08.04.2020
Resources for Wednesday 8 April, Wednesday in Holy Week
Compline
During Holy Week daily services will appear on this website.
Where there are two or more praying together, it is suggested that before commencing you decide on who will lead which parts of the service. Please note that words in bold indicate the responses and refrains at various parts of the service and words otherwise said together as a group. In today’s service, the parts to be allocated are: 1. A person to read the Opening Prayer and Sentence of Scripture, lead the Versicles and Responses, the Confession and the Dismissal and Blessing. 2. A person to read or sing the Psalm and Hymn or Poem and the Gospel Canticle. 3. A person to read the Scriptures and lead the Responsory. 4. A person to lead the Prayers.
You can find below the full text of Compline:
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK COMPLINE
PREPARATION
OPENING PRAYER
Stand
The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. Amen.
A SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE
Brethren, be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist, steadfast in the faith. 1 Peter 5: 8, 9
VERSICLES AND RESPONSES
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Thanks be to God.
O God, make speed to save us.
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.
Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord’s Name be praised.
THE WORD OF GOD
PSALM
Psalm 139: 1–18 Domine, probasti.
1 O Lord, thou hast searched me out and known me ■
thou knowest my down–sitting and mine up–rising,
thou understandest my thoughts long before.
2 Thou art about my path, and about my bed ■
and spiest out all my ways.
3 For lo, there is not a word in my tongue ■:
but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether.
4 Thou hast beset me behind and before ■
and laid thine hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me ■
I cannot attain unto it.
6 Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit ■
or whither shall I go then from thy presence?
7 If I climb up into heaven, thou art there ■
if I go down to hell, thou art there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning ■
and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea;
9 Even there also shall thy hand lead me ■
and thy right hand shall hold me.
10 If I say, Peradventure the darkness shall cover me ■
then shall my night be turned to day.
11 Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee,
but the night is as clear as the day ■
the darkness and light to thee are both alike.
12 For my reins are thine ■
thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
13 I will give thanks unto thee,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made ■
marvellous are thy works,
and that my soul knoweth right well.
14 My bones are not hid from thee ■
when I was made secretly, and fashioned beneath in the earth.
15 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect ■
and in thy book were all my members written;
16 Which day by day were fashioned ■
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God ■
O how great is the sum of them!
18 If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand ■
when I wake up I am present with thee.
A READING
The following short lesson:
Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. Mark 8: 34b, 35
or the appointed reading:
Revelation 14: 18 – 15: 4
Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.’ So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.
Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
‘Great and amazing are your deeds,
Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations!
Lord, who will not fear
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your judgements have been revealed.’
RESPONSORY
Stand
Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
For thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.
HYMN
Before the ending of the day,
creator of the world, we pray
that thou with wonted love wouldst keep
thy watch around us while we sleep.
O let no evil dreams be near,
or phantoms of the night appear;
our ghostly enemy restrain,
lest aught of sin our bodies stain.
To thee, O saving Three in One,
let homage due by all be done;
and grant us, by the cross restored,
to share the Victor’s great reward. Amen.
or POEM
INDIFFERENCE
When Jesus came to Golgotha they hanged him on a tree,
They drave great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary;
They crowned him with a crown of thorns, red were his wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed him by,
They never hurt a hair of him, they only let him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give him pain,
They only passed down the street, and left him in the rain.
Still Jesus cried, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do,”
And still it rained the winter rain that drenches through and through;
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against a wall and cried for Calvary.
GA Studdert Kennedy (1883–1929)
VERSICLE AND RESPONSE
The following responsory may be said:
Keep me as the apple of an eye.
Hide me under the shadow of thy wings.
Preserve us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping,
that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
THE GOSPEL CANTICLE
NUNC DIMITTIS The Song of Simeon Luke 2: 29–32
1 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, ■
according to thy word.
2 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, ■
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
3 To be a light to lighten the Gentiles ■
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Preserve us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping,
that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
PRAYER
Kneel
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Blessed art thou, Lord God of our fathers,
to be praised and glorified above all for ever;
Let us bless the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise him and magnify him for ever.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven
to be praised and glorified above all for ever.
The Almighty and most merciful Lord guard us and give us his blessing.
Amen.
CONFESSION
A prayerful examination of the past day may be undertaken after which the following or other suitable words of penitence may be used
We confess to God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
That we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, Through our own
grievous fault. Wherefore we pray God to have mercy upon us.
Almighty God, have mercy upon us, Forgive us all our sins, Deliver us
from all evil, Confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, And bring us
to life everlasting; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The priest, when present, pronounces the absolution.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant unto you pardon and remission of all your sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
VERSICLES AND RESPONSES
Wilt thou not turn again and quicken us
that thy people may rejoice in thee?
O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us
and grant us thy salvation.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this night without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, hear our prayer
and let our cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
THE COLLECTS
Almighty God,
as we stand at the foot of the cross of thy Son,
help us to see and know thy love for us,
so that in humility, love and joy
we may place at his feet
all that we have and all that we are;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
O Lord and Master of my life,
take from me the spirit of laziness,
despair, evil imagination and vain talking.
Bestow on me, thy servant,
the spirit of purity, humility, patience and love.
Lord and Master of my life,
grant me to see my own faults
and not judge my neighbour,
for blessed art thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.
THE ENDING
DISMISSAL
We will lay us down in peace and take our rest.
For it is thou, Lord, only, that makest us dwell in safety.
The Lord be with you
and with thy spirit.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
BLESSING
May Christ, who heals us through his blood, bless us.
May he restore in us whatever is lacking in our faith
and set us at liberty to worship him in freedom
through our words and deeds. Amen.
Other Resources are:
1. There are links to the text of today’s services below (if you wish to print a copy to give to someone who may appreciate it). You may also choose from one of the following English language services which can be used throughout Holy Week.
Wednesday in Holy Week Compline
2. Archbishop Michael Jackson has recorded a series of reflections for Holy Week entitled ‘The Last Lap’. You can watch them on the diocesan YouTube channel – The United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough.
3. Due to the current public health situation, Christ Church Cathedral remains closed to the public until further notice. It continues to hold Ireland, our healthcare workers, our leaders, those suffering from coronavirus, and the world in its prayers.
The Dean will conduct daily prayer via webcam Monday–Friday:
Morning Prayer 10.00
Evening Prayer 17.00
Would you like to send in a prayer? Prayers may be emailed to abigail@christchurch.ie and as many as can be will be included in the daily prayers.
The webcam may be accessed at:
https://christchurchcathedral.ie/worship/video-stream-1/
4. Canon Patrick Comerford has produced a blog commenting on the Holy Week readings which may be found at:https://cmelimerick.blogspot.com/2020/03/liturgical-resources-and-readings-for.html
5. Many local parishes are providing online resources via YouTube, Facebook and video conferencing. Details may be found on this website here.