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, Hail Mary, and Apostles’ Creed 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.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker 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, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick 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 the Life everlasting. Amen.
Opening Versicles
℣.O God, ✠ make speed to save me.
℟.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
Hymn
Iam lucis orto sidere
Now that the daylight fills the sky,We lift our hearts to God on high,That he, in all we do or say,Would keep us free from harm to-day:
Would guard our hearts and tongues from strife;From anger’s din would hide our life;From all ill sights would turn our eyes;Would close our ears from vanities:
Would keep our inmost conscience pure;Our souls from folly would secure;Would bid us check the pride of senseWith due and holy abstinence.
So we, when this new day is gone,And night in turn is drawing on,With conscience by the world unstained,Shall praise his Name for victory gained.
All laud to God the Father be;All praise, eternal Son, to thee;All glory, as is ever meet,To God the Holy Paraclete.Amen.
Ant. Whither.
Psalm 9bExsurge, Domine
19Up, Lord, and let not man have the upper hand * let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
20Put them in fear, O Lord * that the heathen may know themselves to be but men.
Psalm 10Ut quid, Domine, recessisti
Why standest thou so far off, O Lord * and hidest thy face in the needful time of trouble?
2The ungodly for his own lust doth persecute the poor * let them be taken in the crafty wiliness that they have imagined.
3For the ungodly hath made boast of his own heart’s desire * and speaketh good of the covetous, whom God abhorreth.
4The ungodly is so proud, that he careth not for God * neither is God in all his thoughts.
5His ways are alway grievous * thy judgements are far above out of his sight, and therefore defieth he all his enemies.
6For he hath said in his heart, Tush, I shall never be cast down * there shall no harm happen unto me.
7His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and fraud * under his tongue is ungodliness and vanity.
8He sitteth lurking in the thievish corners of the streets * and privily in his lurking dens doth he murder the innocent; his eyes are set against the poor.
9For he lieth waiting secretly, even as a lion lurketh he in his den * that he may ravish the poor.
10He doth ravish the poor * when he getteth him into his net.
11He falleth down, and humbleth himself * that the congregation of the poor may fall into the hands of his captains.
12He hath said in his heart, Tush, God hath forgotten * he hideth away his face, and he will never see it.
13Arise, O Lord God, and lift up thine hand * forget not the poor.
14Wherefore should the wicked blaspheme God * while he doth say in his heart, Tush, thou God carest not for it.
15Surely thou hast seen it * for thou beholdest ungodliness and wrong.
16That thou mayest take the matter into thy hand * the poor committeth himself unto thee; for thou art the helper of the friendless.
17Break thou the power of the ungodly and malicious * take away his ungodliness, and thou shalt find none.
18The Lord is King for ever and ever * and the heathen are perished out of the land.
19Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the poor * thou preparest their heart, and thine ear hearkeneth thereto;
20To help the fatherless and poor unto their right * that the man of the earth be no more exalted against them.
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.
Psalm 11In Domino confido
In the Lord put I my trust * how say ye then to my soul, that she should flee as a bird unto the hill?
2For lo, the ungodly bend their bow, and make ready their arrows within the quiver * that they may privily shoot at them which are true of heart.
3For the foundations will be cast down * and what hath the righteous done?
4The Lord is in his holy temple * the Lord’s seat is in heaven.
5His eyes consider the poor * and his eye-lids try the children of men.
6The Lord alloweth the righteous * but the ungodly, and him that delighteth in wickedness, doth his soul abhor.
7Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm and tempest * this shall be their portion to drink.
8For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness * his countenance will behold the thing that is just.
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.
Psalm 12Salvum me fac, Domine
Help me, Lord, for there is not one godly man left * for the faithful are minished from among the children of men.
2They talk of vanity every one with his neighbour * they do but flatter with their lips, and dissemble in their double heart.
3The Lord shall root out all deceitful lips * and the tongue that speaketh proud things;
4Which have said, With our tongue will we prevail * we are they that ought to speak, who is lord over us?
5Now for the comfortless trouble’s sake of the needy * and because of the deep sighing of the poor,
6I will up, saith the Lord * and will help every one from him that swelleth against him, and will set him at rest.
7The words of the Lord are pure words * even as the silver, which from the earth is tried, and purified seven times in the fire.
8Thou shalt keep them, O Lord * thou shalt preserve him from this generation for ever.
9The ungodly walk on every side * when they are exalted, the children of men are put to rebuke.
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.
Ant. Whither * is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.
Chapter
1 Tim. 1:17
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory * for ever and ever. Amen.
℟.Thanks be to God.
Litany & Lord’s Prayer
℣.O Christ, arise, help us.
℟.And deliver us for thy Name’s sake.
℣.Kyrie, eleison.
℟.Christe, eleison.
All:Kyrie, eleison.
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.
℣.O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟.And let my cry come unto thee.
℣.The Lord be with you.
℟.And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Collect
O Lord God Almighty, who hast brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the same with thy mighty power, that we may not fall this day into any sin, but that all our thoughts, words, and works may be directed to the fulfilment of thy righteousness. Through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord, who with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth God, world without end.
℟.Amen.
Blessing
℣.O Lord, hear my prayer.
℟.And let my cry come unto thee.
℣.The Lord be with you.
℟.And with thy spirit.
℣.Let us bless the Lord.
℟.Thanks be to God.
℣.May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
℟.Amen.
Then the Martyrology is read in Choir, and this may laudably be done also in the private recitation of the Office out of Choir.
Martyrology for tomorrow, September 16
The Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, pontiffs and martyrs, whose birthday is the 14th of this month.
At Chalcedon, the birthday of St. Euphemia, virgin and martyr, under the emperor Diocletian and the proconsul Priscus. For faith in our Lord she was subjected to tortures, imprisonment, blows, the torment of the wheel, fire, the crushing weight of stones, the teeth of beasts, scourging with rods, the cutting of sharp saws, burning pans, all of which she survived. But when she was again exposed to the beasts in the amphitheatre, praying to our Lord to receive her spirit, one of the animals having inflicted a bite on her sacred body, whilst the rest licked her feet, she yielded her unspotted soul to God.
At Rome, the holy martyrs Lucia, noble matron, and Geminian, who were subjected to most grievous afflictions and a long time tortured, by the command of the emperor Diocletian. Finally, being put to the sword, they obtained the glorious victory of martyrdom.
Also, at Rome, at a place on the Flaminian road, ten miles from the city, the holy martyrs Abundius, priest, and Abundantius, deacon, whom the emperor Diocletian caused to be struck with the sword, together with Marcian, an illustrious man, and his son John, whom they had raised from the dead.
At Heraclea, in Thrace, St. Sebastiana, martyr, under the emperor Domitian and the governor Sergius. Being brought to the faith of Christ by the blessed apostle Paul, she was tormented in various ways and finally beheaded.
At Cordova, the holy martyrs Rogellus and Servideus, who were decapitated, after their hands and feet had been cut off.
In Scotland, St. Ninian, bishop and confessor.
In England, St. Editha, virgin, daughter of the English king Edgar, who was consecrated to God in a monastery from her tender years, whence she may be said to have been ignorant of the world rather than to have forsaken it.
And in other places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and virgins.
℟.Thanks be to God.
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.