Saturday 4 January 2020
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
on 4 January
(First Vespers of tomorrow, The Epiphany of the Lord)
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
Why, impious Herod, vainly fear
That Christ the Saviour cometh here?
He takes not earthly thrones away
Who gives the crown that lasts for aye.
To greet his birth the wise men went,
Led by the star before them sent;
Called on by light, towards Light they pressed,
And by their gifts their God confessed.
In holy Jordan’s purest wave
The heavenly Lamb vouchsafed to lave;
That he, to whom was sin unknown,
Might cleanse his people from their own.
New miracle of power divine,
The Water reddens into wine;
He spoke the word, and poured the wave
In other streams than nature gave.
All glory, Lord, to thee we pay
For thine Epiphany today;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
________
Psalm 134 (135)
Praise the Lord, the wonder-worker
“You are a chosen race. Sing the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet 2:9).
Begotten before the dawn and before all ages, today the Lord, our Saviour, was born of the Virgin.
Práise the náme of the Lórd, *
práise him, sérvants of the Lórd,
who stánd in the hóuse of the Lórd *
in the cóurts of the hóuse of our Gód.
Praise the Lórd for the Lórd is góod. *
Sing a psálm to his náme for he is lóving.
For the Lórd has chosen Jácob for himsélf *
and Ísrael for his ówn posséssion.
For I knów the Lórd is gréat, *
that our Lórd is hígh above all góds.
The Lórd does whatéver he wílls, *
in héaven, on éarth, in the séas.
He summons clóuds from the énds of the éarth; †
makes líghtning prodúce the ráin; *
from his tréasuries he sénds forth the wínd.
The fírst-born of the Egýptians he smóte, *
of mán and béast alíke.
Sígns and wónders he wórked †
in the mídst of your lánd, O Égypt, *
against Pháraoh and áll his sérvants.
Nátions in their gréatness he strúck *
and kíngs in their spléndour he sléw.
Síhon, kíng of the Ámorites, *
Óg, the kíng of Báshan,
and áll the kíngdoms of Cánaan. *
He let Ísrael inhérit their lánd;
on his péople their lánd he bestówed.
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.
Begotten before the dawn and before all ages, today the Lord, our Saviour, was born of the Virgin.
________
Psalm 134 (135)
The Lord, our God, is greater than all gods.
Lórd, your náme stands for éver, *
unforgótten from áge to áge,
for the Lórd does jústice for his péople; *
the Lórd takes píty on his sérvants.
Pagan ídols are sílver and góld, *
the wórk of húman hánds.
They have móuths but they cánnot spéak; *
they have éyes but they cánnot sée.
They have éars but they cánnot héar; *
there is néver a bréath on their líps.
Their mákers will come to bé like thém *
and so will áll who trúst in thém!
Sons of Ísrael, bléss the Lórd! *
Sons of Áaron, bléss the Lórd!
Sons of Lévi, bléss the Lórd! *
You who féar him, bléss the Lórd!
From Síon may the Lórd be bléssed, *
hé who dwélls in Jerúsalem!
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, our God, is greater than all gods.
Psalm-prayer
Father, your name and your memory last for ever. We stand to pray in your house and praise you with psalms of joy. We ask you in your kindness to have mercy on us in our lowliness.
Or:
Father, you shattered the powers of darkness, with all their evil plots, to give strength to your servants and make them magnanimous in the struggle for eternal life. Have mercy on us and do not permit us to be deceived by false idols. May we praise your name for ever and receive the eternal gift of our inheritance.
________
Canticle
(1 Timothy 3)
The mystery and glory of Christ
This star shines like a flame: it points out God, the King of kings. The Magi saw it and they offered presents to the great King.
℟. O praise the Lord, all you nations!
He was manifested in the flesh, *
vindicated in the Spirit.
℟. O praise the Lord, all you nations!
He was seen by angels, *
preached among the nations.
℟. O praise the Lord, all you nations!
He was believed on in the world, *
taken up in glory.
℟. O praise the Lord, all you nations!
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.
This star shines like a flame: it points out God, the King of kings. The Magi saw it and they offered presents to the great King.
________
Short Reading
2 Timothy 1:9-10
God has saved us and called us to be holy – not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace. This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time, but it has only been revealed by the appearing of our saviour Christ Jesus. He abolished death, and he has proclaimed life and immortality through the Good News.
________
Short Responsory
All the peoples will be blessed in him.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
All nations will praise him.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– All the peoples will be blessed in him.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
The Magi saw the star and said to one another: This is the sign of the great King; let us go and seek him; let us offer him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
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 Magi saw the star and said to one another: This is the sign of the great King; let us go and seek him; let us offer him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Today the Magi knelt before our Saviour. Let us also worship him with great joy, and pray:
– Lord, save us in our need.
King of nations, the wise men came from the East to worship you:
grant us the true spirit of adoration and submission.
– Lord, save us in our need.
King of glory, your people look to you for judgement:
grant an abundance of peace to our world.
– Lord, save us in our need.
King of ages, your word is ever powerful:
may it penetrate our hearts and lives today.
– Lord, save us in our need.
King of justice, show your love for the poor and the powerless;
strengthen those who are suffering.
– Lord, save us in our need.
King of heaven, hope of all who trust in you;
give to the faithful departed the wonders of your salvation.
– Lord, save us in our need.
________
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.
________
On this day, Lord God,
by a guiding star you revealed your Only-Begotten Son
to all the peoples of the world.
Lead us from the faith by which we know you now
to the vision of your glory, face to face.
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.