Lenten Psalms FRI

PSALMS & PRAYERS FOR THE FRIDAYS OF LENT

“Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee! Thou art my God, and I will exalt Thee! I will praise Thee, because Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation!”
(Psalm 117:28).

“I will praise the Name of God with a canticle and I will magnify Him with praise!”
(Psalm 68:31)

THE LITURGY AND LITURGICAL PRAYER IS THE BEST FORM OF PRAYER AND THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL PRAYERS, BUT, TODAY, THE MOST NEGLECTED OF ALL PRAYERS

In bygone days, liturgical prayer—the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Divine Office (also known as the Breviary, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Work of God)—was the prayer par excellence of the Church. With the Protestant Reformation, it began to fall from popularity and usage, giving way to private devotions in place of public devotion. Private devotion, no matter how pious and spiritual it may be, is merely the composition and work of man—whereas liturgical prayer is the composition and work of the Holy Spirit. During this Advent season you will have the chance to try-out and participate in an abbreviated version of the liturgical prayer contained in the Divine Office (Breviary) that is prayed by the clergy and religious orders of Holy Mother Church. First of all, here are a few words from the greatest liturgist of modern times—Dom Gueranger:

“Prayer is man's richest boon. It is his light, his nourishment, and his very life, for it brings him into communication with God, who is light, nourishment, and life. But of ourselves we know not what we should pray for as we ought, therefore, we must address ourselves to Jesus Christ, and say to Him as the apostles did: “Lord, teach us how to pray!” He effects by sending His Holy Spirit of grace and of prayers … Ever since that day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has dwelt in this His favored bride—the Church. He is the principle of everything that is in her. He it is that prompts her prayers, her desires, her canticles of praise. The prayer of the Church is, therefore, the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most efficacious of all prayers. Happy, then, is he who prays with the Church, and unites his own petitions with those of this bride, who is so dear to her Lord that He gives her all she asks.

“Prayer said in union with the Church is the light of the understanding, it is the fire of divine love for the heart. The Christian soul neither needs nor wishes to avoid the company of the Church, when she would converse with God, and praise His greatness and His mercy. She knows that the company of the bride of Christ could not be a distraction to her. But now for many ages past, Christians have grown too solicitous about earthly things to frequent the holy vigils, and the mystical Hours of the day. Each new generation increased in indifference for that which their forefathers in the Faith had loved as their best and strongest food. Social prayer was made to give way to individual devotion. The spirit of prayer, and even prayer itself, has been sought for in methods and prayer-books, which contain, it is true, laudable and pious thoughts, but after all only human thoughts. Such nourishment cannot satisfy the soul, for it does not initiate her into the prayer of the Church. Instead of uniting her with the prayer of the Church, it isolates her.

“Liturgical prayer would soon become powerless were the faithful not to take a real share in it, or at least not to associate themselves to it in heart. It can heal and save the world, but only on the condition that it be understood. Be wise, then, ye children of the Catholic Church, and obtain that largeness of heart which will make you pray the prayer of your mother. Come, and by your share in It fill up that harmony which is so sweet to the ear of God. Where would you obtain the spirit of prayer if not at its natural source?” (Dom Gueranger, The Liturgical Year).

FOR ALL THE FRIDAYS OF LENT
PSALMS & READINGS

Please note that you do NOT have to say ALL of these eight liturgical hours if it seems too burdensome. Pray what you can! Like lifting weights, add more as you get used to it.

Neither are you absolutely obliged to pray them at the recommended times (though it is better to do so). You could set aside just two or three periods in the day to cover them all.

As a rough estimate, the entire eight prayer periods should only take around 1 hour per day. The approximate maximum time for each of the eight liturgical hours is as follows (please note that Matins has been shortened by 60%, to only 1 of 3 Nocturns):

Matins (15 minutes); Lauds ( 7 minutes); Prime (7 minutes); Terce (4 minutes);
Sext (4 minutes); None (4 minutes); Vespers (7 minutes); Compline (7 minutes).
Total 55 minutes (more or less).

So if you set aside three 20-minute periods a day, or two 30-minute periods, then you could easily manage to pray the entire Divine Office (abbreviated version) daily.

The First Liturgical Hour
NIGHT PRAYER (MATINS) FOR FRIDAY
usually prayed in the middle of the night, or else right before dawn
(modern day suggestion: very last thing at night, or immediately after waking)

Religious would rise from sleep after midnight in the very early hours of the morning, well before dawn, to pray Matins
Usually Matins would consist of (1) an invitation to prayer called the "Invitatory"; (2) a hymn; (3) followed by nine psalms;
(4) then three spiritual readings; and (5) after this the Te Deum a hymn of thanksgiving is said; (6) which is followed by the prayer or collect of the day or feast.

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

The following extracts from the Divine Office of Matins is only around one-third of the actual length of Matins.

Versicle: O Lord, ✠︎ open thou my lips. (make the Sign of the Cross over the lips with your right thumb)
Response: And my mouth shall declare thy praise.

Versicle: O God, ☩ come to my assistance; (make the normal Sign of the Cross)
Response: O Lord, make haste to help me.

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.

THE INVITATORY FROM THE OFFICE OF MATINS FOR THE SEASON OF LENT
Inviting all to come and praise the Lord our God

Antiphon for Lent until Passion Sunday:
Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.
Antiphon from from Passion Sunday until Wednesday of Holy Week:
When you hear the voice of the Lord today * Do not harden your heart.

Come let us praise the Lord with joy! Let us joyfully sing to God our Savior! Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and sing joyful praise to Him with psalms!

Antiphon for Lent until Passion Sunday:
Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.
Antiphon from from Passion Sunday until Wednesday of Holy Week:
When you hear the voice of the Lord today * Do not harden your heart.

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. For the Lord will not cast off His people: for in His hand are all the ends of the Earth, and the heights of the mountains are His.

Antiphon for Lent until Passion Sunday:
For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.
Antiphon from from Passion Sunday until Wednesday of Holy Week:
Do not harden your heart.

For the sea is His and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land. (genuflect for next sentence) Come let us adore and fall down, and weep before the Lord that made us! (rise) For He is the Lord our God: and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Antiphon for Lent until Passion Sunday:
Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.
Antiphon from from Passion Sunday until Wednesday of Holy Week:
When you hear the voice of the Lord today * Do not harden your heart.

Today if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation by the Israelites during the Exodus, according to the day of temptation in the desert wilderness: where your fathers tempted Me, they tested Me, and saw My works.

Antiphon for Lent until Passion Sunday:
For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.
Antiphon from from Passion Sunday until Wednesday of Holy Week:
Do not harden your heart.

Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: “These people always err in their heart! And these men have not known My ways!” So I swore, in My wrath, that they shall not enter into My rest!

Antiphon for Lent until Passion Sunday:
Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.
Antiphon from from Passion Sunday until Wednesday of Holy Week:
When you hear the voice of the Lord today * Do not harden your heart.

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon for Lent until Passion Sunday:
For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch. Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.
Antiphon from from Passion Sunday until Wednesday of Holy Week:
Do not harden your heart. When you hear the voice of the Lord today * Do not harden your heart.

THE LENTEN HYMN UP UNTIL PASSION SUNDAY FROM THE OFFICE OF MATINS

The fast, as taught by holy lore,
We keep in solemn course once more:
The fast to all men known, and bound
In forty days of yearly round.

The law and seers that were of old
In divers ways this Lent foretold,
Which Christ, all seasons’ King and Guide,
In after ages sanctified.

More sparing therefore let us make
The words we speak, the food we take,
Our sleep and mirth—and closer barred
Be every sense in holy guard.

Avoid the evil thoughts that roll
Like waters o’er the heedless soul;
Nor let the foe occasion find
Our souls in slavery to bind.

In prayer together let us fall,
And cry for mercy, one and all,
And weep before the Judge’s feet,
And His avenging wrath entreat.

Thy grace have we offended sore,
By sins, O God, which we deplore;
But pour upon us from on high,
O pardoning One, Thy clemency.

Remember Thou, though frail we be,
That yet Thine handiwork are we;
Nor let the honor of Thy Name
Be by another put to shame.

Forgive the sin that we have wrought;
Increase the good that we have sought:
That we at length, our wanderings o'er,
May please Thee here and evermore.

Grant O Thou Blessed Trinity,
Grant, O Essential Unity,
That this our fast of forty days
May work our profit and Thy praise.
Amen.

THE LENTEN HYMN BEGINNING PASSION SUNDAY FROM THE OFFICE OF MATINS

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle
Sing the last, the dread affray;
O’er the cross, the victor’s trophy,
Sound the high triumphal lay:
Tell how Christ, the world’s Redeemer,
As a victim won the day.

God, his Maker, sorely grieving
That the first-made Adam fell,
When he ate the fruit of sorrow,
Whose reward was death and Hell,
Noted then this wood, the ruin
Of the ancient wood to quell.

For the work of our salvation
Needs would have his order so,
And the multiform deceiver’s
Art by art would overthrow,
And from thence would bring the med’cine
Whence the insult of the foe.

Wherefore, when the sacred fullness
Of the appointed time was come,
This world’s Maker left His Father,
Sent the heav’nly mansion from,
And proceeded, God Incarnate,
Of the Virgin’s holy womb.

Weeps the Infant in the manger
That in Bethlehem’s stable stands;
And His limbs the Virgin Mother
Doth compose in swaddling bands,
Meetly thus in linen folding
Of her God the feet and hands.

To the Trinity be glory
Everlasting, as is meet;
Equal to the Father, equal
To the Son, and Paraclete:
Trinal Unity, whose praises
All created things repeat.
Amen.

The first of three psalms
PSALM 77

Antiphon: Let us prove ourselves * in much patience and fasting, by the armor of justice.

77:1 Attend, O my people, to My law: * incline your ears to the words of My mouth.
77:7 That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: * and may seek his commandments.
77:8 That they may not become like their fathers, * a perverse and exasperating generation.
77:8 A generation that set not their heart aright: * and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
77:9 The sons of Ephraim who bend and shoot with the bow: * they have turned back in the day of battle.
77:10 They kept not the covenant of God: * and in his law they would not walk.
77:11 And they forgot his benefits, * and his wonders that he had shown them.
77:12 Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, * in the field of Tanis.
77:13 He divided the sea and brought them through: * and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.
77:14 And he conducted them with a cloud by day: * and all the night with a light of fire.
77:15 He struck the rock in the wilderness: * and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.
77:16 He brought forth water out of the rock: * and made streams run down as rivers.
77:17 And they added yet more sin against him: * they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.
77:18 And they tempted God in their hearts, * by asking meat for their desires.
77:19 And they spoke ill of God: * they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
77:20 Because he struck the rock, and the waters gushed out, * and the streams overflowed.
77:20 Can he also give bread, * or provide a table for his people?
77:21 Therefore the Lord heard, and was angry: * and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel.
77:22 Because they believed not in God: * and trusted not in his salvation.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Let us prove ourselves * in much patience and fasting, by the armor of justice.

The second of three psalms
PSALM 77 (continued)

Antiphon: O Lord, save me from my enemies.

77:23 And he had commanded the clouds from above, * and had opened the doors of heaven.
77:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, * and had given them the bread of heaven.
77:25 Man ate the bread of angels: * he sent them provisions in abundance.
77:26 He removed the south wind from heaven: * and by his power brought in the southwest wind.
77:27 And he rained upon them flesh as dust: * and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.
77:28 And they fell in the midst of their camp, * round about their pavilions.
77:29 So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire: * they were not defrauded of that which they craved.
77:30 As yet their meat was in their mouth: * and the wrath of God came upon them.
77:31 And he slew the fat ones amongst them, * and brought down the chosen men of Israel.
77:32 In all these things they sinned still: * and they believed not for his wondrous works.
77:33 And their days were consumed in vanity, * and their years in haste.
77:34 When he slew them, then they sought him: * and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.
77:35 And they remembered that God was their helper: * and the most high God their redeemer.
77:36 And they loved him with their mouth: * and with their tongue they lied unto him:
77:37 But their heart was not right with him: * nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.
77:38 But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: * and will not destroy them.
77:38 And many a time did he turn away his anger: * and did not kindle all his wrath.
77:39 And he remembered that they are flesh: * a wind that goeth and returneth not.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: O Lord, save me from my enemies.

The third of three psalms
PSALM 77 (continued)

Antiphon: Look for the Lord and your soul shall live.

77:40 How often did they provoke him in the desert: * and move him to wrath in the place without water?
77:41 And they turned back and tempted God: * and grieved the holy one of Israel.
77:42 They remembered not his hand, * in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them:
77:43 How he wrought his signs in Egypt, * and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
77:44 And he turned their rivers into blood, * and their showers that they might, not drink.
77:45 He sent amongst them divers sorts of flies, which devoured them: * and frogs which destroyed them.
77:46 And he gave up their fruits to the blast, * and their labors to the locust.
77:47 And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, * and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.
77:48 And he gave up their cattle to the hail, * and their stock to the fire.
77:49 And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: * indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil angels.
77:50 He made a way for a path to his anger: * he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up in death.
77:51 And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: * the first-fruits of all their labor in the tabernacles of Cham.
77:52 And he took away his own people as sheep: * and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
77:53 And he brought them out in hope, and they feared not: * and the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
77:54 And he brought them into the mountain of his sanctuary: * the mountain which his right hand had purchased.
77:54 And he cast out the Gentiles before them: * and by lot divided to them their land by a line of distribution.
77:55 And he made the tribes of Israel * to dwell in their tabernacles.
77:56 Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God: * and they kept not his testimonies.
77:57 And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: * even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.
77:58 They provoked him to anger on their hills: * and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.
77:59 God heard, and despised them, * and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.
77:61 And he delivered their strength into captivity: * and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
77:62 And he shut up his people under the sword: * and he despised his inheritance.
77:63 Fire consumed their young men: * and their maidens were not lamented.
77:64 Their priests fell by the sword: * and their widows did not mourn.
77:67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: * and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
77:68 But he chose the tribe of Juda, * mount Sion which he loved.
77:69 And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land * which he founded for ever.
77:70 And he chose his servant David, and took him from the flocks of sheep: * he brought him from following the ewes great with young,
77:71 To feed Jacob his servant, * and Israel his inheritance.
77:72 And he fed them in the innocence of his heart: * and conducted them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Look for the Lord and your soul shall live.

Versicle: I will not turn away My face from you, for I am holy, saith the Lord
Response: And I will not be angry for ever! (Jeremias 3:12)

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.

Versicle: And lead us not into temptation:
Response: But deliver us from evil.

Absolution before the reading: O Lord Jesus Christ, graciously hear the prayers of Thy servants, and have mercy upon us, Who livest and reignest with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, for ever, world without end. Amen.

FIRST READING
Continuation of Homily #40 by Pope St. Leo the Great, preached at the beginning of the Lenten season

Therefore, dearly-beloved, seeing that, as we are taught by our Redeemer's precept, man lives not in bread alone, but in every word of God, and it is right that Christian people, whatever the amount of their abstinence, should rather desire to satisfy themselves with the Word of God than with bodily food, let us with ready devotion and eager Faith enter upon the celebration of the solemn fast, not with barren abstinence from food, which is often imposed on us by weakness of body, or the disease of avarice, but in bountiful benevolence: that in truth we may be of those of whom the very Truth speaks, blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled Matthew 5:6. Let works of piety, therefore, be our delight, and let us be filled with those kinds of food which feed us for eternity.

Versicle: But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: The Lord is just in all His ways: and holy in all His works (Psalm 144:17).
Response: For the Lord is just, and hath loved justice (Psalm 10:8).
Versicle: The Lord is merciful and just, and our God showeth mercy (Psalm 114:5).
Response: For the Lord is just, and hath loved justice (Psalm 10:8).

SECOND READING
Continuation of the Homily (#40) by Pope St. Leo the Great

Let us rejoice in the replenishment of the poor, whom our bounty has satisfied. Let us delight in the clothing of those whose nakedness we have covered with needful raiment. Let our humaneness be felt by the sick in their illnesses, by the weakly in their infirmities, by the exiles in their hardships, by the orphans in their destitution, and by solitary widows in their sadness: in the helping of whom there is no one that cannot carry out some amount of benevolence. For no one's income is small, whose heart is big: and the measure of one's mercy and goodness does not depend on the size of one's means. Wealth of goodwill is never rightly lacking, even in a slender purse. Doubtless the expenditure of the rich is greater, and that of the poor smaller, but there is no difference in the fruit of their works, where the purpose of the workers is the same.

Versicle: But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled (Psalm 6:3).
Response: O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up again (Psalm 40:11)

Versicle: Forgive Thy people that have sinned against Thee
Response: O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up again (Psalm 40:11)

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and  to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up again (Psalm 40:11)

THIRD READING
Continuation of the Homily (#40) by Pope St. Leo the Great

But, beloved, in this opportunity for the virtues' exercise there are also other notable crowns, to be won by no dispersing abroad of granaries, by no disbursement of money, if wantonness is repelled, if drunkenness is abandoned, and the lusts of the flesh tamed by the laws of chastity: if hatreds pass into affection, if enmities be turned into peace, if meekness extinguishes wrath, if gentleness forgives wrongs, if in fine the conduct of master and of slaves is so well ordered that the rule of the one is milder, and the discipline of the other is more complete. It is by such observances then, dearly-beloved, that God's mercy will be gained, the charge of sin wiped out, and the adorable Easter festival devoutly kept. And this the pious Emperors of the Roman world have long guarded with holy observance; for in honor of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection they bend their lofty power, and relaxing the severity of their decrees set free many of their prisoners: so that on the days when the world is saved by the Divine mercy, their clemency, which is modeled on the Heavenly goodness, may be zealously followed by us. Let Christian peoples then imitate their princes, and be incited to forbearance in their homes by these royal examples. For it is not right that private laws should be severer than public. Let faults be forgiven, let bonds be loosed, offenses wiped out, designs of vengeance fall through, that the holy festival through the Divine and human grace may find all happy, all innocent: through our Lord Jesus Christ Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns God for endless ages of ages. Amen.

Versicle: But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry. Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God.
Response: For to Thee will I pray, O Lord! In the morning Thou shalt hear my voice.

Versicle: O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy indignation, nor chastise me in Thy wrath.
Response: For to Thee will I pray, O Lord! In the morning Thou shalt hear my voice.

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: For to Thee will I pray, O Lord! In the morning Thou shalt hear my voice.

Versicle: My God is my helper, and in Him will I put my trust.
Response: My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support.

PRAYER

Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer!
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee!

(Throughout the entire First Week in Lent)
Let us pray. O God, Who dost every year purge Thy Church by the Fast of Forty Days, grant unto this Thy family, that what things soever they strive to obtain at Thy hand by abstaining from meats, they may ever turn to profit by good works.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Second Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Almighty God, grant, we beseech Thee, unto this thy family, that as they do abstain from meals to afflict the flesh, so by following after righteousness they may fast from sin.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Third Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Graciously hear us, O Almighty and merciful God, and in thy goodness enable us to reap the fruit of this our healthful Fasting.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Fourth Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we who for our evil deeds are worthily punished, may, by the comfort of Thy grace, mercifully be relieved.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the first Week of Passiontide which is the Fifth Week in Lent)
Let us pray.  Lord, we beseech Thee, that this our Fast may be acceptable in Thy sight, and may, through Thy blessing, effectually work in us, making us meet here to receive Thy grace and hereafter the everlasting glory which Thou hast promised.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout Palm Sunday and Monday to Wednesday in Holy Week which is the Sixth Week in Lent)
Let us pray.  Almighty and everlasting God, Who, of Thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent Thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon Him our flesh and to suffer death upon the Cross, that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility; mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of His patience, and also be made partakers of His resurrection.
Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Response: Amen

CONCLUSION

Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer!
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee.

Versicle: Let us bless the Lord!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Response: Amen.

The Second Liturgical Hour
THE DAWN PRAYER (LAUDS) FOR FRIDAY
usually prayed before dawn
(modern day suggestion: after waking in the morning, before breakfast)

The Religious would rise from sleep once again before dawn, to pray Lauds. If Matins was not prayed during the middle of the night, then it is prayed now, at dawn, immediately before praying Lauds.
Usually Lauds consists of (1) five psalms with their appropriate seasonal antiphons (2) followed by what is called a "Chapter Verse" which is a short paragraphed reading; (3) this is followed by a hymn that suits the liturgical season; (4) then follows the Canticle of St. Zachary, the "Benedictus" with its appropriate seasonal antiphon; (5) finally there is said the prayer or collect for the day or feast.

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

OPENING INVOCATIONS

Versicle: O God, ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) come to my assistance!
Response: O Lord, make haste to help me!

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.

The first of five psalms
PSALM 50

Antiphon: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies * blot out my iniquity.

50:3 Have mercy on me, O God, * according to Thy great mercy.
50:3 And according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies * blot out my iniquity.
50:4 Wash me yet more from my iniquity, * and cleanse me from my sin.
50:5 For I know my iniquity, * and my sin is always before me.
50:6 To Thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before Thee: * that Thou mayst be justified in Thy words, and mayst overcome when Thou art judged.
50:7 For behold I was conceived in iniquities; * and in sins did my mother conceive me.
50:8 For behold Thou hast loved truth: * the uncertain and hidden things of Thy wisdom Thou hast made manifest to me.
50:9 Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: * Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
50:10 To my hearing Thou shalt give joy and gladness: * and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.
50:11 Turn away Thy face from my sins, * and blot out all my iniquities.
50:12 Create a clean heart in me, O God: * and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
50:13 Cast me not away from Thy face; * and take not Thy holy spirit from me.
50:14 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, * and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
50:15 I will teach the unjust Thy ways: * and the wicked shall be converted to Thee.
50:16 Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: * and my tongue shall extol Thy justice.
50:17 O Lord, Thou wilt open my lips: * and my mouth shall declare Thy praise.
50:18 For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: * with burnt offerings Thou wilt not be delighted.
50:19 A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: * a contrite and humbled heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
50:20 Deal favorably, O Lord, in Thy good will with Sion; * that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
50:21 Then shalt Thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: * then shall they lay calves upon Thy altar.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies * blot out my iniquity.

The second of five psalms
PSALM 142

Antiphon: Turn thee again, O Lord, * and be gracious unto thy servants

142:1 Hear, O Lord, my prayer: give ear to my supplication in thy truth: * hear me in thy justice.
142:2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: * for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.
142:3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul: * he hath brought down my life to the earth.
142:4 He hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been dead of old: * and my spirit is in anguish within me: my heart within me is troubled.
142:5 I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all thy works: * I meditated upon the works of thy hands.
142:6 I stretched forth my hands to thee: * my soul is as earth without water unto thee.
142:7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: * my spirit hath fainted away.
142:7 Turn not away thy face from me, * lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
142:8 Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning; * for in thee have I hoped.
142:8 Make the way known to me, wherein I should walk: * for I have lifted up my soul to thee.
142:9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to thee have I fled: * teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God.
142:10 Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land: * for thy name’s sake, O Lord, thou wilt quicken me in thy justice.
142:11 Thou wilt bring my soul out of trouble: * and in thy mercy thou wilt destroy my enemies.
142:12 And thou wilt cut off all them that afflict my soul: * for I am thy servant.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Turn thee again, O Lord, * and be gracious unto thy servants

The third of five psalms
PSALM 84

Antiphon: O God, * thou hast multiplied thy mercy.

84:2 Lord, thou hast blessed thy land: * thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
84:3 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people: * thou hast covered all their sins.
84:4 Thou hast mitigated all thy anger: * thou hast turned away from the wrath of thy indignation.
84:5 Convert us, O God our saviour: * and turn off thy anger from us.
84:6 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever: * or wilt thou extend thy wrath from generation to generation?
84:7 Thou wilt turn, O God, and bring us to life: * and thy people shall rejoice in thee.
84:8 Show us, O Lord, thy mercy; * and grant us thy salvation.
84:9 I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: * for he will speak peace
84:9 And unto his saints: * and unto them that are converted to the heart.
84:10 Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him: * that glory may dwell in our land.
84:11 Mercy and truth have met each other: * justice and peace have kissed.
84:12 Truth is sprung out of the earth: * and justice hath looked down from heaven.
84:13 For the Lord will give goodness: * and our earth shall yield her fruit.
84:14 Justice shall walk before him: * and shall set his steps in the way.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: O God, * thou hast multiplied thy mercy.

The fourth of five psalms
CANTICLE OF HABACUC
(Canticle of Habacuc * Hab 3:2-33)

Antiphon: The Lord is my strength * and my praise, and He is become my salvation.

3:2 O Lord, I have heard thy hearing, * and was afraid.
3:3 O Lord, thy work, * in the midst of the years bring it to life:
3:4 In the midst of the years thou shalt make it known: * when thou art angry, thou wilt remember mercy.
3:5 God will come from the south, * and the holy one from mount Pharan:
3:6 His glory covered the heavens, * and the earth is full of his praise.
3:7 His brightness shall be as the light: * horns are in his hands:
3:8 There is his strength hid: * Death shall go before his face.
3:9 And the devil shall go forth before his feet. * He stood and measured the earth.
3:10 He beheld, and melted the nations: * and the ancient mountains were crushed to pieces.
3:11 The hills of the world were bowed down * by the journeys of his eternity.
3:12 I saw the tents of Ethiopia for their iniquity, * the curtains of the land of Madian shall be troubled.
3:13 Wast thou angry, O Lord, with the rivers? * or was thy wrath upon the rivers? or thy indignation in the sea?
3:14 Who will ride upon thy horses: * and thy chariots are salvation.
3:15 Thou wilt surely take up thy bow: * according to the oaths which thou hast spoken to the tribes.
3:16 Thou wilt divide the rivers of the earth. The mountains saw thee, and were grieved: * the great body of waters passed away.
3:17 The deep put forth its voice: * the deep lifted up its hands.
3:18 The sun and the moon stood still in their habitation, * in the light of thy arrows, they shall go in the brightness of thy glittering spear.
3:19 In thy anger thou wilt tread the earth under foot: * in thy wrath thou wilt astonish the nations.
3:20 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people: * for salvation with thy Christ.
3:21 Thou struckest the head of the house of the wicked: * thou hast laid bare his foundation even to the neck.
3:22 Thou hast cursed his sceptres, the head of his warriors, * them that came out as a whirlwind to scatter me.
3:23 Their joy * was like that of him that devoureth the poor man in secret.
3:24 Thou madest a way in the sea for thy horses, * in the mud of many waters.
3:25 I have heard and my bowels were troubled: * my lips trembled at the voice.
3:26 Let rottenness enter into my bones, * and swarm under me.
3:27 That I may rest in the day of tribulation: * that I may go up to our people that are girded.
3:28 For the fig tree shall not blossom: * and there shall be no spring in the vines.
3:29 The labour of the olive tree shall fail: * and the fields shall yield no food:
3:30 The flock shall be cut off from the fold, * and there shall be no herd in the stalls.
3:31 But I will rejoice in the Lord: * and I will joy in God my Jesus.
3:32 The Lord God is my strength: * and he will make my feet like the feet of harts:
3:33 And he the conqueror will lead me upon my high places * singing psalms.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: The Lord is my strength * and my praise, and He is become my salvation.

The fifth of five psalms
PSALM 147

Antiphon: Praise the Lord * who healeth the broken of heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

147:1 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: * praise thy God, O Sion.
147:2 Because he hath strengthened the bolts of thy gates * he hath blessed thy children within thee.
147:3 Who hath placed peace in thy borders: * and filleth thee with the fat of corn.
147:4 Who sendeth forth his speech to the earth: * his word runneth swiftly.
147:5 Who giveth snow like wool: * scattereth mists like ashes.
147:6 He sendeth his crystal like morsels: * who shall stand before the face of his cold?
147:7 He shall send out his word, and shall melt them: * his wind shall blow, and the waters shall run.
147:8 Who declareth his word to Jacob: * his justices and his judgments to Israel.
147:9 He hath not done in like manner to every nation: * and his judgments he hath not made manifest to them.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Praise the Lord * who healeth the broken of heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

CHAPTER VERSE
(Isaias 58:1)

Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their wicked doings, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Response: Thanks be to God!

THE HYMN FROM THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT AND BEFORE PASSION SUNDAY

Jesus, salvation’s Sun Divine,
Within our inmost bosoms shine,
With light all darkness drive away
And give the world a better day.

Now days of grace with mercy flow,
O Lord, the gift of tears bestow,
To wash our stains in every part,
Whilst heavenly fire consumes the heart.

Rise, crystal tears, from that same source
From whence our sins derive their course;
Nor cease, till hardened hearts relent,
And softened by your streams, repent.

Behold, the happy days return,
The days of joy for them that mourn;
May we of their indulgence share,
And bless the God that grants our prayer.

May Heaven and Earth aloud proclaim
The Trinity’s almighty fame;
And we, restored to grace, rejoice
In newness both of heart and voice.
Amen.

Versicle: Have mercy on me, O God, because Thou art merciful!
Response: And wash away the stains of my sins!.

THE HYMN BEGINNING WITH PASSION SUNDAY

Thirty years among us dwelling,
His appointed time fulfilled,
Born for this, he meets his passion,
For that this he freely willed:
On the cross the Lamb is lifted,
Where his life-blood shall be spilled.

He endured the nails, the spitting,
Vinegar, and spear, and reed;
From that holy body broken
Blood and water forth proceed:
Earth, and stars, and sky, and ocean,
By that flood from stain are free.

Faithful cross! above all other,
One and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
None in fruit thy peers may be;
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron!
Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
For awhile the ancient rigour,
That thy birth bestowed, suspend;
And the King of heavenly beauty
On thy bosom gently tend!

Thou alone wast counted worthy
This world's ransom to uphold;
For a shipwrecked race preparing
Harbour, like the ark of old;
With the sacred blood anointed
From the smitten Lamb that rolled.

To the Trinity be glory
Everlasting, as is meet;
Equal to the Father, equal
To the Son, and Paraclete:
Trinal Unity, whose praises
All created things repeat.
Amen.

Versicle: Deliver me from my enemies, O my God.
Response: And defend me from them that rise up against me.

THE “BENEDICTUS” (Canticle of St. Zachary. Luke 1:68-79)

Antiphon: Son, remember * that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things.

1:68 Blessed be the Lord ✠ (make a sign of the cross) God of Israel; * because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, * in the house of David his servant:
1:70 As he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, * who are from the beginning:
1:71 Salvation from our enemies, * and from the hand of all that hate us:
1:72 To perform mercy to our fathers, * and to remember his holy testament,
1:73 The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, * that he would grant to us,
1:74 That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, * we may serve him without fear,
1:75 In holiness and justice before him, * all our days.
1:76 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:
1:77 To give knowledge of salvation to his people, * unto the remission of their sins:
1:78 Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, * in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
1:79 To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: * to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Son, remember * that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things.

PRAYER
Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer!
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee!

(Throughout the entire First Week in Lent)
Let us pray. O God, Who dost every year purge Thy Church by the Fast of Forty Days, grant unto this Thy family, that what things soever they strive to obtain at Thy hand by abstaining from meats, they may ever turn to profit by good works.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Second Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Almighty God, grant, we beseech Thee, unto this thy family, that as they do abstain from meals to afflict the flesh, so by following after righteousness they may fast from sin.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Third Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Graciously hear us, O Almighty and merciful God, and in thy goodness enable us to reap the fruit of this our healthful Fasting.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Fourth Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we who for our evil deeds are worthily punished, may, by the comfort of Thy grace, mercifully be relieved.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the first Week of Passiontide which is the Fifth Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Lord, we beseech Thee, that this our Fast may be acceptable in Thy sight, and may, through Thy blessing, effectually work in us, making us meet here to receive Thy grace and hereafter the everlasting glory which Thou hast promised.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout Palm Sunday and Monday to Wednesday in Holy Week which is the Sixth Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, Who, of Thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent Thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon Him our flesh and to suffer death upon the Cross, that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility; mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of His patience, and also be made partakers of His resurrection.
Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Response: Amen

CONCLUSION

Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer!
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee.

Versicle: Let us bless the Lord!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Response: Amen.

The Third Liturgical Hour
THE MORNING PRAYER (PRIME) FOR FRIDAY
usually prayed after breakfast and before starting work for the day
(modern day suggestion: after breakfast and before work, before 9 a.m.)

The word "Prime" refers to the first hour of daylight. It is the most recent addition to the Divine Office originating around the 4th century. It was the prayer said before starting work for the day.
Usually Prime consists of (1) an opening hymn which is always the same regardless of season or feast
(2) followed by three psalms with their appropriate seasonal antiphons
(3) then comes what is called a "Chapter Verse" which is a short paragraphed reading;
(4) this is followed by a prayer or collect which is always the same one, regardless of season or feast;
(4) then the Martyrology for the day in read;
(5) this is followed by another "Chapter Verse" and versicles;
(6) then come the concluding prayers, which include the Our Father;
(7) after which there is a seasonal "Chapter Verse" that is the same throughout the season;
(8) finally there is said the short concluding prayer, which is always the same throughout the year.

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

The Fourth Liturgical Hour
THE MID-MORNING PRAYER (TERCE) FOR FRIDAY
work is temporarily halted for this short middle of the morning prayer
(modern day suggestion: anytime between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.)

The word "Terce" refers to the third hour of daylight. The Religious would stop work and would again congregate in the church or chapel for prayer. In some Religious communities, the "Conventual" or "Community" Mass would be offered after Terce, even though private Masses had been offered by other priests earlier in the morning.

Usually Terce consists of (1) an opening hymn which is always the same regardless of season or feast;
(2) followed by three psalms with their appropriate seasonal antiphons;
(3) then comes what is called a "Chapter Verse" which is a short paragraphed reading;
(4) this is followed by a prayer or collect which is always the same one, regardless of season or feast.

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

The Fifth Liturgical Hour
THE MIDDAY PRAYER (SEXT) FOR FRIDAY
this midday prayer is usually said before eating lunch
(modern day suggestion: anytime between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m.)

The word "Sext" refers to the sixth hour of daylight. The Religious would stop work and would again congregate in the church or chapel for prayer.

Usually Sext consists of (1) an opening hymn which is always the same regardless of season or feast
(2) followed by three psalms with their appropriate seasonal antiphons
(3) then comes what is called a "Chapter Verse" which is a short paragraphed reading;
(4) this is followed by a prayer or collect which is always the same one, regardless of season or feast,

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

The Sixth Liturgical Hour
THE MID-AFTERNOON PRAYER (NONE) FOR FRIDAY
work is temporarily halted for this short middle of the afternoon prayer
(modern day suggestion: anytime between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.)

The word "None" refers to the ninth hour of daylight. The Religious would stop work and would again congregate in the church or chapel for prayer.

Usually None consists of (1) an opening hymn which is always the same regardless of season or feast
(2) followed by three psalms with their appropriate seasonal antiphons
(3) then comes what is called a "Chapter Verse" which is a short paragraphed reading;
(4) this is followed by a prayer or collect which is always the same one, regardless of season or feast,

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

The Seventh Liturgical Hour
THE EVENING PRAYER (VESPERS) FOR FRIDAY
usually prayed as the sun begins to set
(modern day suggestion: anytime between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The Religious would finish work at sunset to pray Vespers before the evening meal.

Usually Vespers consists of (1) five psalms with their appropriate seasonal antiphons
(2) followed by what is called a "Chapter Verse" which is a short paragraphed reading;
(3) this is followed by a hymn that suits the liturgical season;
(4) then follows the Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the "Magnificat" with its appropriate seasonal antiphon;
(5) finally there is said the prayer or collect for the day or feast.

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

OPENING INVOCATIONS

Versicle: O God, ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) come to my assistance!
Response: O Lord, make haste to help me!

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.

The first of five psalms
PSALM 138

Antiphon: Behold how good * and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

138:1 Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me: * ‡ thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up.
138:3 Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off: * my path and my life thou hast searched out.
138:4 And thou hast foreseen all my ways: * for there is no speech on my tongue.
138:5 Behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and those of old: * thou hast formed me, and hast laid thy hand upon me.
138:6 Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me: * it is high, and I cannot reach to it.
138:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? * or whither shall I flee from thy face?
138:8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: * if I descend into hell, thou art present.
138:9 If I take my wings early in the morning, * and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
138:10 Even there also shall thy hand lead me: * and thy right hand shall hold me.
138:11 And I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: * and night shall be my light in my pleasures.
138:12 But darkness shall not be dark to thee, and night shall be light as the day: * the darkness thereof, and the light thereof are alike to thee.
138:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: * thou hast protected me from my mother’s womb.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Behold how good * and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

The second of five psalms
PSALM 138 (continued)

Antiphon: Give ye glory to the Lord * for his mercy endureth for ever.

138:14 I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: * wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.
138:15 My bone is not hidden from thee, which thou hast made in secret: * and my substance in the lower parts of the earth.
138:16 Thy eyes did see my imperfect being, and in thy book all shall be written: * days shall be formed, and no one in them
138:17 But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: * their principality is exceedingly strengthened.
138:18 I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand: * I rose up and am still with thee.
138:19 If thou wilt kill the wicked, O God: * ye men of blood, depart from me:
138:20 Because you say in thought: * They shall receive thy cities in vain.
138:21 Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: * and pined away because of thy enemies?
138:22 I have hated them with a perfect hatred: * and they are become enemies to me.
138:23 Prove me, O God, and know my heart: * examine me, and know my paths.
138:24 And see if there be in me the way of iniquity: * and lead me in the eternal way.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Give ye glory to the Lord * for his mercy endureth for ever.

The third of five psalms
PSALM 139

Antiphon: Give ye glory to the Lord * for he was mindful of us in our affliction.

139:2 Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: * rescue me from the unjust man.
139:3 Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: * all the day long they designed battles.
139:4 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: * the venom of asps is under their lips.
139:5 Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: * and from unjust men deliver me.
139:5 Who have proposed to supplant my steps: * the proud have hidden a net for me.
139:6 And they have stretched out cords for a snare: * they have laid for me a stumbling block by the wayside.
139:7 I said to the Lord: Thou art my God: * hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication.
139:8 O Lord, Lord, the strength of my salvation: * thou hast overshadowed my head in the day of battle.
139:9 Give me not up, O Lord, from my desire to the wicked: * they have plotted against me; do not thou forsake me, lest they should triumph.
139:10 The head of them compassing me about: * the labour of their lips shall overwhelm them.
139:11 Burning coals shall fall upon them; thou wilt cast them down into the fire: * in miseries they shall not be able to stand.
139:12 A man full of tongue shall not be established in the earth: * evil shall catch the unjust man unto destruction.
139:13 I know that the Lord will do justice to the needy, * and will revenge the poor.
139:14 But as for the just, they shall give glory to thy name: * and the upright shall dwell with thy countenance.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Give ye glory to the Lord * for he was mindful of us in our affliction.

The fourth of five psalms
PSALM 140

Antiphon: Let my tongue cleave to my jaws * if I do not remember thee, Jerusalem.

140:1 I have cried to thee, O Lord, hear me: * ‡ hearken to my voice, when I cry to thee.
140:2 Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight; * the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice.
140:3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: * and a door round about my lips.
140:4 Incline not my heart to evil words; * to make excuses in sins.
140:4 With men that work iniquity: * and I will not communicate with the choicest of them.
140:5 The just man shall correct me in mercy, and shall reprove me: * but let not the oil of the sinner fatten my head.
140:6 For my prayer also shall still be against the things with which they are well pleased: * their judges falling upon the rock have been swallowed up.
140:7 They shall hear my words, for they have prevailed: * as when the thickness of the earth is broken up upon the ground.
140:8 Our bones are scattered by the side of hell. * But to thee, O Lord, Lord, are my eyes: in thee have I put my trust, take not away my soul.
140:9 Keep me from the snare, which they have laid for me, * and from the stumbling blocks of them that work iniquity.
140:10 The wicked shall fall in his net: * I am alone until I pass.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Let my tongue cleave to my jaws * if I do not remember thee, Jerusalem.

The fifth of five psalms
PSALM 141

Antiphon: I will give glory * to thy name, for thy mercy, and for thy truth.

141:2 I cried to the Lord with my voice: * with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.
141:3 In his sight I pour out my prayer, * and before him I declare my trouble:
141:4 When my spirit failed me, * then thou knewest my paths.
141:4 In this way wherein I walked, * they have hidden a snare for me.
141:5 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, * and there was no one that would know me.
141:5 Flight hath failed me: * and there is no one that hath regard to my soul.
141:6 I cried to thee, O Lord: * I said: Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
141:7 Attend to my supplication: * for I am brought very low.
141:7 Deliver me from my persecutors; * for they are stronger than I.
141:8 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: * the just wait for me, until thou reward me.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: I will give glory * to thy name, for thy mercy, and for thy truth.

CHAPTER VERSE
(Romans 13:11)

Between the porch and the altar the priests the Lord's ministers shall weep, and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare Thy people: and give not Thy inheritance to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them.
Response: Thanks be to God.

THE HYMN FROM THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT AND BEFORE PASSION SUNDAY

O kind Creator, bow Thine ear
To mark the cry, to know the tear
Before Thy throne of mercy spent
In this Thy holy fast of Lent.

Our hearts are open, Lord, to Thee:
Thou knowest our infirmity;
Pour out on all who seek Thy face
Abundance of Thy pardoning grace.

Our sins are many, this we know;
Spare us, good Lord, Thy mercy show;
And for the honor of Thy Name
Our fainting souls to life reclaim.

Give us the self-control that springs
From discipline of outward things,
That fasting inward secretly
The soul may purely dwell with Thee.

We pray Thee, Holy Trinity,
One God, unchanging Unity,
That we from this our abstinence
May reap the fruits of penitence.
Amen.

Versicle: Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak:
Response: Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled

THE HYMN BEGINNING WITH PASSION SUNDAY

Abroad the regal banners fly,
Now shines the cross’s mystery;
Upon it Life did death endure,
And yet by death did life procure.

Who, wounded with a direful spear,
Did, purposely to wash us clear
From stain of sin, pour out a flood
Of precious water mixed with blood.

That which the prophet-king of old
Hath in mysterious verse foretold,
Is now accomplished, whilst we see
God ruling nations from a tree.

O lovely and refulgent tree,
Adorned with purpled majesty;
Culled from a worthy stock, to bear
Those limbs which sanctifièd were.

Blest tree, whose happy branches bore
The wealth that did the world restore;
The beam that did that body weigh
Which raised up hell’s expected prey.

The following verse is said on bended knee.

O Cross, our one reliance, hail!
This holy Passiontide avail
To give fresh merit to the saint,
And pardon to the penitent.

Blest Trinity, salvation’s spring,
May every soul thy praises sing;
To those thou grantest conquest by
The holy cross, rewards apply.
Amen.

Versicle: Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man.
Response: Rescue me from the unjust man.

THE MAGNIFICAT
Canticle of the Blessed Virgin (Luke 1:46-55)

Antiphon: His mercy is from generation unto generations, * to them that fear Him

1:46 My soul ✠ (make the Sign of the Cross) * doth magnify the Lord.
1:47 And my spirit hath rejoiced * in God my Savior.
1:48 Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; * for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
1:49 Because He that is mighty, hath done great things to me; * and holy is His Name.
1:50 And His mercy is from generation unto generations, * to them that fear Him.
1:51 He hath showed might in His arm: * He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
1:52 He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble.
1:53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; * and the rich He hath sent empty away.
1:54 He hath received Israel His servant, * being mindful of His mercy:
1:55 As He spoke to our fathers, * to Abraham and to His seed for ever.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: His mercy is from generation unto generations, * to them that fear Him

PRAYER

Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer.
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee.

(Throughout the entire First Week in Lent)
Let us pray. O God, Who dost every year purge Thy Church by the Fast of Forty Days, grant unto this Thy family, that what things soever they strive to obtain at Thy hand by abstaining from meats, they may ever turn to profit by good works.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Second Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Almighty God, grant, we beseech Thee, unto this thy family, that as they do abstain from meals to afflict the flesh, so by following after righteousness they may fast from sin.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Third Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Graciously hear us, O Almighty and merciful God, and in thy goodness enable us to reap the fruit of this our healthful Fasting.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the entire Fourth Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we who for our evil deeds are worthily punished, may, by the comfort of Thy grace, mercifully be relieved.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout the first Week of Passiontide which is the Fifth Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Lord, we beseech Thee, that this our Fast may be acceptable in Thy sight, and may, through Thy blessing, effectually work in us, making us meet here to receive Thy grace and hereafter the everlasting glory which Thou hast promised.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

(Throughout Palm Sunday and Monday to Wednesday in Holy Week which is the Sixth Week in Lent)
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, Who, of Thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent Thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon Him our flesh and to suffer death upon the Cross, that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility; mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of His patience, and also be made partakers of His resurrection.
Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Response: Amen

CONCLUSION

Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer!
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee.

Versicle: Let us bless the Lord!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Response: Amen.

The Eighth Liturgical Hour
THE NIGHT PRAYER (COMPLINE) FOR FRIDAY
usually prayed before retiring to sleep for the night
(modern day suggestion: anytime between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.)

The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St. Benedict in his monastic Rule.

Usually Compline consists of (1) an opening plea for God's blessing for the night to come;
(2) followed by the Lord's Prayer (Our Father), an examination of conscience, and the recitation of the
Act of Contrition, the Confiteor, with the two prayers of absolution that follow;
(3) after which three psalms with their appropriate seasonal antiphons are prayed;
(4) these are followed by a hymn which is always the same throughout the year;
(5) then follows a "Chapter Verse";
(6) this is followed by the Canticle of St. Simeon;
(7) after which comes the concluding prayer or collect, which is always the same;
(8) finally, the seasonal antiphon or hymn to Our Lady is sung.

Below you have an abbreviated version that you can easily pray.

OPENING INVOCATION

Please grant us, O Lord, a blessing!
May almighty God grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. Amen.

SHORT READING
(1 Peter 5:8-9)

Brothers: Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in Faith!
Versicle: But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: Our help is ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) in the Name of the Lord!
Response: Who made Heaven and Earth.

There follows an examination of conscience, or the Our Father said silently.

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. Amen.

Then all say the Confiteor aloud
I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed: (strike your chest three times) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

May the almighty ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution and remission of our sins. Amen.

Versicle: Turn us then, ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross over the heart with your right thumb) O God, our Savior!
Response: And let thy anger cease from us!

Versicle: O God, ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) come to my assistance!
Response: O Lord, make haste to help me!

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory.

The first of three psalms
PSALM 76

For Compline, the antiphon is only said once before the three psalms are said, and once after the three psalms have been said.

Antiphon: Unless you do penance * you shall likewise perish.

76:2 I cried to the Lord with my voice; * to God with my voice, and he gave ear to me.
76:3 In the day of my trouble I sought God, with my hands lifted up to him in the night, * and I was not deceived.
76:4 My soul refused to be comforted: * I remembered God, and was delighted, and was exercised, and my spirit swooned away.
76:5 My eyes prevented the watches: * I was troubled, and I spoke not.
76:6 I thought upon the days of old: * and I had in my mind the eternal years.
76:7 And I meditated in the night with my own heart: * and I was exercised and I swept my spirit.
76:8 Will God then cast off for ever? * or will he never be more favourable again?
76:9 Or will he cut off his mercy for ever, * from generation to generation?
76:10 Or will God forget to show mercy? * or will he in his anger shut up his mercies?
76:11 And I said, Now have I begun: * this is the change of the right hand of the most High.
76:12 I remembered the works of the Lord: * for I will be mindful of thy wonders from the beginning.
76:13 And I will meditate on all thy works: * and will be employed in thy inventions.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The second of three psalms
PSALM 76 (continued)

76:14 Thy way, O God, is in the holy place: who is the great God like our God? * Thou art the God that dost wonders.
76:15 Thou hast made thy power known among the nations: * with thy arm thou hast redeemed thy people the children of Jacob and of Joseph.
76:17 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee: * and they were afraid, and the depths were troubled.
76:18 Great was the noise of the waters: * the clouds sent out a sound.
76:18 For thy arrows pass: * the voice of thy thunder in a wheel.
76:19 Thy lightnings enlightened the world: * the earth shook and trembled.
76:20 Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in many waters: * and thy footsteps shall not be known.
76:21 Thou hast conducted thy people like sheep, * by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The third of three psalms
PSALM 85

85:1 Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear me: * for I am needy and poor.
85:2 Preserve my soul, for I am holy: * save thy servant, O my God, that trusteth in thee.
85:3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day. * Give joy to the soul of thy servant, for to thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul.
85:5 For thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: * and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee.
85:6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer: * and attend to the voice of my petition.
85:7 I have called upon thee in the day of my trouble: * because thou hast heard me.
85:8 There is none among the gods like unto thee, O Lord: * and there is none according to thy works.
85:9 All the nations thou hast made shall come and adore before thee, O Lord: * and they shall glorify thy name.
85:10 For thou art great and dost wonderful things: * thou art God alone.
85:11 Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: * let my heart rejoice that it may fear thy name.
85:12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, * and I will glorify thy name for ever:
85:13 For thy mercy is great towards me: * and thou hast delivered my soul out of the lower hell.
85:14 O God, the wicked are risen up against me, and the assembly of the mighty have sought my soul: * and they have not set thee before their eyes.
85:15 And thou, O Lord, art a God of compassion, and merciful, * patient, and of much mercy, and true.
85:16 O look upon me, and have mercy on me: * give thy command to thy servant, and save the son of thy handmaid.
85:17 Show me a token for good: that they who hate me may see, and be confounded, * because thou, O Lord, hast helped me and hast comforted me.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Unless you do penance * you shall likewise perish.

HYMN

Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That with Thy wonted favor Thou
Wouldst be our guard and keeper now.

From all ill dreams defend our eyes,
From nightly fears and fantasies;
Tread under foot our ghostly foe,
That no pollution we may know.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.
Amen.

CHAPTER VERSE
(Jeremais 14:9)

But Thou, O Lord, art among us, and Thy Name is called upon by us: forsake us not, O Lord our God!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: Into Thy hands, O Lord, * I commend my spirit.
Response: Into Thy hands, O Lord, * I commend my spirit.

Versicle: For Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, God of truth.
Response: I commend my spirit.

Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: Into Thy hands, O Lord, * I commend my spirit.

Versicle: Keep us, Lord, as the apple of Thine eye!
Response: Protect us under the shadow of Thy wings!

CANTICLE: NUNC DIMITTIS
Canticle of St. Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)

Antiphon: Protect us, * Lord, while we are awake and safeguard us while we sleep; that we may keep watch with Christ, and rest in peace.

[2:29] Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) * according to Thy word in peace;
[2:30] Because my eyes have seen * Thy salvation,
[2:31] Which Thou hast prepared * before the face of all peoples:
[2:32] A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, * and the glory of Thy people Israel.
Versicle: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Response: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Protect us, * Lord, while we are awake and safeguard us while we sleep; that we may keep watch with Christ, and rest in peace.

PRAYER

Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer!
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee!

Let us pray.
Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this dwelling, and drive far from it the snares of the enemy; let Thy holy angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace, and let Thy blessing be always upon us. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
Response: Amen

CONCLUSION

Versicle: O Lord, hear my prayer!
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee.

Versicle: Let us bless the Lord!
Response: Thanks be to God!

Versicle: The almighty and merciful Lord, ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us.
Response: Amen.

FINAL ANTIPHON OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Hail, O Queen of heaven, enthroned!
Hail, by Angels Mistress owned!
Root of Jesse, Gate of morn,
Whence the world's true Light was born:

Glorious Virgin, joy to thee,
Loveliest whom in heaven they see:
Fairest thou, where all are fair,
Plead with Christ our sins to spare.

Versicle: Allow me to praise thee, holy Virgin.
Response: Give me strength against thine enemies.

Let us pray.
Grant, O merciful God, to our weak natures thy protection, that we who commemorate the holy Mother of God may, by the help of her intercession, arise from our iniquities. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Response: Amen.

Versicle: May the divine assistance ☩ (make the Sign of the Cross) remain with us always.
Response: Amen.