Tuesday 31 December 2019
7th day within the octave of Christmas
Compline (Night Prayer)
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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 4
Thanksgiving
Lord, have mercy and hear me.
When I cáll, ánswer me, O Gód of jústice; *
from ánguish you reléased me, have mércy and héar me!
O mén, how lóng will your héarts be clósed, *
will you lóve what is fútile and séek what is fálse?
It is the Lórd who grants fávours to thóse whom he lóves; *
the Lórd héars me whenéver I cáll him.
Fear him; do not sín: pónder on your béd and be stíll *
Make jústice your sácrifice, and trúst in the Lórd.
‘What can bríng us háppiness?’ mány sáy. *
Líft up the líght of your fáce on us, O Lórd.
You have pút into my héart a gréater jóy *
than théy have from abúndance of córn and new wíne.
I will líe down in péace and sléep comes at ónce *
for yóu alone, Lórd, make me dwéll in sáfety.
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, have mercy and hear me.
Psalm-prayer
Give us hope, Lord, to steady our steps, for we walk by faith and not by earthly sight. May hope deepen our longing, perfect our love and lead us to our promised rest.
Or:
You consoled your Son in his anguish and released him from the darkness of the grave. Lord, turn your face toward us that we may sleep in your peace and rise in your light.
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Psalm 133 (134)
Evening prayer in the Temple
“Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who revere him, both great and small” (Rev 19:5).
Bless the Lord through the night.
O cóme, bléss the Lórd, *
all yóu who sérve the Lórd,
who stánd in the hóuse of the Lórd, *
in the cóurts of the hóuse of our Gód.
Lift up your hánds to the hóly pláce *
and bléss the Lórd through the níght.
May the Lórd bléss you from Síon, *
he who máde both héaven and éarth.
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.
Bless the Lord through the night.
Psalm-prayer
All your servants praise and thank you, Lord. Be our light as night descends. We lift up to you the good works of our hands; grant us your generous blessing.
Or:
Where two or three gather in your name, Lord, you promised to be with them and share their fellowship. Look down upon your family gathered here in your name, and graciously pour out your blessing upon us.
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Short Reading
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
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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.
Visit this house, we pray you, Lord:
drive far away from it all the snares of the enemy.
May your holy angels stay here and guard us in peace,
and let your blessing be always upon us.
Through Christ our Lord,
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.