Sext (Midday 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. Alleluia.
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
Lord, lead me along the path of your commandments.
Lay down the law for me, Lord,
the way of your statutes,
and I will follow it always.
Give me understanding, and I will obey your law
and keep it with all my heart.
Lead me down the path of your commandments,
for that is the path I desire.
Turn my heart towards your precepts
and away from the pursuit of wealth.
Turn my eyes away from frivolous things:
let me live by following your path.
Keep your promises to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
Keep me from the insults I fear,
for your judgements are kind.
See how I long for your precepts;
and give me life by your righteousness.
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, lead me along the path of your commandments.
Psalm 33 (34)
The Lord, the salvation of the righteous |
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For those who seek the Lord there is no lack of good things.
I shall bless the Lord for ever:
my mouth will proclaim his praise.
My soul will glory in the Lord:
let the meek listen and rejoice.
Join me and proclaim the greatness of the Lord:
together let us exalt his name.
I sought the Lord and he listened to me:
he rescued me from all my fears.
Look to him and he will shine upon you,
and you will not be put to shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord answered him
and saved him from all his many troubles.
The angel of the Lord will build defences
round those who fear the Lord:
he will come to their rescue.
Taste and see that the Lord is kind:
happy the man who hopes in him.
Revere the Lord, his saints:
for those who fear him are never destitute.
The rich are hungry and in want,
but for those who seek the Lord
there is no lack of good things.
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.
For those who seek the Lord there is no lack of good things.
Seek peace and follow it.
Come, children, listen to me:
I shall teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life,
who wants to live long to enjoy good things?
Do not let your tongue speak evil:
let your lips not utter deceit.
Avoid evil, do good:
seek peace and follow it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the just
and his ears hear their cries;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil:
he wipes their memory from the earth.
The just cried out, and the Lord listened
and freed them from all their many troubles.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted:
the crushed in spirit he will save.
Many are the troubles of the just,
but the Lord will free them from all of them.
He will protect all their bones:
not one will be broken.
Their own evil destroys sinners:
those who hate the just will be punished.
The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants:
those who put their hope in him will not be punished.
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.
Seek peace and follow it.
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 |
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You who dwell in the heavens, take pity on us.
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.
You who dwell in the heavens, take pity on us.
Psalm 123 (124)
Our help is in the name of the Lord |
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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.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Psalm 124 (125)
The Lord guards his people |
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The Lord stands guard over his people, both now and for ever.
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.
The Lord stands guard over his people, both now and for ever.
CONCLUSION
| Short reading | Jeremiah 17:9-10 © |
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The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secrets? I, the Lord, search to the heart, I probe the loins, to give each man what his conduct and his actions deserve.
Save me from the faults I do not see.
– Save your servant from pride.
Lord, burning light of eternal love, may we always be on fire with that same love:
with that love may we love you above all and our brethren for your sake.
Through Christ our Lord,
A M E N
