Wednesday 29 April 2020
Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor
on Wednesday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
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.
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Hymn
All hail the power of Jesus’ name;
Let Angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
To crown him Lord of all.
Crown him, ye Martyrs of your God,
Who from his altar call;
Praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
And crown him Lord of all.
Hail him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call;
The God Incarnate, Man Divine,
And crown him Lord of all.
Let every tribe and every tongue
To him their hearts enthral,
Lift high the universal song,
And crown him Lord of all.
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Psalm 125 (126)
Gladness and hope in the Lord
“Just as you are sharing in our sufferings, so also will you share our consolations” (2 Cor 1:7).
Your sorrow will be turned into joy, alleluia.
When the Lórd delivered Síon from bóndage, *
it séemed like a dréam.
Thén was our móuth filled with láughter, *
on our líps there were sóngs.
The héathens themsélves said: ‘What márvels *
the Lórd worked for thém!’
What márvels the Lórd worked for ús! *
Indéed we were glád.
Delíver us, O Lórd, from our bóndage *
as stréams in dry lánd.
Thóse who are sówing in téars *
will síng when they réap.
They go óut, they go óut, full of téars, *
carrying séed for the sówing:
they come báck, they come báck, full of sóng, *
cárrying their shéaves.
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.
Your sorrow will be turned into joy, alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, you have raised us from the earth; may you let the seeds of justice, which we have sown in tears, grow and increase in your sight. May we reap in joy the harvest we hope for patiently.
Or:
Lord Jesus, our life and resurrection, the tears you sowed in the sorrow of Good Friday brought the earth to flower on Easter morning. May you renew the wonders of your power in the Church, that after the sorrows of our exile we may come home to you in gladness.
________
Psalm 126 (127)
Without the Lord, we labour in vain
“You are God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9).
Whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord. Alleluia.
If the Lórd does not búild the hóuse, *
in váin do its búilders lábour;
if the Lórd does not wátch over the cíty, *
in váin does the wátchman keep vígil.
In váin is your éarlier rísing, *
your góing láter to rést,
you who tóil for the bréad you éat, *
when he pours gífts on his belóved while they slúmber.
Truly sóns are a gíft from the Lórd, *
a bléssing, the frúit of the wómb.
Indéed the sóns of yóuth *
are like árrows in the hánd of a wárrior.
Ó the háppiness of the mán *
who has fílled his quíver with these árrows!
Hé will have no cáuse for sháme *
when he dispútes with his fóes in the gáteways.
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.
Whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
You command the seed to rise, Lord God, though the farmer is unaware. Grant that those who labour for you may trust not in their own work but in your help. Remembering that the land is brought to flower not with human tears but with those of your Son, may the Church rely only upon your gifts.
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Canticle
(Colossians 1)
Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead
From him, through him and in him are all things that exist: to him be glory for ever. Alleluia.
Let us give thanks to the Father, †
who has qualified us to share *
in the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness *
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, *
the firstborn of all creation,
for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, *
visible and invisible.
All things were created *
through him and for him.
He is before all things, *
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the Church; *
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, *
that in everything he might be pre-eminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, *
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, *
making peace by the blood of his cross.
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.
From him, through him and in him are all things that exist: to him be glory for ever. Alleluia.
________
Short Reading
1 Corinthians 7:32,34
An unmarried man can devote himself to the Lord’s affairs, all he need worry about is pleasing the Lord. In the same way an unmarried woman, like a young girl, can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs; all she need worry about is being holy in body and spirit.
________
Short Responsory
The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
They are led into the temple of the king.
– The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
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Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
At all times and in all places, Catherine sought God. She found him and was united to him in love, 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.
At all times and in all places, Catherine sought God. She found him and was united to him in love, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Christ the Lord praised those who follow the way of virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let us proclaim his love and pray:
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
Christ our Lord, you presented the Church to yourself, as a chaste virgin to her only husband;
make her pure, holy and faultless.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
Christ Jesus, the holy virgins went to meet you with lamps burning bright;
keep alive the flame of fidelity in the hearts of religious women.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
Lord, you have always preserved your Church in purity and soundness of faith;
grant to all Christians a faith that is true and complete.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
You bring joy to the lives of your faithful as they celebrate the feast of your holy virgin N.;
may they also rejoice in her constant intercession.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
You have welcomed your holy virgins to the wedding feast of heaven;
invite all the dead to the feast of eternal life.
– Jesus, king of virgins, 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.
________
Almighty God, you made Saint Catherine of Siena
a contemplative lover of the Lord’s sufferings
and an ardent servant of your church.
Grant through her prayer
that your people may be united to Christ in his mystery,
and rejoice for ever in the revelation of his glory.
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.