Compline is the evening prayer, the close of the day. Psalm 4 calms the soul after the storms of the day. We try to shut out the storms and day's work and concentrate on God and to find repose in Him.
Psalm 90 tells us that we can feel secure under God's wings. We trust in Him in the middle of the night and know He protects us. We find confidence and know that we can defeat the enemies of our souls.
Psalm 133 tells us to be watchful, not to let down our guard.
We begin Compline by asking a blessing. Jube, Domine, benedicere. Your blessing Lord, please.
A short lesson follows from 1 Peter, 5: 8-9. "Brethren" Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith. But do Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us."
It's evening and we examine our conscience. What have we done displeasing to God, or what have we omitted that we could have done to please Him? The Lord's Prayer is said silently and then the Confiteor, confessing to Almighty God that we have sinned. And who among us can say that we have completed an entire day without some fault?
Psalm 4 shows our trust in God. "When I called upon Him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, Thou hast enlarged me."
Again, we have confidence in God through all the perils and battles of life in Psalm 90. "He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Heaven." Farther down in the Psalm: "His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night. Of the arrow that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil......"
It continues with the section including the well-known quotation that the Devil used to taunt Jesus when tempting Him to throw Himself down. "For He hath given his angels charge over thee: to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
We are comforted with these words: "Because he hath hoped in me, I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath known my name.........I will fill him with length of days: and I will show him my salvation."
Psalm 133 is called a kind of liturgical formula for changing the night watch of the temple guard. We keep vigil. "Behold now bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord:.........In the nights lift up your hands to the holy places, and bless ye the Lord......."
A beautiful hymn in chanted, Te lucis. The first verse is:
"Before the day is finished, Creator of the world, we earnestly ask of Thee that, in keeping with Thy mercy, Thou be our protector and defense."
The Canticle of Simeon, who waited patiently at the Temple until the Savior would come, is his thanksgiving when Jesus was presented by Mary and Joseph. The Nunc dimittis:
"Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; Because my eyes have seen thy salvation;Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples. A light to the revelation of the gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."
Some short invocations are said and one more request for God's blessings, then a hymn to Our Lady, a prayer for her intercession and the conclusion: "May the Divine Assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen."
We can turn out the lights and rest peacefully in God's care.
The praying of the Divine Office "in choir" or as a group, chanting the lines back and forth, is a beautiful experience; but just praying the psalms alone is a worthwhile effort, especially knowing that these ancient prayers have been said for thousands of years and handed down for the sustenance of our souls - if only we make use of them and realize what we are saying.
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