← Prayer Book
Office of Readings
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 • Blessed Junipero Serra, Priest
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. Come, let us adore the Lord and bow down before him.
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. Come, let us adore the Lord and bow down before him.
Hymn
O Splendor of God's Glory Bright
O Splendor of God's glory bright,
O thou that bringest light from light,
O Light of light, light's living spring,
O Day, all days illumining!
O thou that bringest light from light,
O Light of light, light's living spring,
O Day, all days illumining!
O thou true Sun, on us thy glance
let fall in royal radiance;
the Spirit's sanctifying beam
upon our earthly senses stream.
let fall in royal radiance;
the Spirit's sanctifying beam
upon our earthly senses stream.
The Father, too, our prayers implore,
Father of glory evermore;
the Father of all grace and might,
to banish sin from our delight.
Father of glory evermore;
the Father of all grace and might,
to banish sin from our delight.
All laud to God the Father be;
all praise, eternal Son, to thee;
all glory, as is ever meet,
to God the holy Paraclete.
all praise, eternal Son, to thee;
all glory, as is ever meet,
to God the holy Paraclete.
Psalmody
Psalm 10Trust in the Lord
Ant. The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven.
In the Lord I have trusted; how do you say to my soul: "Flee to the mountain like a sparrow!"
For behold, sinners have bent their bow; they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, to shoot in the dark the upright of heart.
For they have destroyed the things that you have accomplished; but what has the just man done?
The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven.
His eyes look upon the poor; his eyelids examine the sons of men.
The Lord examines the just and the impious; but he who loves iniquity hates his own soul.
He will rain down snares upon sinners; fire and brimstone and the spirit of tempests will be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is just and has loved justices; his face has seen uprightness.
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. The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven.
Psalm 11Prayer Against the Faithless
Ant. The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified in a furnace.
Save me, O Lord, for the holy man has failed, for truths have decreased from among the sons of men.
They have spoken vain things, each one to his neighbor; deceitful lips are in their heart, and in their heart they have spoken evils.
May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips and the tongue that speaks proud things.
Those who say: "We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own; who is our Lord?"
"Because of the misery of the needy and the groaning of the poor, I will now arise," says the Lord.
"I will place him in salvation; I will deal confidently with him."
The words of the Lord are pure words: silver tried by fire, purged from the earth, refined sevenfold.
You, O Lord, will keep us and preserve us from this generation forever.
The impious walk around; according to your greatness you have multiplied the sons of men.
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. The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified in a furnace.
Psalm 12Trusting in God's Salvation
Ant. I have trusted in your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
How long, O Lord, will you forget me to the end? How long do you turn your face away from me?
How long will I take counsel in my soul, sorrow in my heart through the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Look upon me and hear me, O Lord my God.
Enlighten my eyes, lest I ever sleep in death, lest at any time my enemy say: "I have prevailed against him."
Those who trouble me will rejoice when I am moved; but I have trusted in your mercy.
My heart will rejoice in your salvation; I will sing to the Lord, who gives good things to me, and I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High.
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. I have trusted in your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
First Reading: Scripture
Hebrews 4:12
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Second Reading: Patristic or Hagiographic
On Mental Prayer
In your mental prayer, as I have said, use your understanding to stir up good affections in your will. Once those affections are awakened, rest in them, and do not try to force yourself to further acts of understanding. For the aim of meditation is not to know more, but to love more. And love of God is nourished by resting in him with warmth and simplicity of heart, not by straining the intellect. After all, what does it profit us to know much about God if we do not love him? It is not the one who knows most who loves most; it is the one who fixes the eye of the heart most simply upon God. Therefore, whenever in the course of your meditation you feel moved to any particular good affection — towards God, or towards your neighbor, or towards some virtue — do not resist this movement, but give yourself to it gently. Do not hold back those holy desires and resolutions that God has given you; they are his gift and his work in you. Receive them with gratitude and act on them promptly.
Responsory
V. Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
R. Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
V. You who rose from the dead,
R. have mercy on us.
Concluding Prayer
Father, you have spoken to us through the prophets and the fathers of the church. Speak to us now through these readings, and let your word take root and bear fruit in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dismissal
Let us praise the Lord.
And give him thanks.