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.
Before the Office are 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.
The Our Father and Hail Mary (and at Prime I believe) having been said secretly, the Hour is begun at once with the Psalms, without the opening Versicles or the Hymn.
Psalm 119 vLegem pone mihi
Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes * and I shall keep it unto the end.
34Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law * yea, I shall keep it with my whole heart.
35Make me to go in the path of thy commandments * for therein is my desire.
36Incline my heart unto thy testimonies * and not to covetousness.
37O turn away mine eyes, lest they behold vanity * and quicken thou me in thy way.
38O stablish thy word in thy servant * that I may fear thee.
39Take away the rebuke that I am afraid of * for thy judgements are good.
40Behold, my delight is in thy commandments * O quicken me in thy righteousness.
Psalm 119 viEt veniat super me
Let thy loving mercy come also unto me, O Lord * even thy salvation, according unto thy word.
42So shall I make answer unto my blasphemers * for my trust is in thy word.
43O take not the word of thy truth utterly out of my mouth * for my hope is in thy judgements.
44So shall I alway keep thy law * yea, for ever and ever.
45And I will walk at liberty * for I seek thy commandments.
46I will speak of thy testimonies also, even before kings * and will not be ashamed.
47And my delight shall be in thy commandments * which I have loved.
48My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved * and my study shall be in thy statutes.
Psalm 119 viiMemor esto verbi tui
O think upon thy servant, as concerning thy word * wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust.
50The same is my comfort in my trouble * for thy word hath quickened me.
51The proud have had me exceedingly in derision * yet have I not shrinked from thy law.
52For I remembered thine everlasting judgements, O Lord * and received comfort.
53I am horribly afraid * for the ungodly that forsake thy law.
54Thy statutes have been my songs * in the house of my pilgrimage.
55I have thought upon thy Name, O Lord, in the night-season * and have kept thy law.
56This I had * because I kept thy commandments.
Psalm 119 viiiPortio mea, Domine
Thou art my portion, O Lord * I have promised to keep thy law.
58I made my humble petition in thy presence with my whole heart * O be merciful unto me, according to thy word.
59I called mine own ways to remembrance * and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
60I made haste, and prolonged not the time * to keep thy commandments.
61The congregations of the ungodly have robbed me * but I have not forgotten thy law.
62At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee * because of thy righteous judgements.
63I am a companion of all them that fear thee * and keep thy commandments.
64The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy * O teach me thy statutes.
Psalm 119 ixBonitatem fecisti cum servo
O Lord, thou hast dealt graciously with thy servant * according unto thy word.
66O learn me true understanding and knowledge * for I have believed thy commandments.
67Before I was troubled, I went wrong * but now have I kept thy word.
68Thou art good and gracious * O teach me thy statutes.
69The proud have imagined a lie against me * but I will keep thy commandments with my whole heart.
70Their heart is as fat as brawn * but my delight hath been in thy law.
71It is good for me that I have been in trouble * that I may learn thy statutes.
72The law of thy mouth is dearer unto me * than thousands of gold and silver.
Psalm 119 xManus tuæ fecerunt me
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me * O give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
74They that fear thee will be glad when they see me * because I have put my trust in thy word.
75I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right * and that thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled.
76O let thy merciful kindness be my comfort * according to thy word unto thy servant.
77O let thy loving mercies come unto me, that I may live * for thy law is my delight.
78Let the proud be confounded, for they go wickedly about to destroy me * but I will be occupied in thy commandments.
79Let such as fear thee, and have known thy testimonies * be turned unto me.
80O let my heart be sound in thy statutes * that I be not ashamed.
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.
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.