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
Sole hope of all the world and Lord,
Bestower of the great reward,
Receive the prayers thy servants raise
Mixed with meet psalms and chants of praise.
And though our conscience doth proclaim
Our deep transgressions and our shame,
Cleanse us, O God, we humbly plead,
From sins of thought and word and deed.
Our sins remember thou no more;
Forgive: thou art of mighty pow’r:
So take upon thee, Lord, our care
That pure in heart we make our prayer.
Therefore accept, O Lord, this tide
Of fast which thou hast sanctified,
That we may reach by mystic ways
The sacraments of Easter days.
Psalm 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest
God has appointed him to judge everyone, living or dead.
The Lord has said to my lord:
“Sit at my right hand
while I make your enemies your footstool.”
From Zion the Lord will give you a sceptre,
and you will rule in the midst of your foes.
Royal power is yours in the day of your strength,
among the sacred splendours.
Before the dawn, I begot you from the womb.
The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest for ever,
a priest of the priesthood of Melchisedech.”
The Lord is at your right hand,
and on the day of his anger he will shatter kings.
He will drink from the stream as he goes –
he will hold his head high.
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.
God has appointed him to judge everyone, living or dead.
Psalm 111 (112)
How blessed are the just
Happy is the man to whom the Lord takes mercy: he will never waver.
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord
and loves his commands above all things.
His seed will be powerful on earth:
the descendants of the just will be blessed.
Glory and riches will fill his house,
and his righteousness will stand firm for ever.
He rises up in the darkness,
a light for the upright,
compassionate, generous, and just.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends,
who directs his affairs with wisdom –
he will never be shaken.
The just man will be remembered for ever,
no slander will he fear.
His heart is ready, hoping in the Lord;
his heart is strong, it will not fear,
until he looks down on his defeated enemies.
He gives alms and helps the poor:
his righteousness will endure for ever,
his future will be glorious.
The transgressor will see, and be enraged:
he will grind his teeth and fade away.
The desires of the wicked will 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.
Happy is the man to whom the Lord takes mercy: he will never waver.
Canticle
1 Peter 2
Christ's passion, freely chosen
God fulfilled what he had foretold in the words of all the prophets: that Christ would suffer.
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, to follow in his path.
He committed no sin, in his speech there was no deceit;
when they cursed him, he did not curse them;
when he suffered, he did not threaten retribution, but committed them to the one just judge.
He endured our sins in the sufferings of his body on the tree,
so that we would die to our sins and live for righteousness –
and by his bruises you have been healed.
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.
God fulfilled what he had foretold in the words of all the prophets: that Christ would suffer.
Short Reading
(1 Corinthians 9:24-25)
©
All the runners at the stadium are trying to win, but only one of them gets the prize. You must run in the same way, meaning to win. All the fighters at the games go into strict training; they do this just to win a wreath that will wither away, but we do it for a wreath that will never wither.
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
My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.
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.
My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.
Prayers and intercessions
We give thanks to Christ, our head and our master. Let us pray to him with trust and humility, for he served all men and was good to everyone.
– Lord Jesus, visit your family.
Lord, help the bishops and priests of your Church, who share in your office of head and pastor;
unite them with yourself to lead all men to the Father.
– Lord Jesus, visit your family.
Send your angels to protect those who travel;
keep them from harm and bring them safely home.
– Lord Jesus, visit your family.
Teach us to care for everyone;
make us more like you in serving others.
– Lord Jesus, visit your family.
Help us to form a human community where all men live in friendship;
Lord, unite us in your love.
– Lord Jesus, visit your family.
Show your love for the dead:
let them see the light of your face.
– Lord Jesus, visit your family.
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.
Lord God, in your surpassing wisdom
you reconcile man to yourself through your Word.
Grant that your Christian people may come with eager faith and ready will
to celebrate the Easter festival.
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.
