Ember Wednesday in Lent

Station at St. Mary Major

Matins

Lauds

Vespers

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Oremus.
Preces nostras, quæsumus, Dómine, cleménter exáudi : et contra cuncta nobis adversántia déxteram tuæ majestátis exténde.  Per Dóminum.

Let us pray.
We beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wouldest graciously hear our prayers : and stretch forth the right hand of thy majesty to be our defence against all adversities.

CLOSING VERSICLES AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWETH

Matins

In illo témpore : Respondérunt Jesu quidam de scribis et pharisæis, dicéntes : Magíster, vólumus a te signum vidére.  Et réliqua.

At that time : Certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered Jesus, saying : Master, we would see a sign from thee.  And so on, and that which followeth.

Judæórum plebe damnáta, Ecclésiæ mystérium evidénter exprímitur, quæ in Ninivítis per pœniténtiam, et in regína Austri per stúdium percipiéndæ sapiéntiæ, de totíus orbis fínibus congregátur, ut pacífici Salomónis verba cognóscat.  Regína plane, cujus regnum est indivísum, de divérsis et distántibus pópulis in unum corpus assúrgens.

After the Lord had passed condemnation on unbelieving Jewry, he proceeded to declare the mystery of the Church, which same he plainly set forth in two figures ; first, that of the repentant Ninevites ; then, that of the queen of the south.  Like that queen, the Church cometh from the uttermost parts of the earth, to stand in the presence of the wisdom of the true Solomon, the Prince of Peace.  A queen is she, a queen of one indivisible realm, wrought into one body out of all nations, howsoever diverse or distant.

V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.

V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

On Feastdays having an Office of Nine Lessons during Lent, the Te Deum is said after the conclusion of the Ninth Lesson.

R.  Scíndite corda vestra, et non vestiménta vestra : et convertímini ad Dóminum Deum vestrum : * Quia benígnus et miséricors est.
V.  Derelínquat ímpius viam suam, et vir iníquus cogitatiónes suas, et revertátur ad Dóminum, et miserébitur ejus.
R.  Quia benígnus et miséricors est.

R.  Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God : *   For he is gracious and merciful.
V.  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him.
R.  For he is gracious and merciful.

Itaque sacraméntum illud magnum est de Christo et Ecclésia.  Sed tamen hoc majus est, quia illud in figúra ante præcéssit, nunc autem plenum in veritáte mystérium est.  Illic enim Sálomon typus, hic autem Christus in suo córpore est.  Ex duóbus ígitur constat Ecclésia : ut aut peccáre nésciat, aut peccáre désinat.  Pœniténtia enim delíctum ábolet, sapiéntia cavet.

Wherefore this is the great mystery of Christ and his Church, a mystery now seen to be more excellent in the fulness of truth, than it seemed to be in the ancient type.  For then they had in Solomon only a foreshadowing of him who was to come, but now we have Christ in his own body.  And the Church is made to stand upright in his presence by reason of two things, by innocence of sin, and by repentance of sin.  To wash away sin through repentance is the work of the Prince of Peace ; to eschew it, that of his wisdom.

V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.

V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

R.  Frange esuriénti panem tuum, et egénos vagósque induc in domum tuam : * Tunc erúmpet quasi mane lumen tuum, et anteíbit fáciem tuam justítia tua.
V.  Cum víderis nudum, óperi eum, et carnem tuam ne despéxeris.
R.  Tunc erúmpet quasi mane lumen tuum, et anteíbit fáciem tuam justítia tua.

R.  Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the poor and the wanderer to thine house : * Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy righteousness shall go before thee.
V.  When thou seest the naked, cover him ; and hide not thyself from thine own flesh.
R.  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy righteousness shall go before thee.

Céterum Jonæ signum, ut typus Domínicæ passiónis, ita étiam grávium, quæ Judæi commíserint, testificátio peccatórum est.  Simul advértere licet et majestátis oráculum, et pietátis indícium.  Namque Ninivitárum exémplo et denuntiátur supplícium, et remédium demonstrátur.  Unde étiam Judæi debent non desperáre indulgéntiam, si velint ágere pœniténtiam.

As for the sign which the Lord gave them, to wit, the Prophet Jonah, the same was a figure of the Lord's sufferings, and also a witness to the gravity of those sins which Jewry had committed.  At the same time, we see in these words of the Lord a declaration at once both of his power and of his love ; for, by turning our eyes on the Ninevites, he sheweth us a way of escape, even whilst he setteth before us the horror of what will otherwise be our punishment.  Whence Jewry was shewn that it has no occasion for despair if it would but repent.

V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.

V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

R.  Abscóndite eleemósynam in sinu páuperum, et ipsa orábit pro vobis ad Dóminum : * Quia sicut aqua exstínguit ignem, ita eleemósyna exstínguit peccátum.
V.  Date eleemósynam, et ecce ómnia munda sunt vobis.
R.  Quia sicut aqua exstínguit ignem, ita eleemósyna exstínguit peccátum.
V.  Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R.  Quia sicut aqua exstínguit ignem, ita eleemósyna exstínguit peccátum.

R.  Shut up alms in thy storehouses, even in the hearts of the poor, and it shall plead for you with the Lord : * For like as water quencheth a flaming fire, so do alms make an atonement for sin.
V.  Give alms of such things as ye have, and behold all things are clean unto you.
R.  For like as water quencheth a flaming fire, so do alms make an atonement for sin.
V.  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R.  For like as water quencheth a flaming fire, so do alms make an atonement for sin.

The Office of Matins ends after the Third Respond.  The Te Deum is not said, and Lauds normally follows immediately, beginning with the Opening Versicles.  Otherwise, the Conclusion of Matins is read, according to the Rubrics.

Conclusion of Matins

Lauds

Ad Bened. Ant:  Generátio * hæc prava et pervérsa signum quærit : et signum non dábitur ei, nisi signum Jonæ prophétæ.

Ant. on Bened:  This generation, * being perverse and crooked, seeketh a sign from me, and no sign shall be given to it, but the sign of Jonas the Prophet.

BENEDICTUS

THE BENEDICTUS

Ferial Preces

Oremus.
Preces nostras, quæsumus, Dómine, cleménter exáudi : et contra cuncta nobis adversántia déxteram tuæ majestátis exténde.  Per Dóminum.

Let us pray.
We beseech thee, O Lord, that thou wouldest graciously hear our prayers : and stretch forth the right hand of thy majesty to be our defence against all adversities.

COMMEMORATIONS, if there be any

SUFFRAGE OF ALL SAINTS if it is said

CLOSING VERSICLES AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWETH