Time after Pentecost
Introduction to the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 1: The History of the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 2: The Mystery of the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 3: The Practice During the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 4: Morning and Night Prayers for the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 5: On Hearing Mass During the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 6: On Holy Communion During the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 7: On the Office of Vespers for Sundays and Feasts During the Time after Pentecost
- Chapter 8: On the Office of Compline During the Time after Pentecost
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
If, in the early stages of the liturgical year, in Advent, at Christmas, and during the periods of Septuagesima and Lent, when there was question of nothing beyond a preparation for the divine mysteries which wrought our salvation—if, in the name of holy Church, we then invited the faithful to have recourse to the sacrament of our Lord’s Body, as being the heavenly nourishment that would support them in the glorious career on which they had entered; now that the work is done, that they have risen again with their Redeemer, that they have followed Him, by their desires and their hopes, even to the very summit of heaven—now that the Holy Ghost has come down upon this earth, that He might complete within them the work of their union with God, surely, nothing could profit them more than that they nourish themselves, and even more frequently than before, with the Bread of life, which came from heaven, that He might give life to the world.[1]
From our first entrance into the new season, which we are now passing through, holy Church has, by the great feast of Corpus Christi, brought us face to face with the august mystery, which is both the sacrifice whereby God receives the honour due to Him, and the sacrament containing within itself the nourishment of our souls. We have now a clearer understanding of the unspeakable gift which our Saviour vouchsafed to bestow upon us the night before His Passion. We now see more plainly the nature and greatness of the homage which earth gives to its Creator, by the ceaseless offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass. We now know, so much better than formerly, what that deifying relation is which is made to exist between God and the soul by means of the participation of the sacred Host. The Holy Ghost has shed His light upon all these truths; He has opened out to us the very depths of the mystery shown to us from the outset—the mystery, that is, of the Emmanuel, or God with us. Now that we are so fully initiated into the whole of God’s work, we understand better that great text of the Gospel which says: ‘The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us.’[2] We grasp the meaning more completely; we can give it a more literal, and equally faithful translation, and say: ‘The Word was made Flesh, and took up His dwelling within us.’
All this has increased in the Christian the desire of assisting at the holy sacrifice. He says to himself, as did the patriarch of old: ‘“Truly, the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not”;[3] my faith was sound, but I did not perceive, as I do now, the immensity of what our Lord did at His last Supper.’ In the same way, having now a clearer knowledge of the union, which is brought about even in this present world, between God and the soul that is nourished with the living Bread, whereby that soul is transformed into its Creator, the Christian longs more ardently than ever for the enjoyment of that Lord who, even during this mortal life, gives us, by means of the eucharistic Bread, not only a foretaste, but the very reality of that which awaits us in heaven. We may truly assert that the keeping up of that state which we have already described in the third chapter, and which is the state both of the Church herself and of the faithful soul during this period of the liturgical year, is the joint work of the Holy Ghost who abides within us and of the eucharistic gift, in which the Son of God ceases not to act for the preservation, increase, and development of the divine life which He came to bring us, and of which He thus speaks: ‘I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.’[4]
We will here, as in the preceding volumes, give acts which may serve as preparation for holy Communion during this season of the year. There are souls that feel the want of some such assistance as this; and, for the same reason, we will add a form of thanksgiving for after Communion.
BEFORE COMMUNION
ACT OF FAITH
Now that I am about to unite myself to thee in the mystery of thy love, I must first profess that I believe it to be truly thyself, O my God—thy Body, thy Soul, thy Divinity, that thou art going to give me. The first duty thou askest of me, now that thou art coming to me, is the act of my faith in this deep mystery. I make it; and my understanding is happy at thus bowing itself down before thy sovereign word. Thou, O Jesus, art the truth; and when presenting to thy disciples the bread changed into thy Body, thou saidst to them: ‘This is my Body!' I believe thy word; I adore ‘the living Bread, come down from heaven to give life to the world.’ The grace of the Holy Ghost, whom thou hast sent me, enables me to relish this marvel of thy all-powerful love. This love of thine was not satisfied with uniting thee to the human nature, which thou assumedst in Mary’s womb; it would, moreover, prepare for each one of us, by means of the heavenly food of thy sacred Flesh, a real and mysterious union with thee, which none hut thou could have planned, none but thou could have achieved. For its accomplishment thou first demandest, as thou hadst all right to do, that we should have an unlimited confidence in the truth of thy word. When thou wast upon the cross, thy Divinity was veiled from view; in the sacred Host, thy very Humanity is hid from our eyes; but I believe, O my God, both thy Divinity and Humanity present under the cloud which shrouds them from all mortal sight. I have been taught by thine apostle, O light inaccessible, that it is by faith alone that we can approach thee, while we are in this present life. I believe, then, O Lord! but help thou mine unbelief.
ACT OF HUMILITY
Taught as I have been by thy words, O my God, I know, and with
a certainty which my reason and my senses could never have given me, that in a few moments I shall be in closest union with thine infinite Majesty. Thou hast said it: ‘He that eateth my Flesh, abideth in me, and I in Him!’ My whole being thrills at these words. I, a sinner, all marked with the sores of my iniquities, and still fighting with passions but half subdued—I am to abide in thee! And thou, that art. infinite being and infinite holiness, thou art coming to abide in me, who am but nothingness and sin! At such tidings as this, what else can I do but cry out with the centurion of thy Gospel: 'Lord! I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof!' And yet, I hear thee saying also these other words: ‘Unless ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, ye shall not have life in you.’ This life I would have, O Jesus! And didst thou not come, didst thou not work all thy mysteries, in order that we might have life, and more and more of that life? I have no desire to shun it. What, then, can I do, but take shelter in the depths of humility, think of mine own vileness, be mindful of the fuel of sin that exists within me, and acknowledge the infinite distance there is between myself and thee, O my Redeemer and my Judge? I know that then thou wilt have pity on my misery, and wilt say 'but one word, and my soul shall be healed.’ Say, I beseech thee, that word which is to comfort my heart. Till thou sayst it, I dare not raise up mine eyes towards thine altar; I can but tremble at the approach of that moment, when a poor creature, like myself, is to be united with its Creator, from whose eyes nought is hid, and who judges even our justices.
ACT OF CONTRITION
Ever since that day whereon thy Spirit, O Lord, came down upon us, in order that he might the more deeply imprint upon our souls the divine mysteries thou wroughtest, from thy merciful Incarnation to thy glorious Ascension, thou vouchsafest to invite me more frequently to thy table. And I have learned, too, since that same coming, better than I knew before, how it behoves me to prepare myself with all possible diligence for each of thy visits. I have been renewing my faith, by accepting with increased ardour the truth of thy presence in the Sacrament of the altar. As I see thy dread Majesty advancing towards me, I have professed, and with sincere humility, my utter nothingness, for I have acknowledged my extreme unworthiness; but all this does not put me at rest. There is something beyond all this: it is, that I am a sinner; I have offended thee; I have rebelled against thee; I have turned thy very benefits into occasions of outrage against thee; to say it in all its enormity, I have caused thy death upon the cross! The Holy Ghost, having vouchsafed to give me light, has taught me the malice of sin; he has given me to understand, more fully than formerly, how detestable have been my audacity and ingratitude. I have had revealed to me, by the grand mysteries of the first portion of the year, how much I cost thee on that day, whereon justice and mercy united in the sacrifice which saved mankind. The more thou hast heaped thy favours on me, O Lord, the more keenly do I feel the injustice of my sins; and I beseech thee to bestow on me the signal grace, the grace which will ensure every other, of keeping up within me the spirit of compunction and penance. O my God, at this hour when thou art about to give thyself to me, I offer to thee the expression of my sorrow; and from my deepest soul, I say to thee those words of the publican: ‘Have mercy on me, O God, for I am a sinner.’
ACT OF LOVE
And now, O my Lord, permit me to turn my thoughts upon the happiness of a soul, to whom thou givest thyself in the Sacrament of thy love! As to that familiarity into which some souls might fall who approach thee reflecting upon thine ineffable goodness alone, and not upon the greatness of thy majesty, oh! I shudder at such presumption. And yet I long to be united with thee; and, until thou art come into me, my soul panteth after thee. Thy mysteries which I have been celebrating with thy Church have enkindled within me a fire which nothing can quench, a fire to which thy divine Spirit delights to be ever adding heat. ‘Thy delight,’ so thou hast told us, ‘is to be with the children of men’; and is it not true, also, that with such of the children of men as know thee, thy love is the very nourishment on which their own hearts live P In order to maintain them in this love which is their life, thou hast made thyself present in the sacred Host; thou givest them to live in thee, just as thou livest in them, as often as they eat of this living Bread, which hath come down from heaven. This charity, this love ‘which hath been poured forth into our hearts by the Holy Ghost,’ is nourished at thy holy table, O Lord! and there is it increased; for it is in the divine Sacrament, which thou institutedst the night before thy Passion, that we are united to thee. Love tends to be united with the object it loves; therefore do I, in spite of the conviction of my unworthiness, long for the blissful moment of thy coming into me.
Everything that thou hast done, my Lord, has been done to make me love thee! Thou hast loved me first; who will blame me that my heart hungers for thee? Thou hadst pity one day on the people who had followed thee into the desert. ‘I have compassion,’ thou saidst, ‘on this multitude', and then, straightway, thou gavest them to eat as much as they would. Ah! Lord, my poor 'heart and flesh long after thee’; and thou alone canst satisfy the hunger which gnaws me, for thou art the sovereign Good, thou art true life; and it was that I might enjoy that sovereign Good, and live that heavenly life, that thou createdst me. There was a time when this heart of mine was dull; darkness was upon me, and I could not see the light: but now that thy mysteries have enlightened and regenerated me, I sigh after thee with all the earnestness of my soul. Come, then, Lord Jesus! Withhold thyself no longer from my soul, that awaits thy visit!
AFTER COMMUNION
ACT OF ADORATION
Thy presence within me, O Lord, is joy and sweetness to me; and yet before indulging in the delight it brings. I feel impelled to prostrate my entire being before thy sovereign Majesty. I must, I will, first adore thee, for thou art the great God of heaven and earth. Thou standest in no need of me, and yet thou comest down to this my nothingness. Where, then, shall I begin, if it be not in humbling myself profoundly before thee, and acknowledging that thou art Lord, the only-begotten and consubstantial Son of the Father; that thou art he by whom all things were made, the eternal, the infinite, and the supreme Judge of the living and the dead. Thy Seraphim, who see thee in thy unveiled majesty, and drink their fill of everlasting happiness from thy divine essence, these glorious spirits, as thy prophet tells us, cover their faces with their wings; they tremble before thee, as the Church tells us; and yet, whilst trembling in thy presence, their love is as ardent and as tender as though they were nothing but love. I would follow their example, ( ) my God; I would offer thee at this moment the creature’s first duty to its Creator, adoration. Thou art so nigh to me at this happy moment that my being feels renovated and almost lost in thine; how, then, can I be otherwise than overwhelmed by the weight of thy glory? Yes, I do adore thee, O Eternal, Infinite, Immense, All-powerful! before whom all created beings are as though they were not. I confess before thee my own nothingness; I acknowledge thine absolute dominion over me, and over everything which thy power and goodness have produced in creation. ‘King of ages! immortal and invisible’ in thine essence! Glory be to thee! Accept this first homage of a soul to which thy love has deigned to unite thee.
ACT OF THANKSGIVING
There is another homage which I owe to thee, O my God! It is gratitude. Thou often invitest me to partake of the divine gift, wherewith thou, before leaving this earth, didst enrich us. But woe to me if, because I can easily and often have it, I value so much the less its greatness! Wretched familiarity, which blunts the sentiment of gratitude, and deadens faith, and takes all ardour from love; may thy grace, O Lord, preserve me from its vile influence. For thousands of years the human race was in expectation of the favour, which thou hast just been bestowing upon me. Abraham, the father of believers; Moses, thy much-loved friend; David, the inspired chanter of thy mysteries: none of these received thee; and this Bread of angels has come down from heaven for me! Oh! unheard-of goodness of a God incorporating himself with his creature! Who is there that could measure its length and breadth, or scan its height, or fathom its depth? These expressions of thine apostle regarding the mystery just given to me teach me what is the value of the wondious gift thou hast bestowed upon mankind. With what humble and lively gratitude, then, should it be received! Thou hast not been deterred, either by my nothingness or by the coldness of my feelings, or my infidelities; be thou blessed then, my Lord, for that out of thy desire to give thyself to me thou hast overstepped every limit, and removed every obstacle. I give thee thanks for this, and for every Communion thou hast hitherto so graciously given me. Deign to enlighten me more and more as to the magnificence of thy gift; deign to cherish within me the sentiment of love; that thus my longings for thy visit may be increased; that I may know how to honour, as I ought, thy presence within me; and that I may never dare to approach thee out of custom, or without my conscience assuring me that I am bringing with me the profound respect due to thee.
ACT OF LOVE
Now will I rest me in thee, O my sovereign Good, that hast come down to me and entered into me, in order to content the desires of my heart by thy presence. A few moments ago I was longing after thee; and now that longing has been satisfied. What is there on this earth that I could now desire P The very happiness of heaven, is it not the possession of thee P and thou, my Lord, assurest me that he who eats thy sacred Flesh ‘abideth in thee, and thou in him.' The union, then, to which love aspires, is now consummated. This happy moment of thy presence within me unites thy sovereign majesty to my lowliness; thou livest in me, and I live in thee. Divine charity has conquered every difficulty; and the life which now circulates through my being is not the life of time, hut of eternity. I at once profit of it, to assure thee, O Lord, that thou hast my love. Thy presence within me lasts but a short time; in a few moments there will be but the grace left by the visit thou art now paying me. At present, I can say in all truth: ‘I have found him whom my soul loveth.’ Accept, then, O Lord, the homage of my heart, and all its affections. Make this heart faithful and ardent in the love of thee; for love is the end of the whole law: and when thou vouchsafest to incorporate thyself with us by means of the bread of life, thine aim is to strengthen and increase charity within us. May this contact with thee, O Lord, destroy that love of myself, which hitherto has so often stifled, or at least retarded, the love which is due to thee. Let my heart become more and more purified; may its affections be set free from, and raised above, created objects, and centred in the unity of thy love, which includes all, and is enough for all.
ACT OF OBLATION
When I thus assure thee of my love, O my God, I hear within me a voice telling me that henceforth the rule of my conduct must be thy good pleasure. Then only shall I know that my protestations are sincere, when I give up mine own will to follow thine in all things. Thou wilt not only require me to keep from all sin, hut thou wouldst have me resolutely walk in the path of humility—humility which repels pride, thy chief enemy. Thou commandest me to keep my senses under restraint, lest the weakness of the flesh should get the mastery ever my spirit, which is prompt hut fickle. In order to make sure of a soul that is dear to thee, thou often sendest it trials; for thou hast said that whosoever ambitions to follow thee, must make up his mind to carry the cross. Thou hast warned thy disciples, that they must he on their guard against the world and its maxims, or that they would perish together with the world. These are the conditions which thou layest on them that would enlist under thy banner, dear Jesus! Renovated as I have been by thy precious visit, I offer myself to thee as one quite resolved to fulfil every duty of thy service. Give me thine aid, O my Lord and King! Thy sacramental presence, which is soon to quit me, will leave me an increase of thy grace. Increase my faith, and my docility to the teachings of thy holy Church, from whose hands I have just received thee. Give me to use this world at though I did not use it; give me to live at once, by desire, in that abode where I hope to enjoy thee, and without shadow or veil, for all eternity.
O Mary, Queen of heaven! watch over me, thy humble servant, whom the blessed Son of thy chaste womb has vouchsafed to nourish with his adorable Flesh, which he received from thee. Present him the oblation I now make him of myself, in return for the unspeakable gift he has just been bestowing upon me. Holy angels! bless and protect this poor child of earth, who has been feasting on that very bread, whereon you feed in heaven. All ye saints of God! who, when in this world, did eat of the heavenly Bread of the Christian pilgrim, pray, and obtain for me that it may keep with me to the end of my journey through this life, and may lead me to him, who ceases not to be the nourishment of his elect when in glory. Amen.
[1] St. John vi. 41, 52.
[2] St. John i. 14.
[3] Gen. xxviii. 16.
[4] St. John X. 10.
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year
The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following psalms. For certain feasts some of these psalms are changed for others, which are more appropriate to those occasions.
After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication:
℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.
℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
℣. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia.
Ant. Dixit Dominus.
℣. Incline unto mine aid, O God.
℟. O Lord, make haste to help me.
℣. 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. Alleluia.
Ant. The Lord said.
The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glories of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the right hand of the heavenly Father. He is King; He is Priest; He is the Son of Man, and the Son of God. His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled, but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to the highest glory.
Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis.
Donec ponam inimicos tuos: scabellum pedum tuorum.
Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum.
Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te.
Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech.
Dominus a dextris tuis; confregit in die iræ suæ reges.
Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum.
De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput.
Ant. Dixit Dominus Domino meo, Sede a dextris meis.
Ant. Magna opera Domini.
The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me.
Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool.
O Christ! the Lord, thy Father, will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: from thence rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.
With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints: For the Father hath said to thee: From the womb before the day-star I begot thee.
The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: he hath said, speaking of thee, the GodMan: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech.
Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many.
He cometh now in humility; he shall drink in the way, of the torrent of sufferings: therefore, he shall lift up the head.
Ant. The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand.
Ant. Great are the works of the Lord.
The following psalm commemorates the mercies of God to His people, the promised Covenant, the Redemption, His fidelity to His word. But it also tells us that the name of the Lord is terrible because it is holy; and concludes by admonishing us, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Confitebor tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo: in consilio justorum et congregatione.
Magna opera Domini: exquisita in omnes voluntates ejus.
Confessio et magnificentia opus ejus: et justitia ejus manet in sæculum sæculi.
Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum, misericors et miserator Dominus: escam dedit timentibus se.
Memor erit in sæculum testamenti sui: virtutem operum suorum annuntiabit populo suo.
Ut det illis hæreditatem gentium: opera manuum ejus veritas et judicium.
Fidelia omnia mandata ejus, confirmata in sæculum sæculi: facta in veritate et æquitate.
Redemptionem misit populo suo: mandavit in ætermina testamentum suum.
Sanctum et terribile nomen ejus: initium sapientiæ timor Domini.
Intellectus bonus omnibus facientibus eum: laudatio ejus manet in sæculum sæculi.
Ant. Magna opera Domini: exquisita in omnes voluntates ejus.
Ant. Qui timet Dominum.
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: in the counsel of the just, and in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord; sought out according to all his wills.
His work is praise and magnificence: and his justice continueth for ever and ever.
He hath made a remembrance of his wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious Lord: he is the Bread of life, he hath given food to them that fear him.
He will be mindful for ever of his covenant with men: he will show forth to his people the power of his works.
That he may give to his Church the inheritance of the Gentiles: the works of his hands are truth and judgment.
All his commandments are faithful, confirmed for ever and ever: made in truth and equity.
He hath sent redemption to his people; he hath thereby commanded his covenant for ever.
Holy and terrible is his name: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
A good understanding to all that do it: his praise continueth for ever and ever.
Ant. Great are the works of the Lord: sought out according to all his wills.
Ant. He that feareth the Lord.
The next psalm sings the happiness of the just man, and his hopes on the day of his Lord’s coming. It tells us, likewise, of the confusion of the sinner who shall have despised the mysteries of God’s love towards mankind.
Beatus vir qui timet Dominum: in mandatis ejus volet nimis.
Potens in terra erit semen ejus: generatio rectorum benedicetur.
Gloria et divitiæ in domo ejus: et justitia ejus manet in sæculum sæculi.
Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis: misericors, et miserator, et justus.
Jucundus homo, qui miseretur et commodat, disponet sermones suos in judicio: quia in æternum non commovebitur.
In memoria æterna erit justus: ab auditione mala non timebit.
Paratum cor ejus sperare in Domino, confirmatum est cor ejus: non commovebitur donec despiciat inimicos suos.
Dispersit, dedit pauperibus; justitia ejus manet in sæculum sæculi: cornu ejus exaltabitur in gloria.
Peccator videbit et irascetur, dentibus suis fremet et tabescet: desiderium peccatorum peribit.
Ant. Qui timet Dominum, in mandatis ejus cupit nimis.
Ant. Sit nomen Domini.
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.
Glory and wealth shall be in his house: and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.
To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness: that light is the Lord, who is merciful, and compassionate and just.
Acceptable is the man that showeth mercy and lendeth; be shall order his very words with judgment: because he shall not be moved for ever.
The just shall be in everlasting remembrance: he shall not fear the evil hearing.
His heart is ready to hope in the Lord; his heart is strengthened; he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies.
He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor; his justice remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory.
The wicked shall see, and shall be angry: he shall gnash with the teeth, and pine away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Ant. He that feareth the Lord delighteth exceedingly in his commandments.
Ant. May the name of the Lord.
The psalm, Laudate, pueri, is a canticle of praise to the Lord, who, from His high heaven, hath taken pity on the human race, and has vouchsafed to honour it by the Incarnation of His own Son.
Laudate, pueri, Dominum: laudate nomen Domini.
Sit nomen Domini benedictum: ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum.
A solis ortu usque ad occasum: laudabile nomen Domini.
Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus: et super cœlos gloria ejus.
Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster qui in altis habitat: et humilia respicit in cœlo et in terra?
Suscitans a terra inopem: et de stercore erigens pauperem:
Ut collocet eum cum principibus: cum principibus populi sui.
Qui habitare facit sterilem in domo: matrem filiorum lætantem.
Ant. Sit nomen Domini benedictum in sæcula.
Ant. Deus autem noster.
Praise the Lord, ye children: praise ye the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord; from henceforth now and for ever.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations: and his glory above the heavens.
Who is as the Lord, our God, who dwelleth on high: and looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth?
Raising up the needy from the earth: and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill.
That he may place him with princes: with the princes of his people.
Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children.
Ant. May the name of the Lord be for ever blessed.
Ant. But our God.
The fifth psalm, In exitu, recounts the prodigies witnessed under the ancient Covenant: they were figures, whose realities were to be accomplished in the mission of the Son of God, who came to deliver Israel from Egypt, emancipate the Gentiles from their idolatry, and pour out a blessing on every man who would consent to fear and love the Lord.
In exitu Israel de Ægypto: domus Jacob de populo barbaro:
Facta est Judea sanctificatio ejus: Israel potestas ejus.
Mare vidit et fugit: Jordanis conversus est retrorsum.
Montes exsultaverunt ut arietes: et colles sicut agni ovium.
Quid est tibi, mare, quod fugisti: et tu, Jordanis, quia con versus es retrorsum?
Montes exsultastis sicut arietes: et colles sicut agni ovium?
A facie Domini mota est terra: a facie Dei Jacob.
Qui convertit petram in stagna aquarum: et rupem in fontes aquarum.
Non nobis, Domine, non nobis: sed nomini tuo da gloriam.
Super misericordia tua, et veritate tua: nequando dicant gentes: Ubi est Deus eorum?
Deus autem noster in cœlo: omnia quæcumque voluit fecit.
Simulacra gentium argentum et aurum: opera manuum hominum.
Os habent, et non loquentur: oculos habent, et non videbunt.
Aures habent, et non audient: nares habent, et non odorabunt.
Manus habent, et non palpabunt, pedes habent, et non ambulabunt: non clamabunt in gutture suo.
Similes illis fiant qui faciunt ea: et omnes qui confidunt in eis.
Domus Israel speravit in Domino: adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Domus Aaron speravit in Domino: adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Qui timent Dominum, speraverunt in Domino: adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Dominus memor fuit nostril et benedixit nobis.
Benedixit domui Israel: benedixit domui Aaron.
Benedixit omnibus qui timent Dominum: pusillis cum majoribus.
Adjiciat Dominus super vos: super vos, et super filios vestros.
Benedicti vos a Domino: qui fecit cœlum et terram.
Cœlum cœli Domino: terram autem dedit filiis hominum.
Non mortui laudabunt te, Domine: neque omnes qui descendunt in infernum.
Sed nos qui vivimus, benedicimus Domino: ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.
Ant. Deus autem noster in cœlo: omnia quæcumque voluit, fecit.
When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people.
Judea was made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
The sea saw and fled; Jordan was turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams: and the hills like the lambs of the flocks.
What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou didst flee: and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back?
Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams: and ye hills like lambs of the flock?
At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God of Jacob.
Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hills into fountains of water.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us: but to thy name give glory.
For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake: lest the Gentiles should say: Where is their God?
But our God is in heaven: he hath done all things whatsoever he would.
The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold: the works of the hands of men.
They have mouths, and speak not: they have eyes, and see not.
They have ears, and hear not: they have noses, and smell not.
They have hands, and feel not: they have feet and walk not: neither shall they cry out through their throat.
Let them that make them become like unto them: and all such as trust in them.
The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.
The house of Aaron hath hoped in the LORD: HE IS THEIR helper and their protector.
They that feared the Lord have hoped in the Lord; he is their helper and their protector.
The Lord hath been mindful of us, and hath blessed us.
He hath blessed the house of Israel: he hath blessed the house of Aaron.
He hath blessed all that fear the Lord, both little and great.
May the Lord add blessings upon you: upon you, and upon your children.
Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The heaven of heaven is the Lord's: but the earth he has given to the children of men.
The dead shall not praise thee, O Lord; nor any of them that go down to hell.
But we that live bless the Lord: from this time now and for ever.
Ant. But our God is in heaven: he hath done all things whatsoever he would.
After these five psalms, a short lesson from the holy Scriptures is read. It is called Capitulum, or Little Chapter, because it is always very short. Those for the several festivals are given in the proper of each.
Benedictus Deus et Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi, Pater misericordiarum et Deus totius consolationis, qui consolatur nos in omni tribulatione nostra.
℟. Deo gratias.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations.
℟. Thanks be to God.
Then follows the hymn. We here give the one for Sundays. It was composed by St. Gregory the Great. It sings of creation, and celebrates the praises of that portion of it which was called forth on this first day, viz., the light.
Lucis Creator optime,
Lucem dierum proferens:
Primordiis lucis novæ,
Mundi parane originem.
Qui mane junctum vesperi
Diem vocari præcipis:
Illabitur tetrum chaos,
Audi preces cum fletibus.
Ne mens gravata crimine,
Vitae sit exsul munere:
Dum nil perenne cogitat,
Seseque culpis illigat.
Cœleste pulset ostium,
Vitale tollat præmium:
Vitemus omne noxium,
Purgemus omne pessimum.
Præsta Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito
Regnans per omne sæculum.
Amen.
O infinitely good Creator of the light!
by thee was produced the light of day,
providing thus the world’s beginning
with the beginning of the new-made light.
Thou biddest us call the time from morn till eve day;
this day is over;
dark night comes on;
oh! hear our tearful prayers.
Let not our soul, weighed down by crime,
mis-spend thy gift of life;
and, forgetting what is eternal,
be earth-tied by her sins.
Oh! may we strive to enter our heavenly home,
and bear away the prize of life;
may we shun what would injure us,
and cleanse our soul from her defilements.
Most merciful Father,
and thou his only-begotten Son, co-equal with him,
reigning for ever, with the holy Paraclete,
grant this our prayer.
Amen.
The versicle which follows the hymn, and which we here give, is that of the Sunday; those for the feasts are given in their proper places.
℣. Dirigatur, Domine, oratio mea.
℟. Sicut incensum in conspectu tuo.
℣. May my prayer, O Lord, ascend.
℟. Like incense in thy sight.
Then is said the Magnificat antiphon, which is to be found in the proper. After this, the Church sings the canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, in which are celebrated the divine maternity and all its consequent blessings. This exquisitely sweet canticle is an essential part of the Office of Vespers. It is the evening incense, just as the canticle Benedictus, at Lauds, is that of the morning.
Our Lady’s Canticle
(St. Luke i.)
Magnificat: anima mea Dominum;
Et exsultavit spiritus meus: in Deo Salutari meo.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillæ suæ: ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est: et sanctum Nomen ejus.
Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies: timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo: dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede: et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis: et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum: recordatus misericordiæ suæ.
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros: Abraham et semini ejus in sæcula.
My soul doth magnify the Lord;
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for, behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generation, to them that fear him.
He hath showed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy.
As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
The Magnificat antiphon is then repeated. The prayer, or collect, is given in the proper of each feast and Sunday.
℣. Benedicamus Domino.
℟. Deo gratias.
℣. Fidelium animæ per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace.
℟. Amen.
℣. Let us bless the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℣. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
℟. Amen.
[1] According to the monastic rite, it is as follows: ℟. breve. Quam magnificata sunt * Opera tua Domine. Quam. ℣. Omnia in sapientia fecisti * Opera. Gloria Patri, etc. Quam. Ne mens gravata crimine, Vitæ sit exsul munere, Dum nil perenne cogitat, Seseque culpis illigat. Lucis Creator optime, Lucem dierum proferens; Primordiis lucis novæ. Mundi parans originem. Cœlorum pulset intimum, Vitale tollat præmium : Vitemus omne noxium, Purgemus omne pessimum. Qui mane junctum vesperi, Diem vocari præcipis, Tetrum chaos illabitur, Audi preces cum fletibus. Præsta Pater piissime, Patrique compar Unice Cum Spiritu Paraclito Regnans per omne sæculum. Amen.
From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night; then immediately follows the public confession of our sine, as a powerful means of propitiating the divine justice, and of obtaining God’s help, now that we are going to spend so many hours in the unconscious, and therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death.
The lector, addressing the priest, says to him:
℣. Jube, domne, benedicere.
℣. Pray, father, give thy blessing.
The priest answers:
Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. ℟. Amen.
May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night, and a perfect end. ℟. Amen.
The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter:
Fratres: Sobrii estote et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus tamquam leo rugiens circuit, quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis.
Brethren, be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
The choir answers:
℟. Deo gratias.
℟. Thanks be to God.
Then the priest:
℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
The choir:
℟. Qui fecit cœlum et terram.
℟. Who hath made heaven and earth.
Then the Lord’s Prayer is recited in secret; after which the priest says the Confiteor, and when he has finished, the choir repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says:
℣. Converte nos, Deus, Salutaris noster.
℟. Et averte iram tuam a nobis.
℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.
℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri.
Ant. Miserere.
℣. Convert us, O God our Saviour.
℟. And turn away thine anger from us.
℣. Incline unto mine aid, O God.
℟. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory, &c.
Ant. Have mercy.
The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace; but the wicked know not what calm rest is.
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 diligitie 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 justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona?
Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine: dedisti lætitiam in corde meo.
A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: raultiplicati sunt.
In pace in idipsum: dormiam et requiescam.
Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: constituisti me.
When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress thou hast enlarged me.
Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long will ye be dull of heart? why do ye 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 ye say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon 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 rest.
For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.
The second psalm gives the motives of the just man’s confidence, even during the dangers of the night. There is no snare neglected by the demons; but the good angels watch over us, with brotherly solicitude. Then we have God Himself speaking, and promising to send us a Saviour.
Psalm 90
Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi: in protectione Dei cœli commorabitur.
Dicet Domino: Susceptor meus es tu, et refugium meum, Deus meus, sperabo in eum.
Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium: et a verbo aspero.
Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi: et sub pennis ejus sperabie.
Scuto circumdabit te veritas ejus: non timebis a timore nocturno.
A sagitta volante in die, a negotio perambulante in tenebris: ab incursu, et dæmonio meridiano.
Cadent a latere tuo mille, et decem millia a dextris tuis: ad te autem non appropinquabit.
Verumtamen oculis tuis considerable: et retributionem peccatorum videbis.
Quoniam tu es, Domine, spes mea: Altissimum posuisti refugium tuum.
Non accedet ad te malum: et flagellum non appropinquabit tabernaculo tuo.
Quoniam angelis suis mandavit de te: ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis.
In manibus portabunt te: ne forte offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum.
Super aspidem et basiliscum ambulabis: et conculcabis leonem et draconem.
Quoniam in me speravit, liberabo eum: protegam eum, quoniam cognovit nomen meum.
Clamabit ad me, et ego exaudiam eum: cum ipso sum in tribulatione, eripiam eum, et glorificabo eum.
Longitudine dierum replebo eum: et ostendam illi salutare meum.
He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of heaven.
He shall say unto the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge: my God, in him will I trust.
For he hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.
He will overshadow thee with his shoulders: and under his wings thou shalt trust.
His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night.
Of the arrow that flieth in the day: of the business that walketh about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
But thou shalt consider with thine eyes: and shalt see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast said: Thou, O Lord, art my hope: thou hast made the Most High thy refuge.
There shall no evil come unto thee, nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling.
For he hath given his angels charge over thee: to keep thee in all thy ways.
In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt walk upon the asp and basilisk: and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.
God will say of thee: Because he hoped in me, I will deliver him: I will protect him, because he hath known my name.
He will cry unto me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him.
I will fill him with length of days: and I will show him my salvation.
The third psalm invites the servants of God to persevere, with fervour, in the prayers they offer during the night. The faithful should say this psalm in a spirit of gratitude to God, for raising up in the Church adorers of His holy name, whose grand vocation is to lift up their hands, day and night, for the safety of Israel. On such prayers depend the happiness and the destinies of the world.
Psalm 133
Ecce nunc benedicite Dominum: omnes servi Domini.
Qui statis in domo Domini: in atriis domus Dei nostri.
In noctibus extollite manus vestras in sancta: et benedicite Dominum.
Benedicat te Dominus ex Sion: qui fecit cœlum et terrain.
Ant. Miserere mihi, Domine, et exaudi orationem meam.
Behold! now bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord.
Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
In the nights, lift up your hands to the holy places, and bless ye the Lord.
Say to Israel: May the Lord, out of Sion, bless thee, he that made heaven and earth.
Ant. Have mercy on me, O Lord, and hear my prayer.
Hymn[1]
Te lucis ante terminum,
Rerum Creator, poscimus,
Ut pro tua dementia,
Sis præsul et custodia.
Procul recedant somnia,
Et noctium phantasmata;
Hostemque nostrum comprime,
Ne polluantur corpora.
Præsta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito
Regnans per omne sæculum.
Amen.
Before the closing of the light,
we beseech thee, Creator of all things!
that, in thy clemency,
thou be our protector and our guard.
May the dreams and phantoms
of the night depart from us;
and do thou repress our enemy,
lest our bodies be profaned.
Most merciful Father!
and thou, his only-begotten Son, co-equal
with him reigning for ever,
with the holy Paraclete, grant this our prayer!
Amen.
Capitulum
(Jeremias xiv.)
Tu autem in nobis es, Domine, et nomen sanctum tuum invocatum est super nos: ne derelinquas nos, Domine, Deus noster.
℟. In manus tuas, Domine: * Commendo spiritum meum. In manus tuas.
℣. Redemisti nos, Domine Deus veritatis. * Commendo.
Gloria. In manus tuas.
℣. Custodi nos, Domine, ut pupillam oculi.
℟. Sub umbra alarum tuarum protege nos.
But thou art in us, O Lord, and thy holy name hath been invoked upon us: forsake us not, O Lord, our God.
℟. Into thy hands, O Lord: * I commend my spirit. Into thy hands.
℣. Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord God of truth. * I commend.
Glory. Into thy hands.
℣. Preserve us, O Lord, as the apple of thine eye.
℟. Protect us under the shadow of thy wings.
The canticle of the venerable Simeon—who, while holding the divine Infant in his arms, proclaimed Him to be the light of the Gentiles, and then slept the sleep of the just—is admirably appropriate to the Office of Compline. Holy Church blesses God for having dispelled the darkness of night by the rising of the Sun of justice; it is for love of Him, that she toils the whole day through, and rests during the night, saying: ‘I sleep, but my heart watcheth.’[2]
Canticle Of Simeon
(St. Luke ii.)
Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine: secundum verbum tuum in pace.
Quia viderunt oculi mei: salutare tuum.
Quod parasti: ante faciem omnium populorum.
Lumen ad revelationem Gentium: et gloriam plebis tuæ Israel.
Gloria.
Ant. Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes; custodi nos dormientes, ut vigilemus cum Christo, et requiescamus in pace.
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.
℣. Dominus vobiscum.
℟. Et cum spiritu tuo.
℣. Benedicamus Domino.
℟. Deo gratias.
Benedicatet custodiat nos omnipotens et misericors Dominus, Pater et Filius, et Spiritus sanctus.
℟. Amen.
Now dost thou dismiss thy servant O Lord, according to thy word, in peace.
Because mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
Which thou hast prepared; before the face of all peoples.
A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory, &c.
Ant. Save us, O Lord, while awake, and watch us as we sleep, that we may watch with Christ, and rest in peace.
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.
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
℣. Let us bless the Lord.
℟. Thanks be to God.
May the almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, bless and preserve us.
℟. Amen.
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 exilium 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.
℣. Divinum auxilium maneat semper nobiscum.
℟. 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.
℣. May the divine assistance remain always with us.
℟. Amen.
Then in secret Pater, Ave, and Credo; page 12.
[1] According to the monastic rite, as follows: Te lucis ante terminum, Rerum Creator, poscimus, Ut solita dementia Sis præsul ad custodiam. Procul recedant somnia Et noctium phantasmata; Hostemque nostrum comprime, Ne polluantur corpora. Præsta Pater omnipotens, Per Jesum Christum Dominum, Qui tecum in perpetuum Regnat cum sancto Spiritu. Amen.
[2] Cant. v. 2.
[3] In the monastic rite this response is as follows: ℟. Et cum fratribus nostris absentibus. Amen. ℟. And with our absent brethren. Amen.