Friday 6 December 2019
Friday of the 1st week of Advent
Compline (Night Prayer)
(today)
The Compline after First or Second Vespers of a Sunday may be substituted for the Compline of a weekday.
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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.
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Examination of Conscience
This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.
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Hymn
Now that the daylight dies away,
By all thy grace and love,
Thee, Maker of the world, we pray
To watch our bed above.
Let dreams depart and phantoms fly,
The offspring of the night,
Keep us, like shrines, beneath thine eye,
Pure in our foe’s despite.
This grace on thy redeemed confer,
Father, co-equal Son,
And Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
Eternal Three in One.
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Psalm 87 (88)
The prayer of one gravely ill
“This is your hour; this is the reign of darkness” (Lk 22:53).
Lord my God, I call for help by day, I cry at night before you.
Lord my Gód, I call for hélp by dáy; *
I crý at níght befóre you.
Let my práyer cóme into your présence. *
O túrn your éar to my crý.
For my sóul is fílled with évils; *
my lífe is on the brínk of the gráve.
I am réckoned as óne in the tómb: *
I have réached the énd of my stréngth,
like óne alóne among the déad; *
like the sláin lýing in their gráves;
like thóse you remémber no móre, *
cut óff, as they áre, from your hánd.
You have láid me in the dépths of the tómb, *
in pláces that are dárk, in the dépths.
Your ánger weighs dówn upón me: *
I am drówned benéath your wáves.
You have táken awáy my fríends *
and máde me háteful in their síght.
Imprísoned, I cánnot escápe; *
my éyes are súnken with gríef.
I cáll to you, Lórd, all the day lóng; *
to yóu I strétch out my hánds.
Will you wórk your wónders for the déad? *
Will the shádes stánd and práise you?
Will your lóve be tóld in the gráve *
or your fáithfulness amóng the déad?
Will your wónders be knówn in the dárk *
or your jústice in the lánd of oblívion?
As for mé, Lord, I cáll to you for hélp: *
in the mórning my práyer comes befóre you.
Lórd, whý do you rejéct me? *
Whý do you híde your fáce?
Wrétched, close to déath from my yóuth, *
I have bórne your tríals; I am númb.
Your fúry has swépt down upón me; *
your térrors have útterly destróyed me.
They surróund me all the dáy like a flóod, *
they assáil me áll togéther.
Friend and néighbour you have táken awáy: *
my óne compánion is dárkness.
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.
Lord my God, I call for help by day, I cry at night before you.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, redeemer of all and author of our salvation, for us you went down to the realm of death and became free of death. Hear the prayers of your family and lift us from our slavery to evil, that we may be redeemed by you and see your Father’s glory.
Or:
Lord Jesus Christ, you chose to suffer and be overwhelmed by death in order to open the gates of death in triumph. Stay with us to help us on our pilgrimage; free us from all evil by the power of your resurrection. In the company of your saints, and constantly remembering your love for us, may we sing of your wonders in our Father’s house.
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Short Reading
(Jeremiah 14:9)
Lord, you are in our midst, we are called by your name. Do not desert us, O Lord our God!
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Short Responsory
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
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Canticle
Nunc Dimittis
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel
Save us, Lord, while we are awake; protect us while we sleep; that we may keep watch with Christ and rest with him in peace.
At lást, all-pówerful Máster, †
you give léave to your sérvant *
to go in péace, accórding to your prómise.
For my éyes have séen your sálvation *
which you have prepáred for all nátions,
the líght to enlíghten the Géntiles *
and give glóry to Ísrael, your péople.
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.
Save us, Lord, while we are awake; protect us while we sleep; that we may keep watch with Christ and rest with him in peace.
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Let us pray.
Give us grace, almighty God,
so to unite ourselves in faith with your only Son,
who underwent death and lay buried in the tomb,
that we may rise again in newness of life with him,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
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The Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
Amen.
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Marian Anthem
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Mother of Christ! Hear thou thy people’s cry,
Star of the deep, and portal of the sky!
Mother of him who thee from nothing made,
Sinking we strive, and call to thee for aid:
Oh, by that joy which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.
Alma Redemptóris Mater,
quæ pérvia cæli porta manes,
et stella maris,
succúrre cadénti,
súrgere qui curat, pópulo;
tu quæ genuísti, natúra miránte,
tuum sanctum Genitórem,
Virgo prius ac postérius,
Gabriélis ab ore
sumens illud Ave,
peccatórum miserére.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.