Ss. Septem Fundatorum Ordinis Servorum B. M. V.

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

Here Begins the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to Philemon

Phlm 1:1-6

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, a brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow laborer,
2 and to Apphia, most beloved sister, and to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church which is in your house.
3 Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God, always keeping remembrance of you in my prayers,
5 (for I am hearing of your charity and faith, which you have in the Lord Jesus and with all the saints)
6 so that the participation of your faith may become evident by the recognition of every good work which is in you in Christ Jesus.

℟ I will sing of mercy and judgment to you, O Lord:

I will sing and understand in the blameless way, when you will come to me.

℣ I walked in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house.

℟ I will sing and understand in the blameless way, when you will come to me.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 2

Phlm 1:7-11

7 For I have found great joy and consolation in your charity, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.
8 Because of this, I have enough confidence in Christ Jesus to command you concerning certain things,
9 but I beg you instead, for the sake of charity, since you are so much like Paul: an old man and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10 I beg you, on behalf of my son, whom I have begotten in my chains, Onesimus,
11 who was useless to you in times past, but now is useful both to me and to you,

℟ O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you:

For you do not spurn, O God, the prayers of the poor.

℣ Let your ears be attentive to the prayer of your servant.

℟ For you do not spurn, O God, the prayers of the poor.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 3

Phlm 1:12-19

12 So I have sent him back to you. And may you receive him like my own heart.
13 I myself wanted to retain him with me, so that he might minister to me, on your behalf, while I am in the chains of the Gospel.
14 But I was willing to do nothing without your counsel, so as not to make use of your good deed as if out of necessity, but only willingly.
15 So perhaps, then, he departed from you for a time, so that you might receive him again for eternity,
16 no longer as a servant, but, in place of a servant, a most beloved brother, especially to me: but how much so more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord!
17 Therefore, if you hold me to be a companion, receive him as you would me.
18 But if he has harmed you in any way, or if he is in your debt, charge it to me.
19 I, Paul, have written this with my own hand.

℟ Hear me speedily, O God,

For my days have failed like smoke:
But you are the same, and your years will not fail.

℣ My days have declined like a shadow, and I have withered like grass.

℟ For my days have failed like smoke.

℣ 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.

℟ But you are the same, and your years will not fail.

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

In the thirteenth century, when the more cultivated peoples of Italy were being torn apart by the dreadful schism of Frederick II and by bloody factions, the provident mercy of God raised up, besides others illustrious for holiness, seven men from the Florentine nobility who, united in charity, might offer a splendid example of fraternal love. These, namely Bonfilius Monaldus, Bonagiunta Manettus, Manettus Antellensis, Amadeus de Amideis, Uguccio degli Uguccioni, Sosteneius de Sosteniis, and Alexis Falconieri, were each visited by an apparition of the Mother of God and admonished to embrace a holier and more perfect manner of life, while they were praying more fervently at a certain assembly of devout men called the Laudesi, on the feast day sacred to the Virgin assumed into heaven, in the thirty-third year of that century. And so, having first conferred with the bishop of Florence, these seven men, putting aside the nobility of their birth and their wealth, clothed in a coarse and worn haircloth garment, withdrew on the eighth of September to a certain rustic chapel, that on that day they might begin the first steps of a holier life, the very day on which the Mother of God herself, born of mortal parents, had begun her most holy life.

℟ You have made known to me, O Lord, the ways of life:

You will fill me with joy with your countenance: at your right hand are delights evermore.

℣ You are the one who will restore my inheritance to me.

℟ You will fill me with joy with your countenance: at your right hand are delights evermore.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 5

God showed by a miracle how acceptable to him was this manner of life. For when shortly thereafter these seven men were going from door to door through the city of Florence begging alms, it came to pass that suddenly by the voice of infants — among whom was Saint Philip Benizi, who had scarcely entered the fifth month of his age — they were acclaimed Servants of Blessed Mary: by which name they were thereafter always called. Therefore, led by love of solitude and the desire to avoid the gatherings of the people, they all assembled in the secluded heights of Monte Senario, and there undertook a certain heavenly manner of life. They lived in caves, content with water alone and herbs; they wore down their bodies with vigils and other austerities, meditating continually on the Passion of Christ and the sorrows of his most sorrowful Mother. When they were once observing this more earnestly on the sacred day of Good Friday, the Blessed Virgin herself appeared to them again, showed them a mournful garment to wear, and signified that it would be most pleasing to her if they were to establish a new religious order in the Church that would perpetually recall and promote the memory of the sorrows she had endured beneath the Cross of the Lord. When Saint Peter, the illustrious Martyr of the Order of Preachers, had learned this from his familiar association with those holy men and also from a special vision of the Mother of God, he urged them to establish a religious order under the name of Servants of the Blessed Virgin: which was afterward approved by Pope Innocent IV.

℟ I will love you, O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my firm foundation,

And my refuge.

℣ My deliverer, my God, my helper.

℟ And my refuge.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

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

Reading 6

Furthermore, when those holy men had joined to themselves more companions, they began to travel through the cities and towns of Italy, especially of Etruria, preaching Christ crucified everywhere, restraining civil discords, and calling back almost countless straying souls to the path of virtue. Nor did they cultivate Italy alone, but also Gaul, Germany, and Poland with their evangelical labors. Finally, when they had spread the good fragrance of Christ far and wide, distinguished also by the glory of miracles, they passed to the Lord. But those whom one love of true brotherhood and religion had united in life, a single tomb covered alike after death, and the veneration of the people followed them together. Wherefore Popes Clement the Eleventh and Benedict the Thirteenth confirmed the undivided cult rendered to them by many generations; and Leo the Thirteenth, after previously approving their miracles, and after the veneration granted for miracles wrought by God in response to their collective invocation, crowned them with the honors of the Saints in the fiftieth year of his priesthood, and ordained that their memory be commemorated each year throughout the whole Church with Office and Mass.

℟ The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof:

The world, and all who dwell in it.

℣ He himself has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.

℟ The world, and all who dwell in it.

℣ 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.

℟ The world, and all who dwell in it.

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.

℟ To you, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul:

O my God, in you I trust, let me not be put to shame.

℣ Guard my soul, and deliver me.

℟ O my God, in you I trust, let me not be put to shame.

℣ 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.

℟ Two Seraphim cried out one to the other:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts: * all the earth is filled with his glory.

℣ For there are Three who give testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. And these Three are One.

℟ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.

℣ 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.

℟ All the earth is filled with his glory.

℣ 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.

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.
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)

(Brethren, when they begin 'Te ergo quaesumus,' departing from the Stalls, let them reverently bow at the words 'Quos pretioso' and the rest)

And so we beg you, help your servants, * redeemed by your most precious blood.
Number them * among your Saints in eternal glory.
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.
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.