[Ant 1]
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, * and the whole earth was full of His glory, and His train filled the Temple.

[Versum 1]
V. Let the evening prayer ascend unto thee, O Lord.
R. And let there descend upon us thy mercy.

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the book of Ezekiel
!Ezek 1:1-4
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, when I was in the midst of the captives by the river Chobar, the heavens were opened, and I saw the visions of God.
2 On the fifth day of the month, the same was the fifth year of the captivity of king Joachin,
3 The word of the Lord came to Ezechiel the priest the son of Bud in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chobar: and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.
4 And I saw, and behold a whirlwind came out of the north: and a great cloud, and a fire infolding it, and brightness was about it: and out of the midst thereof, that is, out of the midst of the fire, as it were the resemblance of amber:

[Responsory1]
@Tempora/Pent01-0:Responsory1

[Lectio2]
!Ezek 1:5-9
5 And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures: and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in them.
6 Every one had four faces, and every one four wings.
7 Their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their foot was like the sole of a calf's foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of glowing brass.
8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides: and they bad faces, and wings on the four sides,
9 And the wings of one were joined to the wings of another. They turned not when they went: but every one went straight forward.

[Responsory2]
R. Look down, O Lord, from the dwelling-place of thine holiness, and take thought for us. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear.
* Open thine eyes, and behold our desolation.
V. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou That leadest Joseph like a flock.
R. Open thine eyes, and behold our desolation.

[Lectio3]
!Ezek 1:10-12
10 And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four.
11 And their faces, and their wings were stretched upward: two wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies:
12 And every one of them went straight forward: whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went: and they turned not when they went.

[Responsory3]
R. Consider, O Lord, how that the city sitteth solitary that was full of riches; how is she become as a widow, she that was great among the nations;
* She hath none to comfort her, save thee, O our God
V. She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks.
R. She hath none to comfort her, save thee, O our God
&Gloria
R. She hath none to comfort her, save thee, O our God

[Lectio4]
From the Exposition of the Prophet Ezekiel written by Pope St Gregory (the Great.)
!Bk, i. Horn. 2.
It is the use of the Prophetic writers first to give name, date, and place, and then to begin to unfold the mysteries of the prophecy thus, to give certainty of trustworthiness, a foundation is laid before, and afterward the fruits of the Spirit are set forth by signs and in figures. Thus Ezekiel saith concerning the date: And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month. And to show the place, he addeth further As I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. Then he defineth the time even more exactly, saying In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of King Jehoiachim's captivity. And he who had thus clearly indicated his individuality, goeth on farther to state his kin, saying The word of the Lord came unto Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the Priest.

[Responsory4]
R. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem
* Which shall never hold their peace day nor night, to praise the name of the Lord.
V. They shall proclaim My might unto the nations, and declare My glory unto the Gentiles.
R. Which shall never hold their peace day nor night, to praise the name of the Lord.

[Lectio5]
But the first question which meeteth us is, Wherefore doth the Prophet, having hitherto said nothing, begin with the words And it came to pass in the thirtieth year Now, this word And is a conjunction, and we know that it is so called because it conjoineth that which cometh after it with that which goeth before it. Wherefore, then, doth he who hath hitherto been silent, commence by And, when there is nothing going before for the conjunction tojoin to that which cometh after To explain this, we must consider that our senses perceive only things bodily, while those of Prophets perceive also things ghostly, and to them things exist which to our ignorance seem not to do so. Hence it cometh that in the mind of a Prophet, things outer and things inner are so joined that he seeth both together, and the word which he heareth within him and that which he uttereth come together.

[Responsory5]
R. Hedge us about with thy wall that cannot be broken down, O Lord, and shield us continually with the arms of thy might.
* O Lord God of Israel, deliver them that cry unto thee.
V. Deliver us also according to thy marvellous works, and give glory to thy Name.
R. O Lord God of Israel, deliver them that cry unto thee.

[Lectio6]
It appeareth plainly, therefore, that he which had hitherto been silent, beginneth by the words, And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, because his first utterance was but the continuation of something to which he had already been listening in his own mind. The words which he spoke were merely a continuation of the vision already going on within, and therefore the first are, And it came to pass. His language is framed as though his inner revelation had been an open one. That it was in the thirtieth year that the word of the Lord came unto Ezekiel, causeth us to remark that in the ordinary use of human understanding, men receive not a call to teach until they be of full age. Hence also even the Lord Himself, when He sat in the Temple in the midst of the doctors, in the twelfth year of His age, was pleased to be found, not teaching, but hearing them and asking them questions. (Luke ii. 46.)

[Responsory6]
R. We looked for peace, and it came not we asked for good, and behold trouble. We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness.
* Forget us not for ever.
V. O Lord (our God) we have sinned, we have done ungodly, we have dealt unrighteously in all thine ordinances.
R. Forget us not for ever.
&Gloria
R. Forget us not for ever.

[Responsory7]
R. Blessed is the people
* Whom the Lord of hosts hath blessed, saying O Israel thou art the work of Mine own hands, thou art Mine own inheritance.
V. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.
R. Whom the Lord of hosts hath blessed, saying O Israel thou art the work of Mine own hands, thou art Mine own inheritance.

[Responsory8]
@Tempora/Pent01-0:Responsory8
