Daytime Prayers
INTRODUCTION
God, + come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
HYMN
At Midmorning [Terce]
Behold, the third hour rises now,
when Christ ascends the saving Cross;
our minds should think no thoughts of pride,
intent on fervor in our prayer.
The heart that truly welcomes Christ
brings forth a conscience free from sin;
by faithful prayer it seeks to gain,
the Holy Spirit, Paraclete.
This is the hour that brought an end
to dire, deep-rooted, ancient sin,
and from this hour, by grace of Christ,
the time of blessing has begun.
To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,
who shine in vict’ry over death,
with God the Father, ever blest,
and loving Spirit, ever one. Amen.
Tune: MELCOMBE, 8 8 8 8
Music: Samel Webbe the elder, 1740-1816
or Mode I, melody 2; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Iam surgit hora tertia, Saint Ambrose, 340-397, © 2023 ICEL
At Midday [Sext]
Come, servants, join in humble prayer
with psalms and hymns of worthy praise;
let mind and heart and lips extol
the blest and holy name of God.
For this is that dread time and hour,
in which the Judge of ages stood
condemned to death by false decree,
unjustly judged by mortal foes.
And we with all the love we owe,
compelled by just and humble fear,
seek help against our wicked foe
and all his sly and fierce assaults.
Let us implore the one true God,
the Father and the Son, our King,
the Holy Spirit, Paraclete,
in Trinity, our God and Lord. Amen.
Tune: DEUS TUORUM MILITUM, 8 8 8 8
Music: from the Grenoble Antiphoner, 1753
or Mode I, melody 2; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Venite, servi, supplices, 5-6th c., © 2023 ICEL
At Midafternoon [None]
This is the hour that brightly shone
and rent the clouds that veiled the Cross,
divesting earth of dark and gloom,
restoring pure, unclouded light.
This is the hour when Jesus raised
the holy bodies from their tombs;
at his command they issue forth,
with breath of life, now freed from death.
Believing in a world renewed
where laws of death have been dissolved,
we know that gifts of blessed life
shall run an everlasting course.
To you, Lord Jesus, glory be,
who shine in vict’ry over death,
with God the Father, ever blest,
and loving Spirit, ever one. Amen.
Tune: MELCOMBE, 8 8 8 8
Music: Samel Webbe the elder, 1740-1816
or Mode I, melody 2; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983*
Text: Hæc hora, quæ resplenduit, 5̀-6th c., © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Complementary Psalmody
Psalm 22
God hears the suffering of his Holy One
Jesus cried with a loud voice: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46).
I
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *
You are far from my plea and the cry of my distress.
O my God, I call by day and you give no reply; *
I call by night and I find no peace.
Yet you, O God, are holy, *
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers put their trust; *
they trusted and you set them free.
When they cried to you, they escaped. *
In you they trusted and never in vain.
But I am a worm and no man, *
scorned by men, despised by the people.
All who see me deride me. *
They curl their lips, they toss their heads.
“He trusted in the Lord, let him save him; *
let him release him if this is his friend.”
Yes, it was you who took me from the womb, *
entrusted me to my mother’s breast.
To you I was committed from my birth, *
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not leave me alone in my distress; *
come close, there is none else to help.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
II
Many bulls have surrounded me, *
fierce bulls of Bashan close me in.
Against me they open wide their jaws, *
like lions, rending and roaring.
Like water I am poured out, *
disjointed are all my bones.
My heart has become like wax, *
it is melted within my breast.
Parched as burnt clay is my throat, *
my tongue cleaves to my jaws.
Many dogs have surrounded me, *
a band of the wicked beset me.
They tear holes in my hands and my feet *
and lay me in the dust of death.
I can count every one of my bones. *
These people stare at me and gloat;
they divide my clothing among them. *
They cast lots for my robe.
O Lord, do not leave me alone, *
my strength, make haste to help me!
Rescue my soul from the sword, *
my life from the grip of these dogs.
Save my life from the jaws of these lions, *
my poor soul from the horns of these oxen.
I will tell of your name to my brethren *
and praise you where they are assembled.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
III
“You who fear the Lord, give him praise; †
all sons of Jacob, give him glory. *
Revere him, Israel’s sons.
For he has never despised *
nor scorned the poverty of the poor.
From him he has not hidden his face, *
but he heard the poor man when he cried.”
You are my praise in the great assembly. *
My vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and shall have their fill. †
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him. *
May their hearts live for ever and ever!
All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord, †
all families of the nations worship before him *
for the kingdom is the Lord’s; he is the ruler of the nations.
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth; *
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.
And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him. *
They shall tell of the Lord to the generations yet to come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn: *
“These things the Lord has done.”
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer:
Father, when your Son was handed over to torture and seemed abandoned by you, he cried out to you from the cross and death was destroyed, life was restored. By his death and resurrection, may we see the day when the poor man is saved, the downtrodden is lifted up and the chains that bind people are broken. United to the thanks that Christ gives you, your Church will sing your praises.
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
MIDMORNING [Terce]
READING
Acts 2:32, 36
God has raised up Jesus, and we are his witnesses. Therefore let the whole house of Israel know beyond any doubt that God has made both Lord and Messiah this Jesus whom you crucified.
The Lord is risen, alleluia.
— He has appeared to Simon, alleluia.
Conclusion
MIDDAY [Sext]
READING
Galatians 3:27-28
All of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with him. There does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or freeman, male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus.
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia.
— When they saw the risen Lord, alleluia.
Conclusion
MIDAFTERNOON [None]
READING
1 Corinthians 5:7, 8
Get rid of the old yeast to make of yourselves fresh dough, unleavened loaves, as it were; Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. Let us celebrate the feast not with the old yeast, that of corruption and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Stay with us, Lord, alleluia.
— For evening draws near, alleluia.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Father,
by the love of your Spirit,
may we who have experienced
the grace of the Lord’s resurrection
rise to the newness of life in joy.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
— Amen.
Or:
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who have come to know
the grace of the Lord’s Resurrection,
may, through the love of the Spirit,
ourselves rise to newness of life.
Through Christ our Lord.
— Amen.
ACCLAMATION
Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.
******
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Go to Series III (Midafternoon)
Series I (Midmorning) [Terce]
Psalm 120
Longing for peace
Be patient in suffering, be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12).
To the Lord in the hour of my distress *
I call and he answers me.
“O Lord, save my soul from lying lips, *
from the tongue of the deceitful.”
What shall he pay you in return, *
O treacherous tongue?
The warrior’s arrows sharpened *
and coals, red-hot, blazing.
Alas, that I abide a stranger in Meshech, *
dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Long enough have I been dwelling *
with those who hate peace.
I am for peace, but when I speak, *
they are for fighting.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
You declared peacemakers happy, Lord Jesus, since they will be called sons of God. Give us that peace which the world cannot give so that your Church may be freed from the schemes of arrogant men, and, devoted to works of peace, go forward joyfully to meet you, the King of Peace.
Psalm 121
Guardian of his people
Never again will they hunger and thirst, never again know scorching heat (Revelation 7:16).
I lift up my eyes to the mountains: *
from where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord *
who made heaven and earth.
May he never allow you to stumble! *
Let him sleep not, your guard.
No, he sleeps not nor slumbers, *
Israel’s guard.
The Lord is your guard and your shade; *
at your right side he stands.
By day the sun shall not smite you *
nor the moon in the night.
The Lord will guard you from evil, *
he will guard your soul.
The Lord will guard your going and coming *
both now and for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you have prepared a quiet place for us in your Father’s eternal home. Watch over our welfare on this perilous journey, shade us from the burning heat of day, and keep our lives free of evil until the end.
Psalm 122
The holy city, Jerusalem
You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22).
I rejoiced when I heard them say: *
“Let us go to God’s house.”
And now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built as a city *
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up, *
the tribes of the Lord.
For Israel’s law it is, *
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement *
of the house of David.
For the peace of Jerusalem pray: *
“Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls, *
in your palaces, peace!”
For love of my brethren and friends *
I say: “Peace upon you!”
For love of the house of the Lord *
I will ask for your good.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
When you rose from the dead, Lord Jesus, you formed the Church into your new body, and made of it the new Jerusalem, united in your Spirit. Give us peace in our day. Make all nations come to your Church to share in your gifts in fellowship, that they may render you thanks without end and come to your eternal city.
Continue with Daytime Prayer
Psalm 123
The Lord is the hope of his people
Two blind men cried out: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us” (Matthew 20:30).
To you have I lifted up my eyes, *
you who dwell in the heavens:
my eyes, like the eyes of slaves *
on the hand of their lords.
Like the eyes of a servant *
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God *
till he show us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. *
We are filled with contempt.
Indeed all too full is our soul †
with the scorn of the rich, *
with the proud man’s disdain.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Father in heaven, we lift our eyes to you and pray: confound the scorn of the proud and graciously show us your mercy.
Psalm 124
Our help is in the name of the Lord
The Lord said to Paul: “Fear not. . . . I am with you” (Acts 18:9-10).
“If the Lord had not been on our side,” *
this is Israel’s song.
“If the Lord had not been on our side *
when men rose against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive *
when their anger was kindled.
Then would the waters have engulfed us, *
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept *
the raging waters.”
Blessed be the Lord who did not give us *
a prey to their teeth!
Our life, like a bird, has escaped *
from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken *
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, *
who made heaven and earth.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Lord Jesus, you foretold that your disciples would be despised on account of your name, but that not a hair of their heads is ever forgotten. In times of persecution, defend and revive us by the power and comfort of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be freed from our enemies and praise your saving help.
Psalm 125
The Lord, the guardian of his people
Peace to God’s true Israel (Galatians 6:16).
Those who put their trust in the Lord †
are like Mount Zion, that cannot be shaken, *
that stands for ever.
Jerusalem! The mountains surround her, †
so the Lord surrounds his people *
both now and for ever.
For the scepter of the wicked shall not rest *
over the land of the just
for fear that the hands of the just *
should turn to evil.
Do good, Lord, to those who are good, *
to the upright of heart;
but the crooked and those who do evil, *
drive them away!
On Israel, peace!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Surround your people, Lord, within the safety of your Church, which you preserve on its rock foundation. Do not let us stretch out our hands to evil deeds, nor be destroyed by the insidious snares of the enemy, but bring us to share the lot of the saints in light.
Continue with Daytime Prayer
Series III (Midafternoon) [None]
Psalm 126
Joyful hope in God
Companions with him in suffering, you will share his overflowing happiness (2 Corinthians 1:7).
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, *
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
on our lips there were songs.
The heathens themselves said: “What marvels *
the Lord worked for them!”
What marvels the Lord worked for us! *
Indeed we were glad.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage *
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears *
will sing when they reap.
They go out, they go out, full of tears, *
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song, *
carrying their sheaves.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Lord, you have raised us from the earth; may you let the seeds of justice, which we have sown in tears, grow and increase in your sight. May we reap in joy the harvest we hope for patiently.
Psalm 127
Apart from God our labors are worthless
You are God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9).
If the Lord does not build the house, *
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city, *
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.
In vain is your earlier rising, *
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat: *
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.
Truly sons are a gift from the Lord, *
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth *
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
O the happiness of the man *
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame *
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
You command the seed to rise, Lord God, though the farmer is unaware. Grant that those who labor for you may trust not in their own work but in your help. Remembering that the land is brought to flower not with human tears but with those of your Son, may the Church rely only upon your gifts.
Psalm 128
Happiness of family life rooted in God
“May the Lord bless you from Zion,” that is, from the Church (Arnobius).
O blessed are those who fear the Lord *
and walk in his ways!
By the labor of your hands you shall eat. *
You will be happy and prosper;
your wife like a fruitful vine *
in the heart of your house;
your children like shoots of the olive, *
around your table.
Indeed thus shall be blessed *
the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion *
all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children *
in a happy Jerusalem!
On Israel, peace!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
Give lasting happiness, Lord, to those who reverence your name, so that our life and work may be such as to deserve your commendation, and bring us, laden with good fruit, to our everlasting home.
Continue with Daytime Prayer