|
October 1 |
 |
Thérèse Martin was born in Alençon in France in 1873. While still young she
entered the Carmel of Lisieux, where she lived in the greatest humility,
evangelical simplicity and confidence in God. By her words and example she
taught the novices these same virtues. Offering her life for the salvation of souls
and the spread of the Church, she died on September 30, 1897.
Invitatory
Come let us adore the Lord, who reveals himself to little ones.
Office of Readings
Hymn
Let all who lovingly avow
Those gifts the Christ Child came to share
Acclaim Thérèse's virtues now
And praise her name in song and prayer.Her patroness and mother chose
The lofty peaks of Carmel's height.
And there Thérèse in fervor goes
To follow Christ, her one delight.
Inspired by Jesus to convey
Amazing secrets of his grace,
She taught the world the simple way
Of childhood that the Gospels trace.
More like an angel than a child
She gathered virtue's flowers at will
By whose sweet scent was God beguiled,
Whose tender fragrance charms us still.
Yet joy itself could not portray
The surge of her immense desire,
Nor cloister walls have strength to stay
A love that swept the world like fire.
All glory, Jesus, be to youThis day revealed to little ones,
To Father and blest Spirit, too,
While age on age forever runs.
L.M.
Miriam of Holy Spirit, O.C.D.
Psalmody
Ant. 1 Your goodness will follow me all the days of my life.
Psalm 22 (23)
The Lord is my shepherd, *
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures *
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me, *
To revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path; *
he is true to his name.If I should walk in the valley *
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff; *
with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me *
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil; *
my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me *
all the days of my life.
In the Lord's own house shall I dwell *
for ever and ever.
Ant. Your goodness will follow me all the days of my life.
Ant. 2 Think of the love the Father has lavished on us in letting us be called
God's children: and that is what we are!
Psalm 102 (103)I
My soul, give thanks to the Lord, *
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord *
and never forget all his blessings.
It is he who forgives all your guilt, *
who heals every one of your ills.
who redeems your life from the grave, *
who crowns you with love and compassion,
who fills your life with good things, *
renewing your youth like an eagle's.
The Lord does deeds of justice, *
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses *
and his deeds to Israel's sons.The Lord is compassion and love, *
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end; *
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins *
nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth *
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
Ant. Think of the love the Father has lavished on us in letting us be called
God's children: and that is what we are!
Ant. 3 The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and put your
faith in me.
II
As far as the east is from the west *
so far does he remove our sins.
As a father has compassion on his sons, *the Lord has pity on those who fear him;
for he knows of what we are made, *
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass; *
he flowers like the flower of the field;
the wind blows and he is gone *
and his place never sees him again.
But the love of the Lord is everlasting *
upon those who hold him in fear;
his justice reaches out to children's children †
when they keep his covenant in truth, *
when they keep his will in their mind.
The Lord has set his sway in heaven *
and his kingdom is ruling over all.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels, †
mighty in power, fulfilling his word, *
who heed the voice of his word.Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts, *
his servants who do his will.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his works, †
in every place where he rules. *
My soul, give thanks to the Lord!
Ant. The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and put your
faith in me.
V. Your word is a lamp for my steps.
R. And a light for my path.
The First Reading
1 Cor 12:27-31; 13:1-13
A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians
You together are Christ's body,but each of you is a different part of it
Just as
a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all
these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. Now you together
are Christ's body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has
given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers;
after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders,
those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or
all of them teachers? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?
Be ambitious for the higher gifts. And I am going to show you a way that is
better than any of them.
If I have all the eloquence of men or of angels, but speak without love, I am
simply a gong booming or a cymbal clashing. If I have the gift of prophecy,
understanding all the mysteries there are, and knowing everything, and if I have
faith in all its fullness, to move mountains, but without love, then I am nothing at
all. If I give away all that I possess, piece by piece, and if I even let them take
my body to burn it, but am without love, it will do me no good whatever.
Love is always patient and kind, it is never jealous; love is never boastful or
conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful.
Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth; it is always
ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.
Love does not come to an end. But if there are gifts of prophecy, the time will
come when they must fail; or the gift of languages, it will not continue for ever;
and knowledge—for this, too, the time will come when it must fail. For ourknowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect; but once perfection
comes, all imperfect things will disappear. When I was a child, I used to talk like
a child, and think like a child, and argue like a child, but now I am a man, all
childish ways are put behind me. Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror;
but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is
imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known.
In short, there are three things that last: faith hope and love; and the greatest of
these is love.
Responsory
R. When I am lifted up from the earth * I will draw all people to myself.
V. Fragrant is the scent of your perfume; let us follow in your footsteps. * I will
draw all people to myself.
The Second Reading
MS B, f 3r-v
A reading from the Autobiography of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
In the heart of the Church I shall be loveMy desires
caused me a veritable martyrdom, and I opened the Epistles of Saint Paul to find
some kind of answer. Chapters Twelve and Thirteen of the First Epistle to the
Corinthians fell under my eyes. I read there, in the first of these chapters, that all
cannot be apostles, prophets, doctors, and so on, that the Church is composed of
different members, and that the eye cannot be the hand at one and the same time.
The answer was clear, but it did not fulfill my desires and gave me no peace.
Without becoming discouraged, I continued my reading, and this sentence
consoled me: 'Yet strive after the better gifts, and I point out to you a yet more
excellent way.' And the Apostle explains how all the most perfect gifts are
nothing without love. That charity is the excellent way that leads most surely to
God.
I finally had rest. Considering the mystical body of the Church, I had not
recognized myself in any of the members described by Saint Paul, or rather I
desired to see myself in them all. Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I
understood that if the Church had a body composed of different members, the
most necessary and most noble of all could not be lacking to it, and so I
understood that the Church had a heart and that this heart was burning with love.
I understood it was love alone that made the Church's members act, that if love
ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel and martyrs would
not shed their blood. I understood that love comprised all vocations, that love
was everything, that it embraced all times and places . . . in a word, that it was
eternal!
Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: 'O Jesus, my Love . my
vocation, at last I have found it . . my vocation is Love!'
Yes, I have found my place in the Church and it is you, O my God, who have
given me this place: in the heart of the Church, my mother, I shall be love. Thus
I shall be everything, and thus my dream will be realized.Responsory
R. I will rejoice and make merry, Lord, * on account of your mercy.
V. For you have had pity on my lowliness, you have had regard for my soul's
needs, * on account of your mercy.
Where the Vigil Office is celebrated, see Appendix I
Te Deum
Prayer as at Morning Prayer.
Morning Prayer
Hymn
From your bright place in heaven,Thérèse, where you now reign,
Let fall a shower of roses,
Do not our prayer disdain.
Fair roses tinged with glory:
Faith's light, hope's glad desire,
Love's flame, so strong yet tender,
To set our hearts afire.
Send too the rose of childhood,
That trusting openness
Which finds in every moment
Our Father's will to bless.
We honor you, O Jesus,
Revealed to little ones,
With Father and blest Spirit
While course of ages runs.
76.76.
Theresa Margaret Kob, O.C.D.Psalmody
Ant. I My soul clings to you, your right hand holds me fast.
Psalms and canticle of Sunday I.
Ant. 2 You holy and humble of heart, O bless the Lord.
Ant. 3 The Lord takes delight in his people, he crowns the poor with salvation.
S cr
ipture Reading
Rom 8:14-17
Those who are led by God's Spirit are God's sons. For the Spirit that God has
given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the
Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry to God,
"Father! my Father!" God's spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we
are God's children. Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he
keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for
him; for if we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory.Short Responsory
R. I will pour out upon her * a river of peace. Repeat R.
V. And the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream, * a river of peace.
Glory . . . R.
Benedictus
Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers into his harvest.
Intercessions
Our Lord Jesus Christ has given Saint Thérèse to us as a model of the
evangelical life. Let us pray to him and say:
R. Hear us, O Lord.
Lord, you said: 'Whoever is thirsty, let him come to me and drink;' — make us
thirsty for your love. R.Lord, you said, 'If you do not become as little children you cannot enter the
kingdom of heaven, — help us to love you in simplicity of heart. R.
Lord, you told us, 'There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents;' — help
us to have a childlike trust in your mercy. R.
Lord, you said, 'Whoever does the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of
heaven,' — give us a spirit of faithful obedience to all your commands. R.
Lord, you said, 'Whatsoever you do to one of the least of my brethren you do to
me;' — may we see you today in our brothers and sisters, and love you in them.
R.
Lord, you said, 'The harvest is great, but the laborers are few; pray therefore to
the Lord of the harvest, that he send laborers into the harvest;' — give to all of us
the missionary spirit of Saint Thérèse, who longed for the salvation of souls. R.
Our Father . . .
Prayer
God our Father,
you have promised your kingdomto those who are willing to become like little children.
Help us to follow the way of Saint Thérèse with confidence
so that by her prayers
we may come to know your eternal glory.
Grant this through our Lord.
Prayer During the Day
Antiphons and psalms of the weekday.
Before Noon
Ant. The Lord chose you for his own, to praise him and give glory to his name.
Scripture Reading
2 Cor 12:9c-10
I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.V. The Lord is my strength and my song.
R. In you I trust, I shall not be put to shame.
Midday
Ant. The unfolding of your words gives light, it gives understanding to little
ones.
Scripture Reading
1 Jn 4:17-19
Love will come to its perfection in us when we can face the day of judgment
without fear; because even in this world we have become as he is. In love there
can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect
punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love. We are to love,
then, because he loved us first.
V. You, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer.
R. From eternity this is your name.Afternoon
Ant. The Lord looks kindly on the prayer of the needy, and his word is
addressed to the lowly.
Scripture Reading
1 Jn 3:1-2
Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us,
by letting us be called God's children;
and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge him,
therefore it does not acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the children of God
but what we are to be in the future has not yet been
revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he really is.V. I will run in the way of your commandments.
R. For you have made me great in heart.
Evening Prayer
Hymn
From clear high mansions of that shining palace
Where you enjoy the light of God's dear presence,
And plead our causes, mindful of your promise
Shower down your roses.
Roses of faith to shed its light supernal,
Roses of hope when obstacles surround us,
And for our strengthening in daily living
Roses of pure love.
Through your own childlike confidence and candorSend us the rose of quietly discerning
Love of a Father, shining in each happening
Both sweet and bitter.
This be our portion, God forever blessed,
Father eternal, Son and Holy Spirit,
Whose is the glory which through all creation
Resounds forever.
11.11.1 1.5.
Tr. by Sr Teresa, OC.D.
Psalmody
Ant. 1 There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.
Psalm 112 (113)
Praise, O servants of the Lord, *
praise the name of the Lord!May the name of the Lord be blessed *
both now and for evermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting *
praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord, *
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, *
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, *
to look down upon heaven and earth?
From the dust he lifts up the lowly. *
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, *
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home *
and gladdens her heart with children.
Ant. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.Ant. 2 For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in
truth.
Psalm 130 (131)
O Lord, my heart is not proud *
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great *
nor marvels beyond me.
Truly I have set my soul *
in silence and peace.
As a child has rest in its mother's arms, *
even so my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord *
both now and for ever.
Ant. For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in
truth.Ant. 3 God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.
Canticle: Phil 2:6-11
Though he was in the form of God, *
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He emptied himself, †
taking the form of a servant, *
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form †
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, *
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him *
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth.And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, *
to the glory of God the Father.
Ant. God chooses those the world considers weak to confound the strong.
Scripture Reading
1 Tim 2:1, 3-6a
First of all, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be
made for all men. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the
man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all.
Short Responsory
R. I will tell of your name to my friends: * in the midst of the assembly I will
praise you. Repeat R.
V. For you have not despised the poor in their distress; * in the midst of the
assembly I will praise you. Glory... R.Magnificat
Father, I have made your name known to those you have given me: make them
holy in the truth.
Intercessions
Let us pray to God, our almighty Father, for his Church throughout the world:
R. Lord, remember your covenant with us.
May we be inspired by the example of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus; — may
your Church give itself to you in love. R.
May all contemplatives be faithful witnesses of your goodness; — so that the
world may believe in you. R.
May we bear one another's burdens in a spirit of love; — so that your faithful
people may see your face in us and imitate your Son. R.
Fill us with a faithful missionary spirit; — for you desire all the world to know
the truth of Christ. R.Grant to all the faithful departed the joy of seeing your face; — for Christ wants
those you gave him to be with him where he reigns in glory. R.
Our Father...
Prayer as at Morning Prayer.
