this day: vigils lauds prime terce sext none vespers compline
one day back: vigils lauds prime terce sext none vespers compline
one day forward: vigils lauds prime terce sext none vespers compline

Today (Thursday, January 1, 2026): vigils lauds prime terce sext none vespers compline

Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Agnes of Rome, Martyr
Vespers

Introduction
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Antiphon 1 When Agnes entered the shameful place, she found the Angel of the Lord ready.

Psalm 134 (135)    Laudate nomen
Alleluia!

Praise the Name of the Lord;
give praise, you servants of the Lord,
You who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praises to his Name for it is lovely.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself
and Israel for his own possession.

For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
The Lord does whatever pleases him, in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the deeps.

He brings up rain clouds from the ends of the earth;
he sends out lightning with the rain,
and brings the winds out of his storehouse.

It was he who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn both of man and beast.
He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He overthrew many nations
and put mighty kings to death:

Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, the king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
He gave their land to be an inheritance,
an inheritance for Israel his people.

O Lord, your Name is everlasting;
your renown, O Lord, endures from age to age,
For the Lord gives his people justice
and shows compassion to his servants.

The idols of the heathen are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths but they cannot speak;
eyes have they but they cannot see.

They have ears, but they cannot hear;
neither is there any breath in their mouth.
Those who make them are like them,
and so are all who put their trust in them.

Bless the Lord, O house of Israel;
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, O house of Levi;
you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
Blessed be the Lord out of Zion,
who dwells in Jerusalem.

Alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Antiphon When Agnes entered the shameful place, she found the Angel of the Lord ready.

Antiphon 2 For I have with me the guardian of my body, the Angel of the Lord.

Psalm 135 (136)    Confitemini
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his mercy endures for ever.

Who only does great wonders,
for his mercy endures for ever;
Who by wisdom made the heavens,
for his mercy endures for ever;
Who spread out the earth upon the waters,
for his mercy endures for ever;

Who created great lights,
for his mercy endures for ever;
The sun to rule the day,
for his mercy endures for ever;
The moon and the stars to govern the night,
for his mercy endures for ever.

Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his mercy endures for ever;
And brought out Israel from among them,
for his mercy endures for ever;
With a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm,
for his mercy endures for ever;

Who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his mercy endures for ever;
And made Israel to pass through the midst of it,
for his mercy endures for ever;

But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his mercy endures for ever;
Who led his people through the wilderness,
for his mercy endures for ever.

Who struck down great kings,
for his mercy endures for ever;
And slew mighty kings,
for his mercy endures for ever;

Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his mercy endures for ever;
And Og, the king of Bashan,
for his mercy endures for ever;

And gave away their lands for an inheritance,
for his mercy endures for ever,
An inheritance for Israel his servant,
for his mercy endures for ever.

Who remembered us in our low estate,
for his mercy endures for ever;
And delivered us from our enemies,
for his mercy endures for ever;

Who gives food to all creatures,
for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his mercy endures for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Antiphon For I have with me the guardian of my body, the Angel of the Lord.

Antiphon 3 My Lord Jesus Christ espoused me with his ring, and adorned me with a crown as a bride.

Psalm 136 (137)    Super flumina
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept,
when we remembered you, O Zion.
As for our harps, we hung them up
on the trees in the midst of that land.

For those who led us away captive asked us for a song,
and our oppressors called for mirth:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

How shall we sing the Lord’s song
upon an alien soil?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill.

Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

Remember the day of Jerusalem, O Lord,
against the people of Edom,
who said, “Down with it! down with it!
even to the ground!”

O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us!
Happy shall he be who takes your little ones,
and dashes them against the rock!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Antiphon My Lord Jesus Christ espoused me with his ring, and adorned me with a crown as a bride.

Antiphon 4 Rejoice with me and be glad for me, because with all of these I have received the kingdom of light.

Psalm 137 (138)    Confitebor tibi
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I will sing your praise;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name,
because of your love and faithfulness.

For you have glorified your Name
and your word above all things.
When I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength within me.

All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord,
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
They will sing of the ways of the Lord,
that great is the glory of the Lord.

Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly;
he perceives the haughty from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.

The Lord will make good his purpose for me;
O Lord, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Antiphon Rejoice with me and be glad for me, because with all of these I have received the kingdom of light.

Short Lesson: 1 Peter 4:13-14
Beloved, rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.

Responsory
You, O God, have proved us, but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
You, O God, have proved us, but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
You have tried us just as silver is tried, but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
You, O God, have proved us, but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.

Hymn     Deus tuorum militum
O God, your soldiers’ chosen part,
their portion, crown, and high reward,
as we sing out your martyr’s praise,
release us from the bonds of sin.

This martyr witnessed by his lips
the faith he treasured in his heart;
he shed his blood to follow Christ
and found in death the way to him.

Discerning rightly, judging well
that worldly joys and lures of sin
are fleeting pleasures swift to fall,
he came at last to heaven’s joy.

He ran with courage to the test
and valiantly endured the pain;
he shed his blood for love of you
and now enjoys eternal gifts.

And so, all gracious loving Lord,
we beg you, hear our humble prayer:
grant pardon for your servants’ sin
on this triumphant martyr’s feast.

That we may follow and attain
a glorious share in his reward
and find our joy for evermore
in heavenly dwellings with the Saints.

Eternal praise and glory be
to you, O Father, with the Son,
and with the Spirit Paraclete,
from age to age, for evermore. Amen.

Verse
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.
And shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.

Antiphon In the heavenly realm is the dwelling of the saints, and their rest is in eternity.

Canticle: Luke 1:46-55    Magnificat anima mea
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Antiphon In the heavenly realm is the dwelling of the saints, and their rest is in eternity.

Litany
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.

Lord’s Prayer
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.

Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who chooses those whom the world deems powerless to put the powerful to shame: Grant us so to cherish the memory of your youthful martyr Agnes, that we might share her pure and steadfast faith in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Conclusion
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.