Saturday 11 April 2020
Holy Saturday
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
Sole hope of all the world and Lord,
Bestower of the great reward,
Receive the prayers thy servants raise
Mixed with meet psalms and chants of praise.
And though our conscience doth proclaim
Our deep transgressions and our shame,
Cleanse us, O God, we humbly plead,
From sins of thought and word and deed.
Our sins remember thou no more;
Forgive: thou art of mighty pow’r:
So take upon thee, Lord, our care
That pure in heart we make our prayer.
Therefore accept, O Lord, this tide
Of fast which thou hast sanctified,
That we may reach by mystic ways
The sacraments of Easter days.
________
Psalm 115 (116B)
Thanksgiving in the Temple
“Through him [Christ], let us offer God an unending sacrifice of praise” (Heb 13:15).
O Death, I will be your death. Sheol, I will be your destruction.
I trústed, éven when I sáid: *
‘I am sórely afflícted,’
and whén I sáid in my alárm: *
‘No mán can be trústed.’
How cán I repáy the Lórd *
for his góodness to mé?
The cúp of salvátion I will ráise; *
I will cáll on the Lórd’s name.
My vóws to the Lórd I will fulfíl *
befóre all his péople.
O précious in the éyes of the Lórd *
is the déath of his fáithful.
Your sérvant, Lord, your sérvant am Í; *
you have lóosened my bónds.
A thánksgiving sácrifice I máke; *
I will cáll on the Lórd’s name.
My vóws to the Lórd I will fulfíl *
befóre all his péople,
in the cóurts of the hóuse of the Lórd, *
in your mídst, O Jerúsalem.
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.
O Death, I will be your death. Sheol, I will be your destruction.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, accept the prayers of your faithful people. Help us always to offer you a sacrifice of praise. Quickly break the bonds that hold your children down, and we will fulfil our vows and praise you every day.
Or:
Father, precious in your sight is the death of the saints, but precious above all is the love with which Christ suffered to redeem us. In this life we fill up in our own flesh what is still lacking in the sufferings of Christ; accept this as our sacrifice of praise, and we shall even now taste the joy of the new Jerusalem.
________
Psalm 142 (143)
A prayer in time of trouble
“A man is made righteous not by obedience to the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:16).
As Jonah was inside the whale for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be held in the heart of the earth.
Lórd, lísten to my práyer: †
túrn your éar to my appéal. *
You are fáithful, you are júst; give ánswer.
Do not cáll your sérvant to júdgement *
for nó one is júst in your síght.
The énemy pursúes my sóul; *
he has crúshed my lífe to the gróund;
he has máde me dwéll in dárkness *
like the déad, lóng forgótten.
Thérefore my spírit fáils; *
my héart is númb withín me.
I remémber the dáys that are pást: *
I pónder áll your wórks.
I múse on what your hánd has wróught †
and to yóu I strétch out my hánds. *
Like a párched land my sóul thirsts for yóu.
Lórd, make háste and ánswer; *
for my spírit fáils withín me.
Dó not híde your fáce *
lest I becóme like thóse in the gráve.
In the mórning let me knów your lóve *
for I pút my trúst in yóu.
Make me knów the wáy I should wálk: *
to yóu I líft up my sóul.
Réscue me, Lórd, from my énemies; *
I have fléd to yóu for réfuge.
Téach me to dó your wíll *
for yóu, O Lórd, are my Gód.
Let yóur good spírit gúide me *
in wáys that are lével and smóoth.
For your náme’s sake, Lórd, save my lífe; *
in your jústice save my sóul from distréss.
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.
As Jonah was inside the whale for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be held in the heart of the earth.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, early in the morning of your resurrection, you made your love known and brought the first light of dawn to those who dwell in darkness. Your death has opened a path for us. Do not enter into judgement with your servants; let your Holy Spirit guide us together into the land of justice.
________
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
‘Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up,’ said the Lord. He said this of the temple that was his own body.
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.
‘Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up,’ said the Lord. He said this of the temple that was his own body.
________
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
Christ humbled himself for us and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on a cross. Therefore God raised him to the heights and gave him the name which is above all other names.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and in him God has been glorified, and God will glorify him now and forever.
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.
Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and in him God has been glorified, and God will glorify him now and forever.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to our Redeemer, who suffered for us, was buried, and rose from the dead.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, from your opened side you poured out blood and water, the wonderful sign of the Church;
bring your bride to life through your death, burial and resurrection.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
You remembered those who had forgotten your promise of rising from the dead;
give new hope to men when life has lost its meaning.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you became our paschal sacrifice;
draw all men to yourself.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord of the universe, you were enclosed in the walls of a tomb;
deliver men from hell and grant them the glory of immortal life.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
Son of the living God, you gave paradise to a thief on the cross;
look on your brothers who have died and share with them your resurrection.
– Lord, have mercy on us.
________
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,
whose Only-Begotten Son descended to the realm of the dead,
and rose from there to glory,
grant that your faithful people,
who were buried with him in baptism,
may, by his resurrection, obtain eternal life.
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.