Tuesday 7 April 2020
Tuesday of Holy Week
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 48 (49)
The uselessness of riches
“The rich man will find it very hard to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:23).
Insult and terror have been my lot, but the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero.
Héar this, áll you péoples, *
give héed, all who dwéll in the wórld,
mén both lów and hígh, *
rích and póor alíke!
My líps will speak wórds of wísdom. *
My héart is fúll of ínsight.
I will túrn my mínd to a párable, *
with the hárp I will sólve my próblem.
Whý should I féar in evil dáys *
the málice of the fóes who surróund me,
mén who trúst in their wéalth, *
and bóast of the vástness of their ríches?
For nó man can búy his own ránsom, *
or pay a príce to Gód for his lífe.
The ránsom of his sóul is beyónd him. †
He cánnot buy lífe without énd, *
nor avóid cóming to the gráve.
He knows that wíse men and fóols must both pérish *
and léave their wéalth to óthers.
Their gráves are their hómes for éver, †
their dwélling place from áge to áge, *
though their námes spread wíde through the lánd.
In his ríches, mán lacks wísdom; *
hé is like the béasts that are destróyed.
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.
Insult and terror have been my lot, but the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero.
________
Psalm 48 (49)
Deliver me, Lord, and set me close to you: let who will raise his hand against me.
This is the lót of those who trúst in themsélves, *
who have óthers at their béck and cáll.
Like shéep they are dríven to the gráve, †
where déath shall bé their shépherd *
and the júst shall becóme their rúlers.
With the mórning their óutward show vánishes *
and the gráve becómes their hóme.
But Gód will ránsom me from déath *
and táke my sóul to himsélf.
Then do not féar when a mán grows rích, *
when the glóry of his hóuse incréases.
He takes nóthing wíth him when he díes, *
his glóry does not fóllow him belów.
Though he fláttered himsélf while he líved: *
‘Men will práise me for áll my succéss,’
yet he will gó to jóin his fáthers, *
who will néver see the líght any móre.
In his ríches, mán lacks wísdom; *
hé is like the béasts that are destróyed.
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.
Deliver me, Lord, and set me close to you: let who will raise his hand against me.
Psalm-prayer
Make our mouths speak your wisdom, Lord Jesus, and help us to remember that you became man and redeemed us from death that we might merit the beauty of your light.
Or:
You condemned the rich, Lord Jesus, because they have already received their reward, and you proclaimed the poor blessed because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Teach us to seek for imperishable goods and to have confidence in your blood, poured out as the price of our redemption.
________
Canticle
Apocalypse 4,5
The song of the redeemed
You were slain, Lord, and with your blood you bought us for God.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, *
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things, *
and by your will they existed and were created.
Worthy are you, O Lord, *
to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slain, †
and by your blood you ransomed men for God *
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
You have made us a kingdom and priests to our God, *
and we shall reign on earth.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain *
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might *
and honour and glory and blessing.
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 were slain, Lord, and with your blood you bought us for God.
________
Short Reading
1 Corinthians 1:27-30
To shame what is strong, God chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom.
________
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
I have the right to lay down my life, and I have the right to take it up again.
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.
I have the right to lay down my life, and I have the right to take it up again.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us turn in prayer to the Saviour of all men. By dying he destroyed our death and by rising he restored our life.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Christ, our Redeemer, let us share in your passion by works of penance,
let us attain the glory of your resurrection.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Grant us the protection of your Mother, the comforter of the afflicted,
help us to extend to others the consolation you have given us.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Unite the faithful to your passion in times of trouble and distress
and let the power of your salvation shine forth in their lives.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
You humbled yourself even to accepting death, death on a cross;
grant to your servants obedience and patience.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Share with the dead your bodily glory;
let us rejoice one day with them in the fellowship of the saints.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
________
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.
________
All-powerful, ever-living God,
may our sacramental celebration of the Lord’s passion
bring us your forgiveness.
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.