The opening of Matins/6 - Why is Psalm 94 said daily in the Benedictine Office?

Source: Marsh's Library Labs

The second invitatory psalm of Matins, Psalm 94, is a joyful invitation to worship our creator, redeemer and protector.  But it also has a darker message, namely a warning not to put off repentance, but to respond to God’s call here and now.

Psalm 94 is an extremely important psalm, not least because it receives an extended discussion in Hebrews.  Above all it encapsulates in poetic form the story of Exodus: God called the Israelites out of Egypt in order to worship him alone; yet time after time their hardness of heart led them to reject him.  For forty years, they wondered in the desert, led by the fiery pillar, and eating manna,  Then though the original exiles were judged unworthy to actually enter the Promised Land, they were granted a sight of it at last.

Each day traces out the call to conversion 

In the Benedictine Rule, St Benedict uses the verse 'If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts' as part of his call to conversion.  And in the very last chapter he says, 'You who hasten to the heavenly country, first fulfill, through Christ, this little rule for beginners'.

At the beginning of each day we say Psalm 94, reminding ourselves of our heavenly destination, which we hope to reach by following the Rule; last thing at night we pray the last of the psalms of the Ascent, Psalm 133, which symbolises the pilgrim who has reached heaven, who stands in the courts of the house of God.

Purgation

And in between, each day the monk or nun who says the traditional form of the Benedictine Office says a total of forty psalms.

Do each of those psalms perhaps stand for one of those desert years for us?

You can find verse by verse notes on the psalm via the links below:

Introduction to Ps 94
Ps 94 v1-2
Ps 94 v3-4
Ps 94 v5-7
Ps 94 v 8-9
Ps 94 v 10-11

The opening of Matins/5 - The invitatory: rubrics and resources

In the aforesaid winter season, there is first the versicle Domine labia mea aperies et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam to be said three times; then must follow the third psalm and the Gloria; then the ninety-fourth psalm to be chanted with an antiphon, or at any rate to be chanted. Let the hymn follow next…

Rule of St Benedict, chapter 9

Following Psalm 3, the rubrics specify that Psalm 94 is said.  This Psalm is called called the Invitatory because it specifically invites us to pray.

This is actually the trickiest part of the opening section of Matins, as this is the only psalm said responsorially in the Benedictine office, with part or all of the antiphon that accompanies it repeated after each couple of verses.

Where to find the invitatory antiphon

 Psalm 94 is said with an antiphon which is for the Office of the day of the week, season or feast.

On third class feasts and above, the invitatory antiphon is for the feast (note: unless I've missed something, which is possible, the 1963 rubrics seem to imply that on third class feasts with only one reading, ie in summer, the invitatory antiphon of the ferial day is used, but that doesn't seem to align fully with the sanctoral section of the book).

If there isn't a specific invitatory listed in the breviary (or Liber Responsorialis) for the feast, you use the one from the Common of the relevant type of saint.

For ordinary days throughout the year

If you are using Divinum Officium or the Clear Creek booklet, it will do the work for you on ordinary days throughout the year, laying it out as it to be said.  

Using a breviary

If you are using a breviary, the best place to go if you are saying Matins (as opposed to chanting it) is Feria Secundum [Monday] ad Martutinum in the psalter section, since it provides the verses with  either a ** or * to indicate how much of the invitatory is said each time.

In most editions the breviary also sets out the invitatory used throughout the year for each day of the week under feria secunda as well as on each day of the week.

**For the chant tones, the (OSB) Psalterium provides the antiphons for each day of the week (but not the chant tones for Psalm 94).

Proper of seasons and saints

For feasts and seasons, the Liber Responsorialis provides some but not all of the texts you will need.  The Liber Hymnarius also provides some, but the chant tones and texts don't always align with the older books.

**Personally I've found the most convenient book for the Invitatory chants is Psalmus Venite Exultemus per varios tonos cum invitatoriis pro oficiis de tempore et de sanctis, Declee, 1928, now available via CC Watershed.  It is a very small book, but contains all of the chant tones for Psalm 94 together with the seasonal invitatories as well as those for most feasts.  The main gap is those for ordinary days of the week.

Postures and gestures

The invitatory and its psalm is said standing.

Everyone genuflects at the words Venite adoremus et procedamus (Come let us adore...) in the verse of the Psalm.

How to say the invitatory antiphon

The way in which the invitatory is said is set out in full in the Sunday section of the breviary, but after that you have to work it out for yourself.

In essence, each invitatory antiphon has a dividing point, indicated by an asterix.

So if you look at the Invitatory for a Sunday in Lent you get:

Ant. Non sit vobis vanum mane surgere ante lucem * Quia promisit Dominus coronam vigilantibus.

Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch.

To start with, the antiphon is repeated in full, so said twice.

Then either the whole antiphon (indicated by **), or the second half alone (*) is inserted between each group of verses of Psalm 94, on an alternating basis.

If you have done it correctly, you should end up, after the Gloria Patri, with the second half of the antiphon.  The full antiphon is then repeated again.

Divinum Officium writes it out in full, and so set the date for a Lent Sunday - to take a look - I've cut out the antiphon and replaed them with * or ** after the first two refrains so you cna see how it works.

Invitatorium  Ant. Non sit vobis vanum mane surgere ante lucem * Quia promisit Dominus coronam vigilantibus. Ant. Non sit vobis vanum mane surgere ante lucem * Quia promisit Dominus coronam vigilantibus. Veníte, exsultémus Dómino, jubilémus Deo, salutári nostro: præoccupémus fáciem ejus in confessióne, et in psalmis jubilémus ei. Ant. Non sit vobis vanum mane surgere ante lucem * Quia promisit Dominus coronam vigilantibus. (=**) Quóniam Deus magnus Dóminus, et Rex magnus super omnes deos, quóniam non repéllet Dóminus plebem suam: quia in manu ejus sunt omnes fines terræ, et altitúdines móntium ipse cónspicit. Ant. Quia promisit Dominus coronam vigilantibus. (=*) Quóniam ipsíus est mare, et ipse fecit illud, et áridam fundavérunt manus ejus veníte, adorémus, et procidámus ante Deum: plorémus coram Dómino, qui fecit nos, quia ipse est Dóminus, Deus noster; nos autem pópulus ejus, et oves páscuæ ejus. ** Hódie, si vocem ejus audiéritis, nolíte obduráre corda vestra, sicut in exacerbatióne secúndum diem tentatiónis in desérto: ubi tentavérunt me patres vestri, probavérunt et vidérunt ópera mea. * Quadragínta annis próximus fui generatióni huic, et dixi; Semper hi errant corde, ipsi vero non cognovérunt vias meas: quibus jurávi in ira mea; Si introíbunt in réquiem meam. ** V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto. R. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen. * **

3Invitatory  Ant. Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch. Ant. Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch. Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.  Ant. Let it not be vain for you to rise up early, before the light: * For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. For the Lord will not cast off his people: for in his hand are all the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are his.  Ant. For the Lord hath promised a crown to them that watch. For the sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us: For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. **  Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts: As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works. * Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: These always err in heart. And these men have not known my ways: so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.  ** V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. * **

Chant tones for Psalm 94

In choir, the whole group sings the invitatory antiphon, while one or two people chant the Psalm itself.

The chant tones for Psalm 94 are very ancient indeed, and provide a very beautiful and meditative start to the day if you make the time to learn them.