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

Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Thomas Aquinas, Friar and Theologian
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 The Lord does whatever pleases him.

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 The Lord does whatever pleases him.

Antiphon 2 For his mercy endures for ever.

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 his mercy endures for ever.

Antiphon 3 Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

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 Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

Antiphon 4 Before the gods I will sing your praise, O my God.

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 Before the gods I will sing your praise, O my God.

Short Lesson: James 3:17-18
The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Responsory
In the midst of the assembly, he will open his mouth.
In the midst of the assembly, he will open his mouth.
And the Lord will fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding; he will open his mouth.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of the assembly he will open his mouth.

Hymn     Aeterne sol
Eternal Sun, who by your might,
fill all created things with light,
you are the Lord of every thing;
our hearts and souls will gladly sing.

A beacon shining in the dark,
these learned men and women mark
the pathway of salvation here
because the Holy Spirit is near.

The Word sent down from heaven’s gate
our little mind may contemplate,
but through these ministers of grace
with shining clarity embrace.

He is the bearer of a crown
for holy teaching, not renown.
Now splendidly he shines on high
whom we extol with happy cry.

With his encouragement we seek
to find the way of God, and keep
upon a course forever true,
and in the end find only you.

Grant this, O Father ever One
with Christ your sole begotten Son,
and Holy Spirit who all adore,
reigning and blest for evermore. Amen.

Verse
The people tell the wisdom of the saints.
And proclaim their praise to all the Church.

Antiphon: missing antiphon "spiritu intelligentae"

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: missing antiphon "spiritu intelligentae"

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 God, who has enriched your church with the singular learning and holiness of your servant Thomas Aquinas: Enlighten us more and more, we pray, by the disciplined thinking and teaching of Christian scholars, and deepen our devotion by the example of their saintly lives; 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.