The Rule of Saint Benedict

How many Psalms are to be said in the night hours

In the winter season, having first said the verse,

O God, incline unto mine aid; O Lord, make haste to help

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7£,56 the words, O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips and my mouth shall declare Thy praise’ are then to be said thrice. After this the third Psalm is to be said with a Ghria; after which the ninety-fourth Psalm, with an antiphon, is to be recited or sung, followed by a hymn, and then six psalms with their antiphons. When these are ended and a versicle said, let the abbot give a blessing ; and then, all being seated, let three lessons from the book placed on the lectern be read by the brethren in turns. Between these lessons three responsories are to be sung, two without a Ghia. After the third lesson, however, let the cantor add the Ghria to the responsory, and as soon as he begins it let all rise from their seats out of honour and reverence to the Holy Trinity.

.Let the divinely inspired books of the Old and New Testament be read at Matins, together with their expositions from the best known, orthodox and Catholic Fathers.

After these three lessons, with their responsories,

38 THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT

let six other psalms be sung with the A//eluia. A lesson from the Apostle is then to be said by heart, and a verse with the petition of the Litany—that is, Kyrie eleison—and so let the night watches (or Matins) end.