now writing to you. For though I am alive as I write to you, still my real desire is to die. My love of this life has been crucified, and there is no yearning in me for any earthly thing. Rather within me is the living water which says deep inside me: “Come to the Father.” I no longer take pleasure in perishable food or in the delights of this world. I want only God’s bread, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, formed of the seed of David, and for drink I crave his blood, which is love that cannot perish.

I am no longer willing to live a merely human life, and you can bring about my wish if you will. Please, then, do me this favor, so that you in turn may meet with equal kindness. Put briefly, this is my request: believe what I am saying to you. Jesus Christ himself will make it clear to you that I am saying the truth. Only truth can come from that mouth by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray for me that I may obtain my desire. I have not written to you as a mere man would, but as one who knows the mind of God. If I am condemned to suffer, I will take it that you wish me well. If my case is postponed, I can only think that you wish me harm.

RESPONSORY

Nothing will be hidden from you if you have perfect faith and love for Jesus Christ, since these are the beginning and end of life.
— Faith, indeed, is the beginning and love is the end.

Clothe yourself with gentleness, and be renewed in faith, which is the flesh of the Lord, and in love, which is the blood of Jesus Christ.
— Faith, indeed, is the beginning and love is the end.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God,
who adorn the sacred body of your Church
with the confessions of holy Martyrs,
grant, we pray, that,
just as the glorious passion of Saint Ignatius of Antioch,
which we celebrate today,
brought him eternal splendor,
so it may be for us unending protection.
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 (at least in the communal celebration)

Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.