The following is quoted verbatim, italics original [1]:
At Terce
Antiphon: Holy Virgin Mary
Psalm [ IV ]
Have mercy on me, O God, for people have trampled me underfoot;*
all day long they have afflicted me and fight against me.
All day long my enemies trampled upon me*
for there were many waging war against me.
All my enemies have been thinking evil things against me;*
they made an evil plot against me.
Those who were guarding my life*
have conspired together.
They went out*
and spread it everywhere.
Seeing me everyone laughed at me;*
they whispered and shoot their heads.
I am a worm and no human.*
the scorn of men and the outcast of the people.
I have been made despicable to my neighbors;+
far beyond all my enemies,*
a thing of fear to all my acquaintances.
O holy Father, do not keep your help from me*
but look to my defense.
Come to my aid,*
Lord, God of my salvation.
I cried to the Lord with all my voice;*
with all my voice I begged the Lord.
I pour out my prayer in His sight*
and I tell the Lord of all my trouble.
When my spirit failed me*
you knew my ways.
On the path where I walked,*
the proud hid a trap for me.
I looked to my right and saw:*
there was no one who knew me.
I have no means of escape:*
there is no one who cares for my life.
I have borne abuse because of you*
and confusion covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,*
a stranger to the children of my mother. [2]
Holy Father, zeal for your house has consumed me;*
and the insults of those who blasphemed you have fallen on me.
They rejoiced and united together against me.*
Blows were heaped on me and I knew not why.
More numerous than the hairs of my head*
are those who hate me without cause.
My enemies, who persecuted me unjustly, have been strengthened;*
I then repaid what I did not steal.
The wicked witnesses who rise up
asked me about things of which they are ignorant.
They repaid me evil for good and harassed me*
because I pursued good.
You are my most holy Father*
my King and my God.
Come to my aid.*
Lord, God of my salvation. [3]
[1] Armstrong, Regis J. O.F.M. Cap. et.al. Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume I, The Saint. Pages 144-5. New York: New York City Press, 2000.
[2] Page 144 of the book has two footnotes. The first footnote says the verses for Terce form the prayers of Jesus during the scourging, the crowning with thorns and the mockery and abuse of the crowd. The second footnote says Sext was seen as the hour of crucifixion in which Christ was abandoned and He was consumed by His zeal to return to His Father. There is no third footnote on page 144 and none on page 145, so I am left to wonder what these words in the prayer mean: "I have become an outcast to my brothers,* a stranger to the children of my mother." I suppose "brothers" could refer to the disciples since they all left Him to die alone except John, but "the children of my mother"? Who could they be? I am thinking they are John, to whom Christ gave His mother, Mary, and Christ Himself since Mary had only one child, Jesus. It is easy to see how Jesus saw that He had become a stranger to John since He was so bloodied, his flesh so deformed from the deep gashes, so exhausted, so thirsty, so painful and helpless on the cross, but how could Jesus be a stranger to Himself? I suppose when Jesus was so obedient to God, to be willing to endure so much pain and humiliation that He had to think that He was not Himself for no ordinary person in the flesh would be willing to go through the torture and the crucifixion, especially when there were so many chances to avoid both, to stop what He was doing, to keep quiet, to move to a different place and assume a new identity.
[3] There are many more prayers in the book but I have decided not to transcribe all of them except those I like best.
all day long they have afflicted me and fight against me.
All day long my enemies trampled upon me*
for there were many waging war against me.
All my enemies have been thinking evil things against me;*
they made an evil plot against me.
Those who were guarding my life*
have conspired together.
They went out*
and spread it everywhere.
Seeing me everyone laughed at me;*
they whispered and shoot their heads.
I am a worm and no human.*
the scorn of men and the outcast of the people.
I have been made despicable to my neighbors;+
far beyond all my enemies,*
a thing of fear to all my acquaintances.
O holy Father, do not keep your help from me*
but look to my defense.
Come to my aid,*
Lord, God of my salvation.
At Sext
Antiphon: Holy Virgin Mary
Psalm [V]
I cried to the Lord with all my voice;*
with all my voice I begged the Lord.
I pour out my prayer in His sight*
and I tell the Lord of all my trouble.
When my spirit failed me*
you knew my ways.
On the path where I walked,*
the proud hid a trap for me.
I looked to my right and saw:*
there was no one who knew me.
I have no means of escape:*
there is no one who cares for my life.
I have borne abuse because of you*
and confusion covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,*
a stranger to the children of my mother. [2]
Holy Father, zeal for your house has consumed me;*
and the insults of those who blasphemed you have fallen on me.
They rejoiced and united together against me.*
Blows were heaped on me and I knew not why.
More numerous than the hairs of my head*
are those who hate me without cause.
My enemies, who persecuted me unjustly, have been strengthened;*
I then repaid what I did not steal.
The wicked witnesses who rise up
asked me about things of which they are ignorant.
They repaid me evil for good and harassed me*
because I pursued good.
You are my most holy Father*
my King and my God.
Come to my aid.*
Lord, God of my salvation. [3]
[1] Armstrong, Regis J. O.F.M. Cap. et.al. Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume I, The Saint. Pages 144-5. New York: New York City Press, 2000.
[2] Page 144 of the book has two footnotes. The first footnote says the verses for Terce form the prayers of Jesus during the scourging, the crowning with thorns and the mockery and abuse of the crowd. The second footnote says Sext was seen as the hour of crucifixion in which Christ was abandoned and He was consumed by His zeal to return to His Father. There is no third footnote on page 144 and none on page 145, so I am left to wonder what these words in the prayer mean: "I have become an outcast to my brothers,* a stranger to the children of my mother." I suppose "brothers" could refer to the disciples since they all left Him to die alone except John, but "the children of my mother"? Who could they be? I am thinking they are John, to whom Christ gave His mother, Mary, and Christ Himself since Mary had only one child, Jesus. It is easy to see how Jesus saw that He had become a stranger to John since He was so bloodied, his flesh so deformed from the deep gashes, so exhausted, so thirsty, so painful and helpless on the cross, but how could Jesus be a stranger to Himself? I suppose when Jesus was so obedient to God, to be willing to endure so much pain and humiliation that He had to think that He was not Himself for no ordinary person in the flesh would be willing to go through the torture and the crucifixion, especially when there were so many chances to avoid both, to stop what He was doing, to keep quiet, to move to a different place and assume a new identity.
[3] There are many more prayers in the book but I have decided not to transcribe all of them except those I like best.
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