Thursday 9 January 2020
Thursday after Epiphany Sunday
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 71 (72)
The Messiah's royal power
“They opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Mt 2:11).
I will make you the light of the nations to bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.
O Gód, give your júdgement to the kíng, *
to a kíng’s son your jústice,
that he may júdge your péople in jústice *
and your póor in right júdgement.
May the móuntains bring forth péace for the péople *
and the hílls, jústice.
May he defénd the póor of the péople †
and save the chíldren of the néedy *
and crúsh the oppréssor.
He shall endúre like the sún and the móon *
from áge to áge.
He shall descénd like ráin on the méadow, *
like ráindrops on the éarth.
In his dáys jústice shall flóurish *
and péace till the móon fails.
He shall rúle from séa to séa, *
from the Great Ríver to earth’s bóunds.
Befóre him his énemies shall fáll, *
his fóes lick the dúst.
The kíngs of Társhish and the séa coasts *
shall páy him tríbute.
The kíngs of Shéba and Séba *
shall bríng him gífts.
Before hím all kíngs shall fall próstrate, *
all nátions shall sérve him.
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.
I will make you the light of the nations to bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.
________
Psalm 71 (72)
The Lord will save the poor; from oppression he will rescue their lives.
For he shall sáve the póor when they crý *
and the néedy who are hélpless.
Hé will have píty on the wéak *
and save the líves of the póor.
From oppréssion he will réscue their líves, *
to hím their blood is déar.
Lóng may he líve, *
may the góld of Shéba be gíven him.
They shall práy for hím without céasing *
and bléss him all the dáy.
May córn be abúndant in the lánd *
to the péaks of the móuntains.
May its frúit rústle like Lébanon; †
may men flóurish in the cíties *
like gráss on the éarth.
May his náme be bléssed for éver *
and endúre like the sún.
Every tríbe shall be bléssed in hím, *
all nátions bless his náme.
Bléssed be the Lórd, God of Ísrael, *
who alóne works wónders,
ever bléssed his glórious náme. *
Let his glóry fill the éarth.
Amén! Amén!
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 will save the poor; from oppression he will rescue their lives.
Psalm-prayer
We call upon your name, Father, and pronounce it blessed above the earth. Give your people the fullness of peace and justice in your kingdom.
Or:
Almighty God, you gave the kingdom of justice and peace to David and his descendant, our Lord Jesus Christ. Extend this kingdom to every family of nations so that through your Son all men may obtain true peace, the poor receive justice, the destitute relief, and the people of earth find a blessing in his name.
________
Canticle
Apocalypse 11
The Judgement
Victory and empire have now been won by our God.
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.
Victory and empire have now been won by our God.
________
Short Reading
1 John 1:5,7
God is light; there is no darkness in him at all. If we live our lives in the light, as he is in the light, we are in union with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
________
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
All the men of Saba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, 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.
All the men of Saba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
United in prayer with all our brothers, let us bless God and call upon his name.
– Lord, show us your mercy.
Holy Father, we pray for those who know you only by the light of reason;
lead them to the knowledge of the gospel.
– Lord, show us your mercy.
Guide all outside the Church who strive for a better world;
let them find Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life.
– Lord, show us your mercy.
Help men of all other religions to live in sincerity of heart;
and bring them into your own marvellous light.
– Lord, show us your mercy.
Cleanse the hearts of your faithful;
that they may know the great depths of your love.
– Lord, show us your mercy.
Show your mercy to the dead;
and endow them with the glory of your saints.
– Lord, show us your mercy.
________
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.
________
Through your Son, Lord God,
you shed eternal light on all mankind.
Give us grace to acknowledge the full splendour of our Redeemer,
so that, going from glory to glory,
we may come at length to your 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.