None (Afternoon 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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Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
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.
Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
Psalm 7
Prayer of the just man under persecution |
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Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
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.
Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
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.
Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
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 125 (126)
Gladness and hope in the Lord |
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Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
When the Lord gave Zion back her captives, we became like dreamers.
Our mouths were filled with gladness and our voices cried in exultation.
Among the Gentiles they were saying,
“By his deeds the Lord has shown himself great.”
The Lord’s deeds showed forth his greatness,
and filled us with rejoicing.
Give us back our captives, O Lord,
as you renew the dry streams in the desolate South.
Those who sow in tears will rejoice at the harvest.
They wept as they went, went with seed for the sowing;
but with joy they will come, come bearing the sheaves.
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.
Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
Psalm 126 (127)
Without the Lord, we labour in vain |
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Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
If the Lord does not build the house,
its builders labour in vain.
If the Lord does not watch over a city,
its workmen guard it in vain.
It is vain for you to rise before the dawn
and go late to your rest,
eating the bread of toil –
to those he loves, the Lord gives sleep.
The Lord bestows sons as an heirloom,
the fruit of the womb as a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior –
so are the sons of one’s youth.
Happy the man who fills his quiver thus:
when he disputes with his enemies at the gate,
he will not be the loser.
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.
Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
Psalm 127 (128)
Peaceful life in the Lord |
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Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
Blessed are all who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways.
The food you have worked for, you will eat:
God’s blessing will bring you good things.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
on the side of your house.
Your children will be like olive shoots,
seated round your table.
See, this is how the man is blessed
who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion:
may you see the wealth of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
May you see your children’s children.
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.
Armed with the righteousness of God’s power, let us prove ourselves with great patience.
CONCLUSION
| Short reading | Jeremiah 31:2,3,4 © |
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The Lord says this: They have found pardon in the wilderness, those who have survived the sword. Israel is marching to his rest. I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you. I build you once more; you shall be rebuilt, virgin of Israel.
The true sacrifice is a broken spirit.
– A contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not refuse.
O God, you call us to you at the ninth hour, when the Apostles went up to the temple.
With sincerity we offer you our prayers in the name of Jesus:
may they bring his salvation to all who call upon his name.
Through Christ our Lord,
A M E N
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.
