The Saint Bede's Breviary
Office of the Dead: Morning Prayer
The Invitatory and Psalter
Venite Psalm 95:1-7
The King, by whom and in whom all things live and move and have their being, * O come, let us worship.
Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
The King, by whom and in whom all things live and move and have their being, * O come, let us worship.
For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.
The King, by whom and in whom all things live and move and have their being, * O come, let us worship.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
The King, by whom and in whom all things live and move and have their being, * O come, let us worship.
Rest eternal * grant unto them, O Lord.
And let light perpetual * shine upon them.
The King, by whom and in whom all things live and move and have their being, * O come, let us worship.
The Psalm or Psalms Appointed
Make your way, O Lord, straight before me.
Psalm 23 Dominus regit me
1 The LORD is my shepherd; *I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Rest eternal * grant unto them, O Lord.
And let light perpetual * shine upon them.
Make your way, O Lord, straight before me.
Turn, O Lord, and deliver me: for in death no one remembers you.
Psalm 25 Ad te, Domine, levavi
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you; *let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
2 Let none who look to you be put to shame; *
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.
3 Show me your ways, O LORD, *
and teach me your paths.
4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long.
5 Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.
6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.
7 Gracious and upright is the LORD; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
8 He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.
9 All the paths of the LORD are love and faithfulness *
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
10 For your Name's sake, O LORD, *
forgive my sin, for it is great.
11 Who are they who fear the LORD? *
he will teach them the way that they should choose.
12 They shall dwell in prosperity, *
and their offspring shall inherit the land.
13 The LORD is a friend to those who fear him *
and will show them his covenant.
14 My eyes are ever looking to the LORD, *
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
15 Turn to me and have pity on me, *
for I am left alone and in misery.
16 The sorrows of my heart have increased; *
bring me out of my troubles.
17 Look upon my adversity and misery *
and forgive me all my sin.
18 Look upon my enemies, for they are many, *
and they bear a violent hatred against me.
19 Protect my life and deliver me; *
let me not be put to shame, for I have trusted in you.
20 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, *
for my hope has been in you.
21 Deliver Israel, O God, *
out of all his troubles.
Rest eternal * grant unto them, O Lord.
And let light perpetual * shine upon them.
Turn, O Lord, and deliver me: for in death no one remembers you.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27 Dominus illuminatio
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? *the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army should encamp against me, *
yet my heart shall not be afraid;
4 And though war should rise up against me, *
yet will I put my trust in him.
5 One thing have I asked of the LORD; one thing I seek; *
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;
6 To behold the fair beauty of the LORD *
and to seek him in his temple.
7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe in his shelter; *
he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high upon a rock.
8 Even now he lifts up my head *
above my enemies round about me.
9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with sounds of great gladness; *
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
10 Hearken to my voice, O LORD, when I call; *
have mercy on me and answer me.
11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." *
Your face, LORD, will I seek.
12 Hide not your face from me, *
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
13 You have been my helper; cast me not away; *
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, *
the LORD will sustain me.
15 Show me your way, O LORD; *
lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.
16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *
for false witnesses have risen up against me, and also those who speak malice.
17 What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the LORD *
in the land of the living!
18 O tarry and await the LORD's pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; *
wait patiently for the LORD.
Rest eternal * grant unto them, O Lord.
And let light perpetual * shine upon them.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
The Lessons
A reading from Job 19:21-27 (NRSV)
Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! Why do you, like God, pursue me, never satisfied with my flesh? "O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
Here ends the Reading.
Canticle of Hezekiah Ego dixi in dimidio
Is. 38:10-20
I said: In the noontide of my days *
I must depart for the gates of hell.
I sought for the remainder of my years. *
I said, I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living.
I shall look upon mortals no more, *
nor the inhabitants of the land of rest.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me *
as if it were a shepherd's tent.
My life has been rolled up as if by a weaver, he cuts me off from the loom: *
from day to night you bring me to an end.
I cry for help until morning, *
Like a lion he breaks all my bones.
From day to night you bring me to an end: *
Like a swallow or a crane I will clamor, I will moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary *
with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security! *
What can I say, or what can he answer, because he himself has done it?
Before you I will call to mind all my years *
in the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, if by these things people live, and in all these is the life of my spirit,
you shall restore me to health and make me live. *
Behold, in peace my bitterness is most bitter.
You have held back my life from the pit of destruction: *
You have cast all my sins behind your back.
For hell cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; *
those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
The living, the living, they thank you, as I do this day; *
fathers make known to the children your faithfulness.
O Lord, save me, *
and we will sing our psalms all the days of our lives, in the house of the Lord.
Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, *
and let light perpetual shine upon them.
A reading from 1 Corinthians 15:35-41 (NRSV)
But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory.
Here ends the Reading.
Antiphon: I am * the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, though he die yet shall he live; and who ever lives and believes in me, shall never die.
The Song of Zechariah Benedictus Dominus Deus
Luke 1: 68-79
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
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.
Rest eternal * grant unto them, O Lord.
And let light perpetual * shine upon them.
Antiphon: I am * the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, though he die yet shall he live; and who ever lives and believes in me, shall never die.
The Prayers
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
V. From the gates of hell.
R. Deliver their souls (or his or her soul), O Lord.
V. May they (or he or she) rest in peace.
R. Amen.
V. Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come to you.
Collect of the Day
O God, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers; Grant to the faithful departed the unsearchable benefits of the passion of your Son; that on the day of his appearing they may be manifested as your children.
O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: accept our prayers on behalf of the souls of your departed servants; and grant them an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of your Saints. Through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
V: Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord.
R: And let light perpetual shine upon them.
V: May they rest in peace.
R: Amen.