Monday 9 December 2019
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Solemnity
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.
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Hymn
Hail, Queen of the heavens, hail Mistress of earth;
Hail, Virgin most pure of immaculate birth:
Clear star of the morning in beauty enshrined;
O Lady, make speed to the help of mankind.
Thee God in the depth of eternity chose,
And formed thee all fair as his glorious spouse,
And called thee his own Word’s true Mother to be
By whom he created the earth, sky, and sea.
Hail, Mother most pure, hail, Virgin renowned,
Hail, Queen with the stars as a diadem crowned;
Above all the angels in glory untold,
Set next to the King in a vesture of gold.
These praises and prayers we lay at thy feet,
O Virgin of virgins, O Mary most sweet:
Be thou our true guide through this pilgrimage here,
And stand by our side when our death draweth near.
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Psalm 121 (122)
Jerusalem, the holy city
“You have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb 12:22).
You are all fair, O Mary; without original sin.
I rejóiced when I héard them sáy: *
‘Let us gó to God’s hóuse.’
And nów our féet are stánding *
within your gátes, O Jerúsalem.
Jerúsalem is búilt as a cíty *
stróngly cómpact.
It is thére that the tríbes go úp, *
the tríbes of the Lórd.
For Ísrael’s láw it ís, *
there to práise the Lord’s náme.
Thére were set the thrónes of júdgement *
of the hóuse of Dávid.
For the péace of Jerúsalem práy: *
‘Péace be to your hómes!
May péace réign in your wálls, *
in your pálaces, péace!’
For lóve of my bréthren and fríends *
I say: ‘Péace upon yóu!’
For lóve of the hóuse of the Lórd *
I will ásk for your góod.
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 are all fair, O Mary; without original sin.
Psalm-prayer
When you rose from the dead, Lord Jesus, you formed the Church into your new body and made of her the new Jerusalem, united in your Spirit. Give us peace in our day. Make all nations come to your Church to share your gifts in fellowship, that they may render you thanks without end and come to your eternal city.
________
Psalm 126 (127)
Without the Lord, we labour in vain
“You are God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9).
You are the glory of Jerusalem! You are the joy of Israel! You are the highest honour of our race!
If the Lórd does not búild the hóuse, *
in váin do its búilders lábour;
if the Lórd does not wátch over the cíty, *
in váin does the wátchman keep vígil.
In váin is your éarlier rísing, *
your góing láter to rést,
you who tóil for the bréad you éat, *
when he pours gífts on his belóved while they slúmber.
Truly sóns are a gíft from the Lórd, *
a bléssing, the frúit of the wómb.
Indéed the sóns of yóuth *
are like árrows in the hánd of a wárrior.
Ó the háppiness of the mán *
who has fílled his quíver with these árrows!
Hé will have no cáuse for sháme *
when he dispútes with his fóes in the gáteways.
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 are the glory of Jerusalem! You are the joy of Israel! You are the highest honour of our race!
Psalm-prayer
You command the seed to rise, Lord God, though the farmer is unaware. Grant that those who labour for you may trust not in their own work but in your help. Remembering that the land is brought to flower not with human tears but with those of your Son, may the Church rely only upon your gifts.
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Canticle
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
Your garments are white as snow, your face shines like the sun.
Blessed be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ *
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
He chose us in him *
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy *
and blameless before him.
He destined us in love *
to be his sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will, †
to the praise of his glorious grace *
which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In him we have redemption through his blood, *
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace *
which he lavished upon us.
He has made known to us †
in all wisdom and insight *
the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose *
which he set forth in Christ.
His purpose he set forth in Christ *
as a plan for the fullness of time,
to unite all things in him, *
things in heaven and things on 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.
Your garments are white as snow, your face shines like the sun.
________
Short Reading
Romans 5:20-21
However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater; and so, just as sin reigned wherever there was death, so grace will reign to bring eternal life thanks to the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.
________
Short Responsory
By this I shall know that you have chosen me.
– By this I shall know that you have chosen me.
If my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
– By this I shall know that you have chosen me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– By this I shall know that you have chosen me.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with you. You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Alleluia.
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.
Hail Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with you. You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us praise God the Father who chose Mary as the mother of his Son and wanted all generations to call her blessed. With confidence we pray:
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
Father, you did great things for the Virgin Mary and brought her, body and soul, to the glory of heaven;
fill the hearts of your children with the hope of Christ’s glory.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
Through the prayers of Mary, our mother, heal the sick, comfort the sorrowful, pardon sinners;
grant peace and salvation to all.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
You looked on the Virgin Mary and made her the mother of mercy;
may those who are in danger experience the depth of her love.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
You called Mary to be the mother in the house of Jesus and Joseph;
through her prayers help all mothers to make their homes places of love and holiness.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
You exalted the Virgin Mary and crowned her queen of heaven;
may the dead enter your kingdom and rejoice with your saints for ever.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
________
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.
________
Father,
we rejoice in the privilege of our Lady’s Immaculate Conception,
which preserved her from the stain of sin by the power of Christ’s redeeming death,
and prepared her to be the Mother of God.
Grant that through her prayers
we ourselves may come to you, cleansed from all sin.
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.