Universalis: Office of Readings (2024)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to our aid.

O Lord, make haste to help us.

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. Alleluia.

Hail, of paradise the portal!

Tree of Life regained, immortal;

Whence, through thee, all sweetness floweth,

And salvation’s fruit still groweth.

Thou our hearts aright inclinest,

On our life’s way brightly shinest;

Us from God’s just anger savest,

Who to man our Saviour gavest.

Hail! Blest shrine of God the Father,

Thither sinners haste to gather;

Pardon for their guilt obtaining,

Freedom from the foe’s enchaining;

Strength from thee the weak shall borrow,

Comfort, thou, of all who sorrow;

From the final wrath tremendous,

Mother of our Christ, defend us.

Star of ocean! Mother fairest!

Who the name of Mary bearest;

In thy bright illumination

Pales each star and constellation.

Hail, O Father! Hail, sweet Mother!

Hail, O Son of God, our Brother!

Let the hosts of heaven adore thee,

Every spirit bow before thee.

Psalm 130 (131)
Childlike trust in God

Whoever humbles himself like a little child will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Lord, I do not puff myself up or stare about,

or walk among the great or seek wonders beyond me.

Truly calm and quiet I have made my spirit:

quiet as a weaned child in its mother’s arms–

like an infant is my soul.

Let Israel hope in the Lord, now and for all time.

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.

Whoever humbles himself like a little child will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 131 (132)
God's promise to the house of David

With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully, O my God.

Lord, remember David

and how he served you.

He swore to the Lord,

vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

“I will not go into my tent, my home,

nor go up to my bed of rest;

I will not let my eyes sleep

or my eyelids grow heavy

until I have found a place for the Lord,

a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We heard that it was in Ephratha,

we found it in the plains of Jaar.

So let us go into his dwelling-place

and let us worship before his footstool.

Rise up, Lord, and come to your place of rest.

Come with the Ark of your power.

Let your priests be robed in your justice,

and let your chosen ones rejoice.

Remember what David did for you,

and do not turn your face from your Anointed.

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.

With an honest heart I have offered up all things joyfully, O my God.

Psalm 131 (132)

The Lord swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word; he made his kingdom firm for ever.

The Lord swore David a true oath,

he will not go back on his word:

“The fruit of your body

I will place on your throne.

If your children keep my covenant and the commands I teach them,

their children’s children will occupy your throne for ever.”

For the Lord has chosen Zion,

taken it for his dwelling-place:

“Here will I take my rest for all time:

here will I live, such is my desire.

I will bless its crops with my blessing,

I will fill its poor with bread.

I will clothe its priests with righteousness.

Its chosen ones will exult with joy.

There will I plant the sign of David,

and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.

I will wrap his enemies in confusion,

but over his head my crown will shine.

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.

The Lord swore an oath to David and he will not go back on his word; he made his kingdom firm for ever.

℣. Mary remembered all these things.

℟. She treasured them all in her heart.

Job is justified over his adversaries by God

When the Lord had said all this to Job, he turned to Eliphaz of Teman. ‘I burn with anger against you and your two friends’ he said ‘for not speaking truthfully about me as my servant Job has done. So now find seven bullocks and seven rams, and take them back with you to my servant Job and offer a holocaust for yourselves, while Job, my servant, offers prayers for you. I will listen to him with favour and excuse your folly in not speaking of me properly as my servant Job has done.’ Eliphaz of Teman, Bildad of Shuah and Zophar of Naamath went away to do as the Lord had ordered, and the Lord listened to Job with favour.

The Lord restored Job’s fortunes, because he had prayed for his friends. More than that, the Lord gave him double what he had before. And all his brothers and all his sisters and all his friends of former times came to see him and sat down at table with him. They showed him every sympathy, and comforted him for all the evils the Lord had inflicted on him. Each of them gave him a silver coin, and each a gold ring. The Lord blessed Job’s new fortune even more than his first one. He came to own fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she-donkeys. He had seven sons and three daughters; his first daughter he called ‘Turtledove’, the second ‘Cassia’ and the third ‘Mascara.’ Throughout the land there were no women as beautiful as the daughters of Job. And their father gave them inheritance rights like their brothers.

After his trials, Job lived on until he was a hundred and forty years old, and saw his children and his children’s children up to the fourth generation. Then Job died, an old man and full of days.

℟. The Lord said to Eliphaz, You with your two friends have not spoken rightly concerning me, as has my servant Job.* He will pray for you.

℣. His prayer I will accept, not to punish you severely.* He will pray for you.

Mary kept all these things in her heart

As Mary pondered all she had learned from reading and from what she had heard and seen, how greatly did she increase in faith, advance in merit and become enlightened with wisdom! More and more she was consumed with burning love. Drawing life and inspiration from the heavenly mysteries which were being unlocked for her, she was filled with joy; she became alive with the Spirit, she was guided towards God and was kept humble in herself. The effects of divine grace are such indeed that they raise one from the depths to the heights, and transform one in an ever greater degree of glory. Entirely blessed was the mind of the Virgin which, through the direction of the Spirit dwelling in her, ever obeyed the command of the Word of God in all things. She was governed not by her own judgement or opinions, but she outwardly performed through her body whatever wisdom had indicated inwardly to her faith. It was surely fitting that divine Wisdom, which had built the house of the Church for its abode, should use most holy Mary as its instrument, where the observance of the law, purification of the heart, the doctrine of humility and spiritual offering were concerned.

Imitate her, O faithful soul. Enter into the temple of your heart that you may be purified in spirit and cleansed of the pollution of your sins. In everything we do God considers our disposition rather than our actions. And so, whether we retire mentally to God in earnest contemplation and remain at rest or whether we are intent on being of service to those around us with good works and worthy undertakings, let our object be that we are motivated only by love of Christ. So the really acceptable offering of purification of the spirit is that which is rendered not in a man-made temple but in the temple of the heart, where Christ the Lord is pleased to enter.

℟. I know not how to praise you, holy and immaculate Virgin.* Heaven itself cannot contain the One whom you bore in your womb.

℣. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.* Heaven itself cannot contain the One whom you bore in your womb.

Let us pray.

God our Father,

you created a worthy dwelling-place for the Holy Spirit

in the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Grant that through her prayers

we may become a temple fit for your glory.

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.

Let us praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.

You can also view this page in Latin and English.