Psalms of Holy Week Tenebrae: Masterpost

The Divine Office during the Sacred Triduum, which is identical in the (modern) Benedictine and Roman Rites, is quite differently structured to that of the rest of the year.  And the high point of those three days is surely the Office of Tenebrae, Matins and Lauds, sung in the darkness.

The psalms of Tenebrae very much trace the Church's take on the events of the Triduum, and so make a great source of Lenten meditation.  And of course, if you are going to in or attend this office, useful to get a flavour of the psalms involved by way of preparation.

The Office of Tenebrae is structured into three Nocturns of three psalms each (Matins), followed by (in the post-1911 version of the hour) five psalms (one of which is a canticle, or psalm from outside the book of psalms) for Lauds.  In addition each of the Nocturns has three readings and a responsory (not covered here), and the Benedictus is sung with an antiphon at Lauds.  The Office ends with the antiphon Christus factus est pro nobis, with an additional phrase being added each night.

This series of posts on that Office was originally presented for Lent 2013.  The first post was an Introduction to the series.  An asterix indicates a psalm that is repeated on one or more occasions (only one post per psalm has been provided on these).

Maundy Thursday 

(Matins)

Psalm 68
Psalm 69
Psalm 70

Psalm 71
Psalm 72
Psalm 73

Psalm 74
Psalm 75*
Psalm 76

(Lauds)

Psalm 50*
Psalm 89
Psalm 35
Canticle: Exodus 15
Psalm 146

Good Friday

Psalm 2
Psalm 21
Psalm 26*

Psalm 37
Psalm 39
Psalm 53*

Psalm 58
Psalm 87
Psalm 93

Psalm 50*
Psalm 142
Psalm 84
Canticle of Habaccuc
Psalm 147

Holy Saturday

Psalm 4
Psalm 14
Psalm 15

Psalm 23
Psalm 26*
Psalm 29

Psalm 53*
Psalm 75*
Psalm 87*

Psalm 50*
Psalm 91
Psalm 63
Canticle: Isaiah 38
Psalm 150


In the older version of Tenebrae, now restored in some places, the psalms of Lauds were as follows:

Psalm 50
Thurs: Ps 89; Fri: Ps 142; Sat: Ps 42
Psalm 62
Psalm 66
OT canticle -  Thurs: Ex 15; Fri: Hab 3; Sat: Is 38
Ps 148-150

Psalm 1: Christ is the river of living water, the tree of life

In the Gospels, the apostles ask, 'What shall we have, who have left all?'

What then shall we have?

This psalm answers that, telling us that those who choose God will ultimately be happy and prosperous; those who choose evil, on the other hand, will be pounded to nothing, blown about like dust in the wind.

The psalm presents us with the beautiful image of the evergreen tree growing beside a flowing river.  This can be interpreted as meaning that through baptism, through the stream of grace that flows in the living water of the river whose fount is Christ, we are invited to dwell under the protection of the evergreen tree of life, and to grow in holiness like the tree that we may give forth fruit in our proper time.

What then must I do to have eternal life?

The more important question than what we shall have though, is what we must to do acquire this wonderful reward.

The first point is that not without reason is the antiphon appointed for this psalm on most days through the year (at Monday Prime) 'serve the Lord with fear'.  Elsewhere the psalms instruct us that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and this psalm reminds us that there will be a time when Christ rises up again in judgment: we need to get ready.

How then can we prepare for this, so that we, unlike the evil man will rise with Christ?  By meditating on the law of God day and night.  The 'law' gets a bad rap these days, but Scripture tells us that Christ came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it.  And it is worth remembering that 'the law' and be interpreted as meaning more than just the laws set out in the Old Testament, more than the Ten Commandments, more than the laws carved into our hearts through grace, but also the laws of science that govern the ';natural' universe.

Psalm 1: Monday Prime No 1

Vulgate	Douay Rheims translation
Beátus vir, qui non ábiit in consílio impiórum, et in via peccatórum non stetit, * et in cáthedra pestiléntiæ non sedit	Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence:
2  Sed in lege Dómini volúntas ejus, * et in lege ejus meditábitur die ac nocte.	But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
3  Et erit tamquam lignum, quod plantátum est secus decúrsus aquárum, * quod fructum suum dabit in témpore suo:	And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.
4  Et fólium ejus non défluet: * et ómnia quæcúmque fáciet, prosperabúntur.	And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.
5  Non sic ímpii, non sic: * sed tamquam pulvis, quem prójicit ventus a fácie terræ.	Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind drives from the face of the earth.
6  Ideo non resúrgent ímpii in judício: * neque peccatóres in concílio justórum.	Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.
7  Quóniam novit Dóminus viam justórum: * et iter impiórum períbit.	For the Lord knows the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

Prayer

Make us O Lord like a most fruitful tree, planted in Thy garden; and vouchsafe that we, being watered by the showers of Thy grace, may bring forth to Thee plenteousness of fruit in due season. (Source: MSS Thomas, trans Neale)