Friday 24 April 2020
Friday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
or Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest, Martyr
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
O Christ, the heavens’ eternal King,
Creator, unto thee we sing,
With God the Father ever One,
Co-equal, co-eternal Son.
Thy hand, when first the world began,
Made in thine own pure image man,
And linked to fleshly form of earth
A living soul of heavenly birth.
And when the envious crafty foe
Had marred thy noblest work below,
Thou didst our ruined state repair
By deigning flesh thyself to wear.
Once of a virgin born to save,
And now new born from death’s dark grave,
O Christ, thou bidd’st us rise with thee
From death to immortality.
Eternal Shepherd, thou art wont
To cleanse Thy sheep within the font,
That mystic bath, that grave of sin,
Where ransomed souls new life begin.
Divine Redeemer, thou didst deign
To bear for us the cross of pain,
And freely pay the precious price
Of all thy blood in sacrifice.
Jesu, do thou to every heart
Unceasing Paschal joy impart;
From death of sin and guilty strife
Set free the new born sons of life.
All praise be thine, O risen Lord,
From death to endless life restored;
All praise to God the Father be
And Holy Ghost eternally.
________
Psalm 114 (116A)
Thanksgiving
“We must experience many hardships before we can enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
The Lord saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.
I love the Lórd for hé has héard *
the crý of my appéal;
for he túrned his éar to mé *
in the dáy when I cálled him.
They surróunded me, the snáres of déath, *
with the ánguish of the tómb;
they cáught me, sórrow and distréss. †
I cálled on the Lórd’s name. *
O Lórd, my Gód, delíver me!
How grácious is the Lórd, and júst; *
our Gód has compássion.
The Lórd protécts the simple héarts; *
I was hélpless so he sáved me.
Turn báck, my sóul, to your rést *
for the Lórd has been góod;
he has képt my sóul from déath, †
my éyes from téars, *
and my féet from stúmbling.
I will wálk in the présence of the Lórd *
in the lánd of the líving.
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 saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
God of power and mercy, through your Son’s passion and resurrection you have freed us from the bonds of death and the anguish of separation from you. Be ever with us on our pilgrimage; then we shall sing rather than weep. Keep our feet from stumbling, so that we may be able to follow you until we come to eternal rest.
________
Psalm 120 (121)
The guardian of the people
“They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor the scorching wind will ever plague them” (Rev 7:16).
The Lord protected his people as the apple of his eye. Alleluia.
I líft up my éyes to the móuntains: *
from whére shall come my hélp?
My hélp shall cóme from the Lórd *
who made héaven and éarth.
May he néver állow you to stúmble! *
Let him sléep not, your gúard.
Nó, he sléeps not nor slúmbers, *
Ísrael’s gúard.
The Lórd is your gúard and your sháde; *
at your ríght side he stánds.
By dáy the sún shall not smíte you *
nor the móon in the níght.
The Lórd will gúard you from évil, *
he will gúard your sóul.
The Lord will gúard your góing and cóming *
both nów and 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 protected his people as the apple of his eye. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you have prepared a quiet place for us in your Father’s eternal home. Watch over our welfare on this perilous journey, shade us from the burning heat of day, and keep our lives free of evil until the end.
________
Canticle
Apocalypse 15
A hymn of adoration
The Lord is my strength and protection: he is my salvation. Alleluia.
Great and wonderful are your deeds, *
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways, *
O King of the ages!
Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord? *
For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you, *
for your judgements have been revealed.
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 is my strength and protection: he is my salvation. Alleluia.
________
Short Reading
Hebrews 5:8-10
Christ, although he was Son, learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.
________
Short Responsory
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
They saw the Lord, alleluia, alleluia.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
By submitting to death on the cross he destroyed the power of hell; he has covered himself in glory by rising on the third day, 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.
By submitting to death on the cross he destroyed the power of hell; he has covered himself in glory by rising on the third day, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to Christ, the fount of life and the source of virtue.
– Lord, restore your kingdom in the world.
Jesus, our Saviour, in the body you were put to death, in the Spirit you were raised to life:
grant that we may die to sin, and live in the power of your resurrection.
– Lord, restore your kingdom in the world.
You sent your disciples to proclaim throughout the world the gospel of salvation:
may all who preach your word be alive with the Holy Spirit.
– Lord, restore your kingdom in the world.
You received all power in heaven and on earth to bear witness to the truth:
guide in the spirit of truth the plans of governments and rulers.
– Lord, restore your kingdom in the world.
Keep our eyes fixed on the new heaven and the new earth:
make us care more deeply for our world and its future.
– Lord, restore your kingdom in the world.
You descended into hell to bring the dead good news:
let the faithful departed come to you, their joy, their hope, their glory.
– Lord, restore your kingdom in the world.
________
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.
________
By your will, Lord God,
your Son underwent the agony of the cross
to break the power of Satan over man.
Give your people grace to rise again with Christ,
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.