Compline (Night Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.

This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 30 (31)
Trustful prayer in time of adversity
O God, protect me; be my refuge.
In you, Lord, I put my trust: may I never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free, Turn your ear to me, make haste to rescue me. Be my rampart, my fortification; keep me safe. For you are my strength and my refuge: you will lead me out to the pastures, for your own name’s sake. You will lead me out of the trap that they laid for me – for you are my strength. Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, Lord God of truth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
O God, protect me; be my refuge.

Psalm 129 (130)
Out of the depths
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord.
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord: Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears listen out for the voice of my pleading. If you took notice of our transgressions, Lord – Lord, who would be left? But with you is forgiveness, and for this we revere you. I rely on you, Lord, my spirit relies on your promise; my soul hopes in the Lord, more than the watchman for daybreak. More than the watchman for daybreak, let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is kindness and abundant redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all its transgressions. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord.

Reading	Ephesians 4:26-27
Be angry if you must, but do not sin: do not let your anger outlast the sunset: do not give the Devil his chance.

Short Responsory	?
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. - Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness. - Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. - Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Canticle	Nunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace. You have fulfilled your promise. My own eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples. A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness; the glory of your people Israel. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

Prayer
Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, you lay a gentle yoke upon those who follow you. Meek and humble, you give them a light burden to carry. Receive the work and the prayers we have offered to you today; and give us rest, to make us more eager to serve you, who live and reign for ever and ever, Amen.

May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

A M E N

An antiphon to Our Lady should be recited here.

From: Nehemiah 2:1-8

Nehemiah is authorized to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem

[1] In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Ar-taxerxes, when wine
was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been
sad in his presence. [2] And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing
you are not sick? This is nothing else but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very
much afraid. [3] I said to the king, “Let the king live for ever! Why should not my
face be said, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchers, lies waste, and
its gates have been destroyed by fire?” [4] Then the king said to me, “For what do
you make request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. [5] And I said to the king,
“If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, that you
send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ sepulchers, that I may rebuild it.” [6]
And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be
gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him
a time. [7] And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me
to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass
through until I come to Judah; [8] and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s
forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of
the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house which I shall occupy.”
And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon
me.

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Commentary:

2:1-20. Putting his trust entirely in the Lord, Nehemiah used every resource avail-
able to him to help his compatriots. He prayed for four months – from Chislev
(1:1) to Nisan (v. 1) – and then used an opportunity that presented itself to outline
his plans to the king; he managed not only to get Artaxerxes’ authorization to go
to Judah and rebuild Jerusalem, but also to requisition the necessary materials
(vv. 1-9). The king referred to (v. 1) was probably Artaxerxes 1 (465-425 BC);
and the twentieth year of his reign was 445 BC.

When Nehemiah reached the city of his ancestors, he initially met with opposition
from the governor of Samaria, Sanbalat, and from Tobiah, a rich landowner who
was related to priestly families (cf. 6:17-18). However, he did manage to get
influential people in Jerusalem (vv. 16ff) to join in his project. Acting prudently
and yet boldly, he was confident that God would help him in his endeavours
(v. 20).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.