Nor cut us off unsparingly Our spirits strengthen with thy grace, From The Hymnal for the
ce,
In our so great iniquity.
Therefore with fasting and with prayer,
Our secret sorrow we declare;
With all good striving seek his face,
And lowly hearted plead for grace.
Cleanse us, O Lord, from ev’ry stain,
Help us the meed of praise to gain,
Till with the Angels linked in love
Joyful we tread thy courts above.
Father and Son and Spirit blest,
To thee be ev’ry prayer addrest,
Who art in Threefold Name adored,
From age to age, the only Lord. Amen.
14 Clarum decus ieiunii.
The glory of these forty days
We celebrate with songs of praise;
For Christ, by whom all things were
made,
Himself has fasted and has prayed.
Alone and fasting Moses saw
The loving God who gave the Law;
And to Elijah, fasting, came
The steeds and chariots of flame.
So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
Delivered from the lion’s might;
And John, the Bridegroom’s friend,
became
The herald of Messiah’s name.
Then grant us, Lord, like them to be
Full oft in fast and prayer with thee;
___________________________________________________________________
Prepared by Fr. Samuel F. Weber, O.S.B. 2018
For information regarding proper chant tones (Roman use), translators and copyright information, see The
Hymnal for the Hours, ed. by Fr. Samuel F. Weber, O.S.B., available on LULU, or contact webersfl@gmail.com
From The Hymnal for the Hours
And give us joy to see thy face.
Father and Son and Spirit blest,
To thee be ev’ry prayer addrest,
Who art in Threefold Name adored,
From age to age, the only Lord. Amen.
15 Quicumque certum quæritis.
All ye who seek a comfort sure
In trouble and distress,
Whatever sorrow vex the mind,
Or guilt the soul oppress,
Jesus, who gave himself for you
Upon the Cross to die,
Opens to you his Sacred Heart;
O to that Heart draw nigh.
Ye hear how kindly he invites;
Ye hear his words so blest—
“All ye that labor come to me,
And I will give you rest.”
O Jesus, joy of Saints on high,
Thou hope of sinners here,
Attracted by those loving words
To thee I lift my prayer.
Wash thou my wounds in that dear In joy to take our cross each day,
Blood
Which forth from thee doth flow;
New grace, new hope inspire, a new
And better heart bestow.
All praise to thee, O Lord, whose Heart
Of grace is a rich store,
To Father and to Comforter
Now and for evermore. Amen.
IV. LENT
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At Vespers
1 Audi, benigne Conditor.
O merciful Creator, hear!
To us in pity bow thine ear:
Accept the tearful prayer we raise
In this our fast of forty days.
Our hearts are open, Lord, to thee;
Thou knowest our infirmity;
Pour out on all who seek thy face
Abundance of thy pard’ning grace.
Our sins are many, this we know;
Spare us, good Lord, thy mercy show;
And for the honor of thy Name
Our fainting souls to life reclaim.
Give us the self-control that springs
From discipline of outward things,
That fasting inward, secretly
The soul may purely dwell with thee.
We pray thee, Holy Trinity,
One God, unchanging Unity,
That we, from this our abstinence
May reap the fruits of penitence. Amen.
2 Iesu, quadragenariæ.
O Jesus Christ, from thee began
This healing for the soul of man,
By fasting sought, by fasting found,
Through forty days of yearly round.
Therefore, behold thy Church, O Lord,
And grace of penitence accord
To all who seek with gen’rous tears
Renewal of their wasted years.
Forgive the sin that we have done,
Forgive the course that we have run,
And show henceforth in evil day
Thyself our helper and our stay.
But now let ev’ry heart prepare
By sacrifice of fast and prayer,
To keep with peace and joy untold
The solemn Easter festival.
At Compline
3 Te lucis ante terminum.
Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray,
That with thy constant favor thou
Wouldst be our Guard and Keeper now.
Allow our hearts to dream of thee,
Thee through the sleep of night to see,
Then, with the light of dawn may we
Thy glory praise unceasingly.
O grant us health of life once more;
The warmth of day to us restore,
And pierce the gloomy dark of night
With splendid beams of thy pure light.
O blessèd, Triune God, we pray
That mercy, prayer and holy fast
Bear fruit in Paschal life at last. Amen.
4 Christe, qui lux es et dies.
O Christ, who art the Light and Day,
Thou drivest darksome night away!
We know thee as the Light of light,
Illuminating mortal sight.
All holy Lord, we pray to thee,
Keep us tonight from danger free;
Grant us, dear Lord, in thee to rest,
So be our sleep in quiet blest.
And while the eyes soft slumber take,
Still be the heart to thee awake;
Be thy right hand upheld above
Thy servants resting in thy love.
Yea, our defender, be thou nigh
To bid the pow’rs of darkness fly;
Keep us from sin; and guide for good
Thy servants purchased by thy Blood.
Remember us, dear Lord, we pray,
While in this mortal flesh we stay:
‘Tis thou who dost the soul defend —
Be present with us to the end.
Blest Three in One and One in Three,
Almighty God, we pray to thee
That thou wouldst now vouchsafe
to bless
Our fast with fruits of righteousness.
Amen.
At Office of Readings
5 Ex more docti mystico.
The fast as taught by holy lore,
We keep in solemn course once more:
The fast to all men known and bound
In forty days of yearly round.
The law and seers that were of old
In divers ways this Lent foretold,
Which Christ, all season’s King and
guide,
In after ages sanctified.
More sparing therefore let us make
The words we speak, the food we take,
Our sleep and mirth, — and closer barred
Be ev’ry sense in holy guard.
Avoid the evil thoughts that roll
Like waters o’er the heedless soul;
Nor let the foe occasion find
Our souls in slavery to bind.
We pray thee, Holy Trinity,
One God, unchanging Unity,
That we, from this our abstinence
May reap the fruits of penitence. Amen.
6 Nunc tempus acceptabile.
Now is the time acceptable,
Accorded us by God each year,
That moderation’s strength may heal
An ailing world from sin and woe.
While abstinence and self-denial
Restrain our wounded souls from sin,
The light of Christ grows brighter yet,
And Easter joy will soon be here.
Almighty God, help us, we pray,
To carry out our good intent,
That safely we may all attain
True Paschal joys that never end.
Let all creation worship you,
O blest, forgiving Trinity:
And we, by pardon born anew
Shall sing a new song to the Lord.
Amen.
At Lauds
7 Precemur omnes cernui.
In prayer together let us fall,
And cry for mercy, one and all,
And weep before the Judge’s feet,
And his avenging wrath entreat.
Thy grace have we offended sore,
By sins, O God, which we deplore;
But pour upon us from on high,
O pard’ning One, thy clemency.
Remember, thou, though frail we be,
That yet thine handiwork are we;
Nor let the honor of thy Name
Be by another put to shame.
Forgive the sin that we have wrought;
Increase the good that we have sought:
That we at length, our wanderings o’er,
May please Thee here and evermore.
Let all the world from shore to shore
Thee, gracious Trinity, adore;
Right soon thy loving pardon grant,
That we our new-made song may chant.
Amen.
8 Iam, Christe, sol iustitiæ.
Now Christ, thou Sun of Righteousness,
Let dawn our darkened spirits bless:
The light of grace to us restore
While day to earth returns once more.
Now days of grace with mercy flow,
O Lord, the gift of tears bestow,
To wash our stains in ev’ry part,
Whilst heav’nly fire consumes the heart.
Rise, crystal tears, from that same
source
From whence our sins derive their
course,
Nor cease, till hardened hearts relent,
And, softened by thy streams, repent.
Behold, the happy days return,
The days of joy for them that mourn;
May we of their indulgence share,
And bless the God who grants our
prayer.
Let all the world from shore to shore
Thee, gracious Trinity, adore;
Right soon thy loving pardon grant,
That we our new-made song may chant.
At Terce
9 Nunc, Sancte, nobis, Spiritus.
Come Holy Ghost, who ever One
Art with the Father and the Son,
It is the hour, our souls possess
With thy full flood of holiness.
Let flesh, and heart, and lips, and mind,
Sound fourth our witness to mankind;
And love light up our mortal frame,
Till others catch the living flame.
O blessèd, Triune God, we pray
In joy to take our cross each day,
That mercy, prayer and holy fast
Bear fruit in paschal joy at last. Amen.
At Sext
10 Rector potens, verax Deus.
O God of truth, O Lord of might,
Who order time and change aright,
Who clothe the splendid morning ray
And give the heat at noon of day:
Extinguish now each sinful fire,
And banish ev’ry ill desire:
And while you keep the body whole
Shed forth your peace upon the soul.
O blessèd, Triune God, we pray
In joy to take our cross each day,
That mercy, prayer and holy fast
Bear fruit in paschal joy at last. Amen.
At None
11 Rerum, Deus, tenax vigor.
O God, creation’s secret force,
Thyself unmoved, all motion’s source,
Who from the morn till evening’s ray
Through all its changes guid’st the day:
Grant us, when this short life is past,
The glorious evening that shall last;
That, by a holy death attained
Eternal glory may be gained.
O blessèd, Triune God, we pray
In joy to take our cross each day,
That mercy, prayer and holy fast
Bear fruit in paschal joy at last. Amen.
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12 General
O God, creator of us all,
From whom we come, to whom we go,
You look with pity on our hearts,
The weakness of our wills you know.
Forgive us all the wrong we do,
And purify each sinful soul.
What we have darkened, heal with
light,
And what we have destroyed, make
whole.
The fast by law and prophets taught,
By you, O Christ, was sanctified.
Bless all our penance, give us strength
To share the Cross on which you died.
O God of mercy, hear our prayer,
With Christ your Son, and Spirit blest.
Transcendant Trinity in whom
Created things all come to rest. Amen.
13 Ecce tempus idoneum.
Now is the healing time decreed
For sins of heart, of word or deed,
When we in humble fear record
The wrong that we have done the Lord;
Who, always merciful and good,
Has borne so long our wayward mood,