Wednesday 1 January 2020
Mary, Mother of God - 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.
________
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.
________
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).
O wonderful exchange! The Creator of human nature took on a human body and was born of the Virgin. He became man without having a human father and has bestowed on us his divine nature.
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.
O wonderful exchange! The Creator of human nature took on a human body and was born of the Virgin. He became man without having a human father and has bestowed on us his divine nature.
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 were born of the Virgin in a mysterious manner of which no man can speak; you fulfilled the scriptures; like rain falling gently on the earth you came hither to save the human race. We praise you: you are our God.
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 were born of the Virgin in a mysterious manner of which no man can speak; you fulfilled the scriptures; like rain falling gently on the earth you came hither to save the human race. We praise you: you are our God.
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.
________
Canticle
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
Moses saw the thorn bush that was on fire yet was not burnt up. In it we see a sign of your virginity, which all must honour. Mother of God, pray for us.
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.
Moses saw the thorn bush that was on fire yet was not burnt up. In it we see a sign of your virginity, which all must honour. Mother of God, pray for us.
________
Short Reading
Galatians 4:4-5
When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.
________
Short Responsory
The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
And he lived among us. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Blessed is the womb that bore you, Christ, and blessed are the breasts that suckled you, for you are the Lord and Saviour of the world, 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.
Blessed is the womb that bore you, Christ, and blessed are the breasts that suckled you, for you are the Lord and Saviour of the world, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Blessed be Christ, Immanuel, whom the Virgin conceived and brought forth.
– Son of the Virgin Mary, hear our prayer.
You gave the Virgin Mary the joys of motherhood;
grant to all parents joy in their children.
– Son of the Virgin Mary, hear our prayer.
King of peace, your kingdom is one of justice and peace;
grant that we may seek those things that will further harmony among men.
– Son of the Virgin Mary, hear our prayer.
You came to build the human race into a holy people;
bind the nations together in the unity of the Spirit.
– Son of the Virgin Mary, hear our prayer.
You were born into a human family;
strengthen with love the bonds of family life.
– Son of the Virgin Mary, hear our prayer.
You came to a life of weakness in our world:
grant to the dead the life of glory in your kingdom.
– Son of the Virgin Mary, 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.
________
God our Father,
since you gave mankind a saviour through Blessed Mary, virgin and mother,
grant that we may feel the power of her intercession,
when she pleads for us with Jesus Christ, your Son, the author of life,
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.