[Officium]
Sabbato Quattuor Temporum Quadrigesimæ

[Introitus]
!Ps 87:3
v. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my call for help, O Lord.
!Ps 87:2
O Lord, the God of my salvation, by day I cry out, at night I clamor in Your presence. 
&Gloria
v. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my call for help, O Lord.

[LectioL1]
Lesson from the book of Deuteronomy
!Deut. 26:12-19
In those days, Moses spoke to the people, saying, When you have finished setting aside all the tithes of your produce, you shall declare before the Lord, your God, ‘I have purged my house of the sacred portion and I have given it to the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow, just as You have commanded me. In this I have not broken or forgotten any of Your commandments. I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord, my God, doing just as You have commanded me. Look down, then, from heaven, Your holy abode, and bless Your people Israel and the soil You have given us in the land flowing with milk and honey which You promised on oath to our fathers.’ This day the Lord, your God, commands you to observe these statutes and decrees. Be careful, then, to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you are making this agreement with the Lord: He is to be your God and you are to walk in His ways and observe His statues, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to His voice. And today the Lord is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly His own, as He promised you; and provided you keep all His commandments, He will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations He has made, and you will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as He promised.
$Deo gratias

[GradualeL1]
!Ps 78:9-10
Pardon our sins, O Lord; why should the nations say, Where is their God?
V. Help us, O God, our Saviour; because of the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us.

[OratioL1]
Look upon us, O God our protector, so that we who are heavy laden with the burden of our sins, having received Your mercy, may serve You with untroubled minds.
$Per Dominum

[LectioL2]
Lesson from the book of Deuteronomy
!Deut. 11:22-25
In those days, Moses said to the children of Israel, If you are careful to observe all these commandments I enjoin on you, loving the Lord, your God, and following His ways exactly, and holding fast to Him, the Lord will drive all these nations out of your way, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. Every place where you set foot shall be yours: from the desert and from Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. None shall stand up against you; the Lord, your God, will spread the fear and dread of you through any land where you set foot, as He promised you, the Lord your God.
$Deo gratias

[GradualeL2]
!Ps 83:10, 9
Behold, O God, our Protector, and look upon Your servants.
V. O Lord of Hosts, hear the prayer of Your servants.

[OratioL2]
Heed our humble prayers, we beseech You, O Lord, that by Your bounty we may have grace to be humble in prosperity and untroubled in the midst of adversity.
$Per Dominum

[LectioL3]
Lesson from the book of Machabees
!2 Mach. 1:23-27
In those days, all the priests made prayer, while the sacrifice was consuming, Jonathan beginning and the rest answering. And the prayer of Nehemias was after this manner: O Lord God, Creator of all things, dreadful and strong, just and merciful, Who alone are the good King, Who alone are gracious, Who alone are just and almighty and eternal, Who deliver Israel from all evil, Who chose the fathers and sanctified it; that the Gentiles may know that You are our God.
$Deo gratias

[GradualeL3]
!Ps 89:13, 1
Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on Your servants!
V. O Lord, You have been our refuge through all generations.

[OratioL3]
Have mercy upon us, O God of the universe, and behold us, and show us the light of Your mercies; and put all the nations in dread of You that have not sought after You. Let them know that there is no God beside You, and show forth Your wonders.
$Per Dominum

[LectioL4]
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiastes
!Ecclus. 36:1-10 
Raise Your hand against the heathen, that they may realize Your power. As You have used us to show them Your holiness, so now use them to show us Your glory. Thus they will know, as we know, that there is no God but You, O Lord. Give new signs and work new wonders; show forth the splendor of Your right hand and arm; rouse Your anger, pour out wrath, humble the enemy, scatter the foe. Hasten the day, bring on the time; that they may declare Your wonderful works, O Lord, our God.
$Deo gratias

[GradualeL4]
!Ps 140:2
Let my prayer come like incense before You, O Lord.
V. The lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.

[OratioL4]
O Lord, we beseech You, precede our actions with Your favor and accompany them by Your help, so that each prayer and work of ours may always begin with You and, once begun, may be accomplished through You.
$Per Dominum

[LectioL5]
Lesson from the Prophecy of Daniel
!Dan. 3:47-51
In those days, the Angel of the Lord went down into the furnace with Azure and his companions, drove the fiery flames out of the furnace, and made the inside of the furnace as though a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it. And the flames rose forty-nine cubits above the furnace, and spread out, burning the Chaldeans nearby, the king’s men who were stoking the furnace. And the fire in no way touched them or caused them pain or harm. Then these three in the furnace with one voice sang, glorifying and blessing God:
_
!HYMN
!Dan. 3:52-56
Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our father, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. And blessed is Your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Blessed are You in the temple of Your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Blessed are You on the holy throne of Your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You upon the sceptre of Your divinity, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who look into the depths from Your throne upon the Cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You Who walk upon the wings of the wind, and on the waves of the sea, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Let all Your Angels and Saints bless You, and praise You and exalt You above all forever. Let the heavens, the earth, the sea and all the things that are in them bless You, and praise you and exalt You above all forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our father, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

[OratioL5]
O God, Who tempered the flames of fire for the three young men, mercifully grant that the flames of sin may not burn us, Your servants.
$Per Dominum

[Oratio]
Look graciously upon Your people, we beseech You, O Lord, and in Your mercy turn away from them the scourges of Your wrath.
$Per Dominum

[Lectio]
Lesson from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians
!1 Thess. 5:14-23
Brethren: We exhort you, reprove the irregular, comfort the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that no one renders evil for evil to any man; but always strive after good toward one another and toward all men. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus regarding you all. Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. But test all things; hold fast that which is good. Keep yourselves from every kind of evil. And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound, blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Graduale]
!Ps 116:1-2
 Praise the Lord, all you nations, glorify Him, all you peoples!
V. For steadfast is His kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever.

[Evangelium]
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.
!Matt 17:1-9
At that time, Jesus took Peter, James and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves, and was transfigured before them. And His face shone as the sun, and His garments became white as snow. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking together with Him. Then Peter addressed Jesus, saying, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You will, let us set up three tents here, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elias. As he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear Him. And on hearing it the disciples fell on their faces and were exceedingly afraid. And Jesus came near and touched them, and said to them, Arise, and do not be afraid. But lifting up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus cautioned them, saying, Tell the vision to no one, till the Son of Man has risen from the dead.

[Offertorium]
!Ps 87:2-3
O Lord, the God of my salvation, by day I cry out, at night I clamor in Your presence. Let my prayer come before You, O Lord.

[Secreta]
Sanctify our fasts by the sacrificial gifts here present, we beseech You, O Lord, that what our observance outwardly professes may be inwardly accomplished.
$Per Dominum

[Communio]
!Ps 7:2
O Lord my God, in You I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me.

[Postcommunio]
By the workings of Your sanctifying power, almighty God, may our vices be cured and eternal remedies provided for us.
$Per Dominum

[Super populum]
v. Let us pray.
v. Bow your heads to God.
v. May the blessing desired by Your faithful give them strength, O God; may it keep them from disobeying Your will and grant them ever to rejoice in Your favor.
$Per Dominum
