Vespers (Evening Prayer)
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
Why, impious Herod, vainly fear
That Christ the Saviour cometh here?
He takes not earthly thrones away
Who gives the crown that lasts for aye.
To greet his birth the wise men went,
Led by the star before them sent;
Called on by light, towards Light they pressed,
And by their gifts their God confessed.
In holy Jordan’s purest wave
The heavenly Lamb vouchsafed to lave;
That he, to whom was sin unknown,
Might cleanse his people from their own.
New miracle of power divine,
The Water reddens into wine;
He spoke the word, and poured the wave
In other streams than nature gave.
All glory, Lord, to thee we pay
For thine Epiphany today;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Psalm 48 (49)
The uselessness of riches
You cannot serve both God and wealth.
All peoples, listen –
all who live in the world, hear what I have to say:
humble and great together,
rich and poor alike!
My mouth will speak wisdom,
my inmost thoughts will bring good counsel.
I will turn my ears to a mystery,
I will expound a riddle on the lyre.
Why should I be fearful in times of trouble,
when the crimes of usurpers hem me in?
They trust in their own strength
and glory in their great riches.
But, after all, man cannot redeem himself,
he cannot ransom himself before God.
The price of his soul’s redemption is too great, he cannot pay it –
the price of eternal death avoided.
He will see that even the wise die;
the foolish and the stupid too will perish,
and their riches will pass to others.
Their tombs will be homes to them for ever,
their dwelling-place for all generations,
even if the lands they owned are named after them.
Though he be full of honour, man will not endure:
he is like the beasts of burden, that die;
he is like the beasts that perish.
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 cannot serve both God and wealth.
Psalm 48 (49)
Build up treasure for yourselves in heaven, says the Lord.
Those who trust in themselves – this is the road they take.
This is the end of those who boast.
Like sheep they go down into the underworld,
and death is their shepherd.
They will fall headlong into the grave:
their faces will be eaten away,
and the underworld will be their dwelling-place.
But God will ransom my life;
truly he will lift me from the grasp of the underworld.
Do not fear, when a man becomes rich
and the glory of his house increases.
When he dies, he will not take it with him,
his glory will not follow him down to the grave.
Even if he calls himself blessed,
says “see how they praise me for my success,”
still he will join his fathers,
cut off from light, for ever.
Though he be full of honour, yet he does not understand.
He is like the beasts of burden, that die;
he is like the beasts that perish.
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.
Build up treasure for yourselves in heaven, says the Lord.
Canticle
Apocalypse 4,5
The song of the redeemed
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive glory and honour.
You are worthy, our Lord and our God,
to receive glory and honour and power;
for you made all things,
and it is by your will that they exist and were created.
You are worthy, Lord,
to receive the book and open its seals,
for you were killed,
and with your blood you have ransomed people
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and made them rulers and priests for God;
and they will rule over the earth.
The Lamb is worthy, who was killed,
to receive power and riches and wisdom,
strength and honour, glory and blessing.
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.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive glory and honour.
Short Reading
Romans 3:23-25
©
All have sinned and forfeited God’s glory, and all are justified through the free gift of his grace by being redeemed in Christ Jesus who was appointed by God to sacrifice his life so as to win reconciliation through faith.
Short Responsory
All the peoples will be blessed in him.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
All nations will praise him.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
You came to bring us the eternal light; to you, O Christ, the Magi offer gifts, alleluia.
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 came to bring us the eternal light; to you, O Christ, the Magi offer gifts, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us unite ourselves with all Christians, praising the Father and asking for his protection;
– Heavenly Father, hear your children.
Father, help those who search for an unknown God;
and let them discover the light of Christ.
– Heavenly Father, hear your children.
Look in mercy on those who adore you as the one and only God;
show them that you are always close.
– Heavenly Father, hear your children.
Remember all your children throughout the world;
see that they never stray far from you.
– Heavenly Father, hear your children.
Send your angels to protect all men;
save them from a sudden and unprovided death.
– Heavenly Father, hear your children.
Bring the dead to the vision of your glory;
give them eternal happiness in your presence.
– Heavenly Father, hear your children.
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, our Father,
when your Only-Begotten Son revealed himself in flesh and blood,
we came to know him as our fellow-man.
May he transform us inwardly until we bear his likeness,
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.
