Give me, O Lord, the grace to see,
And wisdom to acknowledge thee,
My being’s Source and sovereign Lord,
My greatest Good, my life’s Reward,
My truest wealth and treasure here,
Than dearest earthly friend more dear.

Give me the grace to see my life
A gift most precious in thy sight,
A gift to be preserved for thee
In beauty of integrity,
A gift unspoiled by evil’s blight,
Adorned with virtue’s shining light.

And give me, Lord, the grace to see
The happiness of serving thee
In holiness of life and heart,
Where sin or evil play no part;
And grant that none shall ever be
Less true or good because of me.

Psalm 95

It is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified. (Rom 2:13)

Wisdom comes from the Lord and from obeying his holy word. But following the letter of God’s law is insufficient. Our hearts must be united to his Sacred Heart; we must love and trust in him.

Come, let us sing to the Lord
and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

The Lord is God, the mighty God,
the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him,
the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.

Come, then, let us bow down and worship,
bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people,
the flock he shepherds.

Today, listen to the voice of the Lord:
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did
in the wilderness,
when at Meribah and Massah
they challenged me and provoked me,
although they had seen all of my works.

Forty years I endured that generation.
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger,
“They shall not enter into my rest.”

Glory to the Father….

Word of God. James 4:11-12

Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
(Rom 13:8)

Canticle of Zechariah

Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 5:20)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet
of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father…

Intercessions

God’s people are guided by his law, both as written in his word and as written on our hearts. With joyful trust we ask:

R/Wisdom of God, fill us!

For civil authorities,
– that they would make wise decisions based not only on the laws in force but also on the common good: R/

For scientists and medical researchers,
– that their work would lead them closer to God, not further from him: R/

For those undertaking an academic study of theology,
– that, unlike the scribes and Pharisees in today’s Gospel, their hearts might be open to the love of God: R/

Personal intentions

Our Father….

All-knowing Father, who have given us wisdom through your law of love, grant that we might always strive after this loving wisdom, and so to draw nearer to you. 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.