Invitatorium: A Liturgy of the Hours Player

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Ordinary Time

Friday of the twenty-seventh week of Ordinary Time

Friday · Weekday · Psalter Week 3

The Hours

Invitatorium

Now

Invitatory · 1:32

0:00 1:32

Lord, open my lips.

And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.

Come, let us sing to the Lord

and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.

Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving

and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

The Lord is God, the mighty God,

the great king over all the gods.

He holds in his hands the depths of the earth

and the highest mountains as well.

He made the sea; it belongs to him,

the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.

Come, then, let us bow down and worship,

bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.

For he is our God and we are his people,

the flock he shepherds.

Today, listen to the voice of the Lord:

Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did

in the wilderness,

when at Meriba and Massah

they challenged me and provoked me,

Although they had seen all of my works.

Forty years I endured that generation.

I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray

and they do not know my ways.”

So I swore in my anger,

“They shall not enter into my rest.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Come, let us give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.

Matins

Now

Office of Readings · 11:02

0:00 11:02

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

O God, most Holy Three in One,

who rule the world with might and strength,

draw near and heed our hymns of praise,

as we keep watch with psalms and prayers.

For, in the silent hours of night,

we rise from bed and leave our rest,

to beg from you with ardent prayer

your healing balm for all our wounds,

That your all-glorious pow’r on high

may purify and free our souls

from any evil done this night,

suggested by the demons’ fraud.

With trusting heart we humbly beg:

Come fill us with your holy light,

so that throughout the daily round

no careless deed shall cause our fall.

Most loving Father, hear our prayer,

and you, O Christ coequal Son,

who with the Spirit Paraclete

now reign for all eternity. Amen.

Psalm 69:2-22

Ant. I am worn out with crying, with longing for my God.

Save me, O God, for the waters have risen to my neck.

I have sunk into the mud of the deep

and there is no foothold.

I have entered the waters of the deep

and the waves overwhelm me.

I am wearied with all my crying,

my throat is parched.

My eyes are wasted away

from looking for my God.

More numerous than the hairs on my head

are those who hate me without cause.

Those who attack me with lies

are too much for my strength.

How can I restore

what I have never stolen?

O God, you know my sinful folly;

my sins you can see.

Let those who hope in you not be put to shame

through me, Lord of hosts:

let not those who seek you be dismayed

through me, God of Israel.

It is for you that I suffer taunts,

that shame covers my face,

that I have become a stranger to my brothers,

an alien to my own mother’s sons.

I burn with zeal for your house

and taunts against you fall on me.

When I afflict my soul with fasting

they make it a taunt against me.

When I put on sackcloth in mourning

then they make me a byword,

the gossip of men at the gates,

the subject of drunkards’ songs.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. I am worn out with crying, with longing for my God.

Ant. I needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar.

This is my prayer to you,

my prayer for your favor.

In your great love, answer me, O God,

with your help that never fails:

rescue me from sinking in the mud;

save me from my foes.

Save me from the waters of the deep

lest the waves overwhelm me.

Do not let the deep engulf me

nor death close its mouth on me.

Lord, answer, for your love is kind;

in your compassion, turn towards me.

Do not hide your face from your servant;

answer quickly for I am in distress.

Come close to my soul and redeem me;

ransom me pressed by my foes.

You know how they taunt and deride me;

my oppressors are all before you.

Taunts have broken my heart;

I have reached the end of my strength.

I looked in vain for compassion,

for consolers; not one could I find.

For food they gave me poison;

in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. I needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar.

Ant. Seek the Lord and you will live.

As for me in my poverty and pain

let your help, O God, lift me up.

I will praise God’s name with a song;

I will glorify him with thanksgiving,

a gift pleasing God more than oxen,

more than beasts prepared for sacrifice.

The poor when they see it will be glad

and God-seeking hearts will revive;

for the Lord listens to the needy

and does not spurn his servants in their chains.

Let the heavens and the earth give him praise,

the sea and all its living creatures.

For God will bring help to Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah

and men shall dwell there in possession.

The sons of his servants shall inherit it;

those who love his name shall dwell there.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Seek the Lord and you will live.

The Lord will teach us his ways.

And we will follow in his footsteps.

From the first letter of the apostle Paul to Timothy

All under the yoke of slavery must regard their masters as worthy of full respect; otherwise the name of God and the church’s teaching suffer abuse. Those slaves whose masters are brothers in the faith must not take liberties with them on that account. They must perform their tasks even more faithfully, since those who will profit from their work are believers and beloved brothers.

These are the things you must teach and preach. Whoever teaches in any other way, not holding to the sound doctrines of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching proper to true religion, should be recognized as both conceited and ignorant, a sick man in his passion for polemics and controversy. From these come envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions—in a word, the bickering of men with twisted minds who have lost all sense of truth. Such men value religion only as a means of personal gain.

There is, of course, great gain in religion—provided one is content with a sufficiency. We brought nothing into this world, nor have we the power to take anything out. If we have food and clothing we have all that we need. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and a trap. They are letting themselves be captured by foolish and harmful desires which drag men down to ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evil. Some men in their passion for it have strayed from the faith, and have come to grief amid great pain.

Matthew 6:25; see 1 Timothy 6:8

Do not worry about your life, and what you are to eat,

nor about your body, and what you are to wear.

Surely life is worth more than food,

and the body is more valuable than clothes.

As long as we have food and clothing,

we should be content.

Surely life is worth more than food,

and the body is more valuable than clothes.

From the first instruction by Saint Vincent of Lerins, priest

Is there to be no development of religion in the Church of Christ? Certainly, there is to be development and on the largest scale.

Who can be so grudging to men, so full of hate for God, as to try to prevent it? But it must truly be development of the faith, not alteration of the faith. Development means that each thing expands to be itself, while alteration means that a thing is changed from one thing into another.

The understanding, knowledge and wisdom of one and all, of individuals as well as of the whole Church, ought then to make great and vigorous progress with the passing of the ages and the centuries, but only along its own line of development, that is, with the same doctrine, the same meaning and the same import.

The religion of souls should follow the law of development of bodies. Though bodies develop and unfold their component parts with the passing of the years, they always remain what they were. There is a great difference between the flower of childhood and the maturity of age, but those who become old are the very same people who were once young. Though the condition and appearance of one and the same individual may change, it is one and the same nature, one and the same person.

The tiny members of unweaned children and the grown members of young men are still the same members. Men have the same number of limbs as children. Whatever develops at a later age was already present in seminal form; there is nothing new in old age that was not already latent in childhood.

There is no doubt, then, that the legitimate and correct rule of development, the established and wonderful order of growth, is this: in older people the fullness of years always brings to completion those members and forms that the wisdom of the Creator fashioned beforehand in their earlier years.

If, however, the human form were to turn into some shape that did not belong to its own nature, or even if something were added to the sum of its members or subtracted from it, the whole body would necessarily perish or become grotesque or at least be enfeebled. In the same way, the doctrine of the Christian religion should properly follow these laws of development, that is, by becoming firmer over the years, more ample in the course of time, more exalted as it advances in age.

In ancient times our ancestors sowed the good seed in the harvest field of the Church. It would be very wrong and unfitting if we, their descendants, were to reap, not the genuine wheat of truth but the intrusive growth of error.

On the contrary, what is right and fitting is this: there should be no inconsistency between first and last, but we should reap true doctrine from the growth of true teaching, so that when, in the course of time, those first sowings yield an increase it may flourish and be tended in our day also.

Deuteronomy 4:1, 2; John 6:63

Israel, listen to the statutes and decrees

which I am teaching you.

Do not add to what I command you,

nor subtract from it.

The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Do not add to what I command you,

nor subtract from it.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Almighty ever-living God,

who in the abundance of your kindness

surpass the merits and desires of those who entreat you,

pour out your mercy upon us

to pardon what conscience dreads

and to give what prayer does not dare to ask.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

ACCLAMATION

Let us praise the Lord.

And give him thanks.

Lauds

Now

Morning Prayer · 9:33

0:00 9:33

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Eternal glory of the skies,

O blessed hope for all on earth,

O child of Mary, Virgin pure,

and only Son of God most high,

Extend your right hand as we wake

and help us rise with sober mind,

that ardent in the praise of God,

we may repay the thanks we owe.

The gleaming morning star appears

as herald of the light itself,

and darkness of the night recedes:

may holy light shine forth on us.

Let it remain within our mind

to drive from us all worldly night,

and so, by cleansing hearts of sin,

preserve them till the end of time.

Let faith, the gift first sought and found,

take root within our inmost heart,

and next, let hope rejoice in faith;

then love, the greatest gift, abides.

O Christ, to you, most loving King,

and to the Father glory be,

one with the Spirit Paraclete,

from age to age for evermore. Amen.

Psalm 51

Ant. You alone I have grieved by my sin; have pity on me, O Lord.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

In your compassion blot out my offense.

O wash me more and more from my guilt

and cleanse me from my sin.

My offenses truly I know them;

my sin is always before me.

Against you, you alone, have I sinned;

what is evil in your sight I have done.

That you may be justified when you give sentence

and be without reproach when you judge.

O see, in guilt I was born,

a sinner was I conceived.

Indeed you love truth in the heart;

then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.

O purify me, then I shall be clean;

O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,

that the bones you have crushed may revive.

From my sins turn away your face

and blot out all my guilt.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help;

with a spirit of fervor sustain me,

that I may teach transgressors your ways

and sinners may return to you.

O rescue me, God, my helper,

and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.

O Lord, open my lips

and my mouth shall declare your praise.

For in sacrifice you take no delight,

burnt offering from me you would refuse,

my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.

A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

In your goodness, show favor to Zion:

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,

holocausts offered on your altar.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. You alone I have grieved by my sin; have pity on me, O Lord.

Jeremiah 14:17-21

Ant. Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you.

Let my eyes stream with tears

day and night, without rest,

over the great destruction which overwhelms

the virgin daughter of my people,

over her incurable wound.

If I walk out into the field,

look! those slain by the sword;

if I enter the city,

look! those consumed by hunger.

Even the prophet and the priest

forage in a land they know not.

Have you cast Judah off completely?

Is Zion loathsome to you?

Why have you struck us a blow

that cannot be healed?

We wait for peace, to no avail;

for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.

We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness,

the guilt of our fathers;

that we have sinned against you.

For your name’s sake spurn us not,

disgrace not the throne of your glory;

remember your covenant with us, and break it not.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you.

Psalm 100

Ant. The Lord is God; we are his people, the flock he shepherds.

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing for joy.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.

He made us, we belong to him,

we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.

Enter his courts with songs of praise.

Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,

eternal his merciful love.

He is faithful from age to age.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord is God; we are his people, the flock he shepherds.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I willingly boast of my weakness, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.

RESPONSORY

At daybreak, be merciful to me.

Make known to me the path that I must walk.

Be merciful to me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

At daybreak, be merciful to me.

Canticle of Zechariah

Ant. The Lord has come to his people and set them free.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord has come to his people and set them free.

INTERCESSIONS

Raising our eyes to Christ, who was born and died and rose again for his people, let us cry out:

Save those you have redeemed by your blood, Lord.

Blessed are you, Jesus, redeemer of mankind; you did not hesitate to undergo your passion and death,

to redeem us by your precious blood.

Save those you have redeemed by your blood, Lord.

You promised that you would provide living water, the fountain of eternal life,

pour forth your Spirit upon all men.

Save those you have redeemed by your blood, Lord.

You send disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations,

help them to extend the victory of your cross.

Save those you have redeemed by your blood, Lord.

You have given the sick and the suffering a share in your cross,

give them patience and strength.

Save those you have redeemed by your blood, Lord.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Let us again offer our praise to God and pray in the words of Christ:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Father all-powerful,

let your radiance dawn in our lives,

that we may walk in the light of your law

with you as our leader.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

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

Terce

Now

Midmorning Prayer · 9 AM · 5:50

0:00 5:50

INTRODUCTION

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

Now, Holy Spirit, come, descend,

one with the Father and the Son;

come swiftly in and fill our hearts

with your full flood of holiness.

In mind and mouth, with heart and tongue,

with strength and sense, may praise resound,

May charity with ardor blaze

and kindle others with its flame.

Now through your presence may we know

and love the Father and the Son,

and you, the Spirit of them both,

may we profess throughout all time. Amen.

Psalm 22

Ant. We saw him despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with infirmity.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

You are far from my plea and the cry of my distress.

O my God, I call by day and you give no reply;

I call by night and I find no peace.

Yet you, O God, are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;

they trusted and you set them free.

When they cried to you, they escaped.

In you they trusted and never in vain.

But I am a worm and no man,

scorned by men, despised by the people.

All who see me deride me.

They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

“He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

let him release him if this is his friend.”

Yes, it was you who took me from the womb,

entrusted me to my mother’s breast.

To you I was committed from my birth,

from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not leave me alone in my distress;

come close, there is none else to help.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. We saw him despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with infirmity.

Ant. The garments of Jesus they divided among them by casting lots.

Many bulls have surrounded me,

fierce bulls of Bashan close me in.

Against me they open wide their jaws,

like lions, rending and roaring.

Like water I am poured out,

disjointed are all my bones.

My heart has become like wax,

it is melted within my breast.

Parched as burnt clay is my throat,

my tongue cleaves to my jaws.

Many dogs have surrounded me,

a band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

and lay me in the dust of death.

I can count every one of my bones.

These people stare at me and gloat;

they divide my clothing among them.

They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

my strength, make haste to help me!

Rescue my soul from the sword,

my life from the grip of these dogs.

Save my life from the jaws of these lions,

my poor soul from the horns of these oxen.

I will tell of your name to my brethren

and praise you where they are assembled.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The garments of Jesus they divided among them by casting lots.

Ant. The family of nations will worship in the presence of the Lord.

“You who fear the Lord, give him praise;

all sons of Jacob, give him glory.

Revere him, Israel’s sons.

For he has never despised

nor scorned the poverty of the poor.

From him he has not hidden his face,

but he heard the poor man when he cried.”

You are my praise in the great assembly.

My vows I will pay before those who fear him.

The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.

They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.

May their hearts live for ever and ever!

All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,

all families of the nations worship before him

for the kingdom is the Lord’s; he is the ruler of the nations.

They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.

And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.

They shall tell of the Lord to the generations yet to come,

declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:

“These things the Lord has done.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The family of nations will worship in the presence of the Lord.

Romans 1:16b-17

The gospel is the power of God leading everyone who believes in it to salvation. For in the gospel is revealed the justice of God which begins and ends with faith; as Scripture says, “The just man shall live by faith.”

God is the joy of our hearts.

We trust in his holy name.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ,

at this hour you were led out

to die on the cross

for the salvation of the world.

We ask your forgiveness for the sins of our past

and your protection from all future evil.

Bring us to the peace and joy of that kingdom

where you live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

Let us praise the Lord.

And give him thanks.

Sext

Now

Midday Prayer · 12 PM · 5:51

0:00 5:51

INTRODUCTION

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

O mighty Ruler, God of truth,

for days and seasons setting bounds,

you clothe with splendor morning light

and midday skies with brilliant heat.

Extinguish flames of bitter strife,

all harmful passion take away,

grant health unto our mortal frame,

and on our hearts bestow true peace.

Most loving Father, hear our prayer,

and you, O Christ coequal Son,

who with the Spirit Paraclete

now reign for all eternity. Amen.

Psalm 22

Ant. We saw him despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with infirmity.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

You are far from my plea and the cry of my distress.

O my God, I call by day and you give no reply;

I call by night and I find no peace.

Yet you, O God, are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;

they trusted and you set them free.

When they cried to you, they escaped.

In you they trusted and never in vain.

But I am a worm and no man,

scorned by men, despised by the people.

All who see me deride me.

They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

“He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

let him release him if this is his friend.”

Yes, it was you who took me from the womb,

entrusted me to my mother’s breast.

To you I was committed from my birth,

from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not leave me alone in my distress;

come close, there is none else to help.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. We saw him despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with infirmity.

Ant. The garments of Jesus they divided among them by casting lots.

Many bulls have surrounded me,

fierce bulls of Bashan close me in.

Against me they open wide their jaws,

like lions, rending and roaring.

Like water I am poured out,

disjointed are all my bones.

My heart has become like wax,

it is melted within my breast.

Parched as burnt clay is my throat,

my tongue cleaves to my jaws.

Many dogs have surrounded me,

a band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

and lay me in the dust of death.

I can count every one of my bones.

These people stare at me and gloat;

they divide my clothing among them.

They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

my strength, make haste to help me!

Rescue my soul from the sword,

my life from the grip of these dogs.

Save my life from the jaws of these lions,

my poor soul from the horns of these oxen.

I will tell of your name to my brethren

and praise you where they are assembled.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The garments of Jesus they divided among them by casting lots.

Ant. The family of nations will worship in the presence of the Lord.

“You who fear the Lord, give him praise;

all sons of Jacob, give him glory.

Revere him, Israel’s sons.

For he has never despised

nor scorned the poverty of the poor.

From him he has not hidden his face,

but he heard the poor man when he cried.”

You are my praise in the great assembly.

My vows I will pay before those who fear him.

The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.

They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.

May their hearts live for ever and ever!

All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,

all families of the nations worship before him

for the kingdom is the Lord’s; he is the ruler of the nations.

They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.

And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.

They shall tell of the Lord to the generations yet to come,

declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:

“These things the Lord has done.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The family of nations will worship in the presence of the Lord.

Romans 3:21-22

But now the justice of God has been manifested apart from the law, even though both law and prophets bear witness to it—that justice of God which works through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

The judgments of the Lord are true; they gladden the heart.

His precepts are clear; they give light to the mind.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ,

at noon, when darkness covered all the earth,

you mounted the wood of the cross

as the innocent victim for our redemption.

May your light be always with us

to guide us to eternal life in that kingdom

where you live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

Let us praise the Lord.

And give him thanks.

None

Now

Midafternoon Prayer · 3 PM · 5:50

0:00 5:50

INTRODUCTION

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

O God, our firm and steadfast strength,

remaining in yourself unmoved,

you rule the span of daily light

and guide the course of all the hours.

Bestow at eventide a light

by which our life may never fail;

may endless glory be the crown

that follows on a holy death.

Most loving Father, hear our prayer,

and you, O Christ, coequal Son,

who with the Spirit Paraclete

now reign for all eternity. Amen.

Psalm 22

Ant. We saw him despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with infirmity.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

You are far from my plea and the cry of my distress.

O my God, I call by day and you give no reply;

I call by night and I find no peace.

Yet you, O God, are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;

they trusted and you set them free.

When they cried to you, they escaped.

In you they trusted and never in vain.

But I am a worm and no man,

scorned by men, despised by the people.

All who see me deride me.

They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

“He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

let him release him if this is his friend.”

Yes, it was you who took me from the womb,

entrusted me to my mother’s breast.

To you I was committed from my birth,

from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not leave me alone in my distress;

come close, there is none else to help.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. We saw him despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with infirmity.

Ant. The garments of Jesus they divided among them by casting lots.

Many bulls have surrounded me,

fierce bulls of Bashan close me in.

Against me they open wide their jaws,

like lions, rending and roaring.

Like water I am poured out,

disjointed are all my bones.

My heart has become like wax,

it is melted within my breast.

Parched as burnt clay is my throat,

my tongue cleaves to my jaws.

Many dogs have surrounded me,

a band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

and lay me in the dust of death.

I can count every one of my bones.

These people stare at me and gloat;

they divide my clothing among them.

They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

my strength, make haste to help me!

Rescue my soul from the sword,

my life from the grip of these dogs.

Save my life from the jaws of these lions,

my poor soul from the horns of these oxen.

I will tell of your name to my brethren

and praise you where they are assembled.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The garments of Jesus they divided among them by casting lots.

Ant. The family of nations will worship in the presence of the Lord.

“You who fear the Lord, give him praise;

all sons of Jacob, give him glory.

Revere him, Israel’s sons.

For he has never despised

nor scorned the poverty of the poor.

From him he has not hidden his face,

but he heard the poor man when he cried.”

You are my praise in the great assembly.

My vows I will pay before those who fear him.

The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.

They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.

May their hearts live for ever and ever!

All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,

all families of the nations worship before him

for the kingdom is the Lord’s; he is the ruler of the nations.

They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.

And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.

They shall tell of the Lord to the generations yet to come,

declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:

“These things the Lord has done.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The family of nations will worship in the presence of the Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9

It is owing to his favor that salvation is yours through faith. This is not your own doing, it is God’s gift; neither is it a reward for anything you have accomplished, so let no one pride himself on it.

Lord, make known your way to us on earth.

May all nations know you, their Savior.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ,

you brought the repentant thief

from the suffering of the cross

to the joy of your kingdom.

Lord, when we die,

may we who confess our sins

be brought to you through the gates of heaven,

that we may have eternal joy in that kingdom

where you live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

Let us praise the Lord.

And give him thanks.

Vespers

Now

Evening Prayer · 8:14

0:00 8:14

INTRODUCTION

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

O God, who shaped the human race,

alone you order all that is;

you bid the fertile earth bring forth

all kinds of beasts and creeping things.

And at the sound of your command

all living creatures huge and strong

are subject to the human race,

that each may serve in rank and kind.

Drive far from all your servants here

whatever through impurity

shall make its way into our acts

or plant itself in habits formed.

Grant us rewards of lasting joy,

bestow your many gifts of grace,

undo the bonds of bitter strife,

confirm your covenants of peace.

Most loving Father, hear our prayer,

and you, O Christ coequal Son,

who with the Spirit Paraclete

now reign for all eternity. Amen.

Psalm 135

Ant. Great is the Lord, our God, transcending all other gods.

Praise the name of the Lord,

praise him, servants of the Lord,

who stand in the house of the Lord

in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.

Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.

For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself

and Israel for his own possession.

For I know the Lord is great,

that our Lord is high above all gods.

The Lord does whatever he wills,

in heaven, on earth, in the seas.

He summons clouds from the ends of the earth;

makes lightning produce the rain;

from his treasuries he sends forth the wind.

The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,

of man and beast alike.

Signs and wonders he worked

in the midst of your land, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

Nations in their greatness he struck

and kings in their splendor he slew.

Sihon, king of the Amorites,

Og, the king of Bashan,

and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

He let Israel inherit their land;

on his people their land he bestowed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Great is the Lord, our God, transcending all other gods.

Ant. House of Israel, bless the Lord! Sing psalms to him, for he is merciful.

Lord, your name stands for ever,

unforgotten from age to age:

for the Lord does justice for his people;

the Lord takes pity on his servants.

Pagan idols are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

They have mouths but they cannot speak;

they have eyes but they cannot see.

They have ears but they cannot hear;

there is never a breath on their lips.

Their makers will come to be like them

and so will all who trust in them!

Sons of Israel, bless the Lord!

Sons of Aaron, bless the Lord!

Sons of Levi, bless the Lord!

You who fear him, bless the Lord!

From Zion may the Lord be blessed,

he who dwells in Jerusalem!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. House of Israel, bless the Lord! Sing psalms to him, for he is merciful.

Revelation 15:3-4

Ant. All nations will come and worship before you, O Lord.

Mighty and wonderful are your works,

Lord God Almighty!

Righteous and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

Who would dare refuse you honor,

or the glory due your name, O Lord?

Since you alone are holy,

all nations shall come

and worship in your presence.

Your mighty deeds are clearly seen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. All nations will come and worship before you, O Lord.

James 1:2-4

My brothers, count it pure joy when you are involved in every sort of trial. Realize that when your faith is tested this makes for endurance. Let endurance come to its perfection so that you may be fully mature and lacking in nothing.

RESPONSORY

Christ loved us and washed away our sins, in his own blood.

He made us a nation of kings and priests,

in his own blood.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Christ loved us and washed away our sins, in his own blood.

Canticle of Mary

Ant. The Lord has come to the help of his servants, for he has remembered his promise of mercy.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord has come to the help of his servants, for he has remembered his promise of mercy.

INTERCESSIONS

Because of our sins the Father gave the Lord Jesus up to death, and for our justification he raised him up again. Let us pray:

Have mercy on your people, Lord.

Hear our prayers and spare us as we confess our sins,

grant us forgiveness and peace.

Have mercy on your people, Lord.

Your Apostle said: “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more,”

forgive us our transgressions.

Have mercy on your people, Lord.

Lord, we have sinned, yet we have also acknowledged your infinite mercy,

bring us to conversion.

Have mercy on your people, Lord.

Save your people from their sins, Lord,

make them pleasing to you.

Have mercy on your people, Lord.

You opened Paradise to the thief who believed in you,

do not close the gates of heaven to the faithful departed.

Have mercy on your people, Lord.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Let us again offer our praise to God and pray in the words of Christ:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Father, in your loving plan

Christ your Son became the price of our salvation.

May we be united with him in his suffering

so that we may experience the power of his resurrection

in the kingdom where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

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

Compline

Now

Night Prayer · 5:07

0:00 5:07

Examination of conscience

An examination of conscience is a traditional, optional part of Night Prayer, commended in the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (86), and the Church leaves its form free: a quiet review of the day, a familiar prayer of sorrow, or something longer. If you would like to be led, here are two to listen to and pray along with. Afterwards, return to Night Prayer.

Coptic act of contrition

11th Hour

If the righteous one is hardly saved, where shall I, a sinner, appear?! The burden and the heat of the day I could not bear because of the weakness of my human nature. But, O merciful God, count me among the laborers of the eleventh hour. For behold, I was brought forth in iniquities, and in sin my mother conceived me. Therefore, I dare not lift my eyes unto heaven. But rather I rely on the abundance of Your mercy and love-of-mankind, crying to You and saying, “Lord, forgive me, a sinner, and have mercy on me.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O my Savior, hasten to open Your fatherly bosom to me. For I have wasted my life in worldly desires and pleasures, whereas the day has been consumed and far spent. Therefore, now I rely on the abundance of Your infinite compassion. So, then, do not disregard my revering heart which is exceedingly in need of Your mercy. For I cry out to You, O Lord, with reverence, saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called Your son, make me like one of Your hired servants.”

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

With full awareness and enthusiasm did I pursue every transgression, with all eagerness and diligence did I commit every sin, and of all judgment and torment I deserve. Hence, I beseech you, our Lady the Virgin, to lead me to repentance. For to you I plead and through you I seek intercession, and upon you I call to help me that I should not be put to shame. And when my soul departs from my body, please be present and attend to me, and defeat the conspiracies of the enemies, and shut the gates of Hades, lest they might swallow my soul. O you bride without blemish of the true Bridegroom.

12th Hour

Behold, I am about to stand before the just and righteous Judge, terrified and trembling because of my numerous sins. For a life wasted in worldly pleasures deserves condemnation. So repent therefore, O my soul, as long as you dwell on this earth. For the dust in the grave cannot offer any praise, and among the dead no one can remember, nor can anyone in Hades give thanks. Therefore, arise O my soul from the slumber of your laziness, and implore the Savior in repentance saying, “O God have mercy on me and save me.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Were this life on earth everlasting, and this world ever-existing, you would have had an excuse, O my soul. But now, if your wicked deeds and repulsive evils were to be exposed before the righteous Judge, what answer would you be giving while you are lying on the bed of sins and negligent in disciplining your body?! O Christ our God, before Your awesome seat of judgment I am terrified, and before Your counsel of judgment I am dreadful, and from the radiant light of Your divinity I tremble. For I am a wretched and defiled person who lies in bed, careless of the ways of my life. Yet, I take example of the tax collector’s penance, beating my chest and saying, “O God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O pure Virgin, overshadow your servant speedily with your help, keep the waves of evil thoughts away from me, and raise my ailing soul to pray and watch, for it has gone into deep slumber. For you are a capable and compassionate helper, the Mother of the Fountain of life, my King and my God, Jesus Christ my hope.

The Prayer of the Veil

O Lord, You know the alertness of my enemies, and You understand the weakness of my nature, O my Creator. For behold, into Your hands I place my spirit that You may shield me under the wings of Your goodness, lest I sleep unto death. Enlighten my eyes with the greatness of Your sayings, and raise me up to glorify You at all times, for You alone are the Good One and Lover of Mankind.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O Lord, Your judgment is fearful, when people shall be gathered, the angels standing, the books opened, the deeds revealed, and thoughts examined. What will be my judgment, I who am entangled by sin?! Who will quench the flames of fire around me?! Who will enlighten my darkness except You, O Lord?! Have mercy on me, for You are kind towards mankind.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O Theotokos, because we have put our trust in you, we shall not be put to shame; And because we have attained your help and intercessions, O holy and perfect one, we shall not fear, but shall drive out our enemies and disperse them. And, in everything, we take your great help to protect us as if with a shield. We ask and entreat you, proclaiming “O Theotokos” to save us by your intercessions, and raise us up from the darkness of sleep, in order to glorify through the power of God who was incarnate from you.

The Absolution

O Lord, all our sins we have committed against You in this day, whether in deed or in words or in thoughts or through any of our senses, please do forgive and pardon us, for the sake of Your holy name, O good Lord, Lover of Mankind.

Grant us a peaceful night and a sleep free of all worry and anxiety. Send us the guardian angel to protect us from all evil and every affliction and temptation of the enemy.

Through the grace, compassion and love-of-mankind, of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through whom the glory, the honor, the dominion, and the adoration are due unto You, O Father, with Him, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, who is of one essence with You, now and at all times, and unto the age of all ages. Amen.

The Thanksgiving Prayer

Let us give thanks to the beneficent and merciful God, the Father of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for He has covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us to Him, had compassion on us, supported us, and has brought us to this hour. Let us also ask Him, the Lord our God, the Pantocrator, to guard us in all peace this holy day and all the days of our life.

O Master, Lord, God the Pantocrator, the Father of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ, we thank You for every condition, concerning every condition, and in every condition. For You have covered us, helped us, guarded us, accepted us to You, had compassion on us, supported us, and brought us to this hour.

Therefore, we ask and entreat Your goodness, O Lover of Mankind. Grant us to complete this holy day, and all the days of our life, in all peace in Your fear. All envy, all temptation, all the work of Satan, the counsel of wicked men and the rising up of enemies, hidden and manifest, take them away from us and from all Your people and from this holy place that is Yours. But those things which are good and profitable do provide for us. For it is You who have given us the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, by the grace, compassion and love-of-mankind, of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through whom the glory, the honor, the dominion, and the adoration are due unto You, with Him, and the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giver, who is of one essence with You, now and at all times, and unto the age of all ages. Amen.

From the Agpeya, the Coptic Orthodox Book of Hours (St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Jersey City; text as published on copticchurch.net).

INTRODUCTION

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Examination of Conscience

A brief moment of silent reflection is made to examine one’s conscience and recall God’s mercy throughout the day.

I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, 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.

HYMN

To you before the close of light,

Creator of all things, we pray:

Be our protector, keep us safe

in your unfailing clemency.

Incline our hearts to dream of you,

to sense your presence as we sleep;

as light returns, so let us sing

your praise and glory evermore.

Grant us the grace of health and strength,

renew our warmth and joy of life;

and let your radiant light dispel

the dreaded darkness of the night.

Almighty Father, grant our prayer

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who reigns with you from age to age,

one with the Spirit, ever blest. Amen.

Psalm 88

Ant. Day and night I cry to you, my God.

Lord my God, I call for help by day;

I cry at night before you.

Let my prayer come into your presence.

O turn your ear to my cry.

For my soul is filled with evils;

my life is on the brink of the grave.

I am reckoned as one in the tomb:

I have reached the end of my strength,

like one alone among the dead;

like the slain lying in their graves;

like those you remember no more,

cut off, as they are, from your hand.

You have laid me in the depths of the tomb,

in places that are dark, in the depths.

Your anger weighs down upon me:

I am drowned beneath your waves.

You have taken away my friends

and made me hateful in their sight.

Imprisoned, I cannot escape;

my eyes are sunken with grief.

I call to you, Lord, all the day long;

to you I stretch out my hands.

Will you work your wonders for the dead?

Will the shades stand and praise you?

Will your love be told in the grave

or your faithfulness among the dead?

Will your wonders be known in the dark

or your justice in the land of oblivion?

As for me, Lord, I call to you for help:

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

Lord, why do you reject me?

Why do you hide your face?

Wretched, close to death from my youth,

I have borne your trials; I am numb.

Your fury has swept down upon me;

your terrors have utterly destroyed me.

They surround me all the day like a flood,

they assail me all together.

Friend and neighbor you have taken away:

my one companion is darkness.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Day and night I cry to you, my God.

Jeremiah 14:9

You are in our midst, O Lord,

your name we bear:

do not forsake us, O Lord, our God!

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.

I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Canticle of Simeon

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;

your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation

which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations

and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

All-powerful God

keep us united with your Son

in his death and burial

so that we may rise to new life with him,

who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death. Amen.

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs

mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this exile

show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving,

O sweet Virgin Mary.

Also for today

Yesterday Compline

Now

Yesterday Night Prayer · 4:39

0:00 4:39

Examination of conscience

Coptic act of contrition

11th Hour

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

12th Hour

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Prayer of the Veil

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Absolution

Grant us a peaceful night and a sleep free of all worry and anxiety. Send us the guardian angel to protect us from all evil and every affliction and temptation of the enemy.

The Thanksgiving Prayer

From the Agpeya, the Coptic Orthodox Book of Hours (St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Jersey City; text as published on copticchurch.net).

INTRODUCTION

God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Examination of Conscience

A brief moment of silent reflection is made to examine one’s conscience and recall God’s mercy throughout the day.

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

HYMN

To you before the close of light,

Creator of all things, we pray:

Be our protector, keep us safe

in your unfailing clemency.

Incline our hearts to dream of you,

to sense your presence as we sleep;

as light returns, so let us sing

your praise and glory evermore.

Grant us the grace of health and strength,

renew our warmth and joy of life;

and let your radiant light dispel

the dreaded darkness of the night.

Almighty Father, grant our prayer

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who reigns with you from age to age,

one with the Spirit, ever blest. Amen.

Psalm 16

Ant. In you, my God, my body will rest in hope.

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.

I say to the Lord: “You are my God.

My happiness lies in you alone.”

He has put into my heart a marvelous love

for the faithful ones who dwell in his land.

Those who choose other gods increase their sorrows.

Never will I offer their offerings of blood.

Never will I take their name upon my lips.

O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;

it is you yourself who are my prize.

The lot marked out for me is my delight:

welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,

who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord ever in my sight:

since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;

even my body shall rest in safety.

For you will not leave my soul among the dead,

nor let your beloved know decay.

You will show me the path of life,

the fullness of joy in your presence,

at your right hand happiness for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. In you, my God, my body will rest in hope.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.

I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Canticle of Simeon

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;

your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation

which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations

and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord God, send peaceful sleep

to refresh our tired bodies.

May your help always renew us

and keep us strong in your service.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death. Amen.

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs

mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this exile

show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving,

O sweet Virgin Mary.

Mass Readings

Now

Readings of the Day's Mass · 4:16

0:00 4:16

First Reading

Gal 3:7-14

Brothers and sisters:

Realize that it is those who have faith

who are children of Abraham.

Scripture, which saw in advance that God

would justify the Gentiles by faith,

foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,

Through you shall all the nations be blessed.

Consequently, those who have faith are blessed

along with Abraham who had faith.

For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;

for it is written, Cursed be everyone

who does not persevere in doing all the things

written in the book of the law.

And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear,

for the one who is righteous by faith will live.

But the law does not depend on faith;

rather, the one who does these things will live by them.

Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,

for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,

that the blessing of Abraham might be extended

to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6

℟. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart

in the company and assembly of the just.

Great are the works of the LORD,

exquisite in all their delights.

Majesty and glory are his work,

and his justice endures forever.

He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;

gracious and merciful is the LORD.

He has given food to those who fear him;

he will forever be mindful of his covenant.

He has made known to his people the power of his works,

giving them the inheritance of the nations.

℟. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn 12:31b-32

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

The prince of this world will now be cast out,

and when I am lifted up from the earth

I will draw all to myself, says the Lord.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 11:15-26

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:

“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,

he drives out demons.”

Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.

But he knew their thoughts and said to them,

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste

and house will fall against house.

And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?

For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.

If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,

by whom do your own people drive them out?

Therefore they will be your judges.

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,

then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,

his possessions are safe.

But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,

he takes away the armor on which he relied

and distributes the spoils.

Whoever is not with me is against me,

and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,

it roams through arid regions searching for rest

but, finding none, it says,

‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’

But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.

Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits

more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,

and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Devotional Prayers

The words of the prayers

Prayer Before the Office

Lord, open my lips, to praise Your Holy Name. Cleanse my heart of any worthless, evil, or distracting thoughts. Give me the wisdom and love necessary to pray this Office with attention, reverence, and devotion. Father, let this prayer be heard in Your Presence, for it is offered through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, in union with that intention with which you offered praises to God when on earth, I offer this Hour to You.

I offer this Hour in union with all of the Masses being said throughout the world, and I offer it for the following intention: ____.

Prayer After the Office

Blessed be forever the most loving Hearts and the sweet Names of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother.

O most merciful Jesus, I thank you with all my heart. Be merciful to me, a miserable sinner. I offer this action to your Divine Heart to be amended and perfected, to the praise and glory of your most holy Name and of your most blessed Mother, and for the salvation of my soul and of your whole Church. Amen.

To the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, to the Manhood of Our Lord Jesus Christ Crucified, to the Fruitful Virginity of the Most Blessed and Most Glorious Mary, Ever Virgin, and to the Congregation of all the Saints be ascribed everlasting praise, honor, power and glory by every creature, and to us be granted the forgiveness of all our sins, world without end. Amen.

Blessed be the Womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

And blessed be the Breasts which gave suck to Christ our Lord.

Our Father

Hail Mary