Universalis
Wednesday 27 March 2024    (other days)
Wednesday of Holy Week 

Using calendar: Malta. You can pick a diocese or region.

Midday Prayer (Sext)


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.

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

Psalms of the day

Complementary psalms

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): 57-64

As the Father knows me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.
My part is to follow the Lord:
  I have promised to observe your words.
With all my heart I implore you to your face:
  take pity on me, as you have promised.
I have considered my paths
  and turned my footsteps to follow your decrees.
I have hurried, I have not delayed
  to keep your commandments.
The wicked have wound ropes around me,
  but still I remember your law.
In the dark of the night I rise and thank you
  for your just judgements.
I am one with all who fear you
  and keep your commandments.
The earth is filled with your loving kindness:
  Lord, teach me your statutes.
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 54 (55)
Against a faithless friend

Open your ears, O God, to my prayer,
  and do not hide when I call on you:
  turn to me and answer me.
My thoughts are distracted and I am disturbed
  by the voice of my enemy and the oppression of the wicked.
They let loose their wickedness on me,
  they persecute me in their anger.
My heart is tied in a knot
  and the terrors of death lie upon me.
Fear and trembling come over me;
  terror holds me tight.
I said, “Will no-one give me wings like a dove?
  I shall fly away and rest.
I shall flee far away
  and remain all alone.
I shall wait for him who will save me
  from the stormy wind and the tempest.”
Scatter them, Lord, and separate their tongues,
  for I see violence and conflict in the city.
By day and by night they circle it
  high on its battlements.
Within it are oppression and trouble;
  scheming and fraud fill its squares.
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 54 (55)

For if my enemy had slandered me,
  I think I could have borne it.
And if the one who hated me had trampled me,
  perhaps I could have hidden.
But you – a man just like me,
  my companion and my friend!
We had happy times together,
  we walked together in the house of God.
Let death break in upon them!
  Let them go down alive to the underworld,
  for wickedness shares their home.
As for me, I will call upon God,
  and the Lord will rescue me.
Evening, morning, noon – I shall watch and groan,
  and he will hear my voice.
He will redeem my soul
  and give it peace from those who attack me –
  for very many are my enemies.
God will hear and will bring them low,
  God, the eternal.
They will never reform:
  they do not fear God.
That man – he stretched out his hand against his allies:
  he corrupted his own covenant.
His face was smoother than butter,
  but his heart was at war;
his words were softer than oil,
  but they were sharp as drawn swords.
Throw all your cares on the Lord
  and he will give you sustenance.
  He will not let the just be buffeted for ever.
No – but you, Lord, will lead the wicked
  to the gaping mouth of destruction.
The men of blood and guile
  will not live half their days.
But I, Lord, will put my trust in 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.
As the Father knows me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.

Continue

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

As the Father knows me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.
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.
As the Father knows me, so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.

Continue

CONCLUSION


Scripture ReadingRomans 15:3 ©
Christ did not think of himself. The words of scripture apply to him: the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

℣. Ours were the sufferings he bore,
℟. Ours the sorrows he carried.

Let us pray.
By your will, Lord God,
  your Son underwent the agony of the cross
  to break the power of Satan over man.
Give your people grace to rise again with Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. 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 Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.

You can also view this page in Latin and English.


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