From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
The ceremonies used by the Church for the Office of Tenebræ having been already explained, we deem it unnecessary to repeat our instructions. The reader may refer to them, should he require to refresh his memory. They are given on pages 301—303.
Pater noster, Ave, and Credo, in secret.
THE FIRST NOCTURN
The first psalm is one which the Church daily recites in her Compline, because it expresses the confidence wherewith the Christian takes his rest. She uses it in to-day’s Tenebræ, to remind us of the rest taken by Christ in the sepulchre, where He sleeps with the assurance of wakening to a glorious Resurrection.
Ant. In pace, in idipsum, dormiam et requiescam.
Ant. In peace, in the selfsame, I will sleep, and I will take my rest.
Psalm 4
Cum invocarem, exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: in tribulatione dilatasti mihi.
Miserere mei: et exaudi orationem meam.
Filii hominum usquequo gravi corde: ut quid diligitis vanitatem, et quæritis mendacium?
Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: Dominus exaudiet me, cum clamavero ad eum.
Irascimini, et nolite peccare: quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris in cubilibus vestris compungimini.
Sacrificate sacrificium justitiae, et sperate in Domino: multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona?
Signatum est super nos lumen vultis tui, Domine: dedisti lætitiam in corde meo.
A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: multiplicati sunt.
In pace in idipsum: dormiam et requiescam.
Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: constituisti me.
Ant. In pace in idipsum, dormiam et requiescam.
When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress thou hast enlarged me.
Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long will ye be dull of heart? why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?
Know ye also that the Lord hath made his Holy One wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.
Be ye angry and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them on your beds.
Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord: many say: Who showeth us good things?
The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us: thou hast given gladness in my heart.
By the fruit of their corn, their wine and oil, they are multiplied.
In peace, in the self-same, I will sleep, and I will take my rest.
For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.
Ant. In peace, in the selfsame, I will sleep, and I will take my rest.
The second psalm speaks of the happiness that is in reserve for the just man, and of the rest which is to be the reward of his labours. The Church applies it to Christ, the Just One by excellence, who went about doing good.
Ant. Habitabit in tabernaculo tuo: requiescet in monte sancto tuo.
Ant. He shall dwell in thy tabernacle: he shall rest in thy holy hill.
Psalm 14
Domine, quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo: aut quis requiescet in monte sancto tuo? Qui ingreditur sine macu la: et operatur justitiam.
Qui loquitur veritatem in corde suo: qui non egit dolum in lingua sua.
Nec fecit proximo suo malum: et opprobrium non accepit adversus proximos suos.
Ad nihilum deductus est in conspectu ejus malignus: timentes autem Dominum glorficat.
Qui jurat proximo suo, et non decipit: qui pecuniam suam non dedit ad usuram, et munera super innocentem non accepit:
Qui facit hæc, non movebitur in æternum.
Ant. Habitabit in tabernaculo tuo: requiescet in monte sancto tuo.
Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? or who shall rest in thy holy hill?
He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice.
He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue.
Nor hath done evil to his neighbour, nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.
In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing: but he glorifieth them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not: he that hath not put out his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent.
He that doth these things, shall not be moved for ever.
Ant. He shall dwell in thy tabernacle: he shall rest in thy holy hill.
The third psalm, composed by David during his exile under Saul, is a prophecy of our Saviour’s Resurrection, and was quoted as such by St. Peter in his address to the Jews on the day of Pentecost. He that speaks in this psalm, says that his flesh shall rest in hope, and that the Lord will not give him to see corruption. This was not verified in David, but in Christ.
Ant. Caro mea requiescet in spe.
Ant. My flesh shall rest in hope.
Psalm 15
Conserva me, Domine, quoniam speravi in te: dixi Domino, Deus meus es tu, quoniam bonorum meorum non eges.
Sanctis qui sunt in terra ejus: mirificavit omnes voluntates meas in eis.
Multiplicatæ sunt infirmitates eorum: postea acceleraverunt.
Non congregabo conventicula eorum de sanguinibus: nec memor ero nominum eorum per labia mea.
Dominus pars hæreditatis meæ et calicis mei: tu es qui restitues hæreditatem meam mihi.
Funes ceciderunt mihi in præclaris: etenim hæreditas mea præclara est mihi.
Benedicam Dominum, qui tribuit mihi intellectum: insuper et usque ad noctem increpuerunt me renes mei.
Providebam Dominum in conspectu meo semper: quoniam a dextris est mihi ne commovear.
Propter hoc Iætatum est cor meum, et exsultavit lingua mea: insuper et caro mea requiescet in spe.
Quoniam non derelinques animam meam in inferno: nec dabis Sanctum tuum videre corruptionem.
Notas mihi fecisti vias vitæ, adimplebis me lætitia cum vultu tuo: delecta tiones in dextera tua usque in finem.
Ant. Caro mea requiescet in spe.
Preserve me, O Lord, for I have put my trust in thee, I have said to the Lord: thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods.
To the saints who are in his land, he hath made wonderful all my desires in them.
Their infirmities were multiplied: afterwards they made haste.
I will not gather together their meetings for blood-offerings: nor will I be mindful of their names by my lips.
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me.
The lines are fallen unto me in goodly places: for my inheritance is goodly to me.
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding: moreover my reins also have corrected me even till night.
I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at my right hand that I be not moved.
Therefore my heart hath been glad and my tongue hath rejoiced: moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope.
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell: nor wilt thou give thy Holy One to see corruption.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, thou shalt fill me with joy with thy countenance: at thy right hand are delights even to the end.
Ant. My flesh shall rest in hope.
℣. In pace in idipsum.
℟. Dormiam et requiescam.
℣. In peace, in the selfsame,
℟. I will sleep, and I will take my rest.
The Pater noster is here recited in secret.
The lessons of the first nocturn are again taken from the Lamentations of Jeremias. The first refers to our Saviour. It speaks of His fidelity to His Father, and of His resignation. It foretells the buffets He received during His Passion.
First Lesson
De Lamentatione Jeremiæ Prophetæ.
Cap. iii.
Heth. Misericordiæ Domini, quia non sumus consumpti: quia non defecerunt miserationes ejus.
Heth. Novi diluculo, multa est fides tua.
Heth. Pars mea Dominus, dixit anima mea: propterea exspectabo eum.
Teth. Bonus est Dominus sperantibus in eum, animæ quærenti illum.
Teth. Bonum est præstolari cum silentio salutare Dei.
Teth. Bonum est viro, cum portaverit jugum ab adolescentia sua.
Jod. Sedebit solitarius, et tacebit: quia levavit super se.
Jod. Ponet in pulvere os suum, si forte sit spes.
Jod. Dabit percutienti semaxillam, saturabitur opprobriis.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum.
From the Lamentation of Jeremias the Prophet.
Ch. iii.
Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his tender mercies have not failed.
Heth. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
Heth. The Lord is my portion, said my soul: therefore will I wait for him.
Teth. The Lord is good to them that hope in him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Teth. It is good to wait with silence for the salvation of God.
Teth. It is good for a man when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.
Jod. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it up upon himself.
Jod. He shall put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.
Jod. He shall give his cheek to him that striketh him, he shall be filled with reproaches.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be converted to the Lord thy God.
Recording of the Lamentation (Palestrina) Heth-Teth (1):
℟. Sicut ovis ad occisionem ductus est, et dum male tractaretur, non aperuit os suum: traditus est ad mortem:
* Ut vivificaret populum suum.
℣. Tradidit in mortem animam suam, et inter sceleratos reputatus est.
* Ut vivificaret populum suum.
℟. He was led like a sheep to the slaughter; and whilst he was ill-used, he opened not his month: he was condemned to death:
* That he might give life to his people.
℣. He delivered himself up to death, and was reckoned among the wicked.
* That he might give life to his people.
The second lesson is an elegy upon Jerusalem. The grievousness of the sins of this ungrateful city is expressed in forcible terms.
Second Lesson
Aleph. Quomodo obscuratum est aurum, mutatus est color optimus, dispersi sunt lapides sanctuarii in capite omnium platearum?
Beth. Filii Sion inclyti, et amicti auro primo: quomodo reputati sunt in vasa testea, opus manuum figuli?
Ghimel. Sed et lamiæ nudaverunt mammam, lactaverunt catulos suos: filia populi mei crudelis, quasi struthio in deserto.
Daleth. Adhæsit lingua lactentis ad palatum ejus in siti: parvuli petierunt panem, et non erat qui frangeret eis.
He. Qui vescebantur voluptuose interierunt in viis; qui nutriebantur in croceis, amplexati sunt stercora.
Vau. Et major effecta est iniquitas filiae populi mei peccato Sodomorum: quæ subversa est in momento, et non cœperunt in ea manus.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum.
Ai.eph. How is the gold become dim, the finest colour is changed, the stones of the sanctuary are scattered in the top of every street?
Beth. The noble sons of Sion, and they that were clothed with the best gold: how are they esteemed as earthen vessels, the work of the potter’s hands?
Ghimel. Even the seamonsters have drawn out the breast, they have given suck to their young: the daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostrich in the desert.
Daleth. The tongue of the sucking child hath stuck to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the little ones have asked for bread, and there was none to break it unto them.
He. They that were fed delicately, have died in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet, have embraced the dung.
Vau. And the iniquity of the daughter of my people is made greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and hands took nothing in her.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be converted to the Lord thy God.
Recording of the Lamentation (Palestrina) Aleph-Ghimel:
℟. Jerusalem, surge, et exue te vestibus jucunditatis: induere cinere et cilicio:
* Quia in te occisus est Salvator Israël.
℣. Deduc quasi torrentem lacrymas per diem et noctem, et non taceat pupilla oculi tui.
* Quia in te occisus est Salvator Israël.
℟. Arise, Jerusalem, and put off thy garments of joy: put on ashes and hair-cloth:
* For in thee was slain the Saviour of Israel.
℣. Let tears rain down like a torrent day and night, and let not the apple of thine eye cease.
* For in thee was slain the Saviour of Israel.
The third lesson is a portion of the prayer made by the prophet for the Jewish people, after they had been led into captivity. It gives a faithful, but terrible, description of their miseries after they had committed the crime of deicide.
Third Lesson
Incipit Oratio Jeremiæ Prophetæ.
Cap. v.
Recordare, Domine, quid acciderit nobis: intuere, et respice opprobrium nostrum. Hæreditas nostra versa est ad alienos, domus nostræ ad extraneos. Pupilli facti sumus absque patre: matres nostræ quasi viduæ. Aquam nostram pecunia bibimus; ligna nostra pretio comparavimus. Cervicibus nostris minabamur: lassis non dabatur requies. Ægypto dedimus manum, et Assyriis, ut saturaremur pane. Patres nostri peccaverunt, et non sunt: et nos iniquitates eorum portavimus. Servi dominati sunt nostri: non fuit qui redimeret de manu eorum. In animabus nostris afferebamus panem nobis, a facie gladii in deserto. Pellis nostra quasi clibanus exusta est, a facie tempestatum famis. Mulieres in Sion humiliaverunt, et virgines in civitatibus Juda.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, convertere ad Dominum Deum tuum.
Here beginneth the Prayer of Jeremias the Prophet.
Ch. v.
Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to aliens: our houses to strangers. We are become orphans without a father, our mothers are as widows. We have drunk our water for money: we have bought our wood. We were dragged by the necks, we were weary and no rest was given us. We have given our hand to Egypt, and to the Assyrians, that we might be satisfied with bread. Our fathers have sinned, and are not: and we have borne their iniquities. Servants have ruled over us: there was none to redeem us out of their hand. We fetched our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the desert. Our skin was burnt as an oven, by reason of the violence of the famine. They oppressed the women in Sion, and the virgins in the cities of Juda.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be converted to the Lord thy God.
Recording of the Lamentation (Palestrina):
℟. Plange quasi virgo, plebs mea: ululate pastores in cinere et cilicio:
* Quia venit dies Domini magna et amara valde.
℣. Accingite vos sacerdotes et plangite: ministri altaris, aspergite vos cinere.
* Quia venit dies Domini magna, et amara valde.
Here is repeated: Plange.
℟. Mourn, O my people, as a virgin: howl, ye shepherds, in ashes and hair-cloth:
* For the great and exceeding bitter day of the Lord is coming.
℣. Gird yourselves, ye priests, and mourn; sprinkle yourselves with ashes, ye ministers of the altar.
* For the great and exceeding bitter day of the Lord is coming.
Here is repeated: Mourn, O my people.
THE SECOND NOCTURN
The fourth psalm speaks of the triumphant entry which the Son of God, after having risen from His tomb, shall make into heaven.
Ant. Elevamini portæ æternales, et introibit Rex gloriæ.
Ant. Be ye lifted up, O ye eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in.
Psalm 23
Domini est terra, et plenitudo ejus: orbis terrarum, et universi quihabitantineo.
Quia ipse super maria fundavit eum: et super flumina præparavit eum.
Quis ascendet in montem Domini: aut quis stabit in loco sancto ejus?
Innocens manibus et mundo corde: qui non accepit in vano animam suam, nec juravit in dolo proximo suo.
Hic accipiet benedictionem a Domino: et misericordiam a Deo salutari suo.
Hæc est generatio quærentium eum: quærentium faciem Dei Jacob.
Attollite portas principes vestras, et elevamini portæ æternales: et introibit Rex gloriæ.
Quis est iste Rex gloriæ? Dominus fortis et potens, Dominus potens in prælio.
Attollite portas principes vestras, et elevamini portæ æternales: et introibit Rex gloriæ.
Quis est iste Rex gloriæ? Dominus virtutum, ipse est Rex gloriæ.
Ant. Elevamini portæ æternales, et introibit Rex gloriæ.
The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; the world and all they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas: and hath prepared it upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
The innocent in hands, and clean of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour.
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord: and mercy from God his Saviour.
This is the generation of them that seek him, of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of glory shall enter in.
Who is this King of glory? the Lord, who is strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of glory shall enter in.
Who is this King of glory? the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.
Ant. Be ye lifted up, O ye eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in.
The fifth psalm was sung in yesterday's Office, and expressed the confidence in His Father’s love and assistance which never left our Jesus during His Passion: we repeat it to-day, because it speaks of His speedy deliverance. The Church changes the antiphon, which gave us the words of our Saviour complaining of His false witnesses, into the following, wherein we have our divine Master telling us that He is soon to be in the land of the living.
Ant. Credo videre bona Domini in terra viventium.
Ant. I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 26
Dominus illuminatio mea, et salus mea: quem timebo?
Dominus protector vitæ meæ: a quo trepidabo?
Dum appropiant super me nocentes: ut edant carnes meas.
Qui tribulant me inimici mei: ipsi infirmati sunt et ceciderunt.
Si consistant adversum me castra: non timebit cor meum.
Si exsurgat adversum me prœlium: in hoc ego sperabo.
Unam petii a Domino, hanc requiram: ut inhabitem in domo Domini omnibus diebus vitæ meæ.
Ut videam voluptatem Domini: et visitem templum ejus.
Quoniam abscondit me in tabernaculo suo: in die malorum protexit me in abscondito tabernaculi sui.
In petra exaltavit me: et nunc exaltavit caput meum super inimicos meos.
Circuivi, et immolavi in tabernaculo ejus hostiam vociferationis: cantabo, et psalmum dicam Domino.
Exaudi, Domine, vocem meam qua clamavi ad te: miserere mei, et exaudi me.
Tibi dixit cor meum exquisivit te facies mea: faciem tuam, Domine, requiram.
Ne avertas faciem tuam a me: ne declines in ira a servo tuo.
Adjutor meus esto: ne derelinquas me, neque despicias me, Deus salutaris meus.
Quoniam pater meus et mater mea dereliquerunt me: Dominus autem assumpsit me.
Legem pone mihi, Domine, in via tua: et dirige me in semitam rectam propter inimicos meos.
Ne tradideris me in animas tribulantium me: quoniam insurrexerunt in me testes iniqui, et mentita est iniquitas sibi.
Credo videre bona Domini: in terra viventium.
Exspecta Dominum, viriliter age: et confortetur cor tuum, et sustine Dominum.
Ant. Credo videre bona Domini in terra viventium.
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
Whilst the wicked draw near against me, to eat my flesh.
My enemies that troubled me have been weakened, and have fallen.
If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear.
If a battle should rise up against me, in this will I be confident.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.
For he hath hid me in his tabernacle; in the day of evils, he hath protected me in the secret place of his tabernacle.
He hath exalted me upon a rock: and now he hath lifted up my head above my enemies.
I have gone round, and have offered up in his tabernacle a sacrifice of jubilation: I will sing, and recite a psalm to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to thee: have mercy on me, and hear me.
My heart hath said to thee, my face hath sought thee: thy face, O Lord, will I still seek.
Turn not away thy face from me: decline not in thy wrath from thy servant.
Be thou my helper: forsake me not, do not thou despise me, O God my Saviour.
For my father and my mother have left me: but the Lord hath taken me up.
Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way: and guide me in the right path, because of my enemies.
Deliver me not over to the will of them that trouble me: for unjust witnesses have risen up against me, and iniquity hath belied itself.
I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord.
Ant. I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The sixth psalm tells us that Jesus, the divine Captive of death, will soon rise from the grave. The prophet speaks of the weeping which shall last till evening, and of the gladness that shall follow in the morning.
Ant. Domine abstraxisti ab inferis animam meam.
Ant. O Lord, thou hast brought forth my soul from hell.
Psalm 29
Exaltabo te, Domine, quoniam suscepisti me: nec delectasti inimicos meos super me.
Domine Deus meus, clamavi ad te: et sanasti me.
Domine eduxisti ab inferno animam meam: salvasti me a descendentibus in lacum.
Psallite Domino sancti ejus: et confitemini memoriæ sanctitatis ejus.
Quoniam ira in indignatione ejus: et vita in voluntate ejus.
Ad vesperum demorabitur fletus: et ad matutinum lætitia.
Ego autem dixi in abundantia mea: Non movebor in æternum.
Domine in voluntate tua: præstitisti decori meo virtutem.
Avertisti faciem tuam a me: et factus sum conturbatus.
Ad te, Domine, clamabo: et ad Deum meum deprecabor.
Quæ utilitas in sanguine meo: dum descendo in corruptionem?
Numquid confitebitur tibi pulvis: aut annuntiabit veritatem tuam?
Audivit Dominus, et misertus est mei: Dominus factus est adjutor meus.
Convertisti planctum meum in gaudium mihi: conscidisti saccum meum, et circumdedisti me lætitia.
Ut cantet tibi gloria mea, et non compungar: Domine Deus meus, in æternum confitebor tibi.
Ant. Domine abstraxisti ab inferis animam meam.
I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me: and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me.
O Lord, my God, I have cried to thee, and thou hast healed me.
Thou hast brought forth, O Lord, my soul from hell: thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit.
Sing to the Lord, O you his saints: and give praise to the memory of his holiness.
For wrath is in his indignation: and life in his good will.
In the evening, weeping shall have place: and in the morning, gladness.
And in my abundance I said: I shall never be moved.
O Lord, in thy favour, thou gavest strength to my beauty.
Thou turnedst away thy face from me, and I became troubled.
To thee, O Lord, will I cry: and I will make supplication to my God.
What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption?
Shall dust confess to thee, or declare thy truth?
The Lord hath heard, and hath had mercy on me: the Lord became my helper.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into joy: thou hast cut my sackcloth, and hast compassed me with gladness.
To the end that my glory may sing to thee, and I may not regret. O Lord my God, I will give praise to thee for ever.
Ant. O Lord thou hast brought forth my soul from hell.
℣. Tu autem, Domine, miserere mei.
℟. Et resuscita me, et retribuam eis.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on me.
℟. And raise me up again, and I will requite them.
Here is said the Pater noster in secret.
For the second nocturn lessons, the Church continues the Enarrations of St. Augustine on the psalms prophetic of our Lord’s Passion.
Fourth Lesson
Ex tractatu Sancti Augustini Episcopi, super Psalmos.
Ps. lxiii.
Accedet homo ad cor altum, et exaltabitur Deus. Illi dixerunt: Quis nos videbit? Defecerunt scrutantes scrutationes, consilia mala. Accessit homo ad ipsa consilia: passus est se teneri ut homo. Non enim teneretur nisi homo, aut videretur nisi homo, aut cæderetur nisi homo, aut crucifigeretur, aut moreretur nisi homo. Accessit ergo homo ad illas omnes passiones, quæ in illo nihil valerent, nisi esset homo. Sed si ille non esset homo, non liberaretur homo. Accessit homo ad cor altum, id est cor secretum, objiciens aspectibus humanis hominem, servans intus Deum; celans formam Dei, in qua æqualis est Patri, et offerens formam servi, qua minor est Patre.
From the treatise of Saint Augustine, Bishop, upon the Psalms.
Ps. lxiii.
Man shall come to the deep heart, and God shall be exalted. They said: Who will see us? They failed in making diligent search for wicked designs. Christ, as Man, came to those designs, and suffered himself to be seized on as a Man. For he could not be seized on if he were not Man, nor seen if he were not Man, nor scourged if he were not Man, nor crucified nor die if he were not Man. As Man, therefore, he came to all these sufferings, which could have no effect on him if he were not Man. But if he had not been Man, man could not have been redeemed. Man came to the deep heart, that is, the secret heart, exposing his humanity to human view, but hiding his divinity: concealing the form of God, by which he is equal to the Father; and offering the form of the servant, by which he is inferior to the Father.
℟. Recessit Pastor noster. fons aquæ vivæ, ad cujus transitum sol obscuratus est:
* Nam et ille captus est, qui captivum tenebat primum hominem: hodie portas mortis et seras pariter Salvator noster disrupit.
℣. Destruxit quidem claustra inferni, et subvertit potentias diaboli.
* Nam et ille captus est qui captivum tenebat primumhominem: hodie portas mortis et seras pariter Salvator noster disrupit.
℟. Our Shepherd, the fountain of living water, is gone; at whose departure, the sun was darkened.
* For he is taken who made the first man a prisoner. To-day our Saviour broke the gates and bolts of death.
℣. He. indeed, destroyed the prisons of hell, and overthrew the powers of the devil.
* For he is taken who made the first man a prisoner. Today our Saviour broke the gates and bolts of death.
Fifth Lesson
Quo perduxerunt illas scrutationes suas, quas perscrutantes defecerunt, ut etiam mortuo Domino et sepulto, custodes ponerent ad sepulchrum? Dixerunt enim Pilato: Seductor ille. Hoc appellabatur nomine Dominus Jesus Christus, ad solatium servorum suorum, quando dicuntur seductores. Ergo illi Pilato: Seductor ille, inquiunt, dixit adhuc vivens: Post tres dies resurgam. Jube itaque custodiri sepulchrum usque in diem tertium, ne forte veniant discipuli ejus, et furentur eum, et dicant plebi: Surrexit a mortuis: et erit novissimus error pejor priore. Ait illis Pilatus: Habetis custodiam; ite, custodite sicut scitis. Illi autem abeuntes, munierunt sepulchrum, signantes lapidem cum custodibus.
How far did they carry this their diligent search, in which they failed so much, that when our Lord was dead and buried, they placed guards at the sepulchre? For they said to Pilate: This seducer; by which name our Lord Jesus Christ was called, for the comfort of his servants when they are called seducers. This seducer, say they to Pilate, while he was yet living, said: After three days I will rise again. Command therefore the sepulchre to be guarded until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come and steal him away, and say to the people, he is risen from the dead: and the last error will be worse than the first. Pilate saith to them: Ye have a guard, go, and guard it as ye know. And they went away and secured the sepulchre with guards, sealing up the stone.
℟. O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte,
* Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.
℣. Attendite universi populi, et videte dolorem meum.
* Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.
℟. O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see,
* If there be sorrow like unto my sorrow.
℣. Attend all ye people, and see my sorrow.
* If there be sorrow like unto my sorrow.
Sixth Lesson
Posuerunt custodes milites ad sepulchrum. Concussa terra Dominus resurrexit: miracula facta sunt talia circa sepulchrum, ut et ipsi milites qui custodes advenerant, testes fierent, si vellent vera nuntiare. Sed avaritia illa, quæ capti vavit discipulum comitem Christi, captivavit et militem custodem sepulchri. Damus, inquiunt, vobis pecuniam, et dicite, quia vobis dormientibus venerunt discipli ejus, et abstulerunt eum. Vere defecerunt scrutantes scrutationes. Quid est quod dixisti, o infelix astutia? Tantumne deseris lucem consilii pietatis, et in profunda versutia demergeris, ut hoc dicas: Dicite, quiavobis dormientibus venerunt discipuli ejus, et abstulerunt eum? Dormientes testes adhibes: vere tu ipse obdormisti, qui scratando talia defecisti.
They placed soldiers to guard the sepulchre. The earth shook, and the Lord rose again: such miracles were done at the sepulchre, that the very soldiers that came as guards might be witnesses of it, if they would declare the truth. But that covetousness which possessed the disciple that was the companion of Christ, blinded also the soldiers that were the guards of his sepulchre. We will give you money, said they: and say, that while ye were asleep, his disciples came and took him away. They truly failed, in making diligent search. What is it thou hast said, O wretched craft? Dost thou shut thy eyes against the light of prudence and piety, and plunge thyself so deep in cunning, as to say this: Say that while ye were asleep, his disciples came and took him away? Dost thou produce sleeping witnesses? Certainly thou thyself sleepedst, that failedst in making search after such things.
℟. Ecce quomodo moritur justus, et nemo percipit corde: et viri justi tolluntur et nemo considerat: a facie iniquitatis sublatus est Justus:
* Et erit in pace raemoria ejus.
℣. Tamquam agnus coram tondente se obmutuit, et non aperuit os suum: de angustia, et de judicio sublatus est.
* Et erit in pace memoria ejus.
Here is repeated; Ecce quomodo.
℟. Behold! how the Just One dieth, and there is none that taketh it to heart: and just men are taken away and no one considereth it: the Just One is taken away because of iniquity:
* And his memory shall be in peace.
℣. He was silent, as a lamb under his shearer, and he opened not his mouth: he was taken away from distress and judgment.
* And his memory shall be in peace.
Here is repeated: Behold!
THE THIRD NOCTURN
The seventh psalm is one we sang yesterday, when commemorating the persecution our Saviour met with from the Jews. We repeat it, to-day, because of His approaching triumph, for the eternal Father is His helper and protector.
Ant. Deus adjuvat me, et Dominus susceptor est animæ meæ.
Ant. God is my helper, and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
Psalm 53
Deus, in nomine tuo salvum me fac: et in virtute tua judica me.
Deus, exaudi orationem meam: auribus percipe verba oris mei.
Quoniam alieni insurrexerunt adversum me. et fortes quæsierunt animam meam: et non proposuerunt Deum ante conspectum suum.
Ecce enim Deus adjuvat me: et Dominus susceptor est animæ meæ.
Averte mala inimicis meis: et in ventate tua disperde illos.
Voluntarie sacrificabo tibi: et confitebor nomini tuo, Domine, quoniam bonum est.
Quoniam ex omni tribulatione eripuisti me: et super inimicos meos despexit oculus meus.
Ant. Deus adjuvat me, et Dominus susceptor est animæ meæ.
Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me in thy strength.
O God. hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth.
For strangers have risen up against me: and the mighty have sought after my soul: and they have not set God before their eyes.
For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
Turn back the evils upon my enemies: and cut them off in thy truth.
I will freely sacrifice to thee, and will give praise. O God. to thy name: because it is good.
For thou hast delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye hath looked down upon my enemies.
Ant. God is my helper, and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
The eighth psalm is one that was sung in the Tenebræ of Maundy Thursday: then, it was an allusion to the divine vengeance that was to fall on the enemies of Jesus; to-day, we must rejoice in its prophecy of the sleep of peace which this our Saviour is taking in Sion. A few more hours, and He will rise from His tomb. His enemies, who boast of having Him in their power, will find, on awaking, that they have nothing in their hands. The earth shall tremble, and our Lord shall arise, an object of terror to His enemies, but a Saviour to the meek, that is, to the humble and faithful ones, who will then praise Him as the God ever faithful to His word.
Ant. In pace factus est locus ejus, et in Sion habitatio ejus,
Ant. His place is in peace, and his abode in Sion
Psalm 75
Notus in Judæa Deus: in Israël magnum nomen ejus.
Et factus est in pace locus ejus: et habitatio ejus in Sion.
Ibi confregit potentias arcuum: scutum, gladium, et bellum.
Illuminans tu mirabiliter a montibus æternis: turbati sunt omnes insipientes corde.
Dormierunt somnum suum: et nihil invenerunt omnes viri divitiarum in manibus suis.
Ab increpatione tua, Deus Jacob: dormitaverunt qui ascenderunt equos.
Tu terribilis es, et quis resistet tibi: ex tunc ira tua.
De cœlo auditum fecisti judicium: terra tremuit et quievit.
Cum exurgeret in judicium Deus: ut salvos faceret omnes mansuetos terrae.
Quoniam cogitatio hominis confitebitur tibi: et reliquiae cogitationis diem festum agent tibi.
Vovete et reddite Domino Deo vestro: omnes qui in circuitu ejus affertis munera.
Terribili et ei qui aufert spiritum principum: terribili apud reges terræ.
Ant. In pace factus eat locus ejus, et in Sion habitatio ejus.
In Judea God is known, his name is great in Israel.
And his place is in peace, and his abode in Sion.
There hath he broken the power of bows, the shield, the sword, and the battle.
Thou enlightenest wonderfully from the everlasting hills: all the foolish of heart were troubled.
They have slept their sleep: and all the men of riches have found nothing in their hands.
At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, they have all slumbered that mounted on horseback.
Thou art terrible, and who shall resist thee? from that time thy wrath.
Thou hast caused judgment to be heard from heaven: the earth trembled and was still.
When God arose in judgment, to save all the meek of the earth.
For the thought of man shall give praise to thee: and the remainders of the thought shall keep holiday to thee.
Vow ye, and pay to the Lord your God: all you that round about him bring presents.
To him that is terrible, even to him that taketh away the spirit of princes; to the terrible with the kings of the earth.
Ant. His place is in peace, and his abode in Sion.
The ninth psalm is the Domine, Deus salutis meœ, repeated from yesterday’s Office page 437. It shows us our Saviour praying to His Father, that He will raise Him, and free Him from among the dead. The time fixed for His lying in the darkness of the sepulchre is over, the hour of His Resurrection to life is at hand.
It is sung to the following antiphon.
Ant. Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuos liber.
Ant. I am become as a man without help, whose life is set free, and he is now numbered among the dead.
℣. In pace factus est locus ejus.
℟. Et in Sion habitatio ejus.
℣. His place is in peace.
℟. And his abode in Sion.
The Pater noster is here recited in secret.
The third nocturn lessons are again from the Epistle to the Hebrews. In the passage chosen for to-day, the apostle shows us the divine efficacy of the Blood of Jesus, and how His testament, or last will, could not be applied to us save by His death.
SEVENTH LESSON
De Epistola Beati Pauli Apostoli ad Hebræos.
Cap. ix.
Christus assistens Pontifex futurorum bonorum, per amplius et perfectius tabernaculum non manufactum, id est non hujus creationis;neque per sanguinem hircorum aut vitulorum, sed per proprium Sanguinem, introivit semel in sancta, aeterna redemptione inventa. Si enim sanguis hircorum et taurorum, et cinis vitulæ aspersus inquinatos sanctificat ad emundationem carnis: quanto magis Sanguis Christi qui per Spiritimi sanctum semetipsum obtulit immaculatum Deo, emundabit conscientiam nostram ab operibus mortuis ad serviendum Deo viventi?
From the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle, to the Hebrews.
Ch. ix.
Christ being come a High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of thiscreation: neither by the blood of goats, nor of calves, but by his own Blood, entered once into the holies having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh: how much more shall the Blood of Christ, who by the Holy Ghost offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?
℟. Adstiterunt reges terræ, et principes convenerunt in unum,
* Adversus Dominum, et adversus Christum ejus.
℣. Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania?
* Adversus Dominum, et adversus Christum ejus.
℟. The kings of the earth stood, and the princes met together,
* Against the Lord, and against his Christ.
℣. Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?
* Against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Eighth Lesson
Et ideo novi Testamenti mediator est: ut morte intercedente, in redemptionem earum prævaricationum, quæ erant sub priori testamento, repromissionem accipiant, qui vocati sunt, æternæ hæreditatis. Ubi enim testamelitum est, mors necesse est intercedat testatoris. Testamentum enim in mortuis confirmatum est; alioquin nondum valet, dum vivit qui testatus est. Unde nec primum quidem sine sanguine dedicatum est.
And therefore he is the mediator of the new testament: that by means of his death, for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, they that are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, the death of a testator must of necessity come in. For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is as yet of no strength, whilst the testator liveth. Whereupon neither was the first indeed dedicated without blood.
℟. Æstimatus sum cum descendentibus in lacum.
* Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuos liber.
℣. Posuerunt me in lacu inferiori, in tenebrosis, et in umbra mortis.
* Factus sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, inter mortuos liber.
℟. I am counted among them that go dowm to the pit.
* I am become as a man without help, free among the dead.
℣. They have laid me in the lower pit, in the dark places, and in the shadow of death.
* I am become as a man without help, free among the dead.
Ninth Lesson
Lecto enim omni mandato legis a Moyse universo populo, accipiens sanguinem vitulorum et hircorum, cum aqua et lana coccinea et hyssopo: ipsum quoque librum et omnem populum aspersit, dicens: Hic sanguis testamenti, quod mandavit ad vos Deus. Etiam tabernaculum, et omnia vasa ministerii sanguine similiter aspersit. Et omnia pene in sanguine secundum legem mundantur: et sine sanguinis effusione non fit remissio.
For when every commandment of the law had been read by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying: this is the blood of the testament, which God hath enjoined unto you. The tabernacle also, and all the vessels of the ministry, in like manner, he sprinkled with blood. And almost all things, according to the law, are cleansed with blood: and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
℟. Sepulto Domino, signatum est monumentum, volventes lapidem ad ostium monumenti:
* Ponentes milites, qui custodirent illum.
℣. Accedentes principes sacerdotum ad Pilatum, petierunt illum.
* Ponentes milites, qui custodirent illum.
Here is repeated: Sepulto Domino.
℟. Having buried our Lord, they sealed up the sepulchre, rolling a stone before the entrance of the sepulchre:
* Placing soldiers to guard him.
℣. The chief priests went to Pilate, and sought his permission.
* Placing soldiers to guard him.
Here is repeated: Having buried.
LAUDS
The first psalm of Lauds is the Miserere (page 336 ). Its antiphon is the following:
Ant. O mors, ero mors tua: morsus tuusero, inferne.
Ant. O death! I will be thy death. O hell, I will be thy ruin.
The second psalm, which according to its title in the Psalter is to be sung on the Sabbath day, celebrates the magnificence of the Lord in His works, the fruitlessness of the plots laid by sinners, the triumph of Christ the Just One, and the blessed hope of His followers.
Ant. Plangent eum quasi unigenitum: quia innocens Dominius occisus est.
Ant. They shall mourn for him as for an only son: because the innocent Lord is slain.
Psalm 91
Bonum est confiteri Domino: et psallere nomini tuo, Altissime.
Ad annuntiandum mane misericordiam tuam: et veritatem tuam per noctem.
In decachordo, psalterio: cum cantico in cithara.
Quia delectasti me, Domine, in factura tua: et in operibus manuum tuarum exsultabo.
Quam magnificata sunt opera tua Domine! nimis profundæ factæ sunt cogitationes tuæ.
Vir insipiens non cognoscet: et stultus non intelliget hæc.
Cum exorti fuerint peccatores sicut fœnum: et apparuerint omnes qui operantur iniquitatem:
Ut intereant in sæculum sæculi: tu autem Altissimus in æternum, Domine.
Quoniam ecce inimici tui, Domine, quoniam ecce inimici tui peribunt: et dispergentur omnes, qui operantur iniquitatem.
Et exaltabitur sicut unicornis cornu meum: et senectus mea in misericordia uberi.
Et despexit oculus meus inimicos meos: et in insurgentibus in me malignantibus audiet auris mea.
Justus ut palma florebit: sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabitur.
Piantati in domo Domini, in atriis domus Dei nostri florebunt.
Adhuc multplicabunturin senecta uberi: et bene patientes erunt, ut annuntient.
Quoniam rectus Dominus Deus noster: et non est iniquitas in eo.
Ant. Plangent eum quasi unigenitum; quia innocens Dominus occisus est.
It is good to give praise unto the Lord; and to sing to thy name, O thou Most High.
To show forth thy mercy in the morning: and thy truth in the night.
Upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery: with a song upon the harp.
For thou hast given me, O Lord, delight in thy doings: and in the works of thy hands shall I rejoice.
O Lord, how great are thy works! thy thoughts are exceeding deep.
The unwise man shall not know: nor will the fool understand these things.
When the wicked shall spring up as the grass: and all the workers of iniquity shall appear.
That they may perish for ever and ever: but thou, O Lord, art Most High for evermore.
For behold thine enemies, O Lord, for behold thine enemies shall perish: and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
But my horn shall be exalted like that of the unicorn: and my old age in plentiful mercy.
Mine eye also hath looked down upon mine enemies: and mine ear shall hear of the downfall of the malignant that rise up against me.
The just shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus.
They that are planted in the house of the Lord: shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God.
They shall still increase in a fruitful old age: and it shall be well with them.
That they may show that the Lord our God is upright: and there is no iniquity in him.
Ant. They shall mourn for him as for an only son: because the innocent Lord is slain.
Psalm 63
Exaudi, Deus, orationem meam cum deprecor: a timore inimici eripe animam meam.
Protexisti me a conventu malignantium: a multitudine operantium iniquitatem.
Quia exacuerunt ut gladium linguas suas: intenderunt arcum rem amaram, ut sagittent in occultis immaculatum.
Subito sagittabunt eum, et non timebunt: firmaverunt sibi sermonem nequam.
Narraverunt ut absconderent laqueos: dixerunt: Quis videbit eos?
Scrutati sunt iniquitates: defecerunt scrutantes scrutinio.
Accedet homo ad cor altum: et exaltabitur Deus.
Sagittæ parvulorum factæ sunt plagæ eorum: et infirmatæ sunt contra eos linguae eorum.
Conturbati sunt omnes qui videbant eos: et timuit omnis homo.
Et annuntiaverunt opera Dei, et facta ejus intellexerunt.
Lætabitur justus in Domino, et sperabit in eo, et laudabuntur omnes recti corde.
Ant. Attendite universi populi, et videte dolorem meum.
Hear my prayer, O God, when I make supplication to thee: deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy.
Thou hast protected me from the assembly of the malignant: from the multitude of the workers of iniquity.
For they have whetted their tongues like a sword: they have bent their bow a bitter thing, to shoot in secret the undefiled.
They will shoot at him on a sudden, and will not fear: they are resolute in words of wickedness.
They have talked of hiding snares: they have said: Who shall see them?
They have searched after iniquities: they have failed in their search.
Man shall come to a deep heart: and God shall be exalted.
The arrows of children are their wounds: and their tongues are made weak against them.
All that saw them were troubled: and every man was afraid.
And they declared the works of God: and understood his doings.
The just shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in him: and all the upright in heart shall be praised.
Ant. Attend, all ye people, and see my sorrow.
The canticle of Ezechias, which is always sung in Tuesday’s Lauds, is here substituted for that of Deuteronomy, which is the proper one for Saturdays, but which is not in harmony with to-day’s mystery. Ezechias lying on his sick-bed, and praying God to restore him to health, is a figure of Christ in His tomb, beseeching His Father to give Him a speedy Resurrection to life.
Ant. A porta inferi erue, Domine, animam meam.
Ant. From the gate of the tomb, O Lord, deliver my soul.
Canticle of Ezechial
(Is. xxxviii)
Ego dixi: in dimidio dierum meorum: vadain ad portas inferi.
Quæsivi residuum annorum meorum: dixi: Non videbo Dominum Deum in terra viventium.
Non aspiciam hominem ultra: et habitatorem quietis.
Generatio mea ablata est, et convoluta est a me: quasi tabernaculum pastorum.
Præcisa est velut a texente vita mea, dum adhuc ordirer succidit me: de mane usque ad vesperam finies me.
Sperabam usque ad mane: quasi leo sic contrivit omnia ossa mea.
De mane usque ad vesperam finies me: sicut pullus hirundinis sic clamabo, meditabor ut columba.Attenuati sunt oculi mei: suspicientes in excelsum.
Domine, vim patior, responde pro me: Quid dicam, aut quid respondebit mihi, cum ipse fecerit?
Recogitabo tibi omnes annos meos: in amaritudine animæ meæ.
Domine, si sic vivitur, et in talibus vita spiritus mei, corripies me, et vivificabis me: ecce in pace amaritudo mea amarissima.
Tu autem eruisti animam meam ut non periret: projecisti post tergum tuum omnia peccata mea.
Quia non infernus confitebitur tibi, neque mors laudabit te: non exspectabunt qui descendunt in lacum veritatem tuam.
Vivens, vivens, ipse confitebitur tibi, sicut et ego hodie: pater filiis notam faciet veritatem tuam.
Domine, salvum me fac, et psalmos nostros cantabimus cunctis diebus vitæ nostræ in domo Domini.
Ant. A porta inferi, erue, Domine, animam meam.
I said: in the midst of my days: I shall go to the gates of hell.
I sought for the residue of my years: I said, I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living.
I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.
My generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me as a shepherd’s tent.
My life is cut off as by a weaver; whilst I was but beginning, he cut me off: from morning even till night thou wilt make an end of me.
I hoped till morning: as a lion so hath he broken my bones.
From morning even till night thou wilt make an end of me:I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove.My eyes are weakened with looking upward.
Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me. What shall I say, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it?
I will recount to thee all my years, in the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, if man’s life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me, and make me to live. Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter.
But thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish: thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit look for thy truth.
The living, the living, he shall give praise to thee, as I do this day: the father shall make thy truth known to the children.
O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
Ant. From the gate of the tomb, O Lord, deliver my soul.
The last psalm of Lauds, which is also the last of the Psalter, is a short hymn of praise sung by all creatures to their Creator. It is accompanied by the following antiphon:
Ant. O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte, si est dolor sicut dolor meus.
Ant. O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see, if there be sorrow like unto my sorrow.
Psalm 150
Laudate Dominum in sanctis ejus: laudate eum in firmamento virtutis ejus.
Laudate eum in virtutibus ejus: laudate eum secundum multitudinem magnitudinis ejus.
Laudate eum in sono tubæ: laudate eum in psalterio et cithara.
Laudate eum in tympano et choro: laudate eum in chordis et organo.
Laudate eum in cymbalis benesonantibus: laudate eum in cymbalis jubilationis: omnis spiritus laudet Dominum.
Ant. O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte, si est dolor sicut dolor meus.
Praise ye the Lord in his holy places: praise ye him in the firmament of his power.
Praise ye him for his mighty acts: praise ye him according to the multitude of his greatness.
Praise him with sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
Praise him on high-sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: let every spirit praise the Lord.
Ant. O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see, if there be sorrow like unto my sorrow.
℣. Caro mea requiescet in spe.
℟. Et non dabis Sanctum tuum videre corruptionem.
℣. My flesh shall rest in hope.
℟. And thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.
After this versicle, the Benedictus (page 347) is sung, to the following antiphon
Ant. Mulieres sedentes ad monumentum lamentabantur, flentes Dominum.
Ant. The women, sitting near the tomb, mourned, weeping for the Lord.
The antiphon having been repeated after the canticle, the choir sings, to a touching melody, the following words, which are repeated at the end of all the Canonical Hours of these three days. But to-day the Church is not satisfied with announcing the death of her Jesus: she adds the remaining words of the apostle, wherein he tells us of the glory of the ManGod, the Conqueror of the tomb.
℣. Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis.
Propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum, et dedit illi nomen, quod est super orane nomen.
℣. Christ became, for our sake, obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.
For which cause, God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name, which is above all names.
Then is said, in secret, the Pater noster, which is followed by the Miserere (page 336). As soon as the psalm is finished, the following prayer is recited by the first in dignity:
Respice, quæsumus, Domine, super hanc. familiam tuam: pro qua Dominus noster Jesus Christus non dubitavit manibus tradi nocentium, et crucis subire tormentum:
Look down, O Lord, we beseech thee, upon this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ hesitated not to be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and to undergo the punishment of the cross:
(then the rest in secret:)
Qui tecum vivit et regnat, in unitate Spiritus sancti, Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum. Amen.
Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.