Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 649
Proper of Seasons: 209
Psalter: Monday, Week II, 816

Christian Prayer:
Does not contain Office of Readings.

Office of Readings for Monday of the 2nd Week of Advent

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 Bow down and hear me, Lord; come to my rescue.

Psalm 31
A troubled person’s confident appeal to God
Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46).

I

In you, O Lord, I take refuge.
Let me never be put to shame.
In your justice, set me free,
hear me and speedily rescue me.

Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mighty stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
For your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.

Release me from the snares they have hidden
for you are my refuge, Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.

O God of truth, you detest
those who worship false and empty gods.
As for me, I trust in the Lord:
let me be glad and rejoice in your love.

You have seen my affliction
and taken heed of my soul’s distress,
have not handed me over to the enemy,
but set my feet at large.

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. Bow down and hear me, Lord; come to my rescue.

Ant. 2 Lord, let the light of your countenance shine on your servant.

II

Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I am in distress.
Tears have wasted my eyes,
my throat and my heart.

For my life is spent with sorrow
and my years with sighs.
Affliction has broken down my strength
and my bones waste away.

In the face of all my foes
I am a reproach,
an object of scorn to my neighbors
and of fear to my friends.

Those who see me in the street
run far away from me.
I am like a dead man, forgotten,
like a thing thrown away.

I have heard the slander of the crowd,
fear is all around me,
as they plot together against me,
as they plan to take my life.

But as for me, I trust in you, Lord,
I say: “You are my God.
My life is in your hands,
deliver me from the hands of those who hate me.

Let your face shine on your servant.
Save me in your love.”

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. Lord, let the light of your countenance shine on your servant.

Ant. 3 Blessed be the Lord, for he has poured out his mercy upon me.

III

How great is the goodness, Lord,
that you keep for those who fear you,
that you show to those who trust you
in the sight of men.

You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plotting of men:
you keep them safe within your tent
from disputing tongues.

Blessed be the Lord who has shown me
the wonders of his love
in a fortified city.

“I am far removed from your sight,”
I said in my alarm.
Yet you heard the voice of my plea
when I cried for help.

Love the Lord, all you saints.
He guards his faithful
but the Lord will repay to the full
those who act with pride.

Be strong, let your heart take courage,
all who hope in 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-prayer

God of kindness and truth, you saved your Chosen One, Jesus Christ, and you gave your martyrs strength. Watch over your people who come to you here and strengthen the hearts of those who hope in you, that they may proclaim your saving acts of kindness in the eternal city.

Ant. Blessed be the Lord, for he has poured out his mercy upon me.

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.

Lord, show us your mercy and love.
— And grant us your salvation.

READINGS

First reading
From the book of the prophet Isaiah 
24:1-18
The coming of the Lord on that day

Lo, the Lord empties the land and lays it waste;
he turns it upside down, scattering its inhabitants:

Layman and priest alike, servant and master,
The maid as her mistress, the buyer as the seller,
The lender as the borrower, the creditor as the debtor.
The earth is utterly laid waste, utterly stripped,
for the Lord has decreed this thing.

The earth mourns and fades, the world languishes and fades;
both heaven and earth languish.
The earth is polluted because of its inhabitants,
who have transgressed laws, violated statutes,
broken the ancient covenant.

Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants pay for their guilt;
Therefore they who dwell on earth turn pale,
and few men are left.

The wine mourns, the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted groan.
Stilled are the cheerful timbrels,
ended the shouts of the jubilant,
stilled is the cheerful harp.

They cannot sing and drink wine;
strong drink is bitter to those who partake of it.
Broken down is the city of chaos,
shut against entry, every house.
In the streets they cry out for lack of wine;
all joy has disappeared and cheer has left the land.

In the city nothing remains but ruin;
its gates are battered and desolate.
Thus it is within the land, and among the peoples,
As with an olive tree after it is beaten,
as with a gleaning when the vintage is done.

These lift up their voice in acclaim;
from the sea they proclaim the majesty of the Lord:
“For this, in the coastlands, give glory to the Lord!
In the coastlands of the sea,
to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel!”

From the end of the earth we hear songs:
“Splendor to the Just One!”
But I said, “I am wasted, wasted away. Woe is me!
The traitors betray: with treachery have the traitors betrayed!

Terror, pit, and trap are upon you, inhabitant of the earth;
He who flees at the sound of terror will fall into the pit;
He who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the trap.
For the windows on high will be opened
and the foundations of the earth will shake.

RESPONSORY Isaiah 24:14, 15; Psalm 96:1

Singing in praise they lift their voices:
— Let the Lord be glorified in your teachings.

Sing to the Lord a new song;
— let all the earth sing to the Lord.

Second reading
From a treatise on The Ascent of Mount Carmel by Saint John of the Cross, priest
In Christ God has spoken to us

Under the ancient law prophets and priests sought from God revelations and visions which indeed they needed, for faith had as yet no firm foundation and the gospel law had not yet been established. Their seeking and God’s responses were necessary. He spoke to them at one time through words and visions and revelations, at another in signs and symbols. But however he responded and what he said and revealed were mysteries of our holy faith, either partial glimpses of the whole or sure movements toward it.

But now that faith is rooted in Christ, and the law of the gospel has been proclaimed in this time of grace, there is no need to seek him in the former manner, nor for him so to respond. By giving us, as he did, his Son, his only Word, he has in that one Word said everything. There is no need for any further revelation.

This is the true meaning of Paul’s words to the Hebrews when he urged them to abandon their earlier ways of conversing with God, as laid down in the law of Moses, and to set their eyes on Christ alone: In the past God spoke to our fathers through the prophets in various ways and manners; but now in our times, the last days, he has spoken to us in his Son. In effect, Paul is saying that God has spoken so completely through his own Word that he chooses to add nothing. Although he had spoken but partially through the prophets he has now said everything in Christ. He has given us everything, his own Son.

Therefore, anyone who wished to question God or to seek some new vision or revelation from him would commit an offense, for instead of focusing his eyes entirely on Christ he would be desiring something other than Christ, or beyond him.

God could then answer: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear him. In my Word I have already said everything. Fix your eyes on him alone for in him I have revealed all and in him you will find more than you could ever ask for or desire.

I, with my Holy Spirit, came down upon him on Mount Tabor and declared: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear him. You do not need new teachings or ways of learning from me, for when I spoke before it was of Christ who was to come, and when they sought anything of me they were but seeking and hoping for the Christ in whom is every good, as the whole teaching of the evangelists and apostles clearly testifies.

RESPONSORY Micah 4:2; John 4:25

Many nations will come and say: Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the home of the God of Jacob.
— He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.

The Messiah, who is called the Christ, is coming. When he comes, he will teach us everything.
— He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

May our prayer of petition
rise before you, we pray, O Lord,
that, with purity unblemished,
we, your servants, may come, as we desire,
to celebrate the great mystery
of the Incarnation of your Only Begotten 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.