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.
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 40 (41)
Prayer in time of sickness
Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Blessed is he who takes thought for the helpless,
for the Lord will keep him safe in time of trouble.
The Lord will guard him and give him life.
He will give him good fortune on the earth,
and not betray him into the power of his enemies.
The Lord will lend him strength on his bed of pain;
you will transform all his sickness into health.
I said, “Lord, have mercy, heal my soul,
for I have sinned against you.”
My enemies spoke against me, saying: “When will he die?
When will his name perish?”
When one of them came to visit me, he talked of nothing,
but stored up wickedness in his heart.
He went out, and told tales against me.
All my enemies whispered together against me,
imagined the worst:
“A plague has taken hold of him:
he has lain down and will not rise.”
Even my dearest friend, in whom I put my trust, who had eaten my bread –
even he trampled me down.
But you, Lord – have mercy on me,
revive me, and I will pay them back.
This is how I know that I have your favour,
when my enemy cannot triumph over me,
when you raise me up because of my innocence,
and put me in your presence for all eternity.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
from the beginning to the end of time.
Amen! Amen!
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.
Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Psalm 45 (46)
God, our refuge and our strength
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
The Lord is our refuge and our strength,
a true help in our troubles.
Therefore we do not fear,
even when the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the depths of the sea,
the waves roar and foam
and rise up to shake the mountains.
The streams of the river give joy to the city of God,
the holy dwelling-place of the Most High.
God is within it, it will not be shaken;
God will give help as the day dawns.
The nations are in turmoil and kingdoms totter:
at the sound of his voice, the earth flows like water.
The Lord of strength is with us,
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come and see the works of the Lord,
who has done wonders on the earth.
He puts an end to wars over all the world:
he tramples the bow, shatters weapons, and burns the shields with fire.
Stop and see that I am God:
I will be exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.
The Lord of strength is with us,
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
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 of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Canticle
Apocalypse 15
A hymn of adoration
All the peoples will come and adore you, Lord.
Great and wonderful are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages!
Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord?
For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you,
for your judgements have been revealed.
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.
All the peoples will come and adore you, Lord.
Short Reading
James 5:16,19-20
©
Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you: the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully. My brothers, if one of you strays away from the truth, and another brings him back to it, he may be sure that anyone who can bring back a sinner from the wrong way that he has taken will be saving a soul from death and covering up a great number of sins.
Short Responsory
I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’
– I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’
‘Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.’
– I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come and present your offering.
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.
If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come and present your offering.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to the Lord Jesus, who sanctified his people by his own blood.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
Christ our Redeemer, through your suffering help us to mortify our bodies and stand firm in every trial;
may we be ready to celebrate your rising from the dead.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
As prophets of God’s kingdom may Christians make you known throughout the world,
and may they confirm their message by lives of faith, hope and love.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
Lord, give strength to the afflicted;
and give us the will to do everything to help and comfort them.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
Teach the faithful to be united with your passion in times of trouble and distress;
let the power of your salvation shine forth in their lives.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
Lord, giver of life, remember those who have died;
grant them the glory of your resurrection.
– Lord, have mercy on 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.
Bend our wills, Lord, so that by this Lenten observance
we may fit ourselves to celebrate the Easter festival;
and as we have all undertaken to subdue the body,
may we all be renewed in spirit.
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.
