Vespers (Evening Prayer)
(First Vespers of tomorrow, The Most Holy Trinity)
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
O Trinity of blessèd light,
O Unity of princely might,
The fiery sun now goes his way;
Shed thou within our hearts thy ray.
To thee our morning song of praise,
To thee our evening prayer we raise;
Thy glory humbly we adore
For ever and for evermore.
All laud to God the Father be;
All praise, eternal Son, to thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete.
Psalm 112 (113)
Praise of the Lord's name
All glory belongs to you, Holy Trinity, one God, before all ages, now and for ever.
Praise, servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the Lord’s name be blessed,
now and for ever.
From the sun’s rising to its setting,
the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high over all peoples,
his glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who lives on high,
who bends down to watch over heaven and earth?
He raises the weak from the ground,
the poor from the dunghill,
raises them among the princes,
the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a household,
makes her the happy mother of children.
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 glory belongs to you, Holy Trinity, one God, before all ages, now and for ever.
Psalm 147 (147B)
God, the foundation of Jerusalem
Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity. Let us give praise to him, for he has shown mercy to us.
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem
— Zion, praise your God.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
he has blessed your children.
He keeps your borders in peace,
he fills you with the richest wheat.
He sends out his command over the earth,
and swiftly runs his word.
He sends down snow that is like wool,
frost that is like ashes.
He sends hailstones like crumbs
— who can withstand his cold?
He will send out his word, and all will be melted;
his spirit will breathe, and the waters will flow.
He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his laws and judgements to Israel.
He has not done this for other nations:
he has not shown them his judgements.
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.
Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity. Let us give praise to him, for he has shown mercy to us.
Canticle
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
Glory and honour be to God in the unity of the Trinity, to the Father and to the Son with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us, in Christ,
with every spiritual blessing in heaven.
In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,
to be holy and spotless in his sight.
He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,
simply because it pleased him to do so.
This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,
of his free gift to us in his Beloved,
in whose blood we have gained redemption,
and the forgiveness of our sins.
This he did according to the riches of his grace,
which he gave us in abundance,
with all wisdom and discernment,
revealing to us the mysteries of his will,
because it pleased him to do so.
In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,
to bring all things together in Christ,
from the heavens and from the earth.
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.
Glory and honour be to God in the unity of the Trinity, to the Father and to the Son with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.
Short Reading
Romans 11:33-36
©
How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.
Short Responsory
Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit.
– Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit.
To God alone be all honour and glory.
– Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Let us bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
We give you thanks, O God; we give thanks to you the one and true Trinity, the one and highest God, the one and all-holy Unity.
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.
We give you thanks, O God; we give thanks to you the one and true Trinity, the one and highest God, the one and all-holy Unity.
Prayers and intercessions
Father, through your Holy Spirit you gave Christ your Son to us in the flesh, so that we might have life through him. Filled now with that life, we raise our hearts in praise of the Holy Trinity, saying:
– Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Father almighty, eternal God, in the name of your Son send your Holy Spirit upon the Church:
may the Comforter preserve us in unity, harmony and the fullness of truth.
– Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Lord, send your labourers into the harvest to teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
strengthen them all in the faith.
– Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Lord, support all those who suffer persecution on account of their faith in your Son:
give them the Spirit of truth who will, according to his promise, speak through them.
– Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Father almighty, all acknowledge that you, the Word and the Spirit are one:
as we believe in one God, so may we hope in you and love you.
– Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Father of the living, bring those who have died to share your glory:
with your Son and the Holy Spirit may they reign eternally with you in heaven.
– Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
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.
Let us pray.
God our Father,
you revealed the great mystery of your godhead to men
when you sent into the world
the Word who is Truth
and the Spirit who makes us holy.
Help us to believe in you and worship you,
as the true faith teaches:
three Persons, eternal in glory,
one God, infinite in majesty.
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.
