Sext (Midday Prayer)
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. Alleluia.
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
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): 1-8
The word of the Lord in the law
The angel Gabriel said to Mary, ‘Rejoice, most highly favoured one! The Lord is with you. Of all women you are the most blessed.’
Happy are they who follow the pure path,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are they who obey his decrees
and seek him out with all their heart.
They do not do evil:
they walk in his paths.
You have made your commandments
for us to obey them.
If only I can direct my paths
to conform to your statutes!
Then I will not be shamed
as I hold to your precepts.
I shall proclaim you by right living
since I have learnt your just decrees.
I shall hold close to your statutes:
Lord, never abandon 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.
Psalm 12 (13)
Lament of a righteous man who trusts in God
How long, O Lord, will you forget me?
How long will you turn your face from me?
How long must I bear grief in my soul,
how long must I carry sadness in my heart
by day and by night?
How long will my enemy be stronger than me?
Turn to me and hear me, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes and save me from the sleep of death.
Or my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed against him!’
and those who torment me will rejoice at my stumbling.
But I put my hope in your loving kindness.
My heart will rejoice at your saving power.
I shall sing to the Lord, who has granted good things to 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.
Psalm 13 (14)
The folly of the lawless
The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’.
They are corrupt and they do vile things:
not one of them does good.
From heaven the Lord looks down on the sons of men
to see if any understand, and seek God.
All have fallen away, each as corrupt as the other.
Not one of them does good, not even one.
They must know what they are doing, those who do evil,
who eat up my people like so much bread.
They did not call on the Lord,
so they tremble with fear,
for God is on the side of the righteous.
You persecute the poor,
but God is on the side of the poor.
Who will bring Israel salvation from Zion?
When the Lord delivers his people from captivity,
Jacob will exult and Israel will rejoice.
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 angel Gabriel said to Mary, ‘Rejoice, most highly favoured one! The Lord is with you. Of all women you are the most blessed.’
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
The angel Gabriel said to Mary, ‘Rejoice, most highly favoured one! The Lord is with you. Of all women you are the most blessed.’
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.
The angel Gabriel said to Mary, ‘Rejoice, most highly favoured one! The Lord is with you. Of all women you are the most blessed.’
CONCLUSION
Short Reading
Jeremiah 23:6
©
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: ‘The Lord our righteousness.’
℣. Remember us, Lord, for the love you bear your people.
℟. Come to us as a saviour.
Let us pray.
Take pity on our distress, Lord God:
show us your love.
May the coming of your Son strengthen us
and cleanse us from all trace of sin.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
