Vespers (Evening Prayer)
(First Vespers of tomorrow, 1st Sunday of Lent)
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.
Hymn
God, of thy pity, unto us thy children
Bend down thine ear in thine own loving kindness,
And all thy people’s prayers and vows ascending
Hear, we beseech thee.
Look down in mercy from thy seat of glory,
Pour on our souls the radiance of thy presence,
Drive from our weary hearts the shades of darkness,
Lightening our footsteps.
Free us from sin by might of thy great loving,
Cleanse thou the sordid, loose the fettered spirit,
Spare every sinner, raise with thine own right hand
All who are fallen.
Glory to God the Father everlasting,
Glory for ever to the Sole-begotten,
With whom the Holy Spirit through the ages
Reigneth co-equal.
Psalm 140 (141)
Prayer in time of danger
Accept us, Lord, since we come with contrite heart and humbled spirit. Let our sacrifice be pleasing to you today, Lord God.
O Lord, I call on you,
hurry to my help:
listen to my voice when I call.
When I make my prayer, let it rise like incense before you;
when I raise my hands, let it be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard on my mouth, Lord,
a watch upon my lips.
Do not let my heart turn to evil thoughts,
to the planning of wicked deeds,
to alliance with wrongdoers.
Let me not share in their delights.
Let the just man strike and rebuke me out of kindness;
but sinners shall never anoint me with oil,
or I would be an ally in their plans.
When they fall into the hands of harsh judges,
they will see how kind my words were.
Like fragments of spoil after digging,
their bones will lie scattered round the mouth of the underworld.
To you, Lord, to you my eyes are turned.
I take refuge in you –
preserve my life.
Protect me from the trap they have laid for me,
save me from the snares of the wicked.
Let them be caught in their own nets, all of them,
while I pass by in safety.
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.
Accept us, Lord, since we come with contrite heart and humbled spirit. Let our sacrifice be pleasing to you today, Lord God.
Psalm 141 (142)
You are my refuge
If you call, the Lord will hear you; if you cry to him, he will say, ‘Here I am.’
My voice cries out to the Lord;
my voice cries out its entreaty.
I pour out lamentation in his sight,
I proclaim my troubles before him.
When my spirit is failing within me,
still, Lord, you know my paths.
On the road I was travelling,
they set up a trap for me.
I looked about me and saw
there was no-one beside me to help.
I have nowhere to flee;
and no-one will miss me.
I have cried to you, Lord,
I have said: “you are my refuge, my share in the land of the living.
Listen to my call for help, for I am crushed down.”
“Lead my spirit from prison, so that I may praise your name.
The upright will gather around me, because you have restored me.”
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.
If you call, the Lord will hear you; if you cry to him, he will say, ‘Here I am.’
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
Christ suffered for our sins. Innocent though he was, he suffered for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death; in the Spirit he was raised to life.
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.
Christ suffered for our sins. Innocent though he was, he suffered for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death; in the Spirit he was raised to life.
Short Reading
2 Corinthians 6:1-4
©
We beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation. We do nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our function as God’s servants. Instead, we prove we are servants of God.
Short Responsory
Hear us, Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you.
– Hear us, Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you.
Listen, Christ, to the prayers of those who cry to you.
– Hear us, Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Hear us, Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. (Year C)
Or: Man cannot live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
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.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. (Year C)
Or: Man cannot live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us give glory to Christ the Lord. He is our master, our example and our brother.
– Lord, give life to your people.
Lord Jesus, you became a man like us in every way, but did not sin;
may we open our lives to others, share their laughter and tears, and grow day by day in love.
– Lord, give life to your people.
Let us serve you in the hungry and give you to eat;
let us see you in the thirsty and give you to drink.
– Lord, give life to your people.
You raised up Lazarus from the dead;
call sinners from their living death to faith and repentance.
– Lord, give life to your people.
May we live up to the example of Mary and the saints;
may we follow you more perfectly in everything.
– Lord, give life to your people.
Let the dead rise in your glory,
let them rejoice for ever in your love.
– Lord, give life to your people.
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.
Through our annual Lenten observance, Lord,
deepen our understanding of the mystery of Christ
and make it a reality in the conduct of our lives.
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.
