Sunday 5 January 2020
The Epiphany of the Lord - 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
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 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest
“He must be king so that he may put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25).
The King of Peace is more glorious than all the kings of the world.
The Lórd’s revelátion to my Máster: †
‘Sít on my ríght: *
your fóes I will pút beneath your féet.’
The Lórd will wíeld from Síon †
your scéptre of pówer: *
rúle in the mídst of all your fóes.
A prínce from the dáy of your bírth †
on the hóly móuntains; *
from the wómb before the dáwn I begót you.
The Lórd has sworn an óath he will not chánge. †
‘You are a príest for éver, *
a príest like Melchízedek of óld.’
The Máster stánding at your ríght hand *
will shatter kíngs in the dáy of his wráth.
He shall drínk from the stréam by the wáyside *
and thérefore he shall líft up his héad.
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 King of Peace is more glorious than all the kings of the world.
Psalm-prayer
Father, we ask you to give us victory and peace. In Jesus Christ, our Lord and King, we are already seated at your right hand. We look forward to praise you in the fellowship of all your saints in our heavenly homeland.
Or:
Almighty God, bring the kingdom of Christ, your anointed one, to its fullness. May the perfect offering of your Son, eternal priest of the new Jerusalem, be offered in every place to your name and make all nations a holy people for you.
________
Psalm 111 (112)
How blessed are the just
“Be like the children of the light; for the fruits of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth” (Eph 5:8,9).
A beacon now shines in the darkness for honest men: the Lord is compassionate, merciful, and kind.
Happy the mán who féars the Lórd, *
who tákes delíght in all his commánds.
His sóns will be pówerful on éarth; *
the chíldren of the úpright are bléssed.
Ríches and wéalth are in his hóuse; *
his jústice stands fírm for éver.
He is a líght in the dárkness for the úpright: *
he is génerous, mérciful and júst.
The góod man takes píty and lénds, *
he condúcts his affáirs with hónour.
The júst man will néver wáver: *
hé will be remémbered for éver.
He has no féar of évil néws; *
with a fírm heart he trústs in the Lórd.
With a stéadfast héart he will not féar; *
he will sée the dównfall of his fóes.
Open-hánded, he gíves to the póor; †
his jústice stands fírm for éver. *
His héad will be ráised in glóry.
The wícked man sées and is ángry, †
grinds his téeth and fádes awáy; *
the desíre of the wícked leads to dóom.
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.
A beacon now shines in the darkness for honest men: the Lord is compassionate, merciful, and kind.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you are the eternal light which illumines the hearts of good people. Help us to love you, to rejoice in your glory, and so to live in this world as to avoid harsh judgement in the next. May we come to see the light of your countenance.
Or:
Lord Jesus, you are the light rising in darkness for the just. To show your love for us you offered yourself in our place as a victim to God. Teach us to love one another as you love us, that our love may bring peace and joy to the world and enable us to find the happiness of your home.
________
Canticle
Apocalypse 15
A hymn of adoration
All the peoples, that you have made, will come and adore you, O Lord.
Great and wonderful are your deeds, *
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways, *
O King of the ages!
Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord? *
For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you, *
for your judgements have been revealed.
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.
All the peoples, that you have made, will come and adore you, O Lord.
________
Short Reading
Titus 3:4-5
When the kindness and love of God our saviour for mankind were revealed, it was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves: it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit.
________
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
Three wonders mark this day we celebrate: today the star led the Magi to the manger; today water was changed into wine at the marriage feast; today Christ desired to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation, 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.
Three wonders mark this day we celebrate: today the star led the Magi to the manger; today water was changed into wine at the marriage feast; today Christ desired to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation, alleluia.
________
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.