Terce (Mid-Morning Prayer)
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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.
At one of today's daytime hours (Terce, Sext, None), use the psalms of the day. At the others, use the complementary psalms, which are shown further down the page.
PSALMS OF THE DAY
Psalm 18 (19)
Praise of God, the Lord of the law |
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The days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
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.
The days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
Psalm 7
Prayer of the just man under persecution |
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The days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
I put my hope in you, O Lord, my God.
Save me from all who persecute me,
save me and set me free.
Lest my enemy rip me to pieces like a lion
because no-one defends me.
If I have done this, O Lord, my God –
if my hands have done wickedness,
if I have done harm to those who harm me,
if I have ruined my enemy and sent him away with nothing –
then let my enemy pursue me and surround me;
let him pound my life into the ground,
let him drag my glory down to the dust.
Lord, rise up in wrath.
Rise up against the fury of my enemies.
My God, come out
to the trial that you commanded.
The assembly of the peoples will gather round you
and you will be above them –
the Lord judges the peoples.
Judge me, Lord, in your justice,
judge me according to the innocence that is mine.
Annihilate the wickedness of sinners
and set the righteous firm:
God, you are just and see into men’s hearts.
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 days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
The days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
My help comes from God,
who saves the upright of heart.
God is a just judge,
he is strong and his anger grows daily.
See, he has sharpened his sword once again,
he has stretched his bow and prepared it.
He has prepared to pour out death,
made ready his burning arrows.
See, the enemy is pregnant with wickedness,
he has conceived torment and given birth to evil.
He has opened a pit and excavated it –
and fallen into the pit he has dug.
His wickedness will rebound on his head;
on his head his own evil will fall.
I will proclaim the Lord and his justice.
I will sing psalms to his name,
the name of the Lord, the Most High.
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 days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
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 119 (120)
Longing for peace |
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The days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
I was in trouble, and cried to the Lord;
and he answered me.
Lord, free me from the lips of liars,
from deceitful tongues.
What will be given you, what will you receive,
deceitful tongue?
Sharp arrows from the warrior,
hardened in the flames.
Alas, I am an exile in Meshech;
I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
My soul has lived too long
with those who hate peace.
I am for making peace;
but whenever I spoke, they attacked me.
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 days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
Psalm 120 (121)
The guardian of the people |
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The days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
I shall lift my eyes to the hills:
where is my help to come from?
My help will come from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip:
he will not doze, your guardian.
Behold, he will not doze or sleep,
the guardian of Israel.
The Lord is your guardian, the Lord is your shade;
he is at your right hand.
By day the sun will not strike you;
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will guard you from all harm;
the Lord will guard your life.
The Lord will guard your coming and your going
both now and for ever.
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 days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
Psalm 121 (122)
Jerusalem, the holy city |
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The days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
They filled me with joy when they said,
“We will go to the house of the Lord.”
Now our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, built as a city,
whole and self-contained:
there the tribes have gone up,
the tribes of the Lord –
the witness of Israel,
to praise the Lord’s name.
For there are the thrones of justice,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“Safety for those who care for you,
peace inside your walls,
security within your ramparts!”
For my brethren and those near to me I will say
“Peace be upon you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will call blessings upon you.
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 days have come for us to do penance and atone for our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
CONCLUSION
| Short reading | Ezekiel 33:10,11 © |
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Our sins and crimes weigh heavily on us; we are wasting away because of them. How are we to go on living? As I live – it is the Lord who speaks – I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man, but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life.
Create a pure heart in me, O God.
– Put a steadfast spirit into me.
O God, our great and good Father, you have given mankind the gift of work so that we can strive together to reach higher things.
Grant, we ask you, that we may always work together as children of your family,
our lives filled with brotherly love for everyone.
Through Christ our Lord,
AMEN
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The downloadable versions of Universalis do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
