Divine Office

January 17

Saint Anthony, Abbot

Memorial

“And again his soul was free from blemish, for it was neither contracted as if by grief, nor relaxed by pleasure, nor possessed by laughter or dejection, for he was not troubled when he beheld the crowd, nor overjoyed at being saluted by so many. But he was altogether even as being guided by reason, and abiding in a natural state. Through him the Lord healed the bodily ailments of many present, and cleansed others from evil spirits. And He gave grace to Antony in speaking, so that he consoled many that were sorrowful, and set those at variance at one, exhorting all to prefer the love of Christ before all that is in the world.”[1]

St. Anthony was born in the 3rd century in Egypt. He felt called to give away all his possessions, follow Christ, and become a hermit. His moderate asceticism attracted many followers. As such, he is often hailed as the father of Christian monasticism. During the Arian controversy, St. Anthony supported the Nicene party and became friends with St. Athanasius, who would later write The Way of St. Antony. [1][2]

Written by Sarah Ciotti
Reviewed by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD
[1] St. Athanasius, “The Way of St. Antony,” in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, (T&T Clark, Edinburgh), 200, www.ccel.org.
[2] F.L. Cross and E.A. Livingstone, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (London: Oxford University Press, 1974), 67.

Lord, open my lips.
— And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Psalm 100

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Come, let us worship God, wonderful in his saints.

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 651
Psalter: Saturday, Week I, 807
Proper of Seasons: 73 (first reading)
Proper of Saints: 1304 (second reading, concluding prayer)

Office of Readings for Saturday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

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 for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Whoever humbles himself, like a little child, will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 131
Childlike trust in God
Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart (Matthew 11:29).

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.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, you declared that whoever receives a little child in your name receives you, and you promised your kingdom to those who are like children. Never let pride reign in our hearts, but may the Father’s compassion reward and embrace all who willingly bear your gentle yoke.

Ant. Whoever humbles himself, like a little child, will be greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Ant. 2 With simplicity of heart, I have joyfully offered everything to you, my God.

Psalm 132
God’s promises to the house of David
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David (Luke 1:32).

I

O Lord, remember David
and all the many hardships he endured,
the oath he swore to the Lord,
his vow to the Strong One of Jacob.

“I will not enter the house where I live
nor go to the bed where I rest.
I will give no sleep to my eyes,
to my eyelids I will give no slumber
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.”

At Ephrathah we heard of the ark;
we found it in the plains of Yearim.
“Let us go to the place of his dwelling;
let us go to kneel at his footstool.”

Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest,
you and the ark of your strength.
Your priests shall be clothed with holiness:
your faithful shall ring out their joy.
For the sake of David your servant
do not reject your anointed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. With simplicity of heart, I have joyfully offered everything to you, my God.

Ant. 3The Lord has sworn an oath to David; his kingdom will stand for ever.

II

The Lord swore an oath to David;
he will not go back on his word;
“A son, the fruit of your body,
will I set upon your throne.

If they keep my covenant in truth
and my laws that I have taught them,
their sons also shall rule
on your throne from age to age.”

For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling:
“This is my resting-place for ever,
here have I chosen to live.

I will greatly bless her produce,
I will fill her poor with bread.
I will clothe her priests with salvation
and her faithful shall ring out their joy.

There David’s stock will flower:
I will prepare a lamp for my anointed.
I will cover his enemies with shame
but on him my crown shall shine.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you chose to suffer and be overwhelmed by death in order to open the gates of death in triumph. Stay with us to help us on our pilgrimage; free us from all evil by the power of your resurrection. In the company of your saints and constantly remembering your love for us may we sing of your wonders in our Father’s house.

Ant. The Lord has sworn an oath to David; his kingdom will stand for ever.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

The Lord led this holy man along a sure path.
— He showed him the kingdom of God.

READINGS

First reading
From the book of Sirach
44:1-2, 16a—45:5
Praise of the fathers: from Enoch to Moses

Now will I praise those godly men,
our ancestors, each in his own time:
The abounding glory of the Most High’s portion,
his own part, since the days of old.

[ENOCH walked with the Lord and was taken up,
that succeeding generations might learn by his example.]

NOAH, found just and perfect,
renewed the race in the time of devastation.

Because of his worth there were survivors,
and with a sign to him the deluge ended;
A lasting agreement was made with him,
that never should all flesh be destroyed.

ABRAHAM, father of many peoples,
kept his glory without stain:
He observed the precepts of the Most High,
and entered into an agreement with him;
In his own flesh he incised the ordinance,
and when tested he was found loyal.
For this reason, God promised him with an oath
that in his descendants the nations would be blessed,
That he would make him numerous as the grains of dust,
and exalt his posterity like the stars;
That he would give them an inheritance from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

And for ISAAC he renewed the same promise
because of Abraham, his father.
The covenant with all his forebears was confirmed,
and the blessing rested upon the head of Jacob.
God acknowledged him as the first-born,
and gave him his inheritance.
He fixed the boundaries for his tribes,
and their division into twelve.

From him was to spring the man
who won the favor of all:
Dear to God and men,
MOSES, whose memory is held in benediction.
God’s honor devolved upon him,
and the Lord strengthened him with fearful powers;
God wrought swift miracles at his words
and sustained him in the king’s presence.
He gave him the commandments for his people,
and revealed to him his glory.
For his trustworthiness and meekness
God selected him from all mankind;

He permitted him to hear his voice,
and led him into the cloud,
Where, face to face, he gave him the commandments,
the law of life and understanding,
That he might teach his precepts to Jacob,
his judgments and decrees to Israel.

RESPONSORY Deuteronomy 6:4; 7:9; 6:5

Hear, O Israel, and carefully keep what the Lord has commanded you,
— and you will know that the Lord your God is a faithful God, true to his promises and merciful to all who love him.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
— And you will know that the Lord your God is a faithful God, true to his promises and merciful to all who love him.

Second reading
From the Life of Saint Anthony by Saint Athanasius, bishop
Saint Anthony receives his vocation

When Anthony was about eighteen or twenty years old, his parents died, leaving him with an only sister. He cared for her as she was very young, and also looked after their home.

Not six months after his parents’ death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Savior, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles the money for distribution to the needy. He reflected too on the great hope stored up in heaven for such as these. This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he heard the Lord’s words to the rich man: If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.

It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church and gave away to the villagers all the property he had inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land, so that it would cause no distraction to his sister and himself. He sold all his other possessions as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.

The next time he went to church he heard the Lord say in the Gospel: Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Without a moment’s hesitation he went out and gave the poor all that he had left. He placed his sister in the care of some well-known and trustworthy virgins and arranged for her to be brought up in the convent. Then he gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He kept a careful watch over himself and practiced great austerity. He did manual work because he had heard the words: If anyone will not work, do not let him eat. He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor.

Having learned that we should always be praying, even when we are by ourselves, he prayed without ceasing. Indeed, he was so attentive when Scripture was read that nothing escaped him and because he retained all he heard, his memory served him in place of books.

Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as both son and brother.

RESPONSORY Matthew 19:21; Luke 14:33

If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor; you will be rich in heaven.
— Then come, follow me.

No one who will not renounce all his possessions can be my disciple.
— Then come, follow me.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

O God,
who brought the Abbot Saint Anthony to serve you
by a wondrous way of life in the desert,
grant, through his intercession,
that, denying ourselves,
we may always love you above all things.
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.

ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration)

Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 654
Psalter: Saturday, Week I, 810
Common of Religious: 1863 (canticle antiphon)
Common of Holy Men: 1818 (reading, intercessions)
Proper of Saints: 1305 (concluding prayer)

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Psalter: Saturday, Week I, 770
Common of Holy Men: 1452 (reading, intercessions)
Proper of Saints: 1064 (concluding prayer)

Morning Prayer for Saturday in Ordinary Time, the Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

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 for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Dawn finds me ready to welcome you, my God.

Psalm 119
XIX (Koph)

I call with all my heart; Lord, hear me,
I will keep your commands;
I call upon you, save me
and I will do your will.

I rise before dawn and cry for help,
I hope in your word.
My eyes watch through the night
to ponder your promise.

In your love hear my voice, O Lord;
give me life by your decrees.
Those who harm me unjustly draw near:
they are far from your law.

But you, O Lord, are close:
your commands are truth.
Long have I known that your will
is established for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Save us by the power of your hand, Father, for our enemies have ignored your words. May the fire of your word consume our sins and its brightness illumine our hearts.

Ant. Dawn finds me ready to welcome you, my God.

Ant. 2 The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise, for he has become my Savior.

Canticle – Exodus 15:1-4a, 8-13, 17-18
Hymn of victory after the crossing of the Red Sea
Those who had conquered the beast were singing the song of Moses, God’s servant (see Revelation 15:2-3).

I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

My strength and my courage is the Lord,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.

The Lord is a warrior,
Lord is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea.
At a breath of your anger the waters piled up,
the flowing waters stood like a mound,
the flood waters congealed in the midst of the sea.

The enemy boasted, “I will pursue and overtake them;
I will divide the spoils and have my fill of them;
I will draw my sword; my hand shall despoil them!”
When your wind blew, the sea covered them;
like lead they sank in the mighty waters.

Who is like you among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like you, magnificent in holiness?
O terrible in renown, worker of wonders,
when you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them!

In your mercy you led the people you redeemed;
in your strength you guided them to your holy dwelling.

And you brought them in and planted them on the mountain of
your inheritance —
the place where you made your seat, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands established.
The Lord shall reign forever and ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise, for he has become my Savior.

Ant. 3 O praise the Lord, all you nations.

Psalm 117
Praise for God’s loving compassion
I affirm that… the Gentile peoples are to praise God because of his mercy (Romans 15:8-9).

O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him, all you peoples!

Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

God our Father, may all nations and peoples praise you. May Jesus, who is called faithful and true and who lives with you eternally, possess our hearts for ever.

Ant. O praise the Lord, all you nations.

READING Romans 12:1-2

Brothers, I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.
— In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.

He will never lose his way;
— the law of God is his guide.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— In the depths of his heart, the law of God is his guide.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. The Lord is my inheritance; he is good to those who seek him.

Luke 1:68 – 79
The Messiah and his forerunner

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, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord is my inheritance; he is good to those who seek him.

INTERCESSIONS

My brothers, let us praise Christ, asking to serve him and to be holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. Let us acclaim him:
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You desired to experience everything we experience but sin,
— have mercy on us, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You called us to love perfectly,
— make us holy, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You commissioned us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world,
— let your light shine on us, Lord Jesus.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You desired to serve, not to be served,
— help us, Lord Jesus, to give humble service to you and to our neighbors.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

You are in the form of God sharing in the splendor of the Father,
— Lord Jesus, let us see the glory of your face.
Lord, you alone are the holy one.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer

O God,
who brought the Abbot Saint Anthony to serve you
by a wondrous way of life in the desert,
grant, through his intercession,
that, denying ourselves,
we may always love you above all things.
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.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
— Amen.