← Prayer Book
Office of Readings
Saturday, May 23, 2026 • Easter, Week 7 — Saturday
Opening
O 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 forever. Amen.
Invitatory
Ant. Alleluia! The Lord is risen. Come, let us adore him. Alleluia!
Come, let us exult in the Lord; let us shout with joy to God our salvation.
Let us come before his face with praise and exult in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
For the Lord does not cast off his people; for in his hand are all the ends of the earth.
And the heights of the mountains belong to him.
For the sea is his, and he made it; and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us adore and fall down before God; let us weep before the Lord who made us.
For he is the Lord our God; and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness,
where your fathers tempted me; they tried me and saw my works.
For forty years I was close to this generation, and I said: "They always err in heart."
And these people have not known my ways, so I swore in my wrath that they will not enter into my rest.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Alleluia! The Lord is risen. Come, let us adore him. Alleluia!
Hymn
The Day of Resurrection
The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad;
the Passover of gladness,
the Passover of God.
Earth, tell it out abroad;
the Passover of gladness,
the Passover of God.
Psalmody
Psalm 61Trust Only in God
Ant. This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. Alleluia.
Will my soul not be subject to God? For from him is my salvation.
For he himself is my God and my Savior; he is my supporter, I will no longer be greatly moved.
How long do you rush against a man? You all kill, as if at a leaning wall and a crumbling fence.
Yet truly they have planned to reject my price; I have run in thirst; they blessed with their mouth, and they cursed with their heart.
Yet truly be subject to God, O my soul; for from him is my patience.
For he himself is my God and my Savior; he is my helper, I will not be displaced.
In God is my salvation and my glory; he is the God of my help, and my hope is in God.
Trust in him, all the congregation of people; pour out your hearts in his sight.
God is our helper forever.
Yet truly, the sons of men are vain; the sons of men are liars in the scales, so that by vanity they are all deceived.
Do not trust in iniquity, and do not desire rapine; if riches abound, do not set your heart upon them.
God has spoken once, I have heard two things: power belongs to God,
and to you, Lord, belongs mercy; for you will render to every man according to his works.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. Alleluia.
Psalm 62Seeking God in the Desert
Ant. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed; let us therefore celebrate the feast. Alleluia.
O God, my God, for you I watch at the break of day.
My soul has thirsted for you; in how many ways has my flesh longed for you.
In a desert land, without way or water, so in the holy land I have appeared before you, to see your power and your glory.
For your mercy is better than life; my lips will praise you.
In this way, I will bless you throughout my life; and in your name I will lift up my hands.
Let my soul be filled as if with marrow and fatness, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.
I have remembered you upon my bed; in the morning I will meditate on you.
For you have been my helper, and under the cover of your wings I will rejoice.
My soul has adhered to you; your right hand has upheld me.
But they have sought my soul in vain; they will enter the lower parts of the earth;
they will be delivered to the power of the sword; they will be the portions of foxes.
But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by him will be praised; for the mouth of those who speak iniquities has been stopped.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed; let us therefore celebrate the feast. Alleluia.
Psalm 63My Soul Thirsts for You
Ant. Death is swallowed up in victory; thanks be to God who gives us the victory. Alleluia.
O God, my God, to you I watch at the break of day.
My soul has thirsted for you; in how many ways has my flesh longed for you.
In a desert land, without way or water, so in the holy land I have appeared before you, to see your power and your glory.
For your mercy is better than lives; my lips will praise you.
In this way, I will bless you throughout my life; and in your name I will lift up my hands.
Let my soul be filled as if with marrow and fatness, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.
I have remembered you upon my bed; in the morning I will meditate on you.
For you have been my helper, and under the cover of your wings I will rejoice.
My soul has adhered to you; your right hand has upheld me.
But those who seek my soul in vain; they will enter into the lower parts of the earth.
They will be delivered to the power of the sword; they will be the portions of foxes.
But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by him will be praised, for the mouth of those who speak iniquities has been stopped.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Death is swallowed up in victory; thanks be to God who gives us the victory. Alleluia.
First Reading: Scripture
Revelation 1:17-18
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever."
Second Reading: Patristic or Hagiographic
The Power of the Resurrection
The resurrection is truly a great thing, great and marvellous beyond description. Yet we see it take place around us every day. When does the night not die and the day rise? What is the night but the death of the day? And when does the day not rise from the night? The resurrection of the day from the night is a figure of the resurrection of the living from the dead. Watch the seed: it falls to the earth like a corpse; it is buried; the winter is its tomb. Then in spring it rises and puts on its garments. This teaches the mystery of the resurrection to those who have understanding. Watch the trees: they put off their leaves as the dead put off their bodies; then they are clothed again in spring with the garment of leaves. All of nature teaches us one lesson: what appears to die rises again. How much more then shall the human person, made in the image of God, who has Christ as the firstfruits of the resurrection, rise to new and immortal life at the last day!
Responsory
V. This is the day that the Lord has made. Alleluia.
R. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Alleluia.
V. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
R. his love endures forever. Alleluia.
Concluding Prayer
O Lord, as we read the words of the fathers of the church during this Easter season, may we be built up in faith, hope, and love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dismissal
Let us praise the Lord.
And give him thanks.