Ss. Fabiani et Sebastiani MartyrumSaints Fabian and Sebastian, Martyrs

℣ 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. The Lord, King of Martyrs, * come, let us adore.

Ant. The Lord, King of Martyrs, * come, let us adore.

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. The Lord, King of Martyrs, * come, let us adore.

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. come, let us adore.

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. The Lord, King of Martyrs, * come, let us adore.

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. come, let us adore.

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. The Lord, King of Martyrs, * come, let us adore.

℣ 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. come, let us adore.

Ant. The Lord, King of Martyrs, * come, let us adore.

With glad voices let us follow

the Blood poured out for Christ

and the victories of the Martyrs

and the laurel crown worthy of heaven.

With the terror of the world overcome

and the punishments of the body scorned,

by the swift passage of holy death

they possess the blessed life.

The Martyrs are given to the fire

and to the teeth of beasts;

the hand of the frenzied torturer

brandishes armed hooks.

Their naked bowels are exposed,

their sacred blood is shed;

but they remain unmoved,

by the grace of eternal life.

You now, O Redeemer, we implore,

that you join us who pray

to the fellowship of the Martyrs

through all eternal ages.

Amen.

At the Nocturn

Ant. Fairest in form * above the sons of men, grace has been poured upon your lips.

Psalm 44(2a-10b) [1]

44:2a My heart has uttered a good word. * I speak of my works to the king.

44:2b My tongue is like the pen of a scribe * who writes quickly.

44:3 You are more beautiful in form than the sons of men. † Grace has been poured freely into your lips. * Because of this, God has blessed you in eternity.

44:4 Fasten your sword to your thigh, * O most powerful one.

44:5a With your splendor and your excellence * extended, proceed prosperously, and reign

44:5b for the sake of truth and meekness and justice, * and so will your right hand lead you wondrously.

44:6 Your arrows are sharp; the people will fall under you, * into the hearts of the enemies of the king.

44:7 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. * The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of true aim.

44:8 You have loved justice and hated iniquity. * Because of this, God, your God, has anointed you, before your co-heirs, with the oil of gladness.

44:9 Myrrh and balsam and cinnamon perfume your garments, from the houses of ivory. * From these, they have delighted you: (10a) the daughters of kings in your honor.

44:10b The queen stood at your right hand, in clothing of gold, * encircled with diversity.

℣ 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. Fairest in form above the sons of men, grace has been poured upon your lips.

Ant. The peoples will praise you, * O God, for ever.

Psalm 44(11-18b) [2]

44:11 Listen, daughter, and see, and incline your ear. * And forget your people and your father’s house.

44:12 And the king will desire your beauty. * For he is the Lord your God, and they will adore him.

44:13 And the daughters of Tyre * will entreat your countenance with gifts: all the rich men of the people.

44:14 All the glory of the daughter of its king is inside, * in golden fringes, (15a) clothed all around with diversities.

44:15b After her, virgins will be led to the king. * Her neighbors will be brought to you.

44:16 They will be brought with gladness and exultation. * They will be led into the temple of the king.

44:17 For your fathers, sons have been born to you. * You will establish them as leaders over all the earth.

44:18a They will remember your name always, * for generation after generation.

44:18b Because of this, people will confess to you in eternity, * even forever and ever.

℣ 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. The peoples will praise you, O God, for ever.

Ant. God is our helper * in tribulations.

Psalm 45 [3]

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 tribulations.

Ant. Great is the Lord * and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.

Psalm 47 [4]

47:2 The Lord is great and exceedingly praiseworthy, * in the city of our God, on his holy mountain.

47:3 Mount Zion is being founded with the exultation of the whole earth, * on the north side, the city of the great king.

47:4 In her houses, God will be known, * since he will support her.

47:5 For behold, the kings of the earth have been gathered together; * they have convened as one.

47:6 Such did they see, and they were astonished: they were disturbed, they were moved. * Trembling took hold of them.

47:7 In that place, their pains were that of a woman in labor. * With a vehement spirit, you will crush the ships of Tarshish.

47:9 As we have heard, so we have seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God. * God has established it forever.

47:10 We have received your mercy, O God, * in the midst of your temple.

47:11 According to your name, O God, so does your praise reach to the ends of the earth. * Your right hand is full of justice.

47:12 Let mount Zion rejoice, and let the daughters of Judah exult, * because of your judgments, O Lord.

47:13 Encircle Zion and make the circuit of her. * Count her towers.

47:14 Set your hearts on her strength. * And consider her houses in detail, so that you may discourse of it in another generation.

47:15 For this is God, our God, in eternity and forever and ever. * He will rule us forever.

℣ 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. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.

Ant. My mouth will speak * wisdom: and the meditation of my heart, understanding.

Psalm 48(2-13) [5]

48:2 Hear these things, all nations. * Pay attention, all inhabitants of the world:

48:3 whoever is earth-born, you sons of men, * together as one, the rich and the poor.

48:4 My mouth will speak wisdom, * and the meditation of my heart will speak prudence.

48:5 I will incline my ear to a parable. * I will open my case with the psaltery.

48:6 Why should I fear in the evil day? * The iniquity at my heel will surround me.

48:7 Those who trust in their own strength * and who glory in the multitude of their riches,

48:8 no brother redeems, nor will man buy back. * He will not give to God his appeasement,

48:9 nor the price for the redemption of his soul. * And he will labor continuously, and he will still live, until the end.

48:11 He will not see death, when he sees the wise dying: * the foolish and the senseless will perish together.

48:11 And they will leave their riches to strangers. * And their sepulchers will be their houses forever,

48:12 their tabernacles from generation to generation. * They have called their names in their own lands.

48:13 And man, when he was held in honor, did not understand. * He has been compared to the senseless beasts, and he has become like them.

℣ 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 mouth will speak wisdom: and the meditation of my heart, understanding.

Ant. Do not fear: * his glory will not descend into the tomb with the rich man.

Psalm 48(14-21) [6]

48:14 This way of theirs is a scandal to them. * And afterwards, they will delight in their mouth.

48:15 They have been placed in Hell like sheep. * Death will feed on them.

48:15 And the just will have dominion over them in the morning. * And their help will grow old in Hell away from their glory.

48:16 Even so, truly God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hell, * when he will receive me.

48:17 Do not be afraid, when a man will have been made rich, * and when the glory of his house will have been multiplied.

48:18 For when he dies, he will take nothing away, * and his glory will not descend with him.

48:19 For his soul will be blessed in his lifetime, * and he will give thanks to you when you do good to him.

48:20 He will even enter with the progeny of his fathers, * but, even in eternity, he will not see the light.

48:21 Man, when he was in honor, did not understand. * He has been compared to the senseless beasts, and he has become like them.

℣ 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. Do not fear: his glory will not descend into the tomb with the rich man.

Ant. God of gods, * the Lord has spoken.

Psalm 49(1-15) [7]

49:1 The God of gods, the Lord has spoken, * and he has called the earth,

49:1 from the rising of the sun even to its setting, * from Zion, the brilliance of his beauty.

49:3 God will arrive manifestly. * Our God also will not keep silence.

49:3 A fire will flare up in his sight, * and a mighty tempest will surround him.

49:4 He will call to heaven from above, * and to the earth, to discern his people.

49:5 Gather his holy ones to him, * who establish his covenant by sacrifices.

49:6 And the heavens will announce his justice. * For God is the judge.

49:7 Listen, my people, and I will speak. Listen, Israel, and I will testify for you. * I am God, your God.

49:8 I will not reprove you for your sacrifices. * Moreover, your holocausts are ever in my sight.

49:9 I will not accept calves from your house, * nor he-goats from your flocks.

49:10 For all the wild beasts of the forest are mine: * the cattle on the hills and the oxen.

49:11 I know all the flying things of the air, * and the beauty of the field is with me.

49:12 If I should be hungry, I would not tell you: * for the whole world is mine, and all its plentitude.

49:13 Shall I gnaw on the flesh of bulls? * Or would I drink the blood of goats?

49:14 Offer to God the sacrifice of praise, * and pay your vows to the Most High.

49:15 And call upon me in the day of tribulation. * I will rescue you, and you will honor 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.

Ant. God of gods, the Lord has spoken.

Ant. Understand, * you who forget God.

Psalm 49(16-23) [8]

49:16 But to the sinner, God has said: * Why do you discourse on my justices, and take up my covenant through your mouth?

49:17 Truly, you have hated discipline, * and you have cast my sermons behind you.

49:18 If you saw a thief, you ran with him, * and you have placed your portion with adulterers.

49:19 Your mouth has abounded with malice, * and your tongue has concocted deceits.

49:20 Sitting, you spoke against your brother, and you set up a scandal against your mother’s son. * These things you have done, and I was silent.

49:21 You thought, unjustly, that I would be like you. * But I will reprove you, and I will set these things before your face.

49:22 Understand these things, you who forget God; * lest at any time, he might quickly take you away, and there would be no one to rescue you.

49:23 The sacrifice of praise will honor me. * And in that place is the journey by which I will reveal to him the salvation of 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. Understand, you who forget God.

Ant. You will accept a sacrifice * of justice upon your altar, O Lord.

Psalm 50 [9]

50:3a Be merciful to me, O God, * according to your great mercy.

50:3b And, according to the plentitude of your compassion, * wipe out my iniquity.

50:4 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, * and cleanse me from my sin.

50:5 For I know my iniquity, * and my sin is ever before me.

50:6 Against you only have I sinned, and I have done evil before your eyes. * And so, you are justified in your words, and you will prevail when you are judged.

50:7 For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, * and in sinfulness did my mother conceive me.

50:8 For behold, you have loved truth. * The obscure and hidden things of your wisdom, you have manifested to me.

50:9 You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed. * You will wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow.

50:10 In my hearing, you will grant gladness and rejoicing. * And the bones that have been humbled will exult.

50:11 Turn your face away from my sins, * and erase all my iniquities.

50:12 Create a clean heart in me, O God. * And renew an upright spirit within my inmost being.

50:13 Do not cast me away from your face; * and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

50:14 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, * and confirm me with an unsurpassed spirit.

50:15 I will teach the unjust your ways, * and the impious will be converted to you.

50:16 Free me from blood, O God, the God of my salvation, * and my tongue will extol your justice.

50:17 O Lord, you will open my lips, * and my mouth will announce your praise.

50:18 For if you had desired sacrifice, I would certainly have given it, * but with holocausts, you will not be delighted.

50:19 A crushed spirit is a sacrifice to God. * A contrite and humbled heart, O God, you will not spurn.

50:20 Act kindly, Lord, in your good will toward Zion, * so that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.

50:21 Then you will accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations, and holocausts. * Then they will lay calves upon your altar.

℣ 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. You will accept a sacrifice of justice upon your altar, O Lord.

℣ You will give to my hearing joy and gladness.

℟ And the humbled bones will rejoice.

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 he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

From the Second Letter to the Corinthians

2 Cor 7:1-3

1 Therefore, having these promises, most beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.

2 Receive us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one.

3 I am not saying this to your condemnation. For we have told you before that you are in our hearts: to die together and to live together.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Do not destroy me on account of my iniquities:

* Neither in your final anger reserve my evils against me.

℣ Enter not into judgment with your servant, O Lord.

℟ Neither in your final anger reserve my evils against me.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May they whose feast we celebrate intercede for us to the Lord.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

2 Cor 7:4-7

4 Great is my confidence in you. Great is my glorying over you. I have been filled with consolation. I have a superabundant joy throughout all our tribulation.

5 For when we had arrived in Macedonia, our flesh had no rest. Instead, we suffered every tribulation: exterior conflicts, interior fears.

6 But God, who consoles the humble, consoled us by the arrival of Titus,

7 And not only by his arrival, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled among you. For he brought to us your desire, your weeping, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.

2 Cor 7:8-10

8 For though I made you sorrowful by my epistle, I do not repent. And if I did repent, having realized that the same epistle made you sorrowful, if only for a time;

9 Now I am glad: not because you were sorrowful, but because you were sorrowful unto repentance. For you became sorrowful for God, so that you might not suffer any harm from us.

10 For the sorrow that is according to God accomplishes a repentance which is steadfast unto salvation. But the sorrow that is of the world accomplishes death.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ My helper, to you will I sing, for you, O God, are my protector:

* O God, my mercy.

℣ I will be glad and exult in you, I will sing to your name, O Most High.

℟ O God, my mercy.

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

℟ O God, my mercy.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

Fabian, a Roman, governing the Church from Maximinus until Decius, divided the regions among seven deacons to have care of the poor. He created an equal number of subdeacons to gather the acts of the Martyrs written by the seven notaries. He likewise decreed that each year on the Thursday of the Lord's Supper the Chrism should be renewed, the old being burned. Finally, on the thirteenth day before the Kalends of February he was crowned with martyrdom, and was buried in the cemetery of Callixtus on the Appian Way. Sebastian, dear to Diocletian for his noble birth and valor, a commander of the first cohort, aided Christians, whose faith he privately professed, with his efforts and resources, and strengthened them in the confession of Christ. When this was reported to Diocletian, he attempted by every artifice to turn Sebastian away from faith in Christ. But when neither promises nor threats availed anything, he ordered him bound to a post and pierced with arrows. But God's servant, judged dead by the opinion of all, when a short while later he appeared before Diocletian in good health and charged his impiety more freely, was by order of the tyrant beaten with rods until he gave up the spirit.

℣ 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.

Look upon our weakness, almighty God: and, since the weight of our own actions burdens us, may the glorious intercession of your blessed Martyrs Fabian and Sebastian protect us.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son: who lives and reigns with you 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.