Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent

Station at St. Paul Without the Walls

Matins

Lauds

Vespers

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Oremus.
Deus, qui et justis præmia meritórum, et peccatóribus per jejúnium véniam præbes : miserére supplícibus tuis ; ut reátus nostri conféssio indulgéntiam váleat percípere delictórum.  Per Dóminum.

Let us pray.
O God, who dost grant unto the righteous the reward of their godliness, and unto sinners that turn unto thee with fasting the pardon of their offences : have compassion, we pray thee, upon us thy humble servants : that we, confessing the sins which we have committed, may obtain of thee the remission of all our iniquities.  Through.

CLOSING VERSICLES AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWETH
 

Matins

In illo témpore : Prætériens Jesus, vidit hóminem cæcum a nativitáte : et interrogavérunt eum discípuli ejus : Rabbi, quis peccávit, hic, aut paréntes ejus, ut cæcus nascerétur?  Et réliqua.

At that time : As Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And his disciples asked him, saying : Rabbi, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?  And so on, and that which followeth.

Ea quæ fecit Dóminus noster Jesus Christus, stupénda atque miránda, et ópera, et verba sunt : ópera, quia facta sunt : verba, quia signa sunt.  Si ergo quid signíficet hoc quod factum est, cogitémus : genus humánum est iste cæcus.  Hæc enim cæcitas cóntigit in primo hómine per peccátum, de quo omnes oríginem dúximus, non solum mortis, sed étiam iniquitátis.  Si enim cæcitas est infidélitas, et illuminátio fides : quem fidélem, quando venit Christus, invénit?  Quandóquidem Apóstolus natus in gente prophetárum dicit : Fúimus et nos aliquándo natúra fílii iræ, sicut et céteri.  Si fílii iræ, fílii vindíctæ, fílii pœnæ, fílii gehénnæ : quómodo natúra, nisi quia peccánte primo hómine vítium pro natúra inolévit?  Si vítium pro natúra inolévit, secúndum mentem omnis homo cæcus natus est.

Dreadful and wondrous are all the things which our Lord Jesus Christ did.  They are at one and the same time both works and words : works, because they are wrought out of his might ; words, because they are signs of his wisdom.  If, therefore, we consider the signification of this work of his, we see in the man blind from birth a figure of mankind.  This blindness fell on the first man by reason of sin, from which we trace the origin, not only of death, but of evil also.  For if blindness be unbelief, and if faith be enlightenment, whom did Christ find, at his first coming, that he could account as faithful?  Yea, even the Apostle, who was himself born of the race of the Prophets, saith : We also were by nature children of wrath, even as others.  And if children of wrath, then also children of vengeance, children of damnation, children of hell-fire.  And how is it said : By nature : unless it be that the first man, by sinning, brought this infliction on human nature?  And if he brought this penalty on all human nature, then all men, so far as their spirit is concerned, are born blind.

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.  Spléndida facta est fácies Móysi, dum respíceret in eum Dóminus : * Vidéntes senióres claritátem vultus ejus, admirántes timuérunt valde.
V.  Cumque descendísset de monte Sínai, portábat duas tábulas testimónii, ignórans quod cornúta esset fácies ejus ex consórtio sermónis Dei.
R.  Vidéntes senióres claritátem vultus ejus, admirántes timuérunt valde.

R.  The face of Moses shone, after that the Lord did look upon him : * And when the elders of the Children of Israel saw the glory of his face, they did marvel and were sore afraid.
V.  When he came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand, he wist not that the skin of his face shone, after that the Lord did talk with him.
R.  And when the elders of the Children of Israel saw the glory of his face, they did marvel and were sore afraid.

Venit Dóminus : quid fecit?  Magnum mystérium commendávit.  Exspuit in terram, de salíva sua lutum fecit : quia Verbum caro factum est, et inúnxit óculos cæci.  Inúnctus erat, et nondum vidébat.  Misit illum ad piscínam, quæ vocátur Síloë.  Pertínuit autem ad Evangelístam commendáre nobis nomen hujus piscínæ, et ait : Quod interpretátur Missus.  Jam quis sit missus agnóscitis.  Nisi enim ille fuísset missus, nemo nostrum esset ab iniquitáte dimíssus.  Lavit ergo óculos in ea piscína, quæ interpretátur Missus ; baptizátus est in Christo.  Si ergo quando eum in seípso quodámmodo baptizávit, tunc illuminávit : quando inúnxit, fortásse catechúmenum fecit.

The Lord passed by.  And then what did he?  He set forth a great mystery.  He spat on the ground, and made clay out of his spittle.  And he who was himself the Word made flesh, thus made ointment of his spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind.  But albeit the blind was thus anointed, yet at first he saw not.  Wherefore the Lord sent him unto the pool which is called Siloam.  Now the Evangelist was concerned to impress upon us the name of this pool, and therefore he said : Siloam, which is, by interpretation, Sent.  Ye well know who is signified by this word, Sent, for had this same not been sent, we ourselves never would have been set free from sin.  Accordingly the blind man went his way, and washed his eyes in that pool, which is, by interpretation, Sent.  In other words, we see in this a figure of Baptism into Christ.  When, therefore, he was thus figurátively baptized into him that the Father hath sent, he came seeing.  If this be so, it may also be said that the anointing which he received before he went to the pool made him first of all a figure of a catechumen.

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

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

R.  Ecce mitto Angelum meum, qui præcédat te, et custódiat semper : * Obsérva et audi vocem meam, et inimícus ero inimícis tuis, et affligéntes te afflígam : et præcédet te Angelus meus.
V.  Israël, si me audíeris, non erit in te deus recens, neque adorábis deum aliénum : ego enim Dóminus.
R.  Obsérva et audi vocem meam, et inimícus ero inimícis tuis, et affligéntes te afflígam : et præcédet te Angelus meus.

R.  Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way : * Beware of him, and obey his voice ; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries, for mine Angel shall go before thee.
V.  O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me, there shall no strange god be in thee ; neither shalt thou worship any other god : I am the Lord thy God.
R.  Beware of him, and obey his voice ; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries, for mine Angel shall go before thee.

Audístis grande mystérium.  Intérrogo hóminem : Christiánus es?  Respóndet tibi : Non sum.  Si pagánus es, aut Judæus?  Si autem díxerit, Non sum : adhuc quæris ab eo, Catechúmenus, an fidélis?  Si respónderit tibi, Catechúmenus : inúnctus est, nondum lotus.  Sed unde inúnctus?  Quære, et respóndet.  Quære ab illo, in quem credat?  Eo ipso quo catechúmenus est, dicit : In Christum.  Ecce modo loquor et fidélibus et catechúmenis.  Quid dixi de sputo et luto?  Quia Verbum caro factum est ; hoc catechúmeni áudiunt : sed non eis súfficit ad quod inúncti sunt : festínent ad lavácrum, si lumen inquírunt.

We have heard a great mystery.  Ask of a man : Art thou a Christian?  And if he answereth thee : I am not : then thou dost ask him : Art thou a pagan, or a Jew?  And if he still saith unto thee, Nay ; dost thou then not say : Art thou then a catechumen, though not yet one of the faithful?  And if he saith : Yea, a catechumen : then thou dost there behold a man anointed but not yet washed.  With what hath he been anointed?  Ask of him, and he will tell thee.  Ask of him in whom he believeth, and, being a catechumen, he will say : In Christ.  But, behold, I am now speaking in the presence of the faithful, and of catechumens also.  Mark ye what I said concerning the spittle and the clay?  I said : The Word was made flesh.  This much even the catechumens have been taught : but it is not enough for them merely to be anointed unto this preliminary teaching.  They must make haste to the washing, if they would have their eyes opened.

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

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

R.  Atténdite, pópule meus, legem meam : * Inclináte aurem vestram in verba oris mei.
V.  Apériam in parábolis os meum : loquar propositiónes ab inítio sæculi.
R.  Inclináte aurem vestram in verba oris mei.
V.  Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R.  Inclináte aurem vestram in verba oris mei.

R.  Hear my law, O my people : * Incline your ears unto the words of my mouth.
V.  I will open my mouth in a parable ; I will declare hard sentences of old.
R.  Incline your ears unto the words of my mouth.
V.  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R.  Incline your ears unto the words of my mouth.

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:  Rabbi, quid peccávit * homo iste, quod cæcus natus est?  Respóndit Jesus, et dixit : Neque hic peccávit, neque paréntes ejus : sed ut manifesténtur ópera Dei in illo.

Ant. on Bened:  Master, who did sin, * this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  Jesus answered : Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents : but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

BENEDICTUS

THE BENEDICTUS

Ferial Preces

Oremus.
Deus, qui et justis præmia meritórum, et peccatóribus per jejúnium véniam præbes : miserére supplícibus tuis ; ut reátus nostri conféssio indulgéntiam váleat percípere delictórum.  Per Dóminum.

Let us pray.
O God, who dost grant unto the righteous the reward of their godliness, and unto sinners that turn unto thee with fasting the pardon of their offences : have compassion, we pray thee, upon us thy humble servants : that we, confessing the sins which we have committed, may obtain of thee the remission of all our iniquities.  Through.

COMMEMORATIONS, if there be any

SUFFRAGE OF ALL SAINTS if it is said

CLOSING VERSICLES AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWETH
 

Vespers

Ad Magnif. Ant:  Ille homo * qui dícitur Jesus, lutum fecit ex sputo, et linívit óculos meos, et modo vídeo.

Ant. on Magnif:  A man * that is called Jesus made clay out of spittle, and anointed mine eyes, and now I do see.

MAGNIFICAT

THE MAGNIFICAT

Ferial Preces

Oremus.
Páteant aures misericórdiæ tuæ, Dómine, précibus supplicántium : et, ut peténtibus desideráta concédas, fac eos, quæ tibi sunt plácita, postuláre.  Per Dóminum.
 

Let us pray.
Let thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants : and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please thee.  Through.

COMMEMORATIONS, if there be any

SUFFRAGE OF ALL SAINTS if it is said

CLOSING VERSICLES AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWETH