“Lord, thou wilt bless the just: O Lord, thou hast crowned us, as with a shield of thy good will.”
— Psalm 5:13 (Douay-Rheims)
Opening
✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
O Lord, open thou my mouth.
And my mouth shall declare thy praise.
O God, come unto my assistance.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.
Invitatory
Antiphon
Come, let us adore Christ the Lord, who calls us to trust in His providence and to walk without fear.
Psalm 94 (95)
Come let us praise the Lord with joy:
let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;
and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
For in his hand are all the ends of the earth:
and the heights of the mountains are his.
For the sea is his, and he made it:
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come let us adore and fall down:
and weep before the Lord that made us.
For he is the Lord our God:
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
To day if you shall hear his voice,
harden not your hearts:
As in the provocation,
according to the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Where your fathers tempted me,
they proved me, and saw my works.
Forty years long was I offended with that generation,
and I said: These always err in heart.
And these men have not known my ways:
so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon
Come, let us adore Christ the Lord, who calls us to trust in His providence and to walk without fear.
Hymn
The Eternal Gifts of Christ the King
The eternal gifts of Christ the King,
The Apostles’ glory, let us sing;
And all with hearts of gladness raise
Due hymns of thankful love and praise.
For they the Church’s princes are,
Triumphant leaders in the war,
Champions who teach the world to fight,
The soldiers of the faith and light.
Theirs is the steadfast faith that stands,
The courage no assault withstands,
The hope that no affliction mars,
The love that reaches to the stars.
O Christ, the Father’s only Son,
By whom redemption’s work was done,
Grant that we may with faithful heart
In all Thy servants have our part.
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Be praise forevermore confessed,
By all in earth and heaven blessed. Amen.
Psalmody
Antiphon I
Blessed is the man who places his confidence in the Lord.
Psalm 1
Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stood in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the chair of pestilence:
But his will is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters,
which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.
And his leaf shall not fall off:
and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.
Not so the wicked, not so:
but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.
Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment:
nor sinners in the council of the just.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the just:
and the way of the wicked shall perish.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon
Blessed is the man who places his confidence in the Lord.
Antiphon II
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling.
Psalm 2
Why have the Gentiles raged,
and the people devised vain things?
The kings of the earth stood up,
and the princes met together,
against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Let us break their bonds asunder:
and let us cast away their yoke from us.
He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them:
and the Lord shall deride them.
Then shall he speak to them in his anger,
and trouble them in his rage.
But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain,
preaching his commandment.
The Lord hath said to me:
Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me,
and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance,
and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron,
and shalt break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
And now, O ye kings, understand:
receive instruction, you that judge the earth.
Serve ye the Lord with fear:
and rejoice unto him with trembling.
Embrace discipline,
lest at any time the Lord be angry,
and you perish from the just way.
When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time,
blessed are all they that trust in him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling.
End of Part I.
In Part II we will continue with the remaining psalmody, the short reading, and the responsory for this Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time.
Chesterton Radio Morning Prayer
Monday, July 6, 2026
Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Part II
Psalmody (Continued)
Antiphon III
Arise, O Lord, and save me; for salvation belongs to the Lord.
Psalm 3
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me?
many are they who rise up against me.
Many say to my soul:
There is no salvation for him in his God.
But thou, O Lord, art my protector,
my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice:
and he hath heard me from his holy hill.
I have slept and taken my rest:
and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me.
I will not fear thousands of the people,
surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause:
thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.
Salvation is of the Lord:
and thy blessing is upon thy people.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Antiphon
Arise, O Lord, and save me; for salvation belongs to the Lord.
Short Reading
Romans 8:28–30
(Douay-Rheims)
And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints. For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his Son: that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. And whom he predestinated, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Silent Reflection
Let us keep a brief silence before the Lord.
The world measures success by immediate results. God measures faithfulness by conformity to His Son.
The smallest hidden act of charity, the quiet fulfillment of an ordinary duty, the patient bearing of an inconvenience, the humble acceptance of correction—none of these is wasted. In Christ, all things truly do work together for good, though we seldom see the pattern while we are weaving it.
This morning, let us entrust both our victories and our disappointments to the providence of God, who is never hurried and never mistaken.
Short Responsory
℣. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
℟. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
℣. He hath set me in a place of pasture.
℟. I shall not want.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Transition
As the morning light grows stronger, we turn our hearts toward the Gospel of Christ. With Zachary, whose tongue was loosed at the birth of the Forerunner, we bless the God of Israel who has visited and redeemed His people.
In the Benedictine tradition, this hour sanctifies the beginning of labor. Whether our work today is carried out in a monastery, a family home, a classroom, an office, a workshop, or along a quiet country road, we offer it before it begins, praying that every task may become an act of praise.
“Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
End of Part II.
Part III will include the Benedictus, the intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer, the Collect, an original Chestertonian meditation for the day, and the concluding blessing.
Chesterton Radio Morning Prayer
Monday, July 6, 2026
Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Part III
Gospel Canticle
Antiphon
Blessed be the Lord our God, who has visited His people and redeemed them.
The Benedictus
Luke 1:68–79 (Douay-Rheims)
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us,
in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers,
and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him,
all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
To give knowledge of salvation to his people,
unto the remission of their sins,
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God,
in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death:
to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon
Blessed be the Lord our God, who has visited His people and redeemed them.
Intercessions
Let us bless Christ, the Sun of Justice, whose light never fades, and let us pray with confidence.
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
For Your holy Church throughout the world, that she may proclaim the Gospel with courage, preserve the faith handed down by the Apostles, and bring many souls to the joy of salvation.
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
For our Holy Father, for all bishops, priests, deacons, and religious, that they may be strengthened in fidelity and charity.
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
For those entrusted with authority in every nation, that they may govern with justice, humility, and reverence for the dignity of every human person.
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
For workers beginning a new week, for farmers in their fields, for teachers, craftsmen, engineers, physicians, parents, students, and all whose labor serves the common good.
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
For those burdened by illness, loneliness, grief, financial hardship, or uncertainty, that they may discover Christ walking beside them.
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
For the Chesterton Radio family scattered throughout the world, that every broadcast, every article, every conversation, and every act of generosity may draw hearts toward truth, goodness, and joy.
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
For our own intentions, which we now place silently before the Lord.
(Pause.)
℟. Lord, guide us in Your peace.
Our Father
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 them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Collect
O God, who by the abasement of Thy Son hast raised up a fallen world, fill Thy faithful people with holy joy, that those whom Thou hast delivered from the slavery of sin may know the happiness that never ends.
Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Amen.
A Chestertonian Meditation
The Adventure of an Ordinary Monday
There is something wonderfully unreasonable about Monday.
It arrives with no fanfare. The fireworks are over. Sunday’s bells have faded into memory. The week stretches ahead with its appointments, emails, errands, dishes, meetings, traffic, deadlines, and a hundred ordinary duties that seem, at first glance, to possess very little poetry.
Yet Christianity has always insisted that this is precisely where the poetry begins.
God did not save the world merely upon a mountain or within the courts of kings. He spent thirty hidden years in the ordinary rhythm of family life, work, neighbors, meals, and familiar roads. If the Son of God considered an ordinary day worthy of His presence, then no ordinary day can truly be ordinary again.
We often imagine that holiness waits for extraordinary opportunities. We expect some great decision, some heroic sacrifice, some dramatic turning point. But grace usually enters quietly, asking only that we perform the next good thing with love.
The mother preparing breakfast.
The mechanic tightening one more bolt.
The teacher explaining one more lesson.
The engineer checking one more calculation.
The retiree making one more telephone call to someone who might otherwise be forgotten.
These things rarely make headlines. Yet heaven has always had a curious habit of celebrating what earth scarcely notices.
G. K. Chesterton delighted in reminding us that the world is not held together by novelty but by repetition. Every sunrise is, in one sense, the oldest thing in creation, yet God never seems to tire of painting it across the sky. Perhaps we should not tire so quickly of the faithful repetitions that make up a good life.
The saints became saints less by seeking unusual adventures than by discovering the adventure hidden inside ordinary obedience.
This Monday, then, is not merely the beginning of another workweek.
It is another page entrusted to us by Divine Providence.
It is another opportunity to forgive before resentment grows.
Another opportunity to tell the truth.
Another opportunity to laugh.
Another opportunity to encourage someone who has forgotten hope.
Another opportunity to pray before speaking.
Another opportunity to thank God before asking Him for anything else.
The world often says, “When something extraordinary happens, then life will begin.”
The Christian answers, “Life has already begun.”
Christ walks the familiar roads just as surely as He walked the road to Emmaus.
And perhaps, if we keep our eyes open, we shall discover that this perfectly ordinary Monday has been, all along, one of the great adventures.
Closing
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
✠ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Chesterton Radio
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