Prayers Before the Office
Before beginning the Office, it is praiseworthy to say the following Prayers.
Open my mouth, O Lord, to bless thy holy Name: cleanse my heart from all vain, evil, and wandering thoughts; enlighten my understanding and kindle my affections, that I may fittingly recite this Office with attention and devotion, and so may be meet to be heard before the presence of thy divine Majesty. Through Christ our Lord.
℟.Amen.
O Lord, in union with that divine intention wherewith thou thyself didst offer thy praises to God while upon the earth, I now recite this Office to thee.
The Our Father and Hail Mary are said secretly.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. 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 in the hour of our death. Amen.
The Psalms
Ant. O death, * I will be thy plagues: O grave, I will be thy destruction.
Psalm 51Miserere mei, Deus
Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness * according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences.
2Wash me throughly from my wickedness * and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my faults * and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight * that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged.
5Behold, I was shapen in wickedness * and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
6But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts * and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
7Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean * thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness * that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Turn thy face from my sins * and put out all my misdeeds.
10Make me a clean heart, O God * and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence * and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
12O give me the comfort of thy help again * and stablish me with thy free Spirit.
13Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked * and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my health * and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness.
15Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord * and my mouth shall shew thy praise.
16For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee * but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
17The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit * a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise.
18O be favourable and gracious unto Sion * build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations * then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.
Ant. O death, * I will be thy plagues: O grave, I will be thy destruction.
Ant. They shall mourn for him * as for an only son; because the innocent Lord hath been put to death.
Psalm 92Bonum est confiteri Domino
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord * and to sing praises unto thy Name, O most Highest;
2To tell of thy loving-kindness early in the morning * and of thy truth in the night-season;
3Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the lute * upon a loud instrument, and upon the harp.
4For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy works * and I will rejoice in giving praise for the operations of thy hands.
5O Lord, how glorious are thy works * thy thoughts are very deep.
6An unwise man doth not well consider this * and a fool doth not understand it.
7When the ungodly are green as the grass, and when all the workers of wickedness do flourish * then shall they be destroyed for ever; but thou, Lord, art the most Highest for evermore.
8For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, lo, thine enemies shall perish * and all the workers of wickedness shall be destroyed.
9But mine horn shall be exalted like the horn of an unicorn * for I am anointed with fresh oil.
10Mine eye also shall see his lust of mine enemies * and mine ear shall hear his desire of the wicked that arise up against me.
11The righteous shall flourish like a palm-tree * and shall spread abroad like a cedar in Libanus.
12Such as are planted in the house of the Lord * shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God.
13They also shall bring forth more fruit in their age * and shall be fat and well-liking.
14That they may shew how true the Lord my strength is * and that there is no unrighteousness in him.
Ant. They shall mourn for him * as for an only son; because the innocent Lord hath been put to death.
Ant. Behold, all ye nations, * and see my sorrow.
Psalm 64Exaudi, Deus, orationem meam
Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer * preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2Hide me from the gathering together of the froward * and from the insurrection of wicked doers;
3Who have whet their tongue like a sword * and shoot out their arrows, even bitter words;
4That they may privily shoot at him that is perfect * suddenly do they hit him, and fear not.
5They encourage themselves in mischief * and commune among themselves how they may lay snares, and say that no man shall see them.
6They imagine wickedness, and practise it * that they keep secret among themselves, every man in the deep of his heart.
7But God shall suddenly shoot at them with a swift arrow * that they shall be wounded.
8Yea, their own tongues shall make them fall * insomuch that whoso seeth them shall laugh them to scorn.
9And all men that see it shall say, This hath God done * for they shall perceive that it is his work.
10The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord, and put his trust in him * and all they that are true of heart shall be glad.
Ant. Behold, all ye nations, * and see my sorrow.
Ant. From the gate of hell, * deliver my soul, O Lord.
Isaiah 38Ego dixi: In dimidio dierum meorum
Isaiah 38:10–20
I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: * I am deprived of the residue of my years.
2I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living: * I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
3Mine age is departed, * and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent:
4I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: * from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
5I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: * from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
6Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter; * I did mourn as a dove:
7Mine eyes fail with looking upward: * O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
8What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: * I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.
9O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: * so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
10Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: * for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
11For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: * they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
12The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: * the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
13The Lord was ready to save me: * therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
Ant. From the gate of hell, * deliver my soul, O Lord.
Ant. Is it nothing to you, * all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.
Psalm 150Laudate Dominum in sanctis
O praise God in his holiness * praise him in the firmament of his power.
2Praise him in his noble acts * praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3Praise him in the sound of the trumpet * praise him upon the lute and harp.
4Praise him in the cymbals and dances * praise him upon the strings and pipe.
5Praise him upon the well-tuned cymbals * praise him upon the loud cymbals.
6Let every thing that hath breath * praise the Lord.
Ant. Is it nothing to you, * all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.
The Versicle
℣.My flesh shall rest in hope.
℟.And thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.
The Gospel Canticle
Ant. The women, * sitting over against the sepulchre, made lamentation, weeping for the Lord.
BenedictusBenedictus Dominus, Deus Israël
Luke 1:68–79
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; * for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;
2And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, * in the house of his servant David;
3As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, * which have been since the world began:
4That we should be saved from our enemies, * and from the hand of all that hate us;
5To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, * and to remember his holy covenant;
6To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, * that he would give us;
7That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies * might serve him without fear,
8In holiness and righteousness before him, * all the days of our life.
9And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: * for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
10To give knowledge of salvation unto his people * for the remission of their sins,
11Through the tender mercy of our God; * whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
12To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Ant. The women, * sitting over against the sepulchre, made lamentation, weeping for the Lord.
When the Antiphon Christ, for our sake is begun, all kneel; and when it is ended the Our Father is said entirely in secret. Then in a somewhat higher voice is said Psalm 51.
Ant. Christ, ✠ for our sake, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every name.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Psalm 51Miserere mei, Deus
Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness * according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences.
2Wash me throughly from my wickedness * and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my faults * and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight * that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged.
5Behold, I was shapen in wickedness * and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
6But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts * and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
7Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean * thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness * that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Turn thy face from my sins * and put out all my misdeeds.
10Make me a clean heart, O God * and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence * and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
12O give me the comfort of thy help again * and stablish me with thy free Spirit.
13Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked * and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my health * and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness.
15Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord * and my mouth shall shew thy praise.
16For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee * but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
17The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit * a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise.
18O be favourable and gracious unto Sion * build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations * then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.
The Psalm being ended, there is said, without Let us pray, in a low voice, the Collect of the day, its conclusion Who with thee ... liveth being said in silence. Thus are ended all the Hours during this Triduum, through None of Holy Saturday.
Almighty God, we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross: Who with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth God, world without end. Amen.
But at Lauds, after the Collect is ended, a little noise and clatter is made; the lighted candle is at once brought forth from beneath the Altar; and all rise and depart in silence.
Prayers After the Office
To the holy and undivided Trinity, to the humanity of our crucified Lord, Jesus Christ, to the fruitful Virginity of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, and to the whole company of the Saints, be everlasting praise, honour, power, and glory from every creature, and unto us the remission of all our sins for ever, world without end.
℟.Amen.
℣.Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Father eternal.
℟.And blessed are the paps which gave suck to Christ the Lord.
Then is said secretly Our Father and Hail Mary.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. 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 in the hour of our death. Amen.