Tenebrae
The ministers enter the church in silence and proceed to their places. The Office then begins immediately with the Antiphon on the first Psalm. It is customary to sit for the Psalmody.
First Nocturn
Antiphon 1 Antiphon 2 Antiphon 3 V. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked: All stand for silent prayer. The appointed Reader then goes to the lectern and everyone else sits down. Lesson 1 A Reading from the Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet. [1:1- 14] Aleph. How solitary lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow has she become, she that was great among the nations! She that was queen among the cities has now become a vassal. Beth. She weeps bitterly in the night, tears run down her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. Gimel. Judah has gone into the misery of exile and of hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; all her pursuers overtook her in the midst of her anguish. Daleth. The roads to Zion mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan and sigh; her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. He. Her adversaries have become her masters, her enemies prosper; because the Lord has punished her for the multitude of her rebellions; her children are gone, driven away as captives by the enemy. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God! Responsory 1 In monte Oliueti On the mount of Olives Jesus prayed to the Father: Lesson 2 Waw. And from Daughter Zion all her majesty has departed; her princes have become like stags that can find no pasture, and that run without strength before the hunter. Zayin. Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and bitterness all the precious things that were hers from the days of old; when her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was none to help her; the adversary saw her, and mocked at her downfall. Heth. Jerusalem has sinned greatly, therefore she has become a thing unclean; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; and now she sighs, and turns her face away. Teth. Uncleanness clung to her skirts, she took no thought of her doom; therefore her fall is terrible, she has no comforter. "O Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed." Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God! Responsory 2 Tristis est anima mea My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death; Lesson 3 Yodh. The adversary has stretched out his hand to seize all her precious things; she has seen the Gentiles invade her sanctuary, those whom you had forbidden to enter your congregation. Kaph. All her people groan as they search for bread; they sell their own children for food to revive their strength. "Behold, O Lord, and consider, for I am now beneath contempt!" Lamedh. Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted, on the day of his burning anger. Mem. From on high he sent fire, into my bones it descended; he spread a net for my feet, and turned me back; he has left me desolate and faint all the day long. Nun. My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; their yoke is upon my neck; he has caused my strength to fail. The Lord has delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand up. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, return to the Lord your God! Responsory 3 Ecce vidimus eum Lo, we have seen him without beauty or majesty, V. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: [When this Responsory is sung rather than recited. repeat all that precedes the Verse: Lo, we have seen ...we are healed.] Second Nocturn Antiphon 4 Antiphon 5 Antiphon: The divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing. All stand for silent prayer. The appointed Reader then goes to the lectern, and everyone else sits down. Lesson 4 A Reading from the Treatise of Saint Augustine the Bishop on the Psalms. [Vulgate Psalm 54. Prayer Book Psalm 55:1, 2, 10c] "Hear my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my petition. Listen to me and answer me. I mourn in my trial and am troubled." These are the words of one disquieted, in trouble and anxiety. He prays under much suffering, desiring to be delivered from evil. Let us now see under what evil he lies; and when he begins to speak, let us place ourselves beside him, that, by sharing his tribulation, we may also join in his prayer. "I mourn in my trial," he says, "and am troubled." When does he mourn? When is he troubled? He says, "In my trial." He has in mind the wicked who cause him suffering, and he calls this suffering his "trial." Do not think that the evil are in the world for no purpose, and that God makes no good use of them. Every wicked person lives either that he may be corrected, or that through him the righteous may be tried and tested. Responsory 4 Tamquam ad latronem Have you come out as against a robber, Lesson 5 Would that those who now test us were converted and tried with us; yet though they continue to try us, let us not hate them, for we do not know whether any of them will persist to the end in their evil ways. And most of the time, when you think you are hating your enemy, you are hating your brother without knowing it. Only the devil and his angels are shown to us in the Holy Scriptures as doomed to eternal fire. It is only their amendment that is hopeless, and against them we wage a hidden battle. For this battle the Apostle arms us, saying, "We are not contending against flesh and blood," that is, not against human beings whom we see, "but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world." So that you may not think that demons are the rulers of heaven and earth, he says, "of the darkness of this world." He says, "of the world," meaning the lovers of the world -- of the "world," meaning the ungodly and wicked -- the "world" of which the Gospel says, "And the world knew him not." Responsory 5 Tenebrae factae sunt Darkness covered the whole land Lesson 6 "For I have seen unrighteousness and strife in the city." See the glory of the cross itself. On the brow of kings that cross is now placed, the cross which enemies once mocked. Its power is shown in the result. He has conquered the world, not by steel, but by wood. The wood of the cross seemed a fitting object of scorn to his enemies, and standing before that wood they wagged their heads, saying, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." He stretched out his hands to an unbelieving and rebellious people. If one is just who lives by faith, one who does not have faith is unrighteous. Therefore when he says "unrighteousness," understand that it is unbelief. The Lord then saw unrighteousness and strife in the city, and stretched out his hands to an unbelieving and rebellious people. And yet, looking upon them, he said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Responsory 6 Ecce quomodo moritur See how the righteous one perishes, (When this responsory is sung rather than recited, repeat all that precedes the Verse: See how the righteous .. . in peace). Antiphon 7 Antiphon: At Salem is his tabernacle, and his dwelling is in Zion. Antiphon 9 Antiphon: I have become like one who has no strength, lost among the dead. All stand for silent prayer. The appointed Reader then goes to the lectern, and everyone else sits down. Lesson 7 A Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. [4:15--5:10; 9:ll-15a] We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. Responsory 7 Eram quasi agnus I was like a trusting lamb led to the slaughter. Lesson 8 And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also, Christ did not exalt himself to be made high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, this day have I begotten you;" as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after to the order of Melchizedek." In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and, having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Responsory 8 Velum templi The veil of the temple was torn in two, Lesson 9 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that are to come, then, through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls, with the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. Responsory 9 Sepulto Domino When the Lord was buried, they sealed the tomb, When this Responsory is sung rather than recited, repeat all that precedes the Verse: When the Lord ... to guard him. Lauds Antiphon 10 Antiphon 11 Antiphon: He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and he opened not his mouth. Antiphon 12 Antiphon: They shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child; for the Lord, who is without sin, is slain. Antiphon 13 The Song of Hezekiah Isaiah 38:10-20
Zeal for your house has eaten me up; the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
Psalm
69:1-23
Salvum me fac
for the waters have risen up to my neck.
and there is no firm ground for my feet.
and the torrent washes over me.
my throat is inflamed; *
my eyes have failed from looking for my God.
head;
my lying foes who would destroy me are mighty. *
Must I then give back what I never stole?
and my faults are not hidden from you.
GOD of hosts; *
let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me, O God of
Israel.
and shame has covered my face.
an alien to my mother's children.
the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
but that was turned to my reproach.
and became a byword among them.
and the drunkards make songs about me.
at the time you have set, O LORD:
answer me with your unfailing help.
let me be rescued from those who hate me
and out of the deep waters.
neither let the deep swallow me up; *
do not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me.
in your great compassion, turn to me."
be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
because of my enemies deliver me.
my adversaries are all in your sight."
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I could find no one.
and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
Let them draw back and be disgraced who take pleasure in my misfortune.
Psalm
70
Deus, in adjutorium
O LORD, make haste to help me.
and altogether dismayed; *
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
draw back and be disgraced.
because they are ashamed.
let those who love your salvation say for ever,
"Great is the LORD!"
come to me speedily, O God.
O LORD, do not tarry.
Arise, O God, maintain my cause.
Psalm
74
Ut quid, Deus?
why is your wrath so hot against the sheep of your pasture?
the tribe you redeemed to be your inheritance,
and Mount Zion where you dwell.
the enemy has laid waste everything in your sanctuary.
they set up their banners as tokens of victory.
they broke down all your carved work with hatchets and hammers.
they defiled the dwelling-place of your Name
and razed it to the ground.
They burned down all the meeting-places of God in the land.
there is no prophet left; *
there is not one among us who knows how long.
will the enemy blaspheme your Name for ever?
why is your right hand hidden in your bosom?
victorious in the midst of the earth.
and shattered the heads of the dragons upon the waters;
and gave him to the people of the desert for food.
you dried up ever-flowing rivers.
you established the moon and the sun.
you made both summer and winter.
how a foolish people despised your Name.
never forget the lives of your poor.
the dark places of the earth are haunts of violence.
let the poor and needy praise your Name.
remember how fools revile you all day long.
the unending tumult of those who rise up against you.
Arise, O God, maintain my cause.
R. From the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
V. Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
remain here and watch with me.
Now you shall see the crowd who will surround me;
you will flee, and I will go to be offered up for you.
V. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
You will flee, and I will go to be offered up for you.
with no looks to attract our eyes.
He bore our sins and grieved for us,
He was wounded for our transgressions,
and by his scourging we are healed.
And by his scourging we are healed.
The kings of the earth rise up in revolt, and the princes plot together, against the Lord and against his Anointed.
Psalm
2
Quare fremuerunt gentes?
Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
and the princes plot together, *
against the LORD and against his Anointed?
"let us cast off their bonds from us."
the Lord has them in derision.
and his rage fills them with terror.
upon my holy hill of Zion."
he said to me, "You are my Son;
this day have I begotten you.
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
and shatter them like a piece of pottery."
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
and with trembling bow before him;
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
who take refuge in him!
The divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing.
Psalm
22:1-21
Deus, Deus meus
and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?
by night as well, but I find no rest.
enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
they trusted, and you delivered them.
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
scorned by all and despised by the people.
they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,
let him rescue him, if he delights in him."
and kept me safe upon my mother's breast.
you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb.
and there is none to help.
strong bulls of Bashan surround me.
like a ravening and a roaring lion.
all my bones are out of joint; *
my heart within my breast is melting wax.
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *
and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.
and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *
they pierce my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
they divide my garments among them;
they cast lots for my clothing.
you are my strength; hasten to help me.
my life from the power of the dog.
my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob's line, give glory.
neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when they cry to him he hears them.
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.
and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: *
"May your heart live for ever!"
and all the families of the nations bow before him.
he rules over the nations.
all who go down to the dust fall before him.
my descendants shall serve him; *
they shall be known as the LORD's for ever.
the saving deeds that he has done.
Antiphon 6
False witnesses have risen up against me, and also those who speak malice.
Psalm
27
Dominus illuminatio
whom then shall I fear? *
the LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.
yet my heart shall not be afraid;
yet will I put my trust in him.
one thing I seek; *
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;
and to seek him in his temple.
he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling
and set me high upon a rock.
above my enemies round about me.
with sounds of great gladness; *
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
have mercy on me and answer me.
Your face, LORD, will I seek.
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
cast me not away; *
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
the LORD will sustain me.
lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and also those who speak malice.
that I should see the goodness of the LORD *
in the land of the living!
be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; *
wait patiently for the LORD.
R. They cast lots for my clothing.
with swords and clubs to capture me?
Day after day I sat in the temple teaching,
and you did not seize me;
But now, behold, you scourge me,
and lead me away to be crucified.
V. When they had laid hands on Jesus and were holding him, he said:
Day after day I sat in the temple teaching,
and you did not seize me;
but now, behold, you scourge me,
and lead me away to be crucified.
when Jesus had been crucified;
and about the ninth hour he cried with a loud voice:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
And he bowed his head and handed over his spirit.
V. Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said:
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
And he bowed his head and handed over his spirit.
and no one takes it to heart.
The righteous are taken away, and no one understands.
From the face of evil the righteous one is taken away,
and his memory shall be in peace.
V. Like a sheep before its shearers is mute, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away:
And his memory shall be in peace.
Third Nocturn
God is my helper; it is the Lord who sustains my life.
Psalm
54
Deus, in nomine
in your might, defend my cause.
give ear to the words of my mouth.
and the ruthless have sought my life, *
those who have no regard for God.
it is the Lord who sustains my life.
in your faithfulness, destroy them.
and praise your Name, O LORD, for it is good.
and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.
Antiphon 8
At Salem is his tabernacle, and his dwelling is in Zion.
Psalm
76
Notus in Judaea
his Name is great in Israel.
and his dwelling is in Zion.
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of battle.
more splendid than the everlasting mountains!
they sink into sleep; *
none of the warriors can lift a hand.
both horse and rider lie stunned.
who can stand before you when you are angry?
the earth was afraid and was still;
and to save all the oppressed of the earth.
and the remnant of Hamath will keep your feasts.
let all around him bring gifts to him who is worthy to be feared.
and strikes terror in the kings of the earth.
I have become like one who has no strength, lost among the dead.
Psalm
88
Domine, Deus
by day and night I cry to you.
incline your ear to my lamentation.
my life is at the brink of the grave.
I have become like one who has no strength;
like the slain who lie in the grave,
for they are cut off from your hand.
in dark places, and in the abyss.
and all your great waves overwhelm me.
you have made me to be abhorred by them; *
I am in prison and cannot get free.
LORD, I have called upon you daily;
I have stretched out my hands to you.
will those who have died stand up and give you thanks?
your faithfulness in the land of destruction?
or your righteousness in the country where all is forgotten?
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
why have you hidden your face from me?
I have borne your terrors with a troubled mind.
your terrors have destroyed me;
they encompass me on every side.
and darkness is my only companion.
I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living.
V. All my enemies whispered together against me,
and devised evil against me, saying:
Let us destroy the tree with its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living.
And the earth shook, and the thief from the cross cried out,
Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
V. The rocks were split, the tombs were opened,
and many bodies of the saints who slept were raised:
And the earth shook, and the thief from the cross cried out,
Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
rolling a great stone to the door of the tomb;
and they stationed soldiers to guard him.
V. The chief priest gathered before Pilate,
and petitioned him:
And they stationed soldiers to guard him.
God did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all.
Psalm
63
Deus, Deus meus
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
that I might behold your power and your glory.
my lips shall give you praise.
and lift up my hands in your Name.
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,
and meditate on you in the night watches.
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.
your right hand holds me fast.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and he opened not his mouth.
Psalm
90
Domine, refugium
from one generation to another.
or the land and the earth were born, *
from age to age you are God.
"Go back, O child of earth."
and like a watch in the night.
we fade away suddenly like the grass.
in the evening it is dried up and withered.
we are afraid because of your wrathful indignation.
and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
perhaps in strength even eighty; *
yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow,
for they pass away quickly and we are gone.
who rightly fears your indignation?
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
be gracious to your servants.
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
and your splendor to their children.
prosper the work of our hands;
prosper our handiwork.
They shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only child; for the Lord, who is without sin, is slain.
Psalm
143
Domine, exaudi
and in your faithfulness heed my supplications; *
answer me in your righteousness.
for in your sight shall no one living be justified.
he has crushed me to the ground; *
he has made me live in dark places like those who are long dead.
my heart within me is desolate.
I muse upon all your deeds; *
I consider the works of your hands.
my soul gasps to you like a thirsty land.
do not hide your face from me
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
for I put my trust in you; *
show me the road that I must walk,
for I lift up my soul to you.
for I flee to you for refuge.
let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
for your righteousness' sake, bring me out of trouble.
and bring all my foes to naught, *
for truly I am your servant.
From the gates of hell, O Lord, deliver my soul.
"In the noonday of my life I must depart; *
my unspent years are summoned to the portals of death."
"No more shall I see the Lord in the land of the living, *
never more look on my kind among dwellers on earth.
as when a shepherd strikes his tent.
the threads cut off from the loom.
I cower and hope for the dawn.
like a swallow or thrush I utter plaintive cries;
I mourn like a dove.
Lord, be my refuge in my affliction.
it is he who has done this.
because of the bitterness of my spirit.
and you rescued me; *
when entreated, you restored my life.
for you held me back from the pit of destruction,
you cast all my sins behind you.
Antiphon: From the gates of hell, O Lord, deliver my soul.
Antiphon 14 The Song of Zechariah Benedictus Dominus Deus (Luke 1:68-79) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
O Death, I will be your death; O Grave, I will be your destruction.
Psalm
150
Laudate Domi
Praise God in his holy temple; *
praise him in the firmament of his power.
praise him for his excellent greatness.
Praise him with lyre and harp.
praise him with strings and pipe.
praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.
praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!
R. You will not let your holy one see corruption.
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
: Now the women sitting at the tomb made lamentation, weeping for the Lord.
even death on a cross;
therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the Name
which is above every name.
A brief silence is observed.
The following Psalm is then said quietly. If it is sung, it is customary to monotone alternate verses.
Psalm
51
Miserere mei, Deus
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
and cleanse me from my sin.
and my sin is ever before me.
and done what is evil in your sight.
and upright in your judgment.
a sinner from my mother's womb.
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
and blot out all my iniquities.
and renew a right spirit within me.
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
and sinners shall return to you.
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation.
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
with burnt-offerings and oblations; *
then shall they offer young bullocks upon your altar.
Saints