Vespers (Evening Prayer)
(First Vespers of tomorrow, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
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
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To his feet your tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me his praise should sing?
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise the everlasting King.
Praise him for his grace and favour,
To our fathers in distress;
Praise him still the same for ever,
Slow to chide and swift to bless,
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Glorious in his faithfulness.
Fatherlike, he tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame he knows;
In his hands he gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Widely as his mercy flows.
Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon bow down before him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise with us the God of grace.
Psalm 121 (122)
Jerusalem, the holy city
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
They filled me with joy when they said,
“We will go to the house of the Lord.”
Now our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, built as a city,
whole and self-contained:
there the tribes have gone up,
the tribes of the Lord –
the witness of Israel,
to praise the Lord’s name.
For there are the thrones of justice,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“Safety for those who care for you,
peace inside your walls,
security within your ramparts!”
For my brethren and those near to me I will say
“Peace be upon you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will call blessings upon you.
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.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Psalm 129 (130)
Out of the depths
From the morning watch even until night my soul is longing for the Lord.
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord:
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears listen out
for the voice of my pleading.
If you took notice of our transgressions, Lord –
Lord, who would be left?
But with you is forgiveness,
and for this we revere you.
I rely on you, Lord,
my spirit relies on your promise;
my soul hopes in the Lord,
more than the watchman for daybreak.
More than the watchman for daybreak,
let Israel hope in the Lord:
for with the Lord there is kindness
and abundant redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all its transgressions.
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.
From the morning watch even until night my soul is longing for the Lord.
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
Let every creature, in heaven and on earth, bend the knee at the name of Jesus. 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.
Let every creature, in heaven and on earth, bend the knee at the name of Jesus. Alleluia.
Short Reading
2 Peter 1:19-21
©
We have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds. At the same time, we must be most careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. Why? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s initiative. When men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.
Short Responsory
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
– From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
High above the heavens is his glory.
– From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! (Year C)
Or: Woman, your faith is great: let it be done for you as you have asked.
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.
I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! (Year C)
Or: Woman, your faith is great: let it be done for you as you have asked.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to Christ, who, of his fullness, gives his brothers love in return for love.
– Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
Firstborn from the dead, you have cleansed us of our sins by your blood.
Lead us to understand what you have done for us.
– Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
You have called us to be heralds of the good news:
help us to enter the depths of its message and to make it our own.
– Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
King of peace, guide the actions of those who govern:
may your Spirit move them to care for those whom society rejects.
– Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
Guide the steps of those who are oppressed, those persecuted for race, colour, or religion:
let their dignity be respected, and their rights upheld.
– Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
Welcome all who have died in your peace;
bring them to everlasting life with our Lady and all the saints.
– Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.
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,
you have prepared for those who love you
what no eye has seen, no ear has heard.
Fill our hearts with your love,
so that, loving you above all and in all,
we may attain your promises
which the heart of man has not conceived.
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.
