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 18 (19)
Praise of God, the Lord of the law
Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The law of the Lord is spotless,
it refreshes the soul.
The teaching of the Lord can be trusted,
it gives wisdom to children.
The judgements of the Lord are right:
they give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the Lord are clear:
they give light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure:
it lasts through all ages.
The decrees of the Lord are true:
each one of them is just.
They are more desirable than gold,
than heaps of precious stones.
They are sweeter than honey,
than dripping honeycomb.
From them your servant learns;
keeping them brings rich rewards.
But who knows his own errors?
Save me from those I do not see.
Save me, your servant, from pride:
let it have no hold over me.
Then I will be spotless
washed clean of the gravest sin.
May the words of my mouth be pleasing
and the thoughts of my heart, in your sight.
O Lord, you are my helper,
O Lord, you are my redeemer.
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.
Psalm 46 (47)
The Lord is King
All nations, clap your hands;
cry out to God in exultation,
for the Lord, the Most High, is greatly to be feared,
and King over all the earth.
He has made whole peoples our subjects,
put nations beneath our feet.
He has chosen our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
God ascends amid rejoicing,
the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing to God, sing praise.
Sing to our king, sing praise.
God is king over the whole earth:
sing to him with all your skill.
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The nobles of the peoples join together
with the people of the God of Abraham,
for to God belong the armies of the earth;
he is high above all things.
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.
Psalm 47 (48)
Thanksgiving for the safety of the people
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain is a beautiful sight,
the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion is at its northernmost edge,
the city of the great king.
Here among its palaces,
God has shown himself as its refuge.
For the kings assembled,
made alliance against it –
but when they saw it, they were amazed.
Panic took them and they scattered.
Trembling took hold of them,
pain like that of childbirth.
With the east wind
you will destroy the ships of Tarshish.
What we had heard, we saw in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God has founded for ever.
We ponder your mercy, O God,
as we stand in your temple.
Your name, O Lord, and your praise
will reach to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand delivers justice.
Let Mount Zion be glad
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements.
Go round Zion, see it all,
count every tower.
Feel its strength,
visit its palaces,
so that you can tell the next generation –
Here is God, our God,
here he remains for ever;
and for ever he will lead us and guide 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.
Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
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
Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
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.
Psalm 123 (124)
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.
Psalm 124 (125)
The Lord guards his people
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.
Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.
CONCLUSION
Short Reading
1 John 4:9
©
God’s love for us was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him.
℣. All the ends of the earth stand in awe, alleluia.
℟. They have seen the saving power of our God, alleluia.
Let us pray.
God, our Father,
our human nature is the wonderful work of your hands,
made still more wonderful by your work of redemption.
Your Son took to himself our manhood:
grant us a share in the godhead of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
