Vespers (Evening Prayer)
(First Vespers of tomorrow, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time)
INTRODUCTION
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
Hymn
In the beginning God created heaven,
The dark and empty earth;
His Spirit moved across the sombre waters
And stirred them with his breath.
Then God created light, and with its coming
The dark was swept away;
The morning came, and then the quiet evening:
The end of God’s first day.
To God the Father of the world give glory,
With Christ his only Son,
Who with the Spirit govern all creation:
Blest Trinity in One.
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal
Psalm 112 (113)
Praise of the Lord's name
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
Praise, servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the Lord’s name be blessed,
now and for ever.
From the sun’s rising to its setting,
the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high over all peoples,
his glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who lives on high,
who bends down to watch over heaven and earth?
He raises the weak from the ground,
the poor from the dunghill,
raises them among the princes,
the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a household,
makes her the happy mother of children.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
Psalm 115 (116B)
Thanksgiving in the Temple
I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord.
Still I trusted, even when I said
“I am greatly afflicted,”
when I said in my terror,
“all men are liars.”
How shall I repay the Lord
for all he has done for me?
I will take up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord
before all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
O Lord, I am your servant,
your maidservant’s son.
You have torn apart my chains:
I will make you a sacrifice of praise,
I will call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
within your walls, Jerusalem.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord.
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
The Lord Jesus humbled himself: therefore God has highly exalted him for ever.
Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature,
did not try to cling to his equality with God;
but emptied himself, took on the form of a slave,
and became like a man:
not in appearance only,
for he humbled himself by accepting death,
even death on a cross.
For this, God has raised him high,
and given him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend,
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
and every tongue will proclaim
“Jesus Christ is Lord,”
to the glory of God the Father.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
The Lord Jesus humbled himself: therefore God has highly exalted him for ever.
Short Reading
Hebrews 13:20-21
©
I pray that the God of peace, who brought our Lord Jesus back from the dead to become the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant, may make you ready to do his will in any kind of good action; and turn us all into whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.
Short Responsory
How great are your works, O Lord.
– How great are your works, O Lord.
In wisdom you have created them all.
– How great are your works, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– How great are your works, O Lord.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart. You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. (Year B)
Or: You have only one master and he is in heaven: Christ, the Lord.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.
For he has shown me such favour –
me, his lowly handmaiden.
Now all generations will call me blessed,
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
His name is holy,
his mercy lasts for generation after generation
for those who revere him.
He has put forth his strength:
he has scattered the proud and conceited,
torn princes from their thrones;
but lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart. You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. (Year B)
Or: You have only one master and he is in heaven: Christ, the Lord.
Prayers and intercessions
Christ our Lord is mindful of all who need him, and does great things for love of them. Let us not be afraid to ask him for all our needs.
– Show us your loving kindness.
Lord, we know that the good things we have received today have come as a gift from you:
may we receive them with thankfulness and learn how to give.
– Show us your loving kindness.
Saviour and light of all people, keep missionaries in your special care:
may the light of your Spirit burn strongly in them.
– Show us your loving kindness.
Grant that the world may be filled with the knowledge of your truth;
help us to carry out all you have called us to do.
– Show us your loving kindness.
You healed the sickness and pain of your brothers:
Bring healing and comfort to the spirit of man.
– Show us your loving kindness.
Give rest to the faithful departed;
and bring them to praise you in eternity.
– Show us your loving kindness.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
God of power and mercy,
by whose grace your people give you praise and worthy service,
save us from faltering
on our way to the joys you have promised.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
