Liturgical Guide: Ascension

The hymns used in the Liturgy of the Hours on the Ascension of Our Lord reflect the themes of heaven and earth. In the following video Fr. Robert Barron from Word On Fire Ministries lends his own perspective on the Ascension. To best understand it, he explains that Christians need to recover a Jewish sense of heaven and earth. When Jesus prayed: "as it is on earth as it is in heaven", he was expressing the ancient Jewish concept of heaven and earth  as impinging on each other. Instead, many in modern times have, without realizing adopted Plato's view of earth, and indeed even our own body as a prison from which we long to be freed. The other world is 'up there' in a spiritual realm, and 'down here' we live in a world of matter; the two are distinct and unrelated. After the Ascension, the disciples stand looking up at the sky in a manner more fitting for a Platonist. But then, two men dressed in white garments (denizens of heaven) chastise them: "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” Acts:1, 10-11. They are reminding the Apostles of their mission "to do all they can to bring about the Kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven."



LITURGY OF THE HOURS (1975)
122. Hail Thee, Festival Day
124. Let the Earth Rejoice and Sing
125. Praise Him As He Mounts the Skies
126. The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns

DIVINE OFFICE (1974)
The Lord Goes Up with Shouts of Joy
Sower and Seed of Man's Reprieving

Hymns from the Liturgy of the Hours (ICEL-1975)

Alphabetical Index of the hymns found in the Liturgy of the Hours (ICEL, 1975) approved by the Episcopal Conferences of the Antilles, Bangledesh, Burma, Canada, of the Pacific CEPAC (Fiji Islands, Rarotangta, Samoa and Takelau, Tonga), Ghana, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua, New Guinea and The Solomons, The Phillipines, Rhodesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United States of America for use in their Dioceses and Confirmed by the Apostolic See. Related: Thematic Index and Numerical Index.

A Child is Born (68)
A Child is Born in Bethlehem (75)
A Mighty Fortress is Our God (171)
All Creatures of Our God and King (14)
All Glory, Praise, and Honor (103)
All Hail, Adored Trinity (131)
All Praise to You, My God, This Night (52)
All You Nations (11)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (121)
Alleluia, The Strife is O'er (112)
Almighty Ruler, God of Truth (127)
Amazing Grace (173)
As with Gladness Men of Old (81)
At the Lamb's High Feast (116)
At the Name of Jesus (139)

Be Consoled, My People (57)
Behold a Virgin Bearing Him (65)
Behold, a Rose of Judah (67)
Blest Are the Pure in Heart (181)
Breathe on Me, Breath of God (18)
Brightness of the Father's Glory (2)

Christ is Made Our Sure Foundation (154)
Christ is the World's Light (17)
Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands (115)
Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Leeson) (123)
Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Wesley) (120)
Christ, in Whose Passion Once Was Sown (170)
Christ, Victim for the Sins of Men (111)
Come to Me (139)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, Come (127)
Come, Holy Ghost, Who Ever One (23)
Come, Thou Almighty King (133)
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus (56)
Creator of the Earth and Skies (86)
Creator of the Stars of Night (61)
Crown Him With Many Crowns (101)
Darkness Has Faded (5)

Day is Done (42)
Draw Near, O Lord (96)

Faith of Our Fathers (31)
Father, Lord of Earth and Heaven (21)
Father, We Thank Thee (46)
Firmly I Believe and Truly (28)
For All the Saints (172)
For Forty Years (93)
For the Fruits of His Creation (37)
From All That Dwell Below the Skies (with Alleluias) (19)
From All That Dwell Below the Skies (20)
From Heaven High (69)

Go Tell It on the Mountain (70)
God Father, Praise and Glory (13)
God With Hidden Majesty (135)
God, Whose Almighty Word (188)
Grant to Us (90)
Great Saint Andrew (142)

Hail Thee, Festival Day (122)
Hail to the Lord Who Comes (143)
Hail, Holy Queen (162)
Hail, Redeemer, King Divine (102)
Hail, This Festival Day (160)
Have Mercy, O Lord (107)
Hear the Herald Voice Resounding (58)
Heart of Christ (137)
Help Us, O Lord (24)
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (49)
Holy Mary, Now We Crown You (158)
Holy Spirit, Come Confirm Us (22)
Holy Spirit, God of Light (129)
Holy, Holy, Holy (132)

I Am the Bread of Life (114)
I Shall Praise the Savior's Glory (108)
I Sing the Mighty Power of God (10)
In Ancient Times God Spoke to Man (190)
In the Midst of Death (113)

Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today (118)
Jesus Comes to Be Baptized (83)
John 15 (This I Ask) (106)
Joseph of Nazareth (78)
Joy to You (79)

Keep in Mind (98)

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (100)
Let All Things Now Living (45)
Let the Earth Rejoice and Sing (124)
Look Down to Us, Saint Joseph (145)
Lord God and Maker of All Things (29)
Lord Jesus Christ, Abide With Us (34)
Lord Jesus, Once You Spoke to Men (191)
Lord of All Being, Throned Afar (26)
Lord of All Hopefulness (25)
Lord Who at Your First Eucharist Did Pray (134)
Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days (94)
Lord Whose Love in Humble Service (7)
Lord, Your Glory in Christ We Have Seen (87)
Lord, Your Word Abiding (187)
Love Divine All Loves Excelling (40)
Loving Shepherd of Thy Sheep (174)

Maranatha (55)
Mary Immaculate, Star of the Morning (157)
Mary the Dawn (165)
Mary, Crowned with Living Light (156)
May Flights of Angels Lead You On Your Way (185)
Morning Has Broken (4)
Most Ancient of All Mysteries (30)
Mother of Christ (159)
Mother of Holy Hope (164)
My Loving Savior (110)

Now at Daylight's Ending (51)
Now Fades All Earthly Splendor (41)
Now From the Heav'ns Descending (178)
Now Let the Heav'ns Resound with Praise (169)
Now Let Us All with One Accord (85)
Now Let Us Praise (179)
Now We Thank We All Our God (32)

O Christ, Redeemer of Mankind (136)
O Christ, You Are the Light and Day (33)
O Come, All Ye Faithful (71)
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (63)
O Cross of Christ Immortal Tree (150)
O Father, Whose Creating Hand (36)
O God of Light (15)
O God, Our Hope in Ages Past (182)
O Mary, of All Women (80)
O Radiant Light, O Sun Divine (184)
O Raise Your Eyes on High and See (148)
O Sacred Head, Surrounded (104)
O Worship the King (43)
On Jordan's Bank (54)
On This Day, the First of Days (1)

Praise Him As He Mounts the Skies (125)
Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens, Adore Him (151)
Praise to Mary, Heaven's Gate (166)
Praise to the Holiest (88)
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven (8)

Queen of Heaven (167)

Rejoice, O Virgin Mary (161)
Rise Up, O Men of God (176)
Romans VIII (For Those Who Love God) (44)

Shepherd of Souls, in Love Come, Feed Us (140)
Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly (77)
Sing Praise to Our Creator (82)
Sing with All the Sons of Glory (9)
Sion, Sing (3)
Song of Salvation Drawing Near (66)
Songs of Praise the Angels Sang (72)
Songs of Thankfulness and Praise (84)
Splendor of Creation (Send Forth Your Spirit) (130)

Take Up Your Cross (92)
The Beatitudes (180)
The Church's One Foundation (155)
The Coming of Our God (64)
The Day of Resurrection (117)
The Eternal Gifts of Christ the King (168)
The Glory of These Forty Days (89)
The God Whom Earth and Sea and Sky (163)
The Great Forerunner of the Morn (146)
The Head That Once Was Crowned With Thorns (126)
The King of Glory (59)
The King of Love My Shepherd Is (175)
The Master Came (53)
The Setting Sun (35)
The Spirit of God (128)
The Word of God Proceeding Forth (109)
They Come, God's Messengers of Love (152)
This Day God Gives Me (12)
This is Our Accepted Time (95)
This is the Feast Day of the Lord's True Witness (177)
This World, My God (50)
Tis Good, Lord, To Be Here (149)
To Christ, the Prince of Peace (138)
To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King (141)

Unto Us a Child is Given (76)

Virgin-Born, We Bow Before You (73)

Wake, Awake, the Night is Dying (60)
We Plough the Fields and Scatter (47)
We Praise You, Father, for Your Gifts (48)
We Turn to You, O God (16)
Were You There (105)
What Child is This (20)
What Fairer Light (147)
When from the Darkness (99)
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (97)
When in His Own Image (38)
When Mary Brought Her Treasure (144)
When Morning Fills the Sky (6)
Who Would True Valor See (183)
With Hearts Renewed (91)

Ye Sons and Daughters (119)
You Heavens, Open From Above (62)
You Holy Angels Bright (153)

My God I Love Thee / O Deus Ego Amo Te

Basilica of Bom Jesus - Goa, India

My God I Love Thee is a translation of O Deus Ego Amo Te, attributed to the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552). It was likely written sometime in the 1540's during his time in India. The original text was likely composed as a sonnet in Spanish or Portuguese and then later translated into Latin, either by Xavier himself and/or by others, for there are several Latin versions. It has been translated into English many times. The most well known is the 1849 translation by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878). In the Divine Office (1974) it is set to the tune, Everlasting Love. A more commonly used setting is to the tune, St. Fulbert (see 1st video). The 2nd video features a 2 stanza 18th century Latin hymn from the album, Angels and Saints At Ephesus performed by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. In the Divine Office, My God I Love Thee is used on Holy Saturday.

Tune: St. Fulbert

My God I Love Thee (Translation by Fr. Caswall)

My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heaven thereby;
Nor yet since they who love Thee not
Must burn eternally.

Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me
Upon the Cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails and spear,
And manifold disgrace;

And griefs and torments numberless,
And sweat of agony;
E’en death itself; and all for one
Who was Thine enemy.

Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ,
Should I not love Thee well,
Not for the sake of winning heaven,
Or of escaping hell;

Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Not seeking a reward;
But as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord?

E’en so I love Thee, and will love,
And in Thy praise will sing,
Solely because Thou art my God,
And my eternal King.



O Deus Ego Amo Te (18th Century Hymn)

O Deus, ego amo te,
Nec amo te ut salves me,
Nec quod qui te non diligent,
Æterno igne pereunt.

Ex cruces lingo germinat,
Qui pectus amor occupant,
Ex pansis unde brachiis,
Ad te amandum arripes. Amen.


Traditional Latin Text

O Deus, ego amo te,
Nec amo te, ut salves me,
Aut, quia non amantes te
Æterno punis igne.

Tu, tu, mi Jesu, totum me
Amplexus es in cruce;
Tuliste clavos, lanceam,
Multamque ignominiam,

Innumeros dolores,
Sudores, et angores,
Et mortem, et hæc propter me,
Ac pro me peccatore.

Cur igitur non amem te,
O Jesu amantissime,
Non, ut in cœlo salves me,
Aut ne æternum damnes me,

Nec præmii ullius spe;
Sed sicut tu amasti me?
Sic amo et amabo te,
Solum quia Rex meus es,
Et solum, quia Deus es.

O Loving Wisdom of Our God

O Generous Love!

O Loving Wisdom of Our God was written by Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890). It is an abridgement (beginning at the 2nd stanza) of the more well known, Praise to the Holiest, also used with the Liturgy of the Hours. Both are adapted from Cardinal Newman's 1865 epic poem, The Dream of Ge­ron­ti­us. The text of the hymn is drawn from the final section of the work where a choir of angels sing as the departed soul crosses the threshold to be judged by God. Newman had been asked by fellow convert to Catholicism, Fr. Henry James Coleridge S. J. (1822-1893), editor of The Month magazine, to make a contribution. He had expected Newman to write on some matter of theology, but instead received The Dream of Ge­ron­ti­us, which took Newman less than a month to compose. O Loving Wisdom of Our God is set to the tune, Billing by Richard R. Terry (1865-1938). In the Divine Office (1974), it is used on Holy Saturday.


Tune: Billing

O LOVING WISDOM OF OUR GOD by John Henry Newman, 1865 (Public Domain)

1. O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.

 2. O wisest love! that flesh and blood,
Which did in Adam fail,
Should strive afresh against the foe,
Should strive and should prevail!

 3. O generous love! that He, Who smote
In Man for man the foe,;
The double agony in Man
For man should undergo!

My Song is Love Unknown

My Song is Love Unknown was written by Anglican Priest and Dean of Bristol Cathedral, Samuel Crossman (c.1624-1698). It was first published in 1664 as part of his only collection of hymns: The Young Man's Meditation, a modest pamphlet containing 9 poems. The tune, Love Unknown is by the English composer John Ireland (1879-1962). It was composed one day in 1918 over lunch with his friend Geoffrey Shaw (1879-1943). Shaw suggested he compose a new setting for My Song is Love Unknown. On a scrap of paper, Ireland proceeded to write out the melody in less than 15 minuets. The next year it was published in the Public School Hymnal which Shaw was editor. In the Divine Office (1974) it is used during Lent and Holy Week.

Sung by St. Martin's Church Choir


Tune: Love Unknown

Abroad the Regal Banners Fly / Vexilla Regis Proeunt

Now Shines the Cross' Mystery 

Abroad the Regal Banners Fly is a translation of the Latin hymn, Vexilla Regis Proeunt by Venantius Fortunatus (c.530-c.609). As poet and hymnodist in the Merovingian Court of the Franks, he was asked by his patroness, Queen Radegunda to compose a fitting processional hymn for the arrival of a large relic from the True Cross that had been sent from the Byzantine Emperor Justin II and Empress Sophia. This was done in response to a request the Queen had made for relics for the Abbey Church of the convent at Poitier she had founded and retired to after the death of husband, Chlotar I. St. Radegund was canonized in the 9th century. In the Roman Breviary, Vexilla Regis was traditionally sung at Vespers from Passion Sunday to Holy Thursday. One early English translation is by William K. Blount (d.1717) and set to the tune, Primo Dierum. Another popular translation, The Royal Banners Forward Go by the Anglican Minister, John Mason Neale (1818-1866) is set to the 7th century Sarum Plainsong, Vexilla Regis Proeunt (see video below). Both translations can be sung to the tune, Andernach. In the Divine Office (1974), Abroad the Regal Banners Fly is used during Lent and Holy Week.



VEXILLA REGIS PRODEUNT

Vexilla regis prodeunt
Fulget crucis mysterium
Quo carne carnis conditor
Suspensus est patibulo.

Quo vulneratus insuper
Mucrone diro lanceae
Ut nos lavaret crimine
Manavit unda et sanguine.

Impleta sunt quae concinit
David fideli carmine
Dicens In nationibus
Regnavit a ligno Deus.

Arbor decora et fulgida
Ornata Regis purpura
Electa digno stipite
Tam sancta membra tangere.

Beata, cujus brachiis
Saecli pependit pretium
Statera facta corporis
Praedamque tulit tartari.

O Crux ave, spes unica
In hac triumphi gloria
Auge piis justitiam
Reisque dona veniam.

Te summa Deus Trinitas
Collaudet omnis spiritus:
Quos per crucis mysterium
Salvas, rege per saecula. Amen.

Man of Sorrows, Wrapt in Grief

Bow Thine Ear to Our Relief

Man of Sorrows, Wrapt in Grief was written by author, Matthew Bridges (1800-1894). He was one of several Anglicans in the 19th century that were greatly influenced by John Henry Newman and the Oxford Movement. In 1848, Bridges joined the Roman Catholic Church. The tune recommended in the Divine Office (1974) for Man of Sorrows, Wrapt in Grief is Afron, but myself and others have not found any information about it. As an alternative (see video below), the tune: Aberystwyth is commonly used with this text in other hymnals. In the Divine Office it is used during Lent and Holy Week.

Lord Jesus, Think On Me

Be Thou My Health and Life

Lord Jesus, Think On Me is a translation of the Greek hymn, Mnoheo Christe by Synesius of Cyrene (c.375-430). He was the Bishop of Ptolomais, one of the ancient capitals of Cyrenaica that is today part of modern day Libya. Early in life he was schooled in Greece and Alexandria in Neo-Platonism. We still have many of his letters, essays, and homilies. Mnoheo Christe is one of 10 hymns that he is believed to have written. In 1876 it was translated by the Anglican Priest, Allen William Chatfield (1808-1896). His text is set to the tune, Southwell (Daman), written in 1579 by William Daman. In the Divine Office (1974), Lord Jesus, Think On Me is used during Lent and Holy Week.

Hymns from the Divine Office (non-ICEL, 1974)

Numerical index of the hymn selections included in the Divine Office (non-ICEL, 1974) which is approved for use in Australia, England, Gambia, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Malaysia, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda, Wales, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Related: Alphabetical Index.

1. Hear the Herald Voice Resounding
2. Creator of the Stars of Night
3. The Co-Eternal Son
4. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
5. O Come, Now Rod of Jesse's Stem
6. A Noble Flower of Juda
7. Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise
8. Christ Whose Blood for All Men Streamed
9. O Come, All Ye Faithful
10. Unto Us a Child is Given
11. Of the Father's Love Begotten
12. Christ is Here, Emmanuel!
13. Bethlehem of Noblest Cities
14. Songs of Thankfulness and Praise
15. God of thy Pity, Unto Us Thy Children
16. O God Creator of Us All
17. Lord Jesus, Think On Me
18. Jesus, the Sun of Ransomed Earth
19. Now Let Us All With One Accord
20. Man of sorrows, Wrapt in Grief
21. O Cross of Christ Immortal Tree
22. Abroad the Regal Banners Fly
23. O Sacred Head Ill Usèd
24. My Song is Love Unknown
25. Christ the Lord is Risen Again
26. Easter Glory Fills the Sky
27. Alleluia, Sing to Jesus
28. At the Lamb’s High Feast
29. Proclaim his Triumph, Heaven and Earth
30. Come Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain
31. Battle is O'er
32. Come Holy Ghost, Creator Come
33. Come, O Creator Spirit Blest
34. Spirit of God On the Waste and the Darkness
35. Come Down O Love Divine
36. Love of the Father, Love of God the Son
37. Firmly I Believe and Truly
38. To Christ, the Prince of Peace
39. O Sacred Heart
40. When Time Began, God Walked With Man
41. The Church's One Foundation
42. Star of Sea and Ocean
43. Maiden Yet a Mother
44. Mary Crowned with Living Light
45. Hail Queen of Heaven the Ocean Star
46. God Who Made the Earth and Sky
47. Queen on WhoseStarry Brow DothRest
48. O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith
49. Let All On Earth Their Voices Raise
50. The Martyrs Living Now With Christ
51. Our Lord the Path of Suffering Trod
52. The Saints Who Toiled From Place to Place
53. Who Are These Like Stars Appearing?
54. For All Thy Saints, O Lord
55. O Jesu Thou the Virgins' Crown
56. God's Blessed Spirit Moved His Virgin Saint
57. This is the Day Whereon the Lord's True Witness
58. For All the Saints
59. Praise We the Woman
60. Lord God, We Give You Thanks for All Your Saints
61. Remember Those, O Lord
62. Merciful Saviour, Hear Our Humble Prayer
67. The Nativity of Christ
68. The Flower
69. Corpus Christi Carol
70. O King of the Friday
71. Easter (Most Glorious Lord of Lyfe!)
72. At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners
73. Batter My Heart, Three-Personed God
74. O, To Vex Me Contraries Meet In One
75. A Hymn to God the Father
76. De Profundis (Out of My Soul's Depths)
77. To Keep a True Lent
78. The Call (Come, My Way)
79. Love Bade Me Welcome
80. Easter (Rise Heart, Thy Lord is Risen)
81. The Windhover
82. Marina
83. O Perpetual Revolution of Configured Stars
84. One Foot in Eden
85. The Killing
86. Discipline
87. I Bind Unto Myself This Day
88. True Love (My True-Love Hath My Heart)
89. 'O Come Quickly!' (Never Weather-Beaten Sail)
90. Good Lord, Deliver Us!
91. Wilt Thou Forgive That Sin, Where I Begun
92. Hymn to God My God, in My Sickness
93. The Dial
94. Trinity Sunday
95. Antiphon
96. His Litany to the Holy Spirit
97. At a Solemn Music
98. The Morning-Watch
99. Peace
100. The World
101. In No Strange Land (The Kingdom of God is Within You)
102. That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection
103. Pied Beauty
104. God's Grandeur
105. O Light Invisible, We Praise Thee!
109. Christ the True Light of Us, True Morn
110. Now it is Evening
111. Lead Kindly Light
112. Abide With Me
113. The Day Thou Gavest
114. Now Thank We All Our God
115. Lord of All Hopefulness
116. Sweet Saviour, Bless Us
117. Alma Redemptoris Mater
118. Mother of Christ, Hear Thou Thy People's Cry
119. Ave Regina Caelorum
120. Hail Queen of Heaven Beyond Compare
121. Regina Caeli
122. Joy Fill Your Heart
123. Queen of Heaven, Rejoice
124. Salve Regina
125. Hail Our Queen
126. O Sanctissima
127. O Most Holy One
128. Come, Holy Spirit, Live in Us
129. Lord God and Maker of All Things
130. Eternal Father, Loving God
131. Te Deum
132. Be Thou My Vision
133. O God of Truth Prepare Our Minds
134. Worship, Glory, Praise and Honour
135. Bright as Fire in Darkness
136. Eternal Father, Through Your Word
137. In Ancient Times, God Spoke to Man
138. How Great the Tale
139. This Day, at Thy Creating Word
140. All Creatures of Our God and King
141. Come Spirit Blest, with God the Son
142. O God of Truth and Lord of Power
143. O God, Creation's Secret Force
144. Where True Love is Dwelling, God is Dwelling There
145. God Hath Spoken by His Prophets
146. Immortal, Invisible

p. 190 - Gall He Drinks (Good Friday)
p. 199 - O Loving Wisdom of Our God (Holy Saturday)
p. 204 - My God I Love Thee (Holy Saturday)
p. 209 - Bring All Ye Dear Bought Nations Bring (Easter Sunday)
p. 263 - The Lord Goes Up With Shouts of Joy (Ascension)
p. 267 - Sower and Seed of Man's Reprieving (Ascension)
p. 295 - A Mighty Wind Invades the World (Pentecost)
p. 305 - Father, Most Holy, Gracious and Forgiving (Trinity)
p. 310 - Hail Our Saviour's Glorious Body (Corpus Christi)
p. 315 - Forth From on High the Father Sends (Corpus Christi)
p. 321 - All Ye Who Seek (Sacred Heart)
p. 325 - The Love of God was Shown to Man (Sacred Heart)
p. 382 - O Light Serene of God the Father's Glory (Evening Prayer)
p. 357 - Hail Redeemer, King Divine (Christ the King)
p. 361 - To Christ the Lord of Worlds We Sing (Christ the King)
p. 388 - Transcendent God in Whom We Live (Morning Prayer)
p. 389 - Christ is the World's Redeemer (Morning Prayer)
p. 395 - Praise to the Holiest (Evening Prayer)
p. 396 - In the Beginning God Created Heaven (Evening Prayer)
p. 402 - The Day is Filled with Splendour (Morning Prayer)
p. 407 - Come, Praise the Lord the Almighty (Evening Prayer)
p. 411 - O Christ the Light of Heaven (Morning Prayer)
p. 417 - O Strength and Stay, Upholding All Creation (Evening Prayer)
p. 421 - Lord God, Your Light which Dims the Stars (Morning Prayer)
p. 426 - Christ be Near at Either Hand (Evening Prayer)
p. 430 - The Father's Glory, Christ Our Light (Morning Prayer)
p. 436 - When God Filled the Earth with Life (Evening Prayer)
p. 441 - We Bless You, Father, Lord of Life (Morning Prayer)
p. 447 - When God Made Man, He Gave Him All the Earth (Evening Prayer)
p. 451 - It Were My Soul's Desire (Morning Prayer)
p. 455 - Blessed Be the Lord Our God (Evening Prayer)
p. 461 - All People Who on Earth Do Dwell (Morning Prayer)
p. 468 - Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (Evening Prayer)
p. 468 - Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven (Evening Prayer)
p. 475 - Come, O Creator Spirit, Come (Morning Prayer)
p. 486 - Father, We Praise You, Now the Night is Over (Morning Prayer)
p. 491 - Before We End Our Day, O Lord (Evening Prayer)
p. 496 - Now that the Daylight Fills the Sky (Morning Prayer)
p. 502 - O Trinity of Blessed Light (Evening Prayer)
p. 507 - Alone with None but Thee, My God (Morning Prayer)
p. 513 - Blest are the Pure in Heart (Evening Prayer)
p. 518 - I Am the Holy Vine (Morning Prayer)
p. 523 - Day is Done (Evening Prayer)
p. 528 - Sing All Creation, Sing to God in Gladness (Morning Prayer)
p. 639 - We Praise You, Father, for Your Gift (Evening Prayer)

Jan. 25 - Apostles of the Gentiles, Paul (St. Paul)
Feb. 2 - Hail to the Lord Who Comes (Presentation of the Lord)
Feb. 22 - O Peter Who Were Named by Christ (St. Peter)
Feb. 22 - Jesus, True God and Rock of Our Salvation (St. Peter)
Mar. 1 - O Great Saint David (St. David)
Mar. 19 - Joseph, the Scriptures Love to Trace (St. Joseph)
Mar. 19 - Joseph, Wise Ruler of God's Earthly Household (St. Joseph)
Mar. 25 - All Creation was Renewed (Annunciation of the Lord)
April 23 - Leader Now on Earth No Longer (St. George)
June 24 - God Called Great Prophets to Foretell (St. John the Baptist)
June 29 - What Fairer Light (Sts. Peter and Paul)
July 22 - Christ Died But Soon Revived Again (St. Mary Magdalen)
Aug. 6 - More Ancient than the Primal World (Transfiguration)
Aug. 15 - Who is She Ascends So High? (Assumption)
Aug. 15 - The Ark Which God Has Sanctified (Assumption)
Sept. 29 - Angels of God You See the Father's Face (Angels)
Sept. 29 - They Come, God's Messengers of Love (Angels)
Nov. 1 - O Fair is Our Lord's Own City (All Saints)
Nov. 1 - The Father's Holy Ones, the Blest (All Saints)
Nov. 30 - When Christ Our Lord to Andrew Cried (St. Andrew)
Dec. 8 - Holy Light on Earth's Horizon (Immaculate Conception)


Angels of God, You See the Father's Face
His Cross Stands Empty
O Blessèd Lord, Creator God (Daytime Prayer)
When Jesus Comes to be Baptized

Bethlehem of Noblest Cities / O Sola Magnarum Urbium

Fairer Than the Sun at Morning

Bethlehem of Noblest Cities is a translation of the Latin poem, O Sola Magnarum Urbium by the Roman poet Aurelius Prudentius (348-c.413). He was a lawyer and Governor in Northern Spain. Although likely brought up a Christian (for he never writes of a conversion), later in life he experiences a profound sense of regret for his past zeal for career and worldly affairs. From then on he adopts an austere and penitential life and devotes his efforts to writing for the Glory of God. O Sola Magnarum Urbium was composed during this period. It is drawn from the lyrical poem Quicumque Christum Quærtis (Hymn for the Epiphany) from his collection, Liber Cathemerinon. In 1568, it was introduced into the revised Breviary by St. Pius V as the Lauds Hymn on Epiphany. In 1849 it was translated by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878). It is set to the tune, Stuttgart attributed to Christian Friedrich Witt (1660-1716) and first published in the Psalmodia Sacra of 1715. In the Divine Office, Bethlehem of Noblest Cities is used during Christmas, at Epiphany, and other Feast Days of the Nativity.

Tune: Stuttgart

BETHLEHEM! OF NOBLEST CITIES by Edward Caswall, 1849 (Public Domain)

1. Bethlehem! of noblest cities
none can once with thee compare;
thou alone the Lord from heaven
didst for us Incarnate bear.

2. Fairer than the sun at morning
was the star that told His birth;
to the lands their God announcing,
hid beneath a form of earth.

3. By its lambent beauty guided,
see the eastern kings appear;
see them bend, their gifts to offer:
gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh.

4. Solem things of mystic meaning!
Incense doth the God disclose;
Gold a royal Child proclaimeth;
Myrrh a future tomb foreshows.

5. Holy Jesu, in Thy brightness
to the Gentile world displayed,
with the Father and the Spirit,
endless praise to Thee be paid.


O SOLA MAGNARUM URBIUM

1. O Sola magnarum urbium
maior Bethlehem, cui contigit
ducem salutis caelitus
incorporatum gignere.

2. Haec stella, quae solis rotam
vincit decore ac lumine,
venisse terris nuntiat
cum carne terrestri Deum.

3. Videre postquam illum Magi,
eoa promunt munera:
stratique votis offerunt
thus, myrrham, et aurum regium.

  4. Regem Deumque annuntiant
 thesaurus, et fragrans odor
 thuris Sabaei, ac myrrheus
 pulvis sepulchrum praedocet.

5. Iesu, tibi sit gloria,
qui apparuisti gentibus,
cum Patre, et almo Spiritu,
in sempiterna saecula.

Of the Father's Love Begotten / Corde Natus Ex Parentis

Evermore and Evermore

Of the Father's Love Begotten is a translation of the Latin poem, Corde Natus Ex Parentis by the Roman poet Aurelius Prudentius (348-c.413). It is drawn from his work Liber Cathemerinon, comprised of 12 poems that contemplate the canonical hours, and liturgical feast days and seasons. The original 1851 English translation by John Mason Neale (1818-1866) was later edited and re-edited by Henry W. Baker (1821-1877) and Roby Furley Davis (1866–1937) for various hymnals of the Church of England. It is set to the tune, Divinum Mysterium, first published in 1582 in the Piae Cantiones, and based upon an ancient plainchant melody (see 2nd video). In the Divine Office, Of the Father's Love Begotten is used during the Christmas Season and related Feast Days of the Nativity.





Corde natus ex parentis
Ante mundi exordium
A et O cognominatus,
ipse fons et clausula
Omnium quae sunt, fuerunt,
quaeque post futura sunt.
Saeculorum saeculis.

Let Us Worship The Lord of Creation

Come, Let Us Worship

NEW MUSIC - Let Us Worship The Lord of Creation is a contemporary chant setting of Psalm 95 with antiphon for the morning Invitatory of the Office. It is sung by the Benedictine Monks of the Mount Angel Abbey, St. Benedict, Oregon. The setting of the antiphon used: "Come let us worship Christ the Lord, we have left all things to follow him", could be adapted to fit most of the seasonal antiphons provided in the Liturgy of the Hours. The following video, produced by the Abbey gives us a meditative glimpse into the life of the monastic community as it answers the call to worship at the beginning of the day. Visitors and those on Retreat are welcome to join the monks of Mount Angel Abbey in the praying the Office or at Mass.

Hymns featured in the "New Music" series of posts are the Webmaster's personal recommendations, and are not necessarily part of any approved editions (past or present) of the Divine Office.