Septem Dolorum Beatæ Mariæ VirginisThe Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

℣ O Lord, ✠ open my lips.

℟ And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

℣ O God, ✠ come to my assistance.

℟ Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Alleluia.

Ant. Let us stand beside the Cross with Mary the Mother of Jesus, * whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

Ant. Let us stand beside the Cross with Mary the Mother of Jesus, * whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

Come, let us exult in the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to God, our Savior. Let us anticipate his presence with confession, and let us sing joyfully to him with psalms.

Ant. Let us stand beside the Cross with Mary the Mother of Jesus, * whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King over all gods. For the Lord will not drive away his people. For in his hand are all the limits of the earth, and he beholds the heights of the mountains.

Ant. whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands established the dry land. (kneel) Come, let us adore and fall prostrate before God, and let us weep before the Lord who made us. For he is the Lord our God, and we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Ant. Let us stand beside the Cross with Mary the Mother of Jesus, * whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted me; they tested and saw my works.

Ant. whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

For forty years, I was near to that generation, and I said: These have always strayed in heart. But they have not known my ways. To them I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest.

Ant. Let us stand beside the Cross with Mary the Mother of Jesus, * whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

Ant. Let us stand beside the Cross with Mary the Mother of Jesus, * whose soul the sword of sorrow has pierced through.

What a sea of tears and sorrow

Did the soul of Mary toss

To and fro upon its billows,

While she wept her bitter loss;

In her arms her Jesus holding,

Torn so newly from the cross.

His gentle face, his tender breast,

And his most loving side,

His wounded right hand

And his injured left,

And his feet red with blood,

She bathes with sorrowful tears.

A hundred and a thousand times

She clasps in close embrace

That breast and those arms,

And presses kisses on those wounds;

Thus she melts away entirely

In kisses full of sorrow.

Gentle Mother, we beseech thee

By thy tears and troubles sore;

By the death of thy dear offspring,

By the bloody wounds he bore;

Touch our hearts with that true sorrow

Which afflicted thee of yore.

To the Father everlasting,

And the Son who reigns on high,

With the co-eternal Spirit,

Trinity in Unity,

Be salvation, honour, blessing

Now and through eternity.

Amen.

Nocturn I

Ant. They who afflict me * have multiplied; many rise up against me.

Psalm 3 [1]

3:2 Lord, why have those who trouble me been multiplied? * Many rise up against me.

3:3 Many say to my soul, * “There is no salvation for him in his God.”

3:4 But you, Lord, are my supporter, * my glory, and the one who raises up my head.

3:5 I have cried out to the Lord with my voice, * and he has heard me from his holy mountain.

3:6 I have slept, and I have fallen asleep. * But I awakened because the Lord has sustained me.

3:7 I will not fear the thousands of people surrounding me. * Rise up, Lord. Save me, my God.

3:8 For you have struck all those who oppose me without cause. * You have broken the teeth of sinners.

3:9 Salvation is of the Lord, * and your blessing is upon your people.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. They who afflict me have multiplied; many rise up against me.

Ant. They have prepared their arrows * in the quiver, to shoot in the dark at the upright of heart.

Psalm 10 [2]

10:2 I trust in the Lord. † How can you say to my soul, * “Flee to the mountain, like a sparrow”?

10:3 For behold, the sinners have bent their bow. † They have prepared their arrows in the quiver, * so as to shoot arrows in the dark at the upright of heart.

10:4 For they have destroyed the things that you have completed. * But what has the just one done?

10:5a The Lord is in his holy temple. * The Lord’s throne is in heaven.

10:5b His eyes look upon the poor. * His eyelids question the sons of men.

10:6 The Lord questions the just and the impious. * Yet he who loves iniquity, hates his own soul.

10:7 He will rain down snares upon sinners. * Fire and brimstone and windstorms will be the portion of their cup.

10:8 For the Lord is just, and he has loved justice. * His countenance has beheld equity.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. They have prepared their arrows in the quiver, to shoot in the dark at the upright of heart.

Ant. My life has failed * in sorrow, and my years in groaning.

Psalm 30 [3]

30:2 In you, Lord, I have hoped; let me never be confounded. * In your justice, deliver me.

30:3 Incline your ear to me. * Hasten to rescue me.

30:3 Be for me a protector God and a house of refuge, * so as to accomplish my salvation.

30:4 For you are my strength and my refuge; * and for the sake of your name, you will lead me and nourish me.

30:5 You will lead me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me. * For you are my protector.

30:6 Into your hands, I commend my spirit. * You have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth.

30:7 You have hated those who practice emptiness * to no purpose.

30:7 But I have hoped in the Lord. * I will exult and rejoice in your mercy.

30:8 For you have looked upon my humility; * you have saved my soul from needfulness.

30:9 And you have not enclosed me in the hands of the enemy. * You have set my feet in a spacious place.

30:10 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am troubled. * My eye has been disturbed by wrath, along with my soul and my gut.

30:11 For my life has been consumed in sorrow, * and my years into sighing.

30:11 My strength has been weakened in poverty, * and my bones have been disturbed.

30:12 I have become a disgrace among all my enemies, and even more so to my neighbors, * and a dread to my acquaintances.

30:12 Those who catch sight of me, flee away from me. * I have become forgotten, like one dead to the heart.

30:13 I have become like a damaged utensil. * For I have heard the harsh criticism of many who linger in the area.

30:14 While assembled together against me in that place, * they deliberated on how to take away my life.

30:15 But I have hoped in you, O Lord. * I said, “You are my God.” My fate is in your hands.

30:16 Rescue me from the hand of my enemies * and from those who are persecuting me.

30:17 Shine your face upon your servant. Save me in your mercy. * Do not let me be confounded, Lord, for I have called upon you.

30:18 Let the impious be ashamed and be drawn down into Hell. * May deceitful lips be silenced:

30:19 those that speak iniquity against the just, * in arrogance and in abusiveness.

30:20 How great is the multitude of your sweetness, O Lord, * which you keep hidden for those who fear you,

30:20 which you have perfected for those who hope in you, * in the sight of the sons of men.

30:21 You hide them in the concealment of your face, * from the disturbance of men.

30:21 You protect them in your tabernacle, * from the contradiction of tongues.

30:22 Blessed is the Lord. * For he has shown his wonderful mercy to me, in a fortified city.

30:23 But I said in the excess of my mind: * “I have been cast away from the glance of your eyes.”

30:23 And so, you heeded the voice of my prayer, * while I was still crying out to you.

30:24 Love the Lord, all you his saints. * For the Lord will require truth, and he will abundantly repay those who act with arrogance.

30:25 Act manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, * all you who hope in the Lord.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. My life has failed in sorrow, and my years in groaning.

℣ Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.

℟ Who stood beside the Cross of Jesus.

The Our Father is said silently as far as And lead us not into temptation:

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 also forgive those who trespass against us:

℣ And lead us not into temptation:

℟ But deliver us from evil.

Absolution. Hear the prayers of your servants, Lord Jesus Christ, and have mercy on us: You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the eternal Father bless us with his everlasting blessing.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

From the Prophet Jeremiah

Lamentations 1:2; 1:20-21

2 (Beth) Weeping, she has wept through the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. There is no one to be a comfort to her among all her beloved. All her friends have spurned her and have become her enemies.

20 (Res) See, O Lord, that I am in tribulation. My bowels have been disturbed, my heart has been subverted within me, for I am filled with bitterness. Without, the sword has slain; and at home there is something like death.

21 (Sin) They have heard that I groan, and there is no one to console me.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Simeon, a just and God-fearing man, said to Mary:

* And a sword will pass through your own soul.

℣ Do not call me beautiful, but bitter, for the Almighty has filled me with great bitterness.

℟ And a sword will pass through your own soul.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the Only Begotten Son of God be pleased to bless and assist us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

Lam 2:13, 15-16

13 (Mem) To what shall I compare you, or to what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equate you, so as to console you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your destruction is as great as the sea. Who will cure you?

15 (Samech) All those who passed by the way have clapped their hands over you. They have hissed and shook their heads over the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, "Is this the city of perfect dignity, the joy of all the earth?"

16 (Phe) All your enemies have opened their mouth over you. They have hissed and gnashed their teeth, and they said: "We will devour her."

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Rise up, and take the Boy and his Mother, and flee into Egypt;

* And remain there until I tell you.

℣ I have called my Son out of Egypt, that salvation might come to Israel.

℟ And remain there until I tell you.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the grace of the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and hearts.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

Lam 2:17-18

17 (Ain) The Lord has done what he decided to do. He has fulfilled his word, which he instructed since the days of antiquity. He has destroyed, and he has not been lenient, and he has caused the enemy to rejoice over you, and he has exalted the horn of your adversaries.

18 (Sade) Their heart cried out to the Lord from the walls of the daughter of Zion. Let tears run down like a torrent throughout the day and the night. Do not give rest to yourself, and do not allow the pupil of your eye to cease.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Son, why have you done this to us?

* Your father and I. * Have been searching for you in sorrow.

℣ Why were you searching for me? I must be about my Father's business.

℟ Your father and I.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ Have been searching for you in sorrow.

Nocturn II

Ant. My heart has become * like wax melting in the midst of my bowels.

Psalm 21 [4]

21:2 O God, my God, look upon me. Why have you forsaken me? * Far from my salvation are the words of my offenses.

21:3 My God, I will cry out by day, and you will not heed, * and by night, and it will not be foolishness for me.

21:4 But you dwell in holiness, * O Praise of Israel.

21:5 In you, our fathers have hoped. * They hoped, and you freed them.

21:6 They cried out to you, and they were saved. * In you, they hoped and were not confounded.

21:7 But I am a worm and not a man: * a disgrace among men, and an outcast of the people.

21:8 All those who saw me have derided me. * They have spoken with the lips and shook the head.

21:9 He has hoped in the Lord, let him rescue him. * Let him save him because he chooses him.

21:10 For you are the one who has drawn me out of the womb, * my hope from the breasts of my mother. I have been thrown upon you from the womb;

21:11 from the womb of my mother, you are my God. * Do not depart from me.

21:12 For tribulation is near, * since there is no one who may help me.

21:13 Many calves have surrounded me; * fat bulls have besieged me.

21:14 They have opened their mouths over me, * just like a lion seizing and roaring.

21:15 And so, I have been poured out like water, * and all my bones have been scattered.

21:15 My heart has become like wax, melting * in the midst of my chest.

21:16 My strength has dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue has adhered to my jaws. * And you have pulled me down, into the dust of death.

21:17 For many dogs have surrounded me. * The council of the malicious has besieged me.

21:17 They have pierced my hands and feet. * They have numbered all my bones.

21:18 And they have examined me and stared at me. * They divided my garments among them, and over my vestment, they cast lots.

21:20 But you, O Lord, do not take your help far from me; * be attentive to my defense.

21:21 O God, rescue my soul from the spear, * and my only one from the hand of the dog.

21:22 Save me from the mouth of the lion, * and my humility from the horns of the single-horned beast.

21:23 I will declare your name to my brothers. * In the midst of the Church, I will praise you.

21:24 You who fear the Lord, praise him. * All the offspring of Jacob, glorify him.

21:25 May all the offspring of Israel fear him. * For he has neither spurned nor despised the pleas of the poor.

21:25 Neither has he turned his face away from me. * And when I cried out to him, he heeded me.

21:26 My praise is with you, within a great church. * I will pay my vows in the sight of those who fear him.

21:27 The poor will eat and be satisfied, and those who yearn for the Lord will praise him. * Their hearts will live forever and ever.

21:28 They will remember and be converted to the Lord, * all the ends of the earth.

21:28 And they will adore in his sight, * all the families of the Gentiles.

21:29 For the kingdom belongs to the Lord, * and he will have dominion over the Gentiles.

21:30 All the prosperous of the earth have eaten and adored. * In his sight, they will fall down, all those who descend to the ground.

21:31 And my soul will live for him, * and my offspring will serve him.

21:32 There will be announced for the Lord a future generation, * and the heavens will announce his justice to a people who will be born, whom the Lord has made.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. My heart has become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels.

Ant. O God, I have declared * my life to you; you have placed my tears in your sight.

Psalm 55 [5]

55:2 Have mercy on me, O God, because man has trampled over me. * All day long, he has afflicted me by fighting against me.

55:3 My enemies have trampled over me all day long. * For those who make war against me are many.

55:4 From the height of the day, I will be afraid. * But truly, I will hope in you.

55:5 In God, I will praise my words. In God, I have put my trust. * I will not fear what flesh can do to me.

55:6 All day long, they curse my words. * All their intentions are for evil against me.

55:7 They will dwell and hide themselves. * They will watch my heel,

55:8 As they waited for my soul, for nothing you will save them. * In your anger, you will crush the people.

55:9 O God, I have announced my life to you. * You have placed my tears in your sight,

55:9 and even in your promise. * Then my enemies will be turned back.

55:10 On whatever day that I call upon you, * behold, I know that you are my God.

55:11 In God, I will praise the word. In the Lord, I will praise his speech. * In God, I have hoped. I will not fear what man can do to me.

55:12 My vows to you, O God, are in me. * I will repay them. Praises be to you.

55:13 For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet from slipping, * so that I may be pleasing in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. O God, I have declared my life to you; you have placed my tears in your sight.

Ant. My tears * have been my bread day and night.

Psalm 41 [6]

41:2 As the deer longs for fountains of water, * so my soul longs for you, O God.

41:3 My soul has thirsted for the strong living God. * When will I draw close and appear before the face of God?

41:4 My tears have been my bread, day and night. * Meanwhile, it is said to me daily: “Where is your God?”

41:5 These things I have remembered; and my soul within me, I have poured out. * For I will cross into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, all the way to the house of God,

41:5 with a voice of exultation and confession, * the sound of feasting.

41:6 Why are you sad, my soul? * And why do you disquiet me?

41:6 Hope in God, for I will still confess to him: * the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

41:7 My soul has been troubled within myself. * Because of this, I will remember you from the land of the Jordan and from Hermon, from the little mountain.

41:8 Abyss calls upon abyss, * with the voice of your floodgate.

41:8 All your heights and your waves * have passed over me.

41:9 In the daylight, the Lord has ordered his mercy; * and in the night, a canticle to him.

41:9 With me is a prayer to the God of my life. * I will say to God, “You are my supporter.

41:10 Why have you forgotten me? * And why do I walk in mourning, while my adversary afflicts me?”

41:11 While my bones are being broken, * my enemies, who trouble me, have reproached me.

41:11 Meanwhile, they say to me every single day, “Where is your God?” * My soul, why are you saddened? And why do you disquiet me?

41:12 Hope in God, for I will still confess to him: * the salvation of my countenance and my God.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. My tears have been my bread day and night.

℣ My beloved is to me a cluster of myrrh;

℟ He shall dwell between my breasts.

The Our Father is said silently as far as And lead us not into temptation:

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 also forgive those who trespass against us:

℣ And lead us not into temptation:

℟ But deliver us from evil.

Absolution. May his loving kindness and mercy assist us, he who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May God the almighty Father be gracious and merciful to us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 4

Sermon of Saint Bernard, Abbot

Sermon on the Twelve Stars

The martyrdom of the Virgin is commended both in the prophecy of Simeon and in the very history of the Lord's Passion. This child, said the holy elder of the boy Jesus, is set as a sign that shall be contradicted; and a sword shall pierce your own soul — for it was to Mary that he spoke. Truly your soul, O blessed Mother, was pierced. Otherwise it would not have pierced the flesh of your Son unless it had first passed through your soul. And indeed after that Jesus of yours gave up his spirit, the cruel lance which opened his side did not touch his soul, since it was no longer there, but it assuredly pierced your soul. His soul, without doubt, was no longer there; but yours plainly could not be torn away from that place.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Jesus bearing his cross for himself

* A crowd of women followed, who were weeping and lamenting him.

℣ Daughters of Jerusalem, weep for yourselves and for your children.

℟ A crowd of women followed, who were weeping and lamenting him.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 5

The force of grief therefore pierced your soul, so that we rightly proclaim you more than a Martyr, in whom the affection of compassion surpassed the sense of bodily suffering. Was not that word more than a sword to you, truly piercing the soul and reaching even to the division of soul and spirit: Woman, behold your son? O what an exchange! John is given to you in place of Jesus, a servant in place of the Lord, a disciple in place of the Master, the son of Zebedee in place of the Son of God, a mere man in place of the true God. How could that word not pierce your most loving soul, when even our hearts — though of stone, though of iron — are rent by the mere recollection of it?

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ After they came to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him:

* But his Mother stood by the Cross of Jesus.

℣ Then a sword of sorrow pierced that blessed soul of hers.

℟ But his Mother stood by the Cross of Jesus.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May God kindle the fire of his love in our hearts.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 6

Wonder not, brethren, that Mary is said to have been a martyr in her soul. Let him wonder who does not remember that Paul counted it among the greatest crimes of the gentiles that they were without affection. Far was that from the heart of Mary, far let it be from her servants. But perhaps someone may say: Did she not know beforehand that he was to die? Without doubt. Did she not hope that he would straightway rise again? With faith. And yet did she grieve at his crucifixion? Most vehemently. Who then are you, brother, and whence comes this wisdom in you, that you should marvel more at the suffering Son of Mary? He too was able to die in body; was she unable to die together with him in heart? That was the work of charity, than which no one had greater; that too was the work of charity, than which after his there was no second like it.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Joseph of Arimathea

* He sought the body of Jesus, which was taken down from the Cross. * His Mother received in her embrace.

℣ The grieving Shunamite woman held her dead son in her bosom and on her knees.

℟ He sought the body of Jesus, which was taken down from the Cross.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ His Mother received in her embrace.

Nocturn III

Ant. They have bent their bow, a bitter thing, * to shoot in secret at the blameless.

Psalm 63 [7]

63:2 Hear, O God, my prayer of supplication. * Rescue my soul from the fear of the enemy.

63:3 You have protected me from the assembly of the malignant, * from a multitude of workers of iniquity.

63:4 For they have sharpened their tongues like a sword; * they have formed their bow into a bitter thing, so that they may shoot arrows from hiding at the immaculate.

63:6 They will suddenly shoot arrows at him, and they will not be afraid. * They are resolute in their wicked talk.

63:6 They have discussed hidden snares. * They have said, “Who will see them?”

63:7 They have been searching carefully for iniquities. * Their exhaustive search has failed.

63:7 Man will approach to a deep heart, * and God will be exalted.

63:8 Their blows have become the arrows of little children, * and their tongues have been weakened against them.

63:9 All those who saw them have been troubled; * and every man was afraid.

63:10 And they announced the works of God, * and they understood his acts.

63:11 The just will rejoice in the Lord, and they will hope in him. * And all the upright of heart will be praised.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. They have bent their bow, a bitter thing, to shoot in secret at the blameless.

Ant. My soul * is greatly troubled; but you, O Lord, how long?

Psalm 6 [8]

6:2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, * nor chastise me in your anger.

6:3 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak. * Heal me, Lord, for my bones have become disturbed,

6:4 and my soul has been very troubled. * But as for you, Lord, how long?

6:5 Turn to me, Lord, and rescue my soul. * Save me because of your mercy.

6:6 For there is no one in death who would be mindful of you. * And who will confess to you in the underworld?

6:7 I have labored in my groaning. † Every night I will wash my bed: * with my tears I will drench my bedding.

6:8 My eye has been troubled by rage. * I have grown old among all my enemies.

6:9 Depart from me, all you who work iniquity, * for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

6:10 The Lord has heard my supplication. * The Lord has accepted my prayer.

6:11 Let all my enemies be ashamed and together be greatly troubled. * May they turn back and become ashamed very quickly.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. My soul is greatly troubled; but you, O Lord, how long?

Ant. God is our helper * in the tribulations that have greatly beset us.

Psalm 45 [9]

45:2 Our God is our refuge and strength, * a helper in the tribulations that have greatly overwhelmed us.

45:3 Because of this, we will not be afraid when the earth will be turbulent * and the mountains will be transferred into the heart of the sea.

45:4 They thundered, and the waters were stirred up among them; * the mountains have been disturbed by his strength.

45:5 The rushing of the river rejoices the city of God. * The Most High has sanctified his tabernacle.

45:6 God is in its midst; it will not be shaken. * God will assist it in the early morning.

45:7 The peoples have been disturbed, and the kingdoms have been bowed down. * He uttered his voice: the earth has been moved.

45:8 The Lord of hosts is with us. * The God of Jacob is our supporter.

45:9 Draw near and behold the works of the Lord: what portents he has set upon the earth, * carrying away wars even to the end of the earth.

45:10 He will crush the bow and break the weapons, * and he will burn the shield with fire.

45:11 Be still, and see that I am God. * I will be exalted among the peoples, and I will be exalted upon the earth.

45:12 The Lord of hosts is with us. * The God of Jacob is our supporter.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. God is our helper in the tribulations that have greatly beset us.

℣ Through you, Virgin Mary, may we draw salvation.

℟ From the wounds of Christ.

The Our Father is said silently as far as And lead us not into temptation:

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 also forgive those who trespass against us:

℣ And lead us not into temptation:

℟ But deliver us from evil.

Absolution. May the almighty and merciful Lord absolve us from the bonds of our sins.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the evangelical reading be our salvation and protection.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 7

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John

John 19:25-27

At that time: Standing near the Cross of Jesus were his Mother, and his Mother's sister, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Ambrose the Bishop

On the Instruction of Virgins, chapter 7

The Mother stood near the Cross, and, while the men fled, she stood undaunted. See whether the Mother of Jesus could have changed her modesty, when she had not changed her spirit. She looked with loving eyes upon the wounds of her Son, through which she knew that redemption was to come to all. The Mother watched without losing her dignity, she who had not feared the executioner. The Son hung on the Cross; the Mother offered herself to the persecutors.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ What were your thoughts, O Mother of Sorrows,

* While Joseph wrapped your Son in a shroud and laid him in the tomb?

℣ Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.

℟ While Joseph wrapped your Son in a shroud and laid him in the tomb?

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May she whose feast we celebrate, the Virgin of virgins, intercede for us to the Lord.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 8

Letter 25 to the Church of Vercelli, near the end

Mary, the Mother of the Lord, stood before the Cross of her Son. No one taught me this except the holy John the Evangelist. Others wrote of the world shaken at the Lord's Passion, the sky covered with darkness, the sun fleeing; of the thief received into paradise, but after his pious confession. John taught what the others did not teach: how he, placed on the Cross, addressed his Mother. It is thought more significant that the victor over torments rendered to his Mother the offices of piety than that he bestowed the heavenly kingdom. For if it is a holy thing that pardon was given to the thief, how much richer in piety is it that the Mother is honored with such great love by the Son.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Do not forget, with your whole heart, the sighing of your mother,

* That propitiation and blessing may be made complete.

℣ Hail, noble princess, first rose among Martyrs, and lily among Virgins.

℟ That propitiation and blessing may be made complete.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ That propitiation and blessing may be made complete.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the King of Angels lead us to the company of the citizens on high.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 9

Behold, he says, your son; behold, your mother. Christ made his testament from the Cross, and between mother and disciple distributed the duties of devotion. The Lord was making not only a public but also a private testament: and John, a witness worthy of so great a testator, was setting his seal to this testament of his. A good testament — not of money, but of eternal life; written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, who says: My tongue is the pen of a scribe writing swiftly.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

Te Deum

O God, we praise you; * O Lord, we acclaim you.

Eternal Father, * all the earth reveres you.

To you all the Angels, * the heavens and all the Powers of heaven:

To you the Cherubim and Seraphim * cry out in endless praise:

(A bow is made) Holy, Holy, Holy * Lord God of hosts;

Heaven and earth are filled * with the majesty of your glory.

The glorious choir of Apostles * sings to you,

the noble company of Prophets * praises you,

the white-robed army of Martyrs * glorifies you.

Holy Church throughout the earth * proclaims you,

the Father * of boundless majesty;

your true and only Son, * worthy of adoration;

and the Holy Spirit, * the Paraclete.

You, O Christ, * are the King of glory.

You are * the Father's everlasting Son.

(A bow is made) When you resolved to save the human race, * you did not spurn the Virgin's womb.

You overcame the sting of death * and opened the Kingdom of Heaven to those who put their faith in you.

You are seated at the right hand of God * in the glory of the Father.

We believe you are the Judge * who is to come.

(The following verse is said kneeling) And so we beg you, help your servants, * redeemed by your most precious blood.

Number them * among your Saints in eternal glory.

Save your people, Lord, * and bless your inheritance.

Shepherd them * and raise them to eternal life.

Day by day * we bless you,

(A bow is made, according to custom) and we praise your name * for endless ages evermore.

Be gracious, Lord, on this day, * and keep us from all sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, * have mercy.

May your mercy be upon us, Lord, * as we place our trust in you.

In you, O Lord, I rest my hope: * let me never be put to shame.

The rest is omitted unless Lauds is said separately.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

Let us pray.

O God, in whose Passion the sword of sorrow pierced the most sweet soul of the glorious Virgin and Mother Mary, according to the prophecy of Simeon: graciously grant that we who reverently commemorate her sorrows may happily obtain the saving effect of your Passion:

Who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

℣ Let us bless the Lord.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℣ May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

℟ Amen.