S. Benedicti Abbatis

Nocturn 1

Ant. The Lord our God has been mindful * for ever of his covenant.

Psalm 104(1-15)

104:1 Give praise to the Lord and call upon his name: * declare his works among the nations.
104:2 Sing to him, and sing praise to him: * tell all his wondrous works.
104:3 Be praised in his holy name: * let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
104:4 Seek the Lord, and be confirmed: * seek his face always.
104:5 Remember his miracles, which he has done: * his portents, and the judgments of his mouth:
104:6 You offspring of Abraham his servant: * you sons of Jacob, his elect.
104:7 He is the Lord our God: * his judgments are throughout the entire earth.
104:8 He has remembered his covenant for all ages: * the word that he entrusted to a thousand generations,
104:9 which he assigned to Abraham: * and his oath to Isaac:
104:10 And he stationed the same for Jacob with a precept: * and for Israel with an eternal testament:
104:11 saying: To you I will give the land of Canaan, * the allotment of your inheritance.
104:12 Though they may have been but a small number, * very few, and foreigners there:
104:13 and though they passed from nation to nation, * and from one kingdom to another people.
104:14 He allowed no man to harm them: * and he reproved kings on their behalf.
104:15 Do not be willing to touch my anointed ones: * and do not be willing to malign my prophets.

℣ 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 Lord our God has been mindful for ever of his covenant.

Ant. The Lord increased * his people: and strengthened them against their enemies.

Psalm 104(16-27)

104:16 And he called a famine upon the land: * and he crushed every foundation of the bread.
104:17 He sent a man before them: * Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.
104:18 They humbled his feet in shackles; the iron pierced his soul, * until his word arrived.
104:19 The eloquence of the Lord inflamed him: * the king sent, and released him; the ruler of the peoples, and he dismissed him.
104:21 He established him as master of his house: * and ruler of all his possessions:
104:22 so that he might instruct his princes as himself: * and teach his elders prudence.
104:23 And Israel entered into Egypt: * and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.
104:24 And he helped his people greatly: * and he strengthened them over their enemies.
104:25 He turned their heart to hate his people: * and to deal deceitfully with his servants.
104:26 He sent Moses, his servant: * and Aaron, the one whom he chose.
104:27 He placed with them signs of his word: * and portents in the land of Ham.

℣ 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 Lord increased his people: and strengthened them against their enemies.

Ant. God led out * his people in exultation, and his chosen ones in gladness.

Psalm 104(28-45)

104:28 He sent darkness and made it conceal: * and he did not afflict them with his speech.
104:29 He turned their waters into blood: * and he slaughtered their fish.
104:30 Their land brought forth frogs: * even in the inner chambers of their kings.
104:31 He spoke, and there came forth common flies: * and gnats, in every region.
104:32 He gave them a shower of hail: * and a burning fire, in the same land.
104:33 And he struck their vineyards and their fig trees: * and he crushed the trees of their region.
104:34 He spoke, and the locust came forth, and the caterpillar, * of which there was no number:
104:35 And it devoured all the grass in their land: * and it consumed all the fruit of their land.
104:36 And he struck all the first-born in their land: * the first-fruits of all their labor.
104:37 And he led them out with silver and gold: * and there was not an infirm one among their tribes.
104:38 Egypt was joyful at their departure: * for the fear of them lay heavy upon them.
104:39 He spread a cloud for their protection: * and a fire, to give them light through the night.
104:40 They petitioned, and the quail came: * and he satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
104:41 He ruptured the rock and the waters flowed: * rivers gushed in the dry land;
104:42 For he had called to mind his holy word: * which he kept near to his servant Abraham.
104:43 And he led forth his people in exultation, * and his elect in rejoicing.
104:44 And he gave them the regions of the Gentiles: * and they possessed the labors of the peoples:
104:45 So that they might observe his justifications, * and inquire about his law.

℣ 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 led out his people in exultation, and his chosen ones in gladness.

℣ The Lord was mindful of his holy word.

℟ Which he spoke to Abraham, his servant.

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.

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

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 1

From the Book of Sirach

Sir 44:1-5

1 Let us praise the men of glory, and our ancestors in their generation.
2 The Lord has wrought great glory, by his own magnificence, from ancient times.
3 There are those who rule with their authority, men of great virtue, who are gifted with prudence. There are those who announce among the prophets, with the dignity of prophets.
4 And there are those who rule over the present generation, by the virtue of prudence, with very holy words for the people.
5 There are those who, by their skill, compose musical themes, so as to set the verses of Scripture to music.

℟ The face of Moses shone brightly when the Lord looked upon him:

The elders, beholding the glory of his countenance, were struck with great wonder and awe.

℣ And when he came down from Mount Sinai, he carried the two tablets of the testimony, not knowing that his face was radiant from his converse with God.

℟ The elders, beholding the glory of his countenance, were struck with great wonder and awe.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 2

Sir 44:6-9

6 There are men rich in virtue, who make a study of beauty, who live in peacefulness in their houses.
7 All these obtained glory in their generations, and they had praise in their days.
8 They left behind a name for those who were born of them, so that their praises might be described.
9 But for some of them, there is no memorial. They have passed away as if they had never existed; and they have become as if they had never been born, and their sons along with them.

℟ Behold, I send my Angel, who shall go before you, and keep you always:

Observe and hear my voice, and I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will afflict those who afflict you; and my Angel shall go before you.

℣ Israel, if you would listen to me, there will be no new god among you, neither will you adore a foreign god; for I am the Lord.

℟ Observe and hear my voice, and I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will afflict those who afflict you; and my Angel shall go before you.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May the mercy of Christ lead us to the joys of paradise.

Reading 3

Sir 44:10-15

10 But these were men of mercy, whose pious deeds have not failed.
11 Good things continue with their offspring.
12 Their descendents are a holy inheritance, and their offspring stand firm in the covenants.
13 And because of them, their sons remain even unto eternity. Their offspring and their glory will not be forsaken.
14 Their bodies were buried in peace, and their name lives on, from generation to generation.
15 Let the people declare their wisdom, and let the Church announce their praise.

℟ Attend, O my people, to my law:

Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

℣ I will open my mouth in parables: I will speak of things proposed from the beginning of the world.

℟ Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

℣ 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.

℟ Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

Nocturn 2

Ant. The Lord saved them * for his name's sake.

Psalm 105(1-15)

105:1 Confess to the Lord, for he is good: * for his mercy is with every generation.
105:2 Who will declare the powers of the Lord, * who will make a hearing for all his praises?
105:3 Blessed are those who keep judgment, * and who do justice at all times.
105:4 Remember us, O Lord, with good will for your people: * visit us with your salvation:
105:5 so that we may see the goodness of your elect, so that we may rejoice in the joy of your nation: * so that you may be praised along with your inheritance.
105:6 We have sinned, as have our fathers: * we have acted unjustly; we have wrought iniquity.
105:7 Our fathers did not understand your miracles in Egypt: * they did not remember the multitude of your mercies.
105:7 And they provoked you, while going up to the sea, * the Red Sea.
105:8 And he saved them for the sake of his name: * so that he might make known his power.
105:9 And he rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up, * and he led them into the abyss, as if into a desert.
105:10 And he saved them from the hand of those who hated them: * and he redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
105:11 And the water covered those who troubled them: * not one of them remained.
105:12 And they believed his words: * and they sang his praises.
105:13 As soon as they had finished, they forgot his works: * and they would not endure his counsel.
105:14 And they coveted their desire in the desert: * and they tempted God in a waterless place.
105:15 And he granted to them their request: * and he sent abundance into their souls.

℣ 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 Lord saved them for his name's sake.

Ant. They forgot God * who saved them.

Psalm 105(16-31)

105:16 And they provoked Moses in the camp: * and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
105:17 The earth opened and swallowed Dathan: * and it covered the congregation of Abiram.
105:18 And a fire broke out in their congregation: * a flame burned up the sinners.
105:19 And they fashioned a calf at Horeb, * and they adored a graven image.
105:20 And they exchanged their glory * for the likeness of a calf that eats hay.
105:21 They forgot God, who saved them, * who did great things in Egypt, wonders in the land of Ham, and terrible things at the Red Sea.
105:23 And he said that he would destroy them: * yet Moses, his elect, stood firm before him in the breach,
105:24 in order to avert his wrath, lest he destroy them: * and they held the desirable land to be nothing.
105:25 They did not trust in his word, and they murmured in their tabernacles: * they did not heed the voice of the Lord.
105:26 And he lifted up his hand over them: * in order to prostrate them in the desert:
105:27 and in order to cast their offspring among the nations: * and to scatter them among the regions.
105:28 And they were initiated into Baal of Peor: * and they ate the sacrifices of the dead.
105:29 And they provoked him with their inventions: * and ruination was multiplied in them.
105:30 Then Phinehas stood up and placated him: * and so the violent disturbance ceased.
105:31 And it was reputed to him unto justice: * from generation to generation, even 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. They forgot God who saved them.

Ant. When they were in tribulation * the Lord saw them: and heard their prayer.

Psalm 105(32-48)

105:32 And they provoked him at the Waters of Contradiction: * and Moses was afflicted because of them,
105:33 for they exasperated his spirit: * and so he divided them with his lips.
105:35 And they were mixed among the Gentiles, and they learned their works; and they served their graven images: * and it became a scandal to them.
105:37 And they sacrificed their sons, * and their daughters, to demons.
105:38 And they shed innocent blood: * the blood of their sons and of their daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan.
105:39 And the land was infected with bloodshed, and was contaminated with their works: * and they fornicated according to their own inventions.
105:40 And the Lord became furiously angry with his people: * and he abhorred his inheritance.
105:41 And he handed them over into the hands of the nations: * and those who hated them held dominion over them.
105:42 And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands: * many times he delivered them.
105:43 But they provoked him with their counsel: * and they were brought low by their iniquities.
105:44 And he saw, when they were in tribulation: * and he heard their prayer.
105:45 And he was mindful of his covenant: * and he repented according to the multitude of his mercies.
105:46 And he provided for them with mercies * in the sight of all those who had seized them.
105:47 Save us, O Lord our God: * and gather us from the nations:
105:47 That we may give thanks to your holy name: * and glory in your praise.
105:48 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, from age to age: * and let all the people say: Amen. Amen.

℣ 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. When they were in tribulation the Lord saw them: and heard their prayer.

℣ The mouth of the just man shall meditate wisdom.

℟ And his tongue shall speak judgment.

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.

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

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 4

Benedict, of noble birth from Norcia, educated in the liberal disciplines at Rome, in order to give himself wholly to Jesus Christ, penetrated into a very deep cave in the place called Subiaco; in which he lay hidden for three years, so that only one Roman monk, Romanus, who served him in the necessities of life, knew of this. While therefore on a certain day burning temptations to lust were stirred up in him by the devil, he rolled himself for a long time in thorns, until, with his body lacerated, the sense of pleasure was overcome by pain. But when the fame of his holiness began to spread abroad from those hiding places, certain monks entrusted themselves to him to be formed by him; whose license of living, being unable to bear his reproofs, resolved to give him poison in his drink. But when they presented the cup to him, he shattered the vessel with the sign of the Cross, and, leaving the monastery, withdrew again into solitude.

℟ Your way is in the sea, and your paths are in the great waters:

You led your people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

℣ You brought them through the Red Sea, and carried them through the mighty waters.

℟ You led your people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 5

But when many disciples came to him daily, he built twelve monasteries and fortified them with most holy rules. Afterward he moved to Cassino, where he broke the image of Apollo that was still worshiped there, overturned the altar, and burned the sacred groves; and there he built a chapel of Saint Martin and a small church of Saint John, and instructed the townspeople and inhabitants in the Christian precepts. Wherefore, the divine grace increased in Benedict day by day, so that he also foretold things to come by the spirit of prophecy. When Totila, king of the Goths, heard of this, and wished to test whether it were so, he sent ahead his swordbearer in royal attire and with a royal retinue, to pretend to be the king. But when he saw him, Benedict said: "Put off, my son, put off what you are wearing, for it does not belong to you." And to Totila himself he foretold his coming to the City, his crossing of the sea, and his death after nine years.

℟ Those who persecuted your people, O Lord, you drowned in the deep:

And in a pillar of cloud you were their guide.

℣ You led your people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

℟ And in a pillar of cloud you were their guide.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 6

Some months before he departed this life, he forewarned his disciples on what day he was to die; and he ordered his tomb, in which he wished his body to be placed, to be opened six days before he was to be laid in it. On the sixth day he wished to be brought to the church, where, having received the Eucharist and lifting his eyes to heaven in prayer, amid the hands of his disciples he breathed forth his soul. Two monks saw it going to heaven, adorned with a most precious mantle; and with gleaming lamps all around it, they heard a man of most luminous and grave countenance, standing above his head, saying: This is the way by which the beloved of the Lord, Benedict, ascends to heaven.

℟ Moses, the servant of God, fasted forty days and forty nights:

that he might merit to receive the law of the Lord.

℣ Moses went up on Mount Sinai to the Lord, and he was there forty days and forty nights.

℟ that he might merit to receive the law of 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.

℟ that he might merit to receive the law of the Lord.

Nocturn 3

Ant. They cried out to the Lord * and he delivered them from their distress.

Psalm 106(1-14)

106:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: * for his mercy endures for ever.
106:2 Let those who have been redeemed by the Lord say so, those whom he redeemed from the hand of the enemy: * and gathered them from the regions:
106:3 From the rising of the sun and its setting: * from the north and from the sea.
106:4 They wandered in solitude in a waterless place: * they did not find the way to a city of habitation.
106:5 Hungry and thirsty: * their soul fainted within them.
106:6 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation: * and he rescued them from their necessity.
106:7 And he led them in the right way: * that they might go forth to a city of habitation.
106:8 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders to the sons of men.
106:9 For he has satisfied the empty soul: * and the hungry soul he has filled with good things.
106:10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death: * shackled in poverty and in iron.
106:11 For they had provoked the words of God: * and had spurned the counsel of the Most High.
106:12 And their heart was brought low with hardships: * they were weakened, and there was no one to help them.
106:13 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation: * and he freed them from their distress.
106:14 And he led them out of darkness and the shadow of death: * and he broke apart their chains.

℣ 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 cried out to the Lord and he delivered them from their distress.

Ant. They themselves saw * the works of God and his wonders.

Psalm 106(15-30)

106:15 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders to the sons of men.
106:16 For he has crushed the gates of brass: * and broken the iron bars.
106:17 He has taken them up from the way of their iniquity: * for they were brought low because of their injustices.
106:18 Their soul abhorred all food: * and they drew near even to the gates of death.
106:19 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation: * and he delivered them from their necessity.
106:20 He sent his word, and healed them: * and rescued them from their utter destruction.
106:21 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders to the sons of men.
106:22 And let them offer sacrifice with the sacrifice of praise: * and declare his works in exultation.
106:23 Those who descend to the sea in ships, * making their livelihood in the great waters:
106:24 These have seen the works of the Lord, * and his wonders in the deep.
106:25 He spoke, and a windstorm arose: * and its waves were exalted.
106:26 They ascend even to the heavens, and descend even to the abyss: * their soul wasted away in distress.
106:27 They were troubled and moved like a drunkard: * and all their wisdom was consumed.
106:28 And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation: * and he led them out of their distress.
106:29 And he replaced the storm with a breeze: * and its waves were stilled.
106:30 And they rejoiced that it was stilled: * and he led them into the haven they desired.

℣ 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 themselves saw the works of God and his wonders.

Ant. The righteous shall see * and rejoice, and shall understand the mercies of the Lord.

Psalm 106(31-43)

106:31 Let them confess to the Lord his mercies: * and his wonders to the sons of men.
106:32 And let them exalt him in the assembly of the people: * and praise him in the chair of the elders.
106:33 He has placed rivers in the desert: * and sources of water in a waterless land.
106:34 A fruit-bearing land into brine: * because of the malice of those who dwell in it.
106:35 He has placed the desert in pools of water: * and a land without water in sources of water.
106:36 And he has gathered the hungry there: * and they have built a city of habitation.
106:37 And they sowed fields and planted vineyards: * and they yielded the fruit of their increase.
106:38 And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly: * and their cattle he did not diminish.
106:39 And they became few: * and were afflicted by the tribulation of evils and sorrow.
106:40 Contempt was poured out upon their leaders: * and he caused them to wander in trackless places and not on the way.
106:41 And he helped the poor man out of destitution: * and set families like flocks.
106:42 The upright will see and rejoice: * and every iniquity will stop its mouth.
106:43 Who is wise and will keep these things? * And who will understand the mercies of 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. The righteous shall see and rejoice, and shall understand the mercies of the Lord.

℣ The law of his God is in his heart.

℟ And his steps shall not be overthrown.

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.

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

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

Reading 7

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Matt 19:27-29

At that time: Peter said to Jesus: Behold, we have left behind all things, and we have followed you. So then, what will be for us? And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Jerome the Priest.

Lib. 3. in Matth. cap. 19.

Great confidence! Peter was a fisherman; he had not been wealthy; he earned his food by hand and by craft. And yet he speaks with confidence: We have left behind all things. And because it is not enough merely to leave things behind, he adds what is perfect: And we have followed you. We have done what you commanded; what reward, then, will you give us? But Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, at the resurrection, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, shall also sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He did not say: Who have left behind all things — for the philosopher Crates also did this, and many others despised riches; but: Who have followed me — which belongs properly to the Apostles and to believers.

℟ These are they who, living in the flesh, planted the Church with their blood:

They drank the chalice of the Lord, and were made friends of God.

℣ Into all the earth their sound has gone forth, and to the ends of the world their words.

℟ They drank the chalice of the Lord, and were made friends of God.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benedictio. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

Reading 8

At the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit upon the throne of his majesty — when even the dead shall rise incorruptible from corruption — you also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging, and you shall condemn the twelve tribes of Israel: because while you believed, they refused to believe. And everyone who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields for my name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess eternal life. This passage accords with that saying in which the Saviour speaks: "I have not come to send peace, but a sword. For I have come to separate a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law: and a man's enemies shall be those of his own household." Those, therefore, who for the faith of Christ and the preaching of the Gospel have despised all affections, and riches, and the pleasures of the world, shall receive a hundredfold and shall possess eternal life.

℟ These are holy men, whom the Lord chose in unfeigned charity, and gave them everlasting glory:

By whose teaching the Church shines as the moon by the sun.

℣ The Saints through faith conquered kingdoms: they wrought justice.

℟ By whose teaching the Church shines as the moon by the sun.

℣ 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.

℟ By whose teaching the Church shines as the moon by the sun.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 9

On the occasion of this passage, certain people introduce the thousand years after the Resurrection, saying that then the hundredfold of all the things we have left behind, along with eternal life, is to be rendered to us: not understanding that, if the reward were fitting in the other cases, in the matter of wives it would appear unseemly — that he who has left one wife for the Lord's sake should receive a hundred in the future. The meaning, therefore, is this: he who has left carnal things for the Saviour's sake shall receive spiritual ones: which, by comparison and by their own worth, will be as if a hundredfold number were compared with a small number.

℟ Attend, O my people, to my law:

Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

℣ I will open my mouth in parables: I will speak of things proposed from the beginning of the world.

℟ Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

℣ 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.

℟ Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.