Sixth Antiphon. I will greatly praise. M' Psalm CVII.' Y heart is ready, O God, [my heart is ready:]2 * I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. [Awake up, my glory,]2 awake, psaltery and harp!* I will awake early. I will praise Thee, O LORD, among the people: * and sing unto Thee among the nations. For Thy mercy is great above the heavens: * and Thy truth unto the clouds. Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let Thy glory be above all the earth: * that Thy beloved may be delivered: Save with Thy right hand and hear me. *God hath spoken in His holiness: OLD not Thy peace, O God of my praise: * for the mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: They have spoken against me with a lying tongue: they compassed me about also with words of hatred:* and fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they were my adversaries: *but I gave myself unto prayer. * And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set Thou a wicked man over him: and let the devil stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him go forth condemned: * and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; * and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, * and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: * and let them be driven out of their dwellings. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath: * and let the stranger spoil his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: * and let there 1 Intituled "A Song. A Psalm of David." It is a compilation of Ps. lvi. 7-11, and Ps. lix. 5-12. 2 Not in most Hebrew MSS. of this Psalm, but taken from Ps. Ivi. 3 Here begins the extract from Ps. lix. See that Psalm and notes on it, p. 46. Intituled "A Psalm of David," with a superscription, probably musical, but now un certain. That they also may know that this is Thy hand: * and Thou, LORD, hast done it! Let them curse, but bless Thou: *when they arise against me let them be ashamed: but let Thy servant rejoice. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame: * and let them be covered with their own confusion as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth: * yea, I will praise Him among the multitude. For He standeth at the right hand of the poor, * to save my soul from them that persecute me. Antiphon. 'I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth. For all the rest, the same rule as on Wednesday, only that the ordinary Verse and Answer during the year are: Verse. Hear my prayer, O Lord. Answer. And let my cry come unto Thee. No Simple Festal Office can occur, except that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the following: Verse. Grace is poured into thy lips. Answer. Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 2 Ps. ci. 1. 3 Ps. xliv. 2. LAUDS, OR THE MORNING PRAISES OF GOD.1 Sunday. THE LORD'S DAY. Verse. Make haste, O God, to deliver me. Answer. Make haste to help me, O LORD. 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. From Septuagesima Sunday to Maundy Thursday instead of "Alleluia,” is said: Ceaseless praise to Thee be given, Then follow at once the Psalms and Antiphons. From the First Sunday in Advent till the Sunday after the Octave of the Epiphany and from Septuagesima Sunday till the Octave of Pentecost, (and also on all Feasts,) Five Antiphons are given, which are then said in the places here marked. During the rest of the year only Three Antiphons are said, which are given here. Antiphon. Alleluia. Psalm XCII. THE LORD reigneth, He is clothed with majesty: * the LORD is clothed with strength, 1 The proper hour for Lauds is the dawn of day. This is reckoned to be about 3 A.M., at which time this Office is said in many Convents. For this purpose it is, in choirs, invariably (except where it forms part of the same service with the midnight Mass at Christmas) said immediately after and as one service with Mattins. Hence it follows 1st, that it is said late in the afternoon, when Mattins are said at that time, and 2ndly, that the Lord's Prayer and Angelic Salutation are not said at the beginning. This service is constructed on the same general principle as Vespers, and answers to that Office as Prime does to Compline. 2 Intituled "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah." This was one of the most perilous periods of David's life, when he was flying from the pursuit of Saul, and hiding in different forests and wildernesses in the south of Palestine. He was betrayed again and again, and had the most hairbreadth escapes. The history will be found in 1 Kings (Sam) xxii. and xxiii. In a dry and desert land, without water. So have I appeared before Thee in the Sanctuary, to see Thy power and Thy glory. Because Thy loving-kindness is better than life, * my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live: * and will lift up my hands in Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips. When I remember Thee upon my bed, I meditate upon Thee in the night watches: because Thou hast been my help : And in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after Thee: * Thy right hand upholdeth me. But those that seek my soul to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth: * they shall fall by the sword, they shall be a portion for foxes. But the King shall rejoice in God: every one that sweareth by him shall glory:* for the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Here the Doxology, "Glory be to the Father, &c.," is not said. Psalm LXVI.1 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy for Thou judgest the people righteously, and governest the nations upon earth.2 Let the people praise Thee, O God, let all the people praise Thee. The earth hath yielded her increase; Let God, even our own God, bless us; let God bless us : * and let all the ends of the earth fear Him. When there are Five Antiphons, the Third is repeated, and the Fourth begun or said through the first time here. Ordinary Antiphon throughout the year. Alleluia, Alleluia. Second Ordinary Antiphon. The king commanded." Antiphon for Paschal time. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia; Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia; Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Second Antiphon for Paschal time. He That delivered. THE SONG OF THE THREE HOLY CHILDREN. (Daniel iii. 57.) GOD be merciful unto us, and ALL ye works of the Lord, bless us: * cause His face bless * the Lord: ye praise 1 Besides a musical superscription, this Psalm has no title but "A Psalm. A Song." 2 SLH. 3 Not in the Hebrew. It is well known how the three young comrades of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishaël, and Azariah, called by the heathens, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were thrown into a furnace for refusing to worship an idol, and remained unhurt amid the flames. In this strange position Azariah offered a long prayer. "And the king's servants, that put them in, ceased not to make the oven hot with resin, pitch, tow, and small wood, so that the flame streamed forth above the furnace forty and nine cubits. But the Angel of the Lord came down into the oven together with Azariah and his fellows, and smote the flame of the fire out of the oven, and made the midst of the furnace as it had been a moist whistling wind, so that the fire touched them not at all, neither hurt nor troubled them. Then the three, as out of one mouth, praised, glorified, and blessed God in the furnace, saying " the Hymn, of which that in the text is a cento. Dan. iii. Him, and exalt Him above all for ever. O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: * O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord. O all ye waters that be above the heavens, bless ye the Lord: * O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord. O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord: * O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord. O ye showers and dew, bless ye the Lord: * O ye winds of God, bless ye the Lord. O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord: * O ye winter and summer, bless ye the Lord. O ye dews and rime, bless ye the Lord: * O ye frost and cold, bless ye the Lord. O ye ice and snow, bless ye the Lord: * O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord. O ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord: * O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord. O let the earth bless the Lord: *let her praise and exalt Him above all for ever! ye O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: O all ye green things upon the earth, bless ye the Lord. O ye wells, bless ye the Lord: O ye seas and floods, bless ye the Lord. O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: * O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord. O all ye beasts and cattle, bless ye the Lord: * O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord. O let Israël bless the Lord: * let him praise and exalt Him above all for ever! O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: * O ye servant of the Lord, bless ye the Lord. O ye spirits and souls of the righteous, bless ye the Lord: *0 ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the Lord. O Ananias, Azarias, and Misaël, bless ye the Lord: * praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 'Bless we the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: * let us praise and exalt Him above all for ever. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven: * and to be praised, and glorified, and exalted above all for ever. Here the Doxology, "Glory be to the Father, &c.," is not said, nor "Amen" answered. But the other Canticles are treated like ordinary Psalms. When there are Five Antiphons, the Fourth is repeated, and the Fifth begun or said through the first time here. Ordinary Antiphon throughout the The king commanded, year. and the Three Children were cast into the furnace, fearing not the flame of the fire, but saying: Blessed be God! Antiphon for Paschal time. He That delivered the Three Children from the burning fiery furnace, even Christ, is risen from the grave. Alleluia. Third Antiphon. Alleluia. 1 This verse is, of course, a later addition, and the next is taken from an earlier part of the Hymn than any of the rest given here. 2 To this Psalm is prefixed "Alleluia." |