Peter Paul Rubens, “Ausgießung des Heiligen Geistes” (“Pouring Out of the Holy Spirit”), 1619, painting, 474 × 275.5 cm, Staatsgalerie Neuburg, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Germany
At the Beginning of the Hour
Those designated sing an invitiatory antiphon:
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
(Dominican Chant)
Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Alleluia
Luke will sing part A and Philip will sing part B.
Penitential Rite
Luke will serve as “all.”
Officiant:
Friends, it is in vain that we rise up so early, and go so late to rest, and eat the bread of anxiety: for God gives sleep to his beloved.
Dear God,
thank you for all that is good,
for our creation and for our humanity,
for the stewardship you have given us of this planet Earth,
for the gifts of life and of one another,
for your love, which is unbounded and eternal.
Let us come to God as one from whom no secrets are hidden, to ask for forgiveness and peace.
A moment of silence is kept.
May the God of Love have mercy on us, pardon us, and set us free. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. May God strengthen us in all goodness and keep us in life eternal.
All:
Amen
Opening Sentences
Philip will serve as “all.”
Those designated sing the Compline hymn:
Te Lucis ante Terminum
(Sarum Rite Plainchant, Festal Tone)
Philip will sing verse 1, Luke will sing verse 2, and Stacy will sing verse 3.
Before the end of the light,
we beg you, creator of all,
that you, with familiar mercy,
might be the leader of our care.
Let troubled dreams withdraw to the distance.
Silence our enemy
and all deceptions of the night,
that our bodies may rest secure.
Be present, omnipotent father,
through the Lord, Jesus Christ,
who with you forever
reigns with the Holy Spirit.
Psalmody
The psalm is sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Luke will serve as leader and Philip will serve as responder.
Psalm 104:1–27, 30–33 (Alter, adapted)
Leader:
Bless, O my being, the ◊ Lord!
Lord, my God, You are very great. *
Responder:
Grandeur and glo-ry you don.
Leader:
Wrapped in light like a cloak, *
Responder:
stretching out the heavens like a tent-cloth.
Leader:
Setting beams for His lofts in the wa-◊-ters,
making His chariot the clouds, *
Responder:
He goes on the wings of the wind.
Leader:
He makes his messengers like the winds, *
Responder:
His ministers, glow-ing fi-re
Leader:
He founded earth on its so-lid base, *
Responder:
not to be sha-ken for-ev-er-more.
Leader:
With the deep You covered it like a gar-ment: *
Responder:
over moun-tains the wa-ters stood.
Leader:
From Your blast they fled, *
Responder:
from the sound of Your thun-der they scat-tered.
Leader:
They went up the mountains, went down the val-leys, *
Responder:
to the place that You found-ed for them.
Leader:
A border You fixed so they could not cross, *
Responder:
so they could not come back to co-ver the earth.
Leader:
You let loose the springs in fresh-ets *
Responder:
among the moun-tains they go.
Leader:
They water all beasts of the field, *
Responder:
the wild ass-es slake their thirst.
Leader:
Above them the fowl of the heavens dwell, *
Responder:
from among the foliage they send forth their voice.
Leader:
He waters mountains from His lofts, *
Responder:
from the fruit of your works the earth is sa-ted.
Leader:
He makes the hay sprout for ◊ cattle,
grass for the labor of human-kind *
Responder:
to bring forth bread from the earth,
Leader:
and wine that gladdens the heart of ◊ man
to make faces shine brighter than oi-l *
Responder:
and bread that sus-tains the heart of man.
Leader:
The trees of the Lord drink their fill, *
Responder:
the Lebanon ce-dars He plant-ed,
Leader:
where the birds make their nest, *
Responder:
the stork whose home is the cy-presses,
Leader:
the high mountains for the ga-zelles, *
Responder:
the crags a shel-ter for badg-ers.
Leader:
He made the moon for the fixed sea-sons; *
Responder:
the sun: He appoint-ed its set-ting.
Leader:
You bring down darkness and it turns to night *
Responder:
in which all beasts of the for-est stir.
Leader:
The lions roar for prey, *
Responder:
seeking from God their food.
Leader:
When the sun comes up, they head home, *
Responder:
and in their dens they lie down.
Leader:
Man goes out to his work *
Responder:
and to his labor un-til eve-ning.
Leader:
How many Your deeds, O ◊ Lord,
all of them You do in wis-dom. *
Responder:
All the earth is filled with Your rich-es.
Leader:
This sea great and ◊ wide,
where creatures beyond number stir, *
Responder:
the lit-tle beasts and the large.
Leader:
There the ships go, *
Responder:
this Leviathan You fash-ioned to play with.
Leader:
All of them look to You *
Responder:
to give them their food in its sea-son.
Leader:
When You send forth Your Spirit, they are cre-at-ed, *
Responder:
and You re-new the face of the earth.
Leader:
May the Lord’s glory be for-ev-er, *
Responder:
may the Lord re-joice in His works,
Leader:
Who but looks down to earth, and it trem-bles *
Responder:
but touches the moun-tains: they smoke.
Leader:
Let me sing to the Lord while I live, *
Responder:
let me hymn to my God while I breathe.
Leader:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Spir-it,
Leader:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, *
Responder:
world with-out end. A-men.
Short Reading
Those designated sing the Compline sequence for Pentecost:
Alma Chorus Domini
Sarum Rite Plainchant
Luke will sing part A; Philip will sing part B.
Now let the blessed chorus of the Lord
record the names of the Most High:
Messiah; Savior; Emmanuel; God of Hosts; Adonai;
Only-Begotten; Way; Life; Hand; Homoousion;
Beginning; First-Born; Wisdom; Virtue;
Alpha, Head and End, called at the same time Omega;
Fountain and Source of good; Comforter and Mediator;
Lamb; Sheep; Calf; Serpent; Ram; Lion; Worm;
Mouth; Word; Brightness; Sun; Glory; Light; Image;
Bread; Flower; Vine; Mountain; Door; Rock; Cornerstone;
Messenger; Bridegroom; Shepherd; Prophet; Priest;
Immortal; Kyros; God; Pantocrator; and Jesus.
May the One make us safe Whose is glory through all ages.
Amen.
❦
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader chants the reading:
St. Leo the Great, Sermon 75 (Pentecost I)
May 23, ad
443
Just as, when the Hebrew people were set free from Egypt, the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai on the fiftieth day after the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, even so, after the Passion in which the true Lamb of God was slaughtered, on the fiftieth day after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles and the crowd. Thus, let the faithful Christian readily declare that the ancient Testament provides the first principles of the Gospel, and that same Spirit which founded the second covenant likewise established the first.
From this day the trumpet of the Good News resounds! From this day, rains of grace, rivers of blessing, flow in all deserts and every parched land, for to “renew the face of the earth,” the Spirit of God has “swept over the waters.” Lightning flashed, dispelling the darkness, with tongues as of fire, and the Word of the Lord was “clear” and “sent forth light.” Both the power of the shining and the force of the burning were present so as to create understanding and to destroy sin.
Responsories
Luke will serve as leader and Philip will serve as “all.”
All sing an aleatoric responsory:
Epitaph
Text by Sarah Williams; music by F.J. Haydn (details)
- Philip sings the melody once, ending on “oo.”
- Everyone sings the melody, starting at different times and moving at different speeds, ending by returning to “oo.”
- Once everyone is singing “oo,” gradually fade into silence.
Prayers
Luke will serve as leader and Stacy will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the Lord’s Prayer:
All continue silently until “and lead us not …”:
… 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 then conclude:
A moment of silence is kept.
Philip will serve as leader and Luke will serve as “all.”
The leader begins the collects:
Leader:
Leader:
O God, who on this day
didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people
by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit:
Grant us by the same Spirit
to have a right judgment in all things,
and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;
through the merits of Christ Jesus our Savior,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the same Spirit,
one God, world without end.
All:
Leader:
O most mighty and merciful God,
in this time of grievous sickness,
we flee unto thee for succour.
Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril;
give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick;
prosper the means made use of for their cure;
and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is,
we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom
which leadeth to eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All:
Leader:
Keep watch, dear Lord,
with those who work, or watch, or weep this night,
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary,
bless the dying, soothe the suffering,
pity the afflicted, shield the joyous;
and all for your love’s sake.
All:
Leader:
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord,
and by thy great mercy defend us
from all perils and dangers of this night;
through Jesus Christ our savior,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever.
All:
After the collects, we will keep a moment of silence to call to mind our concerns, reflections, intentions, and reasons for thankfulness. Those who wish to share them aloud will be invited to do so.
❦
Those designated sing the “golden” Pentecost sequence:
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
Luke will sing part A; Philip will sing part B.
A:
Come, Holy Spirit,
and send out from heaven
the ray of your light.
B:
Come, father of poor people.
Come, giver of gifts.
Come, light of hearts;
A:
best comforter;
agreeable guest of the soul;
sweet refreshment;
B:
in labor, rest;
in summer, coolness;
in tears, solace.
A:
O most blessed light,
fill the most intimate parts of the heart
of your faithful.
B:
Without your nod,
there is nothing human,
there is nothing harmless.
A:
Wash that which is soiled.
Water that which is arid.
Heal that which is wounded.
B:
Bend that which is rigid.
Warm that which is cold.
Guide that which is wandering lost.
A:
Give to your faithful,
to those who trust in you,
your seven holy gifts.
B:
Give the reward of virtue.
Give a way out into well-being.
Give unfailing joy.
A:
Amen.
B:
Alleluia.
Canticle
The canticle is sung antiphonally. You are invited to join either the “leader” or the “responder” part (with your microphone muted).
Stacy will serve as leader and Luke will serve as responder.
Nunc Dimittis: Luke 2:29–32
Leader:
Lord, you now have set your ser-vant free *
Responder:
to go in peace as you have pro-mised,
Leader:
For with my eyes I have seen *
Responder:
your sal-va-tion,
Leader:
→ which you have pre-pared *
Responder:
before the sight of all peo-ple:
Leader:
A light to shine through all na -tions *
Responder:
and the glory of your peo-ple,Isra-el.
Leader:
Glo -ry be to the Fa-ther, and to the Son, *
Responder:
and to the Ho-ly Spi-rit,
Leader:
As it was in the be-gin-ning, is now, *
Responder:
and will be fore-ver. A-men.
Benediction
Luke will serve as “all.”
Those designated sing the Marian antiphon:
Regina Caeli, Laetare
(Gregorian Chant, Simple Tone)
Luke will sing part A; Philip will sing part B.
Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia,
for the one whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia,
has risen, just as he said. Alleluia.
Pray for us to God. Alleluia.
It is traditional to end Compline with a few moments for silent reflection.