From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
During this second part of the year, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with holy Church, who, every day in her Office of Lauds, hails the return of light, making use of these words of the royal prophet:
Deus, Deus meus, ad te de luce vigilo.
O God, my God, unto thee do I watch at break of day.
He will profoundly adore the divine Majesty; and, thanking his sovereign Lord, who has protected him while involved in the darkness of night, he will proffer Him his service for the whole day which is now commencing; he will wish to spend it in love and obedience, as behoves one whom Christ has united to Himself by His mysteries, and whom the Holy Ghost is willing to guide and govern. The time for morning prayer being come, he may give expression to the sentiments which should then animate his soul, by using these formulas of the Church:
Morning Prayers
First, praise and adoration of the most holy Trinity:
℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu.
℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula.
℣. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.
℣. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
℟. Let us praise him and extol him above all, for ever.℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Then praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ:
℣. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi;
℟. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
℣. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee;
℟. Because, by thy holy cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost:
Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende.
Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love.
After these fundamental acts of religion, recite the Lord’s Prayer, uniting your intentions with those which your Saviour had when He gave it to you. First, then, raise up your thoughts and desires to the interests of His glory, while you say the first three petitions: and in the last four, humbly put before Him the favours you yourself stand in need of:
Pater noster, qui es in cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua sicut in cœlo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Then address our blessed Lady, using for this the words of the Angelical Salutation. While saying it, think of the share she took in the mysteries whereby we have been saved and united to God. Think, too, of the immense power given to her by her divine Son, and of the maternal love she bears for us mortals.
The Angelical Salutation
Ave Maria, gratia plena; Dominus tecum; benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
After this you should recite the Creed, that is the Symbol of faith. It contains the dogmas we are to believe, and which we have seen in such living reality by means of the liturgy, which has celebrated them each in its turn. Faith is the first bond which unites us to God. It is faith that gives us to know Him, and reveals to us the object of our hope and of our love. Our faith should be dearer to us than our life, and we should be ever praying for its increase.
The Apostles' Creed
Credo in Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem cœli et terræ. Et in Jesum Christum Filium ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum: qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine, passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus et sepultus: descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis: ascendit ad cœlos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris omnipotentis: inde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam, sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum, carnis resurrectionem, vitam æternam. Amen.
I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
After having thus made the profession of your faith, unite with holy Church, who hails each morning the rising of the day-star, who is her Jesus, ‘the light of the world,’[1] and the Sun of justice. To this end you may recite the following beautiful hymn, composed by St. Ambrose:
Hymn
Splendor Paternæ gloriæ,
De luce lucem proferens,
Lux lucis, et fons luminis,
Diem dies illuminans.
Verusque sol illabere,
Micans nitore perpeti:
Jubarque Sancti Spiritus
Infunde nostris sensibus.
Votis vocemus et Patrem,
Patrem perennis gloriæ,
Patrem potentis gratiæ,
Culpam releget lubricam.
Confirmet actus strenuos,
Dentes retundat invidi:
Casus secundet asperos,
Donet gerendi gratiam.
Mentem gubernet et regat,
Casto, fideli corpore;
Fides calore ferveat,
Fraudis venena nesciat.
Christusque nobis sit cibus,
Potusque noster sit fides:
Læti libamus sobriam
Ebrietatem Spiritus.
Lætus dies hic transeat,
Pudor sit ut diluculum,
Fides velut meridies,
Crepusculum mens nesciat.
Aurora cursus provehit,
Aurora totus prodeat,
In Patre totus Filius,
Et totus in Verbo Pater.
Deo Patri sit gloria,
Ejusque soli Filio,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito,
Et nunc, et in perpetuum.
Amen.
O Brightness of the Father’s glory!
bringing light from the light!
Thou light of light, and fount of light,
and day that illuminest the day!
O thou true sun! pour forth thy rays on us,
shining upon us with unfading splendour!
O radiance of the Holy Ghost,
be thou infused into our senses and powers.
Give us also to invoke the Father,
the Father of eternal glory,
the Father of mighty grace,
that he would drive from us sin and its allurements.
May he give energy to our deeds and strengthen them;
may he break the teeth of the envious serpent;
may he support us when we rudely fall,
and give us the grace to act.
May he govern and rule our mind,
in a chaste and faithful body;
may our faith be fervent in warmth,
void of the poisons of error.
May Christ be our food,
and faith our drink;
may we in gladness quaff
the sober inebriation of the Spirit.
May this day be one of joy;
modesty its dawn,
faith its noon;
and no night to dim the mind.
The aurora is swiftly advancing;
O may the full aurora come,
the whole Son in the Father,
and the whole Father in his Word!
To God the Father,
and to his only Son,
and to the Paraclete Spirit,
be glory for ever and ever.
Amen.
After having thus paid your homage to your divine mediator, next make a humble confession of your sins, reciting for this purpose the general formula made use of by the Church.
The Confession Of Sins
Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis apostolis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus sanctis, quia peccavi nimis, cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum et omnes sanctos, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
Misereatur nostri omnipotens Deus, et dimiseis peccatis nostris, perducat nos ad vitam æternam. Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutionem et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. Amen.
I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.
May almighty God have mercy on us, and, our sins being forgiven, bring us to life everlasting. Amen.
May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution and remission of our sins. Amen.
This is the proper time for making your meditation, as, no doubt, you practise this holy exercise. It may be the case with some souls that their assiduous application to the mysteries of the holy liturgy has produced upon them this, among other effects—that it has opened to them the way of prayer, properly so called. Let, then, each one commune with God, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. During this long period, which never lasts less than six months, the Christian is free to choose the subject of his communings with God, for he has been enlightened as to all things, by the words and works of his Lord, who came down from heaven to earth that He might teach us all truth. So that, whether he stay to ponder over the mysteries which have been revealed to him, according to the attraction which he feels for them; or fix his attention upon the perfections of that divine model, in whom there are, so resplendently, all the marks of the second Adam come down from heaven; or our Lord point out to him those miseries and imperfections which are in him, and keep him still so far from his model: all will tend to enlighten him, to inflame him, and to unite him with his God. When a soul is continually being influenced by her contact with the Church through the liturgy, it is impossible for the spirit of prayer not to grow within her, and, either imperceptibly or suddenly, produce in her a transformation into Him, who, being God, has united Himself to our nature, in order that, through Him, we might be united with God.
Your meditation or prayer ended, or deferred on account of your not having leisure to make it at this hour of the morning, you will next address this prayer to God, begging Him to grant you the grace to avoid, during this day, every kind of sin, and to perform all manner of good works. Say, then, this prayer of the Church, for her prayers are the best:
℣. Domine, exaudi orationem meam,
℟. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oremus.
Domine, Deus omnipotens, qui ad principium hujus diei nos pervenire fecisti, tua nos hodie salva virtute, ut in hac die ad nullum declinemus peccatum; sed semper ad tuam justitiam faciendam nostra procedant eloquia, dirigantur cogitationes et opera. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer,
℟. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us Pray.
Almighty Lord and God, who hast brought us to the beginning of this day, let thy powerful grace so conduct us through it that we may not fall into any sin; but that all our thoughts, words, and actions may be regulated according to the rules of thy heavenly justice, and tend to the observance of thy law. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
During the day you would do well to use the instructions and prayers which you will find in these volumes, both for the proper of the time and the proper of the saints. In the evening you may use the following prayers.
NIGHT PRAYERS
After having made the sign of the cross, adore that sovereign Lord, who now offers you repose after the labours of the day. Beg His protection on these hours of sleep and night; to this end, you may recite this beautiful hymn of St. Ambrose, which was so great a favourite with St. Augustine, his disciple.[2]
Hymn
Deus, Creator omnium
Polique rector, vestiens
Diem decoro lumine,
Noctem soporis gratia.
Artus solutos ut quies
Reddat laboris usui,
Mentesque fessas allevet,
Luctusque solvat anxios.
Grates, peracto jam die,
Et noctis exortu, preces,
Voti reos ut adjuves,
Hymnum canentes, solvimus.
Te cordis ima concinant,
Te vox sonora concrepet,
Te diligat castus amor,
Te mens adoret sobria.
Ut, cum profunda clauserit
Diem caligo noctium,
Fides tenebras nesciat
Et nox fide reluceat.
Dormire mentem ne sinas,
Dormire culpa noverit;
Castos fides refrigerans
Somni vaporem temperet.
Exuta sensu lubrico
Te cordis alta somnient;
Nec hostis invidi dolo
Pavor quietos suscitet.
Christum rogemus et Patrem,
Christi Patrisque Spiritum:
Unum, potens per omnia,
Fove procantes, Trinitas.
Amen.
O God, Creator of all things,
and ruler of the heavens,
’tis thou that clothest day with beautiful light,
and night with the boon of sleep.
’Tis sleep that restores
our wearied limbs to the toil of work.
Sleep gives repose to the mind when tired,
and takes away the anxious-making grief.
The day is spent, and night is come;
we offer thee our thanks and prayers,
singing our hymn,
that thou mayst help us, thy servants.
May our inmost heart sing thy praise,
and tuneful voices sound forth thy name;
may our chaste affection love,
and our sober mind adore thee.
And when the night’s deep gloom
shall shut out the day,
may our faith know nought of darkness,
and the very night be day by faith.
Let not our soul, but only sin feel sleep;
let faith keep us chaste,
and by its refreshing power,
check the vapours of sleep.
May our heart’s deepest self,
unshackled by the allurements of sense,
dream of thee; nor let the fear of the enemy,
whose envy is ever laying snares, disturb us when at rest.
Let our prayer ascend to Christ and to the Father,
and to the Spirit of Christ and of the Father:
O Trinity, one in essence, and all-powerful,
be merciful to us, who pray to thee.
Amen.
After this hymn, say the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Apostles’ Creed, as in the morning.
Then make the examination of conscience, going over in your mind all the faults committed during the day. Think, and humble yourself at the thought, how sin makes us degenerate from the divine adoption. Then make a resolution to avoid sin for the time to come, to do penance for it, and to shun the occasions which might again lead you into it.
Having concluded the examination of conscience, recite the Confiteor (or ‘I confess’) with heartfelt contrition; and then give expression to your sorrow by the following act, which we have taken from the venerable Cardinal Bellarmine’s catechism.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am exceedingly grieved for having offended thee; and, with my whole heart, I repent of the sins I have committed: I hate and abhor them, above every other evil, not only because, by so sinning, I have lost heaven, and deserve hell, but still more because I have offended thee, O infinite Goodness, who art worthy to be loved above all things. I most firmly resolve, by the assistance of thy grace, never more to offend thee for the time to come, and to avoid those occasions which might lead me into sin.
You may then add the acts of faith, hope, and charity, to the recitation of which Pope Benedict XIV. has granted an indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines for each time.
Act of Faith
O my God, I firmly believe whatsoever the holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church requires me to believe: I believe it, because thou hast revealed it to her, thou who art the very truth.
Act of Hope
O my God, knowing thine almighty power, and thine infinite goodness and mercy, I hope in thee that, by the merits of the Passion and death of our Saviour Jesus Christ, thou wilt grant me eternal life, which thou hast promised to all such as shall do the works of a good Christian; and these I resolve to do, with the help of thy grace.
Act of Charity
O my God, I love thee with my whole heart and above all things, because thou art the sovereign Good: I would rather lose all things than offend thee. For thy love also, Ilove, and desire to love, my neighbour as myself.
Then say to our blessed Lady the following solemn anthem, which the Church says, in her honour, till Advent.
Anthem to the Blessed Virgin
Salve, Regina, mater misericordiæ: vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevæ;
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrymarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende;
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria!
℣. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix,
℟. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Oremus.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriosæ Virginis Matris Mariæ corpus et animam, ut dignum Filii tui habitaculum effici mereretur, Spiritu sancto cooperante præparasti: da, ut cujus commemoratione lætamur, ejus pia intercessione ab instantibus malis, et a morte perpetua liberemur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
Hail, holy QUEEN, mother OF mercy; our life, our sweetness, and our hope, all hail!
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve:
To thee we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us;
And, after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus;
O merciful, O kind, O sweet Virgin Mary!
℣. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray.
O almighty and everlasting God, who, by the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, didst prepare the body and soul of Mary, glorious Virgin and Mother, to become the worthy habitation of thy Son; grant that we may be delivered from present evils, and from everlasting death, by her gracious intercession, in whose commemoration we rejoice. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
You would do well to add the litany of our Lady. An indulgence of three hundred days, for each time it is recited, has been granted by the Church.
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin
Kyrie, eleïson.
Christe, eleïson.
Kyrie, eleïson.
Christe, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.
Pater de cœlis, Deus, miserere nobis.
Fili, Redemptor mundi, Deus, miserere nobis.
Spiritus Sancte, Deus, miserere nobis.
Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus, miserere nobis.
Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.
Sancta Dei Genitrix, ora, etc.
Sancta Virgo virginum,
Mater Christi,
Mater divinæ gratiæ,
Mater purissima,
Mater castissima,
Mater inviolata,
Mater intemerata,
Mater amabilis,
Mater admirabilis,
Mater boni consilii,
Mater Creatoris,
Mater Salvatoris,
Virgo prudentissima,
Virgo veneranda,
Virgo prædicanda,
Virgo potens,
Virgo clemens,
Virgo fidelis,
Speculum justitiæ,
Sedes sapientiæ,
Causa nostræ lætitiæ,
Vas spirituale,
Vas honorabile,
Vas insigne devotionis,
Rosa mystica,
Turris Davidica,
Turris eburnea,
Domus aurea,
Fœderis arca,
Janua cœli,
Stella matutina,
Salus infirmorum,
Refugium peccatorum,
Consolatrix afflictorum,
Auxilium Christianorum,
Regina Angelorum,
Regina Patriarcharum,
Regina Prophetarum,
Regina Apostolorum,
Regina Martyrum,
Regina Confessorum,
Regina Virginum,
Regina Sanctorum omnium,
Regina sine labe originali concepta,
Regina sacratissimi rosarii,
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, parce nobis, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, exaudi nos, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Christe, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.
℣. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix,
℟. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
Oremus.
Concede nos famulos tuos, quæsumus, Domine Deus, perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere: et gloriosa beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis intercessione a præsenti liberari tristitia, et æterna perfrui lætitia. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray, etc.
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Redeemer,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the weak,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen of the most holy rosary,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
℣. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
℟. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray.
Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we thy servants may enjoy constant health of body and mind: and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from all present affliction, and come to that joy which is eternal. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Here invoke the holy angels, whose protection is, indeed, always so much needed by us, but never so much as during the hours of night. Say with the Church:
Sancti angeli custodes nostri, defendite nos in prælio, ut non pereamus in tremendo judicio.
℣. Angelis suis Deus mandavit de te,
℟. Ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis.
Oremus.
Deus, qui ineffabili providentia sanctos angelos tuos ad nostram custodiam mittere dignaris: largire supplicibus tuis, et eorum semper protectione defendi, et æterna societate gaudere. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
Holy angels, our loving guardians, defend us in the hour of battle, that we may not be lost at the dreadful judgment.
℣. God hath given his angels charge of thee,
℟. That they may guard thee in all thy ways.
Let us Pray.
O God, who in thy wonderful providence hast been pleased to appoint thy holy angels for our guardians: mercifully hear our prayers, and grant we may rest secure under their protection, and enjoy their fellowship in heaven, for ever. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Then beg the assistance of the saints by the following antiphon and prayer of the Church:
Ant. Sancti Dei omnes, intercedere dignemini pro nostra omniumque salute.
Ant. All ye saints of God, vouchsafe to intercede for us and for all men, that we may be saved.
And here you may add a special mention of the saints to whom you bear a particular devotion, either as your patrons or otherwise; as also of those whose feast is kept in the Church that day, or who have been at least commemorated in the Divine Office.
This done, remember the necessities of the Church suffering; and beg of God that He will give to the souls in purgatory a place of refreshment, light, and peace. For this intention recite the usual prayers:
Psalm 129
De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuæ intendentes: in vocem deprecationis meæ.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine: Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est: et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus: speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem: speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia: et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel: ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
℣. A porta inferi,
℟. Erue, Domine, animas eorum.
℣. Requiescant in pace.
℟. Amen.
℣. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
℟. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Oremus.
Fidelium Deus omnium Conditor et Redemptor, animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum, remissionem cunctorum tribue peccatorum: ut indulgentiam, quam semper optaverunt, piis supplicationibus consequantur. Qui vivis et regnas in sæcula sæculorum.
Amen.
From the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If thou wilt observe iniquities, O Lord: Lord, who shall endure it?
For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on his word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night: let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
℣. From the gate of hell,
℟. Deliver their souls, O Lord.
℣. May they rest in peace.
℟. Amen.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us Pray.
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of thy servants departed the remission of all their sins: that through the help of pious supplications, they may obtain the pardon they have always desired. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever.
Amen.
Here make a special memento of such of the faithful departed as have a particular claim upon your charity; after which, ask of God to give you His assistance, whereby you may pass the night free from danger. Say, then, still keeping to the words of the Church:
Ant. Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes, custodi nos dormientes: ut vigilemus cum Christo, et requiescamus in pace.
℣. Dignare, Domine, nocte ista,
℟. Sine peccato nos custodire.
℣. Miserere nostri, Domine.
℟. Miserere nostri.
℣. Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos.
℟. Quemadmodum speravimus in te.
℣. Domine, exaudi orationem meam,
℟. Et clamor mens ad te veniat.
Oremus.
Visita, quæsumus, Domine, habitationem istam, et omnes insidias inimici ab ea longe repelle: angeli tui sancti habitent in ea, qui nos in pace custodiant, et benedictio tua sit super nos semper. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus sancti, Deus, per omnia sæcula sæculorum.
Amen.
Ant. Save us, O Lord, while awake, and watch us as we sleep; that we may watch with Christ, and rest in peace.
℣. Vouchsafe, O Lord, this night,
℟. To keep us without sin.
℣. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
℟. Have mercy on us.
℣. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
℟. As we have hoped in thee.
℣. O Lord, hear my prayer,
℟. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us Pray.
Visit, we beseech thee, O Lord, this house and family, and drive from it all snares of the enemy; let thy holy angels dwell herein, who may keep us in peace, and may thy blessing be always upon us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Amen.
And finally, as a close to the day, you may recite those words which were the last uttered by our Redeemer on the cross. The Church offers them to God, each day at Compline.
In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum.
Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my soul.
[1] St. John viii. 12.
[2] Confessions, Bk. ix., ch. 12.