God, until he have mercy on us: have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. Ps. To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven. Glory. V. COLLECT. Converte.-Convert us, O God our Saviour, and instruct our minds with thy heavenly doctrine, that this fast of Lent may be beneficial to us. Thro'. LESSON. Ezek. xxxiv. 11. 16.—Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself will seek my sheep, and will visit them. As the shepherd visiteth his flock, in the day when he shall be in the midst of his sheep that were scattered: so will I visit my sheep, and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and will gather them out of the countries, and will bring them to their own land: and I will feed them in the mountains of Israel, by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land: I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and their pastures shall be in the high mountains of Israel: there shall they rest on the green grass, and be fed in fat pastures upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my sheep: and 1 will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost: and that which was driven away, I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment, saith the Lord Almighty. GRAD. Ps. lxxxiii.-Cast an eye upon us, O God, our Protector, look down upon thy servants. V. Ó Lord God of armies, hear the prayers of thy servants. * TRACT. Ps. cii. Deal not, p. 117. GOSPEL. Matt. xxv. 31.-At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: When the Son of Man shali come in his majesty, and all the angels with him then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: naked, and you clothed me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee: thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in: or naked, and clothed thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? And the king answering shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you have done it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Then shall he say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then shall they also answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least ones, neither did you it to me. And these shall ge into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting. OFFERT. Ps. cxviii.-I will lift up my eyes, and consider thy wonders, O Lord, that thou mayest teach me thy law: give me understanding, and I will learn thy commandments. SECRET. Sanctify, O Lord, the offerings we have made, and cleanse us from the stains of out sins. Thro'. COMM. Matt. xxv.-Verily, I say to you: What you have done to one of the least of mine, you have done to me: come, ye blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. P. COMM. Salutaris.-Being filled, O Lord, by the participation of thy saving mysteries, we humbly beseech thee, that as we rejoice in tne taste thereof, we may be renewed by their effects. Thro'. Let us pray. Bow down your heads to God. PRAYER. Absolve.-Loosen, O Lord, we beseech thee, the bonds of our sins and mercifully turn away from us whatever we deserve for them. Thro'. TUESDAY. INTROIT. Ps. lxxxix. THOU, O Lord, hast been our refuge from generation to generation: from all eternity, thou art. Ps. Before the mountains were made, or the earth and the world was formed; from eternity to eternity thou art God. V. Glory. COLLECT. Respice.-Look down, O Lord, on thy children, and grant that, while we chastise ourselves by mortifying the flesh, our minds may be inflamed with the love and desire of thee. Thro'. LESSON. Is. lv. 6. 11.—In those days: Isaias the prophet spake, saying; Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he is bountiful to forgive. For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts. And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it, saith the Lord Almighty. GRAD. Ps. cxl.--Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight, O Lord. V. The lifting up my hands as evening sacrifice. GOSPEL. Matt. xxi. 10. 17.-At that time: When he was come into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying: Who is this? And the people said: This is Jesus the prophet, From Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the chairs of them that sold doves: and he saith to them: It is written, "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves." And there came to him the blind and the lame in the temple: and he healed them. And the chief priests and scribes seeing the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying: "Hosanna to the son of David," were moved with indignation, and said to him Hearest thou what these say? And Je sus said to them: Yea, have you never read: "Out of the mouths of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" And leaving them he went out of the city into Bethania, and remained there. OFFERT. Ps. xxx.-In thee, O Lord, have I hoped: I have said: Thou art my God, the days of my life are in thy hands. SECRET. Be appeased, O Lord, with the offerings we have made, and defend us from all danger. Thro'. COMM. Ps. iv.-When I called thou didst hear me, the God of my justice: when I was in distress thou hast enlarged me: have mercy upon me, O Lord, and hear my prayer. P. COMM. Quæsumus.-We beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we may one day receive the effects of that salvation, of which we have received the pledge in these mysteries. Thro'. Let us pray. Bow down your heads to God. PRAYER. Ascendant.-May our prayers, 0 Lord, ascend to thee, and deliver thy church from all wickedness. Thro'. EMBER WEDNESDAY. Remember, O Lord, thy, bowels of compassion: and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world: lest our enemies rule over us: deliver us, O God of Israel, from all our distress: Ps. To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed. V. Glory. After the Kyrie eleison, is said: Let us pray. Let us kneel down. R. Stand up again. I. COLLECT. Preces nostras.-Mercifully hear our prayers, O Lord, we beseech thee, and stretch forth the right hand of thy power against every thing that opposeth us. Thro'. I. LESSON. Exod. xxiv. 12. 18.-In those days · M |