"AUDI BENIGNE CONDITOR". — Hymn of the Vespers for the season of Lent, in which the verse unfolds in a tone of humble prayer, that the Lord, taking account of our fasts and penances, may grant us forgiveness of our faults. The trust in divine mercy is beautifully united with the humility of the suppliant. The Lord well knows our weaknesses and understands all the frailty of human misery; He will therefore have compassion on us and share His mercy with us. Moreover, all the prayers of Lent and the spirit that animates them are wonderfully synthesized in this hymn, preserved in manuscripts from the 10th century.
Bibl.: G. G. Belli, *Uniti del Breviario romano tradotti*, Rome 1856, pp. 142-43; L. Venturi, *Gli uniti della Chiesa*, 3rd ed., Florence 1880, pp. 196-99; U. Chevalier, *Repertorium hymnologicum*, Louvain 1889-97, no. 1449; G. Bossi, *Gli uniti del Breviario romano*, rhythmic version, Rome 1919, p. 34; A. Mirra, *Gli uniti del breviario romano*, Naples 1947, p. 108; C. Albin, *La poésie du Breviare*, I, Lyons s.d., pp. 142-44. Silverio Mattei