The Divine Office: A Study of the Roman BreviaryQuigley, Edward J.
Religion
The Divine Office: A Study of the Roman Breviary
Quigley, Edward J.
Catholic Church. Breviary; Divine office
The study of the component parts of this Hour are of great interest.
After the Abbot had given his blessing and begged of God to grant the
two-fold favour of a quiet night and a good death, a monk read from Holy
Scripture, and when a suitable portion was read, or at the end of a
Scripture chapter or theme, the Abbot said, "Tu autem," and the reader
"Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis." This was to ask God to pardon faults
both of reader in his reading and of monks, who, perhaps, were drowsy
and inattentive. The Abbot terminated the exercise by the _Adjutorium
nostrum_ (the _Pater Noster_ is of more recent introduction). Monks who
were absent substituted for the Scripture lesson which they had missed,
the pithy extract from St. Peter, "Fratres; sobrii estote," which we now
read. The whole company of monks and their abbot then proceeded to the
chapel where each made his examination of conscience, and at a sign from
the abbot, the monks, two by two, in a subdued tone of voice, said the
_Confiteor, Misereatur, Indulgentiam_ and _Converte nos_. Gavantus and
Merati hold that the _Converte nos_ does not belong to this introductory
matter, but formed part of Compline proper. This prayer is very
beautiful: "Convert us, O God, our Saviour. And turn away Thine anger
from us. Incline unto my aid, O God; O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father,... Praise be to God."
The new arrangement of the Psalter did not retain the old traditional
psalms, 4, 90, 133, in Compline, except for Sundays and solemn feasts.
But the selection of psalms accords well with the idea of the
hour--night prayer--and with the other prayers, which go to make up the
close of the Office of the day. The hymn, _Te lucis_, so chastely
simple, has ever been admired. Its ideas suit so admirably for the
prayer before sleep and for reminding us of sleep and her sister death
and the solemn petition made to God to be our guardian and defence in
the solemn hour of death, are simply and solemnly set out in this daily
hymn. How beautiful it reads in Father Caswall's translation:--
"Now with the fast departing light,
Maker of all, we ask of Thee
Of Thy great mercy, through the night,
Our guardian and defence to be.
Far off let idle visions fly,
No phantom of the night molest:
Curb Thou our raging enemy,
That we in chaste repose may rest.
Father of mercies! hear our cry;
Hear us, O sole-begotten Son!
Who, with the Holy Ghost most high,
Reignest while endless ages run."
In Passiontide, the Breviary gives us the last verse, Deo Patri, and the
translation renders it:--
"To Thee, Who dead again dost live,
All glory, Jesus, ever be,
Praise to the Father, infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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