Vespers (Evening Prayer)
(First Vespers of tomorrow, 5th Sunday of Easter)
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
The Lamb’s high banquet we await,
In snow-white robes of royal state;
And now, the Red Sea’s channel past,
To Christ our Prince we sing at last.
Upon the altar of the Cross
His body hath redeemed our loss;
And tasting of his scarlet blood,
Our life is hid with him in God.
Now Christ our paschal Lamb is slain,
The Lamb of God that knows no stain,
The true oblation offered here,
Our own unleavened bread sincere.
O thou, from whom hell’s monarch flies,
O great, O very Sacrifice,
Thy captive people are set free,
And endless life restored in thee.
To thee who, dead, again dost live,
All glory, Lord, thy people give:
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
Psalm 140 (141)
Prayer in time of danger
Let the raising of my hands in prayer please you like the evening oblation. Alleluia.
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.
Let the raising of my hands in prayer please you like the evening oblation. Alleluia.
Psalm 141 (142)
You are my refuge
You have brought me out from prison to give praise to your name. Alleluia.
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.
You have brought me out from prison to give praise to your name. Alleluia.
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
The Son of God learned to obey through suffering, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Alleluia.
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 Son of God learned to obey through suffering, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Alleluia.
Short Reading
1 Peter 2:9-10
©
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people at all and now you are the People of God; once you were outside the mercy and now you have been given mercy.
Short Responsory
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
They saw the Lord, alleluia, alleluia.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Now has the Son of Man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified. Alleluia. (Year C)
Or: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me, 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.
Now has the Son of Man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified. Alleluia. (Year C)
Or: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to Christ, our life and our resurrection.
– Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for your Catholic Church:
may she reveal among the nations your kingdom of justice and holiness.
– Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for the sick, the sorrowful, captives and exiles:
show them your power and compassion.
– Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for those who have lost you in the maze of life:
let them know once more the joy of coming home.
– Son of the living God, protect your people.
Crucified and risen Saviour, you will come again in judgement:
be merciful to us sinners.
– Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for all the living,
and for those who have left this world in the hope of the resurrection.
– Son of the living God, protect 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.
Since it is from you, God our Father,
that redemption comes to us, your adopted children,
look with favour on the family you love,
give true freedom to us and to all who believe in Christ,
and bring us all alike to our eternal heritage.
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.
