Monday 6 January 2020
Monday after Epiphany Sunday
or Saint André Bessette
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 44 (45)
The wedding of the King
“Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him” (Mt 25:6).
You are the fairest of the children of men, and graciousness is poured upon your lips.
My héart overflóws with nóble wórds. †
To the kíng I must spéak the sóng I have máde, *
my tóngue as nímble as the pén of a scríbe.
Yóu are the fáirest of the chíldren of mén †
and gráciousness is póured upón your líps: *
because Gód has bléssed you for évermóre.
O míghty one, gírd your swórd upon your thígh; †
in spléndour and státe, ríde on in tríumph *
for the cáuse of trúth and góodness and ríght.
Take áim with your bów in your dréad right hánd. †
Your árrows are shárp, péoples fall benéath you. *
The fóes of the kíng fall dówn and lose héart.
Your thróne, O Gód, shall endúre for éver. †
A scéptre of jústice is the scéptre of your kíngdom. *
Your lóve is for jústice; your hátred for évil.
Therefore Gód, your Gód, has anóinted yóu †
with the óil of gládness abóve other kíngs: *
your róbes are frágrant with alóes and mýrrh.
From the ívory pálace you are gréeted with músic. †
The dáughters of kíngs are amóng your lóved ones. *
On your ríght stands the quéen in góld of Óphir.
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 fairest of the children of men, and graciousness is poured upon your lips.
________
Psalm 44 (45)
The King's bride
Behold, the Bridegroom is coming: go out and meet him.
Lísten, O dáughter, give éar to my wórds: *
forgét your own péople and your fáther’s hóuse.
Só will the kíng desíre your béauty: *
Hé is your lórd, pay hómage to hím.
And the péople of Týre shall cóme with gífts, *
the ríchest of the péople shall séek your fávour.
The dáughter of the kíng is clóthed with spléndour, *
her róbes embróidered with péarls set in góld.
She is léd to the kíng with her máiden compánions. †
Théy are escórted amid gládness and jóy; *
they páss withín the pálace of the kíng.
Sóns shall be yóurs in pláce of your fáthers: *
you will máke them prínces over áll the éarth.
May this sóng make your náme for éver remémbered. *
May the péoples práise you from áge to áge.
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.
Behold, the Bridegroom is coming: go out and meet him.
Psalm-prayer
When you took on flesh, Lord Jesus, you made a marriage of mankind with God. Help us to be faithful to your word and endure our exile bravely, until we are called to the heavenly marriage feast, to which the Virgin Mary, exemplar of your Church, has preceded us.
________
Canticle
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
God planned to bring all things together under Christ when the fullness of time had come.
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.
God planned to bring all things together under Christ when the fullness of time had come.
________
Short Reading
(2 Peter 1:3-4)
By his divine power, Christ has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice.
________
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 sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they gave the Lord 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 sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they gave the Lord gold, frankincense and myrrh.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Blessed be Christ the Lord, who came to be with us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death.
– Christ, rising Sun, shed your light on all men.
Christ our Lord, at your coming your body the Church was born:
may it ever grow on earth and build itself up in love.
– Christ, rising Sun, shed your light on all men.
You hold heaven and earth in your hands:
let all races and nations proclaim you as their Lord.
– Christ, rising Sun, shed your light on all men.
Through your incarnation you became our eternal High Priest:
renew in all your priests the grace of proclaiming your redemption.
– Christ, rising Sun, shed your light on all men.
You were born of a virgin mother;
bless all religious women and make them the living sign of the Church which is your bride.
– Christ, rising Sun, shed your light on all men.
By taking mortal flesh you ended the power of death:
unite the departed with yourself in everlasting life.
– Christ, rising Sun, shed your light on all men.
________
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.
________
Lord, may the radiance of your glory light up our hearts
and bring us through the shadows of this world
until we reach our homeland of everlasting light.
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.