Benedict of Nursia
Benedict was born in Nursia, central Italy, around the year 480. As a young man he was sent to study in Rome, but was soon appalled by the corruption in society and withdrew to live as a hermit at Subiaco. He quickly attracted disciples and began to establish small monasteries in the neighbourhood. Around the year 525, a disaffected faction tried to poison him so Benedict moved to Monte Cassino with a band of loyal monks. Later in life Benedict wrote his Rule for Monks, based on his own experience of fallible people striving to live out the gospel. He never intended to found an ‘order’ but his Rule was so good that it was disseminated and widely followed, becoming the model for all western monasticism. Benedict died at Monte Cassino in about the year 550. EH
Antiphon 1
Ant. The sparrow has found herself a home, *
and the turtle dove a nest in which to lay her young:
at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God!
Blessed are they who dwell in your house,
they shall praise you for ever and e ver.
V. How lovely is your dwelling place, *
O Lord of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning *
for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my flesh cry out *
to the living God. Psalm 84
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires, known,
and from whom no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5
O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!
HYMN: Stanbrook Abbey, alt. ©
Tune: Solemnis haec festivitas https://tinyurl.com/y9f3mw69
Our blessed father, Benedict,
Sure guide in dark and troubled days,
Has shown his countless children here
The paths of peace, the Lord’s own ways,.
He dwelt in heaven while on earth,
True man of God and man of prayer;
For him, the love of Christ was all
And God was present everywhere.
He left all things that bind the heart,
In poverty to find release;
Unmoved among the things that change,
He sought and found a lasting peace.
Now Benedict with all who knew
And lived his holy Rule on earth,
Give praise to you, blest Trinity,
In spendid light and time untold.
PSALMS
Psalm 56 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y89cbz8u)
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, for man goeth about to devour me *
he is daily fighting, and troubling me.
2 Mine enemies are daily in hand to swallow me up *
for they be many that fight against me, O thou most Highest.
3 Nevertheless, though I am sometime afraid *
yet put I my trust in thee.
4 I will praise God, because of his word *
I have put my trust in God, and will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
5 They daily mistake my words *
all that they imagine is to do me evil.
6 They hold all together, and keep themselves close *
and mark my steps, when they lay wait for my soul.
7 Shall they escape for their wickedness *
thou, O God, in thy displeasure shalt cast them down.
8 Thou tellest my flittings ; put my tears into thy bottle *
are not these things noted in thy book?
9 Whensoever I call upon thee,
then shall mine enemies be put to flight *
this I know; for God is on my side.
10 In God’s word will I rejoice *
in the Lord’s word will I comfort me.
11 Yea, in God have I put my trust *
I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
12 Unto thee, O God, will I pay my vows *
unto thee will I give thanks.
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 57 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yb9ln9xn)
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me,
for my soul trusteth in thee *
and under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge,
until this tyranny be over-past.
2 I will call unto the most high God *
even unto the God that shall perform the cause which I have in hand.
3 He shall send from heaven *
and save me from the reproof of him that would eat me up.
4 God shall send forth his mercy and truth *
my soul is among lions.
5 And I lie even among the children of men, that are set on fire *
whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
6 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
7 They have laid a net for my feet, and pressed down my soul *
they have digged a pit before me,
and are fallen into the midst of it themselves.
8 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed *
I will sing, and give praise.
9 Awake up, my glory; awake, lute and harp *
I myself will awake right early.
10 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
and I will sing unto thee among the nations.
11 For the greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens *
and thy truth unto the clouds.
12 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 58 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y79vycco)
1 Are your minds set upon righteousness, O ye congregation *
and do ye judge the thing that is right, O ye sons of men?
2 Yea, ye imagine mischief in your heart upon the earth *
and your hands deal with wickedness.
3 The ungodly are froward, even from their mother’s womb *
as soon as they are born, they go astray, and speak lies.
4 They are as venomous as the poison of a serpent *
even like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ears;
5 Which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer *
charm he never so wisely.
6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouths;
smite the jaw-bones of the lions, O Lord *
let them fall away like water that runneth apace;
and when they shoot their arrows let them be rooted out.
7 Let them consume away like a snail,
and be like the untimely fruit of a woman *
and let them not see the sun.
8 Or ever your pots be made hot with thorns *
so let indignation vex him, even as a thing that is raw.
9 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance *
he shall wash his footsteps in the blood of the ungodly.
10 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous *
doubtless there is a God that judgeth the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 56 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm%2056.mp3)
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
for my enemies are hounding me; *
all day long they assault and oppress me.
2 They hound me all the day long; *
truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3 Whenever I am afraid, *
I will put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they damage my cause; *
their only thought is to do me evil.
6 They band together; they lie in wait; *
they spy upon my footsteps;
because they seek my life.
7 Shall they escape despite their wickedness? *
O God, in your anger, cast down the peoples.
8 You have noted my lamentation;
put my tears into your bottle; *
are they not recorded in your book?
9 Whenever I call upon you, my enemies will be put to flight; *
this I know, for God is on my side.
10 In God the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can mortals do to me?
11 I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; *
I will present to you thank-offerings;
12 For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet
from stumbling, *
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Psalm 57 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-57-MH.mp3)
2 Have mercy on me, God, have mercy
for in you my soul has taken refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge
till the storms of destruction pass by.
3 I call to you God the Most High,
to you who have always been my help.
4 May you send from heaven and save me
and shame those who assail me.
O God, send your truth and your love.
5 My soul lies down among lions,
who would devour the sons of men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongue a sharpened sword.
6 O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
7 They laid a snare for my steps; my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path
but fell in it themselves.
8 My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.
I will sing, I will sing your praise.
9 Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp,
I will awake the dawn.
10 I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples,
among the nations I will praise you
11 for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.
12 O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth.
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.
Psalm 58 (Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-58-KH.mp3)
Refrain:
Do you decree what is right, O you gods?
Do you judge uprightly, sons of men?
No! In your hearts you work evil,
and your hands weigh out violence on the earth.
1 The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies
They have venom like a poisonous serpent,
like an adder that is deaf to all charmers [Refrain]
2 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
O LORD, remove the fangs of these lions
Let them vanish like water that runs off;
when they aim let their arrows have no tips [Refrain]
3 Like a snail that dissolves into slime;
like a still birth that never sees the sun
Before our pots can feel the heat of thorns,
both the burning and the green are swept away [Refrain]
4 The righteous shall rejoice to see the vengeance,
In the blood of the wicked bathe his feet
Men will say, “There is reward for the just,
There is a God who judges on the earth
PRAYER
O God,
when our path is hard and dangerous,
give us the grace of quiet confidence.
Remind us that we belong to you in baptism,
for you have claimed us in Jesus Christ,
the way, the truth, and the life. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “I’m here. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I’m Esau your oldest son. I’ve made what you asked me to. Sit up and eat some of the game so you can bless me.” Isaac said to his son, “How could you find this so quickly, my son?” He said, “The Lord your God led me right to it.”
Isaac said to Jacob, “Come here and let me touch you, my son. Are you my son Esau or not?” So Jacob approached his father Isaac, and Isaac touched him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the arms are Esau’s arms.” Isaac didn’t recognize him because his arms were hairy like Esau’s arms, so he blessed him. Isaac said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.”
Isaac said, “Bring some food here and let me eat some of my son’s game so I can bless you.” Jacob put it before him and he ate, and he brought him wine and he drank. His father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” So he came close and kissed him. When Isaac smelled the scent of his clothes, he blessed him,
“See, the scent of my son
is like the scent of the field
that the Lord has blessed.
May God give you
showers from the sky,
olive oil from the earth,
plenty of grain and new wine.
May the nations serve you,
may peoples bow down to you.
Be the most powerful man among your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Those who curse you will be cursed,
and those who bless you will be blessed.”
HYMN: Psalm 2; para. Psalter, 1912, alt.
Tune: Aberystwyth https://tinyurl.com/5n97bkdz
1 Wherefore do the nations rage
and the people vainly dream
that in triumph they can wage
war against the LORD supreme?
His Anointed they deride,
and the rulers, plotting, say,
“Their dominion be defied,
let us cast their bonds away.”
2 But the Lord will scorn them all;
calm, he sits enthroned on high.
Soon his wrath will on them fall;
angered, he will then reply,
“Yet according to my will
I have set my King to reign,
and on Zion’s holy hill
my Anointed I maintain.”
3 My LORD speaks, “You are my Son;
yes, I have begotten you.
I will give you every one
of the nations as your due.
From your rule, now let them learn:
break them with an iron rod,
dash them like a potter’s urn,
crush those enemies of God.”
4 Therefore, rulers, kings, come near,
listen to God’s holy word.
Come with reverence, come with fear.
Kiss the Son and serve the LORD,
lest his anger quickly flame
and you perish in your way.
All are blest who trust in him;
yes, supremely blest are they.
Brothers and sisters, become imitators of me and watch those who live this way—you can use us as models. As I have told you many times and now say with deep sadness, many people live as enemies of the cross. Their lives end with destruction. Their god is their stomach, and they take pride in their disgrace because their thoughts focus on earthly things. Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from there—the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform our humble bodies so that they are like his glorious body, by the power that also makes him able to subject all things to himself.
HYMN: Philip Doddridge
Tune: Deus tuorum militum https://tinyurl.com/5n6vr6rn
1 My gracious Lord, I own Thy right
To every service I can pay,
And call it my supreme delight
To hear Thy dictates, and obey.
2 What is my being but for Thee,
Its sure support, its noblest end?
Thy ever smiling ace to see,
And serve the cause of such a Friend.
3 I would not breathe for worldly joy,
Or to increase my worldly good;
Nor future days nor powers employ
To spread a sounding name abroad.
4 ’Tis to my Saviour I would live,
To Him who for my ransom died;
Nor could untainted Eden give
Such bliss as blossoms at His side.
5 His work my hoary age shall bless,
When youthful vigour is no more;
And my last hour of life confess
His love hath animating power.
An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Aware of their deepest thoughts, Jesus took a little child and had the child stand beside him. Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me. Whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever is least among you all is the greatest.” John replied, “Master, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he isn’t in our group of followers.” But Jesus replied, “Don’t stop him, because whoever isn’t against you is for you.”
CANTICLE Te Deum
(Chant by Joe Cox: https://tinyurl.com/ybzyundx)
We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud,
the Heavens and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world
doth acknowledge thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty,
thine adorable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints,
in glory everlasting.
THE PRAYERS Tom Kostrzewa/Liturgy of the Hours
As we gather to celebrate the feast of our holy father St. Benedict,
let us offer our evening prayer to God:
God, you inspired St. Benedict to establish a school of the Lord’s service, bless all those who seek you in the monastic way of life, we ask you, Lord, hear us.
Our holy father, St. Benedict taught us to prefer nothing to the Work of God, bless our daily round of prayer, and may it be found pleasing in your sight; we ask you, Lord, hear us.
Open our eyes to the deifying light and our ears to the heavenly voice that calls us each day; we ask you, Lord, hear us.
Bless us with the gift of listening hearts, we ask you, Lord, hear us.
Our holy father Benedict died surrounded by his brothers, with his hands uplifted in prayer, bless us with the grace of a perfect death, and bring to eternal life those we remember; we ask you, Lord, hear us.
(Karin Simmons: https://tinyurl.com/y7vwp7dd)
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;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Eternal God,
who made Benedict a wise master
in the school of your service
and a guide to many called into community
to follow the rule of Christ:
grant that we may put your love before all else
and seek with joy the way of your commandments;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen. EH
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
EH Exciting Holiness Edited by Brother Tristam SSF, © European Province of the Society of Saint Francis, 1997
The main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of Psalm 56 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 57 is from The Grail Psalter and is from the Manual Hopper YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/manualhopper/featured. Psalm 58 is in the version sung by Karl Kohlhase http://www.k4communications.com/karl/index.html.
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2023 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
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