Thursday 2 January 2020
Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops, Doctors
on 2 January
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
Who are these like stars appearing,
these, before God’s throne who stand?
Each a golden crown is wearing;
who are all this glorious band?
Alleluia! Hark, they sing,
praising loud their heavenly King.
Who are these of dazzling brightness,
clothed in God’s own righteousness?
These, whose robes of purest whiteness,
shall their lustre still possess,
still untouched by time’s rude hand?
Whence came all this glorious band?
These are they who have contended
for their Saviour’s honour long,
wrestling on till life was ended,
following not the sinful throng;
these who well the fight sustained,
triumph through the Lamb have gained.
These are they whose hearts were riven,
sore with woe and anguish tried,
who in prayer full oft have striven
with the God they glorified;
now, their painful conflict o’er,
God has bid them weep no more.
These, the Almighty contemplating,
did as priests before him stand,
soul and body always waiting
day and night at his command:
now in God’s most holy place
blest they stand before his face.
________
Psalm 29 (30)
Thanksgiving for rescue from death
“Christ gives thanks to his Father after his glorious resurrection” (Cassian).
Lord, I cried to you for help and you have healed me: I will thank you for ever.
I will práise you, Lórd, yóu have réscued me *
and have nót let my énemies rejóice óver me.
O Lórd, I críed to you for hélp *
and yóu, my Gód, have héaled me.
O Lórd, you have ráised my sóul from the déad, *
restóred me to lífe from those who sínk into the gráve.
Sing psálms to the Lórd, you who lóve him, *
give thánks to his hóly náme.
His ánger lasts a móment; his fávour all through lífe. *
At níght there are téars, but jóy comes with dáwn.
I sáid to mysélf in my good fórtune: *
‘Nóthing will éver distúrb me.’
Your fávour had sét me on a móuntain fástness, *
then you híd your fáce and I was pút to confúsion.
To yóu, Lórd, I críed, *
to my Gód I máde appéal:
‘What prófit would my déath be, my góing to the gráve? *
Can dúst give you práise or procláim your trúth?’
The Lórd lístened and had píty. *
The Lórd cáme to my hélp.
For mé you have chánged my móurning into dáncing, *
you remóved my sáckcloth and clóthed me with jóy.
So my sóul sings psálms to you uncéasingly. *
O Lord my Gód, I will thánk you 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.
Lord, I cried to you for help and you have healed me: I will thank you for ever.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, hear our cry and save us. We weep in the evening as if our Lord were asleep, but let us rejoice in the morning as he is raised up among us. Rescued from sadness and clothed in rejoicing, may we gloriously sing your praises for ever.
Or:
God our Father, glorious in giving life, and even more glorious in restoring it, when his last night on earth came, your Son shed tears of blood, but dawn brought incomparable gladness. Do not turn away from us, or we shall fall back into dust, but rather turn our mourning into joy by raising us up with Christ.
________
Psalm 31 (32)
The joy of the forgiven
“David says that a man is blessed if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds” (Rom 4:6).
Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt.
Happy the mán whose offénce is forgíven, *
whose sín is remítted.
O háppy the mán to whom the Lórd †
impútes no gúilt, *
in whose spírit is no gúile.
I kept it sécret and my fráme was wásted. *
I gróaned all day lóng,
for níght and dáy your hánd *
was héavy upón me.
Indéed my stréngth was dried úp *
as by the súmmer’s héat.
But nów I have acknówledged my síns; *
my gúilt I did not híde.
I sáid: ‘Í will conféss *
my offénce to the Lórd.’
And yóu, Lórd, have forgíven *
the gúilt of my sín.
So let évery good mán pray to yóu *
in the tíme of néed.
The flóods of wáter may reach hígh *
but hím they shall not réach.
Yóu are my híding place, O Lórd; †
you sáve me from distréss. *
You surróund me with críes of delíverance.
Í will instrúct you and téach you *
the wáy you should gó;
Í will gíve you cóunsel *
with my éye upón you.
Be not like hórse and múle, unintélligent, *
needing brídle and bít,
élse they wíll not appróach you. *
Many sórrows has the wícked
but hé who trústs in the Lórd, *
loving mércy surróunds him.
Rejóice, rejóice in the Lórd, *
exúlt, you júst!
O cóme, ríng out your jóy, *
all you úpright of héart.
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.
Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt.
Psalm-prayer
You desired, Lord, to keep from us your indignation and so did not spare Jesus Christ, who was wounded for our sins. We are your prodigal children but confessing our sins we come back to you. Embrace us that we may rejoice in your mercy together with Christ your beloved Son.
________
Canticle
Apocalypse 11
The Judgement
The Lord has given him power and honour and empire, and all peoples will serve him.
We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, *
who are and who were,
that you have taken your great power *
and begun to reign.
The nations raged, *
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged, *
for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name, *
both small and great.
Now the salvation and the power †
and the kingdom of our God *
and the authority of his Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, *
who accuses them day and night before our God.
And they have conquered him *
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony, *
for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Rejoice, then, O heaven, *
and you that dwell therein.
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 Lord has given him power and honour and empire, and all peoples will serve him.
________
Short Reading
James 3:17-18
The wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure. It also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
________
Short Responsory
This man became a teacher in the Church of God.
– This man became a teacher in the Church of God.
The Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding.
– This man became a teacher in the Church of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– This man became a teacher in the Church of God.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
The man who keeps the commandments and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.
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.
The man who keeps the commandments and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to Christ, the high priest, who was appointed to represent men in their relations with God.
– Lord, save your people.
Lord Jesus, in times past you have lighted the way for your people through wise and holy leaders;
may Christians always enjoy this sign of your loving kindness.
– Lord, save your people.
You forgave the sins of your people when holy pastors prayed;
continually cleanse your Church through their powerful intercession.
– Lord, save your people.
In the presence of their brothers, you anointed your holy ones and poured on them your Spirit;
fill with your Holy Spirit all the leaders of your people.
– Lord, save your people.
Nothing could ever separate the holy pastors from your love;
do not lose even one of those whom you redeemed by your passion.
– Lord, save your people.
Through the pastors of your Church you give your sheep eternal life, and no one can steal them from you;
save the faithful departed, for whom you laid down your life.
– Lord, save your people.
________
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, you enriched your Church
and gave examples for us to follow
in the life and teaching of Saint Basil and Saint Gregory.
Grant that, learning your truth with humility,
we may practise it in faith and love.
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.