The Little office of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Sext
SEXT
Hail, Mary, etc., in silence.
V. O God, ✠ hasten to mine aid.
R. O Lord, ✠ make haste to help me.
Glory be, etc.
Alleluia, or Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
HYMN
Remember, O Creator Lord,
That in the Virgin's sacred womb
Thou wast conceived, and of her flesh
Didst our mortality assume.
Mother of grace! O Mary blest!
To thee, sweet fount of life, we fly;
Shield us through life, and take us hence,
To thy dear bosom, when we die.
O Jesu! born of Virgin bright,
Immortal glory be to Thee,
Praise to the Father infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally. Amen.
From Candlemas until Advent
Ant. After the sweet smell.
During Advent
Ant. Fear not, O Mary.
From Christmas until Candlemas
Ant. The bush which Moses saw.
PSALM CXXII
A prayer in affliction
Unto Thee have I lifted up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of slaves are on the hands of their masters;
As the eyes of a handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until He have mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us; for we are greatly filled with contempt.
Yea, our soul is greatly filled: we are the reproach of the rich, the contempt of the proud. Glory be, etc.
PSALM CXXIII
The Church gives glory to God for her deliverance from her enemies
If the Lord had not been with us, now may Israel say: If the Lord had not been with us,
When men rose up against us, peradventure they had swallowed us up alive;
When their fury was enkindled against us, perchance the waters had swallowed us up.
Our soul hath passed through a torrent: peradventure our soul would have passed through overwhelming waters.
Blessed be the Lord, Who hath not given us up to be a prey unto their teeth.
Our soul hath been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers.
The snare is broken, and we are delivered.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
Glory be, etc.
PSALM CXXIV
God protects the just who have confidence in Him
They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion: he shall not be moved for ever that dwelleth in Jerusalem.
The hills stand round about her: even so is the Lord round about His people from this time forth for evermore.
For the Lord will not leave the rod of sinners over the lot of the just: that the just may not stretch forth their hands unto wickedness.
Do well, O Lord, unto those that are good, and unto them that are right of heart.
But such as turn aside unto deceits, the Lord shall number with the workers of iniquity; but peace shall be upon Israel.
Glory be, etc.
From Candlemas until Advent
Ant. We run after the sweet smell of Thine ointments: maidens have loved Thee exceedingly.
During Advent
Ant. Fear not, O Mary: thou hast found grace before the Lord: behold, thou shalt conceive, and shalt bring forth a Son, Alleluia.
From Christmas until Candlemas
Ant. The bush which Moses saw unconsumed, we acknowledge to be thine admirable virginity, which thou didst keep inviolate: Mother of God, plead for us.
From Christmas until Advent
LITTLE CHAPTER
Ecclus. xxiv
And I took root in an honorable people, and in the portion of my God, His inheritance: and my abode is in the full assembly of saints.
R. Thanks be to God.
During Advent
LITTLE CHAPTER
Luke i
The Lord God shall give Him the throne of David his father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Blessed art thou amongst women.
R. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
From Candlemas until Advent
Let us pray
O most merciful God, grant succor unto our frailty; that as we celebrate the memory of the holy Mother of God, so by the help of her intercession we may rise again from our transgressions. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.
During Advent
Let us pray
O God, Who didst will that Thine eternal Word should take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the angel delivered his message; grant that Thy petitioners, who verily believe her to be the Mother of God, may be assisted by her intercession with Thee. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear, etc. (as before).
From Christmas until Candlemas
Let us pray
O God, Who, by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary, hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us, by whom we deserved to receive the Author of life, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
V. O Lord, hear, etc. (as before).