Saturday 18 April 2020
Easter Saturday
(First Vespers of tomorrow, Divine Mercy 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
The Lamb’s high banquet we await,
In snow-white robes of royal state;
And now, the Red Sea’s channel past,
To Christ our Prince we sing at last.
Upon the altar of the Cross
His body hath redeemed our loss;
And tasting of his scarlet blood,
Our life is hid with him in God.
Now Christ our paschal Lamb is slain,
The Lamb of God that knows no stain,
The true oblation offered here,
Our own unleavened bread sincere.
O thou, from whom hell’s monarch flies,
O great, O very Sacrifice,
Thy captive people are set free,
And endless life restored in thee.
To thee who, dead, again dost live,
All glory, Lord, thy people give:
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
________
Psalm 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest
“He must be king so that he may put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25).
Mary Magdalen came with the other Mary to see the tomb where the Lord had been laid, alleluia.
The Lórd’s revelátion to my Máster: †
‘Sít on my ríght: *
your fóes I will pút beneath your féet.’
The Lórd will wíeld from Síon †
your scéptre of pówer: *
rúle in the mídst of all your fóes.
A prínce from the dáy of your bírth †
on the hóly móuntains; *
from the wómb before the dáwn I begót you.
The Lórd has sworn an óath he will not chánge. †
‘You are a príest for éver, *
a príest like Melchízedek of óld.’
The Máster stánding at your ríght hand *
will shatter kíngs in the dáy of his wráth.
He shall drínk from the stréam by the wáyside *
and thérefore he shall líft up his héad.
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.
Mary Magdalen came with the other Mary to see the tomb where the Lord had been laid, alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Father, we ask you to give us victory and peace. In Jesus Christ, our Lord and King, we are already seated at your right hand. We look forward to praise you in the fellowship of all your saints in our heavenly homeland.
Or:
Almighty God, bring the kingdom of Christ, your anointed one, to its fullness. May the perfect offering of your Son, eternal priest of the new Jerusalem, be offered in every place to your name and make all nations a holy people for you.
________
Psalm 113A (114)
Israel set free from Egypt
“You, who have renounced this world, have also been led forth from Egypt” (St Augustine).
Come and see where the Lord was laid, alleluia.
When Ísrael came fórth from Égypt, *
Jacob’s sóns from an álien péople,
Júdah becáme the Lord’s témple, *
Ísrael becáme his kíngdom.
The séa fléd at the síght: *
the Jórdan turned báck on its cóurse,
the móuntains léapt like ráms *
and the hílls like yéarling shéep.
Whý was it, séa, that you fléd, *
that you túrned back, Jórdan, on your cóurse?
Móuntains, that you léapt like ráms; *
hílls, like yéarling shéep?
Trémble, O éarth, before the Lórd, *
in the présence of the Gód of Jácob,
who túrns the róck into a póol *
and flínt into a spríng of wáter.
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.
Come and see where the Lord was laid, alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Almighty God, ever-living mystery of unity and Trinity, you gave life to the new Israel by birth from water and the Spirit, and made it a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart as your eternal possession. May all those you have called to walk in the splendour of the new light render you fitting service and adoration.
________
Canticle
(Apocalypse 19)
The wedding of the Lamb
Jesus said: ‘Do not fear. Go, and tell my brethren that they are to leave for Galilee: they will see me there.’ Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, *
his judgements are true and just.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
Praise our God, all you his servants, *
you who fear him, small and great.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
The Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns, *
let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory.
Alleluia.
Alleluia.
The marriage of the Lamb has come, *
and his bride has made herself ready.
Alleluia.
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.
Jesus said: ‘Do not fear. Go, and tell my brethren that they are to leave for Galilee: they will see me there.’ Alleluia.
________
Short Reading
1 Peter 2:9-10
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people at all and now you are the People of God; once you were outside the mercy and now you have been given mercy.
________
Short Responsory
This is the day which was made by the Lord: let us rejoice and be glad, alleluia.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Eight days later, though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ 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.
Eight days later, though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ Alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to Christ, who rose from the dead to restore our life.
– Ever-living Christ, hear us.
Jesus, you are the stone rejected by the builders but you have proved to be the keystone of God’s house;
make us living stones in the temple of your Church.
– Ever-living Christ, hear us.
You are the faithful and true witness, the first-born from the dead;
may the Church never cease to proclaim you to the world.
– Ever-living Christ, hear us.
Through your death and resurrection you took the Church to yourself as a bride:
cherish her, and keep her faithful, and prepare her for the day of your coming.
– Ever-living Christ, hear us.
You are the first and the last, you were dead and now you are alive;
may all the baptized be faithful unto death and gain the crown of glory.
– Ever-living Christ, hear us.
You are the light and joy of the city of God;
shine on the faithful departed that they may reign for ever.
– Ever-living Christ, hear 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.
________
God of eternal compassion,
each Easter you rekindle the faith of your consecrated people.
Give them still greater grace, so that all may truly understand
the waters in which they were cleansed,
the Spirit by which they were reborn,
the blood by which they were redeemed.
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.