Sext (Midday Prayer)
INTRODUCTION
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
Hymn
Lord God and Maker of all things,
Creation is upheld by you.
While all must change and know decay,
You are unchanging, always new.
You are man’s solace and his shield,
His Rock secure on which to build.
You are the spirit’s tranquil home,
In you alone is hope fulfilled.
To God the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit render praise:
Blest Trinity, from age to age
The strength of all our living days.
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal
The psalms of the day are shown here. If you are reciting more than one daytime hour (Terce, Sext, None) today, use the psalms of the day at one hour and the complementary psalms at the others.
PSALMS OF THE DAY
Psalm 118(119): 49-56
I have kept your precepts in the land of my exile.
Remember how you gave your word to your servant,
for thus you gave me hope.
It was this that consoled me in my distress,
for your promise gave me life.
The proud laughed themselves sick over me,
but I did not turn away from your law.
I remembered your eternal decrees, O Lord,
and they brought me consolation.
I was seized with indignation
at the sinners who abandon your law.
I made your statutes into songs
to sing in my exile.
At night I remembered your name, O Lord,
and I will keep your law.
This will be to my credit:
that I followed your precepts.
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.
I have kept your precepts in the land of my exile.
Psalm 52 (53)
The folly of the lawless
The Lord will deliver his people from bondage and we will rejoice.
The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’.
They are corrupt and they do vile things:
not one of them does good.
From heaven the Lord looks down on the sons of men
to see if any understand, and seek God.
All have fallen away, each as corrupt as the other.
Not one of them does good, not even one.
They must know what they are doing, those who do evil,
who eat up my people like so much bread.
They did not call on the Lord,
so they tremble with fear
when there is no reason to be afraid.
Since God has scattered the bones
of those who besieged you,
they are disgraced because God has rejected them.
Who will bring Israel salvation from Zion?
When the Lord delivers his people from captivity,
Jacob will exult and Israel will rejoice.
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 Lord will deliver his people from bondage and we will rejoice.
Psalm 53 (54)
A plea for help
I have God for my help. The Lord upholds my life.
God, by your name, save me.
In your power, God, judge me.
God, listen to my prayer
and turn your ear to the words of my mouth.
The proud have risen up against me,
the strong seek to take my life.
They do not keep God in their hearts.
But God helps me,
and the Lord lifts up my soul.
Willingly I will sacrifice to you
and proclaim your name, O God,
proclaim your good name.
It has rescued me from all my troubles,
and my eyes look down on my enemies.
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.
I have God for my help. The Lord upholds my life.
OR:
At the daytime hours (Terce, Sext, None) when you don’t choose to use the psalms of the day, use the complementary psalms instead.
COMPLEMENTARY PSALMS
Psalm 122 (123)
The Lord guards his people
You, Lord, who dwell in the heavens, have mercy on us.
To you I lift up my eyes,
to you who dwell in the heavens.
Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,
like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,
so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,
as we wait for his kindness.
Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:
we have had our fill of contempt.
Our souls have had their fill
of the laughter of the rich,
of the contempt of the proud.
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.
You, Lord, who dwell in the heavens, have mercy on us.
Psalm 123 (124)
Our help is in the name of the Lord
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
If the Lord had not been with us
(so let Israel sing),
If the Lord had not been with us
when men rose up against us,
they might have skinned us alive,
such was their anger.
The waters could have drowned us,
the torrent poured over us,
the foaming waters poured over us.
Blessed be the Lord, who saved us
from being torn to pieces by their teeth.
We have escaped, like a bird
from the snare of the fowler.
The snare was broken,
and we escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
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.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Psalm 124 (125)
The Lord guards his people
The Lord surrounds his people both now and for ever.
Those who trust in the Lord are like the mountain of Zion:
it cannot be shaken, it will stand firm for ever.
Jerusalem – the mountains stand guard over it,
and the Lord stands guard over his people,
both now and for ever.
The sceptre of the wicked shall not rest
upon the inheritance of the just;
lest the just themselves stretch out their hands
and turn to wickedness.
Be good, O Lord, to the good
and the upright of heart.
As for those who turn away to crooked paths,
the Lord shall treat them like the doers of evil.
Peace be on Israel!
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 Lord surrounds his people both now and for ever.
CONCLUSION
Short Reading
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
©
Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.
℣. Holy Father, keep us true to your name.
℟. Grant that we may all be one.
Let us pray.
Almighty God,
who revealed to Peter your plan for the salvation of all men,
grant that our work may be acceptable to you
and that, by your grace, it may further your loving purpose of redemption.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
