Saturday 7 December 2019
Saint Ambrose, Bishop, Doctor
on Saturday of the 1st week of Advent
(First Vespers of tomorrow, 2nd Sunday of Advent)
Vespers (Evening Prayer)
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
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
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Come then and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings.
Then cleansed be every Christian breast,
And furnished for so great a guest!
Yea, let us each his heart prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.
For thou art our salvation, Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without thy grace our souls must fade,
And wither like a flower decayed.
Stretch forth thine hand, to heal our sore,
And make us rise to fall no more;
Once more upon thy people shine,
And fill the world with love divine.
All praise, eternal Son, to thee,
Whose Advent sets thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore,
And Holy Ghost, for evermore.
________
Psalm 118 (119): 105-112
Meditating the word of the Lord in the Law
“This is my commandment, that you love one another” (Jn 15:12).
Rejoice and be glad, new Sion. See now how humbly your King, our Saviour, will come to you.
Your wórd is a lámp for my stéps *
and a líght for my páth.
I have swórn and have máde up my mínd *
to obéy your decrées.
Lórd, I am déeply afflícted; *
by your wórd give me lífe.
Accépt, Lord, the hómage of my líps *
and téach me your decrées.
Though I cárry my lífe in my hánds, *
I remémber your láw.
Though the wícked trý to ensnáre me, *
I do not stráy from your précepts.
Your wíll is my héritage for éver, *
the jóy of my héart.
I sét myself to cárry out your státutes *
in fúllness, for éver.
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.
Rejoice and be glad, new Sion. See now how humbly your King, our Saviour, will come to you.
Psalm-prayer
Let your Word, Father, be a lamp for our feet and a light to our path, so that we may understand what you wish to teach us and follow the path your light marks out for us.
________
Psalm 15 (16)
The Lord, my inheritance
“God raised up Jesus, freeing him from the pains of death” (Acts 2:24).
Strengthen the weary hands: be strong, and say: ‘Behold, our God will come and he will save us, alleluia.’
Presérve me, Gód, I take réfuge in yóu. †
I sáy to the Lórd: ‘Yóu are my Gód. *
My háppiness líes in yóu alóne.’
He has pút into my héart a márvellous lóve *
for the fáithful ónes who dwéll in his lánd.
Those who chóose other góds incréase their sórrows. †
Néver will I óffer their ófferings of blóod. *
Néver will I táke their náme upon my líps.
O Lórd, it is yóu who are my pórtion and cúp; *
it is yóu yoursélf who áre my príze.
The lót marked óut for me is mý delíght: *
welcome indéed the héritage that fálls to mé!
I will bléss the Lórd who gíves me cóunsel, *
who éven at níght dirécts my héart.
I kéep the Lórd ever ín my síght: *
since hé is at my ríght hand, Í shall stand fírm.
And so my héart rejóices, my sóul is glád; *
éven my bódy shall rést in sáfety.
For yóu will not léave my sóul among the déad, *
nor lét your belóved knów decáy.
You will shów me the páth of lífe, †
the fúllness of jóy in your présence, *
at your ríght hand háppiness for éver.
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.
Strengthen the weary hands: be strong, and say: ‘Behold, our God will come and he will save us, alleluia.’
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, uphold those who hope in you and give us your counsel, so that we may know the joy of your resurrection and deserve to be among the saints at your right hand.
Or:
Father, in the mysterious plan of your love, you offered your Son the bitter cup of death, and yet you would not let your Holy One know decay, but opened to him the way of life. Help us to look for happiness in you alone and to share one day the glory of your Son’s resurrection.
________
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
Though he was in the form of God, *
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He emptied himself, †
taking the form of a servant, *
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, †
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, *
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him *
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that 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 Law was given through Moses; grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
________
Short Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will not fail you.
________
Short Responsory
Show us, Lord, your steadfast love.
– Show us, Lord, your steadfast love.
And grant us your salvation.
– Show us, Lord, your steadfast love.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Show us, Lord, your steadfast love.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ (Year A)
Or: Come, Lord, and bring us peace. Let us rejoice before you with sincere hearts.
My soul glórifies the Lórd, *
my spirit rejóices in Gód, my Sáviour.
He looks on his sérvant in her lówliness; *
henceforth all áges will cáll me bléssed.
The Almíghty works márvels for me. *
Hóly his náme!
His mércy is from age to áge, *
on thóse who féar him.
He púts forth his árm in stréngth *
and scátters the proud-héarted.
He casts the míghty from their thrónes *
and ráises the lówly.
He fills the stárving with good thíngs, *
sends the rích away émpty.
He protects Ísrael, his sérvant, *
remémbering his mércy,
the mercy prómised to our fáthers, *
to Ábraham and his sóns for éver.
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.
John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ (Year A)
Or: Come, Lord, and bring us peace. Let us rejoice before you with sincere hearts.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Before time began, the Word was with the Father; in the fullness of time he came to us through the Virgin Mary.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
All that came to be was alive with his life:
may our lives be a light for men.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
The Word dwells with God:
may we dwell with him in the Father’s love.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
The Word entered his own realm, and his own would not receive him.
By responding to those who demand our care, may we welcome him into our hearts.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
The Word came among us, full of grace and truth;
may all the dead be counted as children of God.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
________
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.
________
Almighty and merciful God,
let neither our daily work nor the cares of this life
prevent us from hastening to meet your Son.
Enlighten us with your wisdom
and lead us into his company.
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.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.