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.
Come, Holy Spirit, 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 forth our witness to mankind,
And love light up our mortal frame
Till others catch the living flame.
Grant this, O Father, ever one
With Christ thy sole-begotten Son,
And Holy Ghost, whom all adore,
Reigning and blest for evermore.
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
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
I call on you with all my heart –
answer me, Lord.
I will obey your laws.
I call on you –
save me
so that I can keep your decrees.
At first light I cry to you,
I put all my hope in your word.
In the night I keep watch,
pondering your sayings.
In your mercy, Lord, hear my voice;
in your justice, give me life.
My persecutors come to do me harm:
they are far from your law.
But you, Lord, are near to me,
and you are trustworthy in all your precepts.
From the beginning I have known your decrees,
how you have made them to last 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.
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
Psalm 93 (94)
God, the avenger of the just |
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This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
O Lord, O God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, appear!
Rise up, judge of the world,
and give the proud their punishment.
How long will the wicked, O Lord,
how long will the wicked triumph?
They open their mouths and speak boldly
and proudly, those who do evil.
They oppress your people, O Lord,
they trouble your people, your inheritance.
They kill the widow and stranger,
they murder the orphans.
They have said to themselves
‘The Lord will not see.
The God of Jacob will not notice.’
Understand, you stupid people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
He gave us ears: will he not hear?
He made the eye: will he not see?
He crushed the nations: will he not punish?
He is the teacher of wisdom to mankind.
The Lord knows the thoughts of men
in all their empty vanity.
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.
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
Happy the man whom you instruct, O Lord;
to whom you teach your law.
You give him peace in evil days
while a pit is being dug for the wicked.
The Lord will not reject his people:
he will not abandon his inheritance.
Judgements will be just once more
and the upright of heart will follow them.
Who will rise up with me against the wicked?
Who will stand by my side against those who do evil?
If it were not for the Lord’s help,
I should quickly find myself in the land of silence.
Whenever I said, ‘My feet are slipping,’
your loving kindness, O Lord, held me upright.
In the midst of my heart’s troubles,
your consolations gave me back my happiness.
The unjust tribunal can never be your friend,
whose judges do evil against the law.
They attack the life of the just
and condemn innocent blood.
The Lord is my stronghold,
the rock where I shelter.
He will pay them back for their wickedness,
scatter them in their malice,
the Lord our God will scatter them.
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.
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
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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This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
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.
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
Psalm 120 (121)
The guardian of the people |
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This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
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.
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
Psalm 121 (122)
Jerusalem, the holy city |
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This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
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.
This is the time of repentance for us to atone for our sins and seek salvation.
CONCLUSION
| Short reading | Ezekiel 18:30-32 © |
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Repent, renounce all your sins, avoid all occasions of sin! Shake off all the sins you have committed against me, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why are you so anxious to die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone – it is the Lord who speaks. Repent and live!
Create a pure heart in me, O God.
– Put a steadfast spirit into me.
Let us pray.
Support us, Lord, as with this Lenten fast
we begin our Christian warfare,
so that in doing battle against the spirit of evil
we may be armed with the weapon of self-denial.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
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 Universalis downloads do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
