Saturday 4 April 2020
Saturday of the 5th week of Lent
(optional commemoration of Saint Isidore, Bishop, Doctor)
(First Vespers of tomorrow, Palm 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.
________
Hymn
The royal banners forward go,
The Cross shines forth in radiant glow;
Where he, the Life, did death endure,
And yet by death did life procure.
His feet and hands outstretching there,
He willed the piercing nails to bear,
For us and our redemption’s sake
A victim of himself to make.
There whilst he hung, his sacred side
By soldier’s spear was opened wide,
To cleanse us in the precious flood
Of water mingled with his blood.
Fulfilled is now what David told
In true prophetic song of old,
To all the nations, ‘Lo,’ said he,
‘Our God is reigning from the tree.’
Blest Three in One, our praise we sing
To thee from whom all graces spring:
As by the cross thou dost restore,
So rule and guide us evermore.
________
Psalm 118 (119): 105-112
Meditating the word of the Lord in the Law
“This is my commandment, that you love one another” (Jn 15:12).
I sat teaching in the temple day after day and you never laid hands on me. Now you have scourged me and lead me to be crucified.
Your wórd is a lámp for my stéps *
and a líght for my páth.
I have swórn and have máde up my mínd *
to obéy your decrées.
Lórd, I am déeply afflícted; *
by your wórd give me lífe.
Accépt, Lord, the hómage of my líps *
and téach me your decrées.
Though I cárry my lífe in my hánds, *
I remémber your láw.
Though the wícked trý to ensnáre me, *
I do not stráy from your précepts.
Your wíll is my héritage for éver, *
the jóy of my héart.
I sét myself to cárry out your státutes *
in fúllness, 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.
I sat teaching in the temple day after day and you never laid hands on me. Now you have scourged me and lead me to be crucified.
Psalm-prayer
Let your Word, Father, be a lamp for our feet and a light to our path, so that we may understand what you wish to teach us and follow the path your light marks out for us.
________
Psalm 15 (16)
The Lord, my inheritance
“God raised up Jesus, freeing him from the pains of death” (Acts 2:24).
The Lord God helps me: no insult wounds me.
Presérve me, Gód, I take réfuge in yóu. †
I sáy to the Lórd: ‘Yóu are my Gód. *
My háppiness líes in yóu alóne.’
He has pút into my héart a márvellous lóve *
for the fáithful ónes who dwéll in his lánd.
Those who chóose other góds incréase their sórrows. †
Néver will I óffer their ófferings of blóod. *
Néver will I táke their náme upon my líps.
O Lórd, it is yóu who are my pórtion and cúp; *
it is yóu yoursélf who áre my príze.
The lót marked óut for me is mý delíght: *
welcome indéed the héritage that fálls to mé!
I will bléss the Lórd who gíves me cóunsel, *
who éven at níght dirécts my héart.
I kéep the Lórd ever ín my síght: *
since hé is at my ríght hand, Í shall stand fírm.
And so my héart rejóices, my sóul is glád; *
éven my bódy shall rést in sáfety.
For yóu will not léave my sóul among the déad, *
nor lét your belóved knów decáy.
You will shów me the páth of lífe, †
the fúllness of jóy in your présence, *
at your ríght hand háppiness 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 Lord God helps me: no insult wounds me.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, uphold those who hope in you and give us your counsel, so that we may know the joy of your resurrection and deserve to be among the saints at your right hand.
Or:
Father, in the mysterious plan of your love, you offered your Son the bitter cup of death, and yet you would not let your Holy One know decay, but opened to him the way of life. Help us to look for happiness in you alone and to share one day the glory of your Son’s resurrection.
________
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
The Lord Jesus humbled himself and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on a cross.
Though he was in the form of God, *
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He emptied himself, †
taking the form of a servant, *
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, †
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, *
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him *
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, *
to the glory of God the Father.
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 Jesus humbled himself and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on a cross.
________
Short Reading
1 Peter 1:18-21
Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God.
________
Short Responsory
We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
– We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
By your cross you have redeemed the world.
– We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Say to the daughter of Zion: Look, your king comes to you: he is humble, he rides on a donkey, the foal of a beast of burden. (Year A)
Or: Hail, Son of David, our king and redeemer of the World! The prophets foretold that you would come and save us.
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.
Say to the daughter of Zion: Look, your king comes to you: he is humble, he rides on a donkey, the foal of a beast of burden. (Year A)
Or: Hail, Son of David, our king and redeemer of the World! The prophets foretold that you would come and save us.
________
Prayers and intercessions
As his passion drew near, Christ looked on Jerusalem and wept, because it did not recognize that God’s salvation had come. Let us pray in faith and repentance.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
Lord, you longed to gather the children of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings;
help all men to recognize that their moment of salvation has come.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
Do not abandon your faithful, even when they desert you;
restore us to yourself, Lord Jesus, and we shall be restored.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
Through your suffering help us to mortify our bodies
that we may be ready to celebrate your rising from the dead.
– Lord, have mercy on your people.
You are reigning now in the glory of the Father;
remember those who have died today.
– Lord, have mercy on 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.
________
Almighty, ever-living God,
you gave our Saviour the command
to become man and undergo the cross
as an example of humility for all men to follow.
We have the lessons of his sufferings:
give us also the fellowship of his resurrection.
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 © 1996-2020 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.