Thursday 30 April 2020
Thursday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
or Saint Pius V, Pope
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 131 (132)
God's promise to the house of David
“The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father” (Lk 1:32).
The Lord God gave him the throne of David, his father. Alleluia.
O Lórd, remémber Dávid *
and áll the many hárdships he endúred,
the óath he swóre to the Lórd, *
his vów to the Stróng One of Jácob.
‘I will not énter the hóuse where I líve *
nor gó to the béd where I rést.
I will gíve no sléep to my éyes, *
to my éyelids I will gíve no slúmber
till I fínd a pláce for the Lórd, *
a dwélling for the Stróng One of Jácob.’
At Éphrata we héard of the árk; *
we fóund it in the pláins of Yéarim.
‘Let us gó to the pláce of his dwélling; *
let us gó to knéel at his fóotstool.’
Go up, Lórd, to the pláce of your rést, *
yóu and the árk of your stréngth.
Your príests shall be clóthed with hóliness; *
your fáithful shall ríng out their jóy.
For the sáke of Dávid your sérvant *
dó not rejéct your anóinted.
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 God gave him the throne of David, his father. Alleluia.
________
Psalm 131 (132)
Jesus Christ is the only Ruler over all, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Alleluia.
The Lórd swore an óath to Dávid; *
he wíll not go báck on his wórd:
‘A són, the frúit of your bódy, *
will I sét upón your thróne.
‘If they kéep my cóvenant in trúth *
and my láws that Í have táught them,
their sóns álso shall rúle *
on your thróne from áge to áge.’
For the Lórd has chósen Síon; *
he has desíred it fór his dwélling:
‘Thís is my résting-place for éver; *
hére have I chósen to líve.
‘I will gréatly bléss her próduce, *
I will fíll her póor with bréad.
I will clóthe her príests with salvátion *
and her fáithful shall ríng out their jóy.
‘Thére David’s stóck will flówer; *
I will prepáre a lámp for my anóinted.
I will cóver his énemies with sháme *
but on hím my crówn shall shíne.’
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 Christ is the only Ruler over all, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
You are our King, Lord God. Help us to find a place for you in our hearts. Clothe your priests with saving power, fill the needy with bread, and let your holiness shine on us all.
Or:
You have chosen the new Zion as your dwelling place, Lord God, the Church as your place of rest. You have kindled in her a lamp that will burn brightly for ever before Christ your Anointed One. Make our hearts your tabernacle, clothe your priests with justice, your faithful with holiness and give bread to the poor. May all rejoice with you in heaven.
________
Canticle
Apocalypse 11
The Judgement
Lord, who is your like, majestic in strength and holiness? Alleluia.
We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, *
who are and who were,
that you have taken your great power *
and begun to reign.
The nations raged, *
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged, *
for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name, *
both small and great.
Now the salvation and the power †
and the kingdom of our God *
and the authority of his Christ have come,
for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, *
who accuses them day and night before our God.
And they have conquered him *
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony, *
for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Rejoice, then, O heaven, *
and you that dwell therein.
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.
Lord, who is your like, majestic in strength and holiness? Alleluia.
________
Short Reading
1 Peter 3:18,21-22
Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life. And now you are saved, not by the washing off of physical dirt but by a pledge made to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand, now that he has made the angels and Dominations and Powers his subjects.
________
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
I am the bread of life that has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever: and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world. 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.
I am the bread of life that has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever: and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world. Alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Christ has risen from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Let us praise him in our prayer.
– Risen Lord, hear us.
Lord, remember the Church you built on the apostles;
bless all those who believe in you.
– Risen Lord, hear us.
You are the healer of body and soul;
come to us with your salvation.
– Risen Lord, hear us.
Comfort the sick and renew their strength;
deliver them from all pain and distress.
– Risen Lord, hear us.
Help the anguished and the oppressed;
in your love uphold the needy.
– Risen Lord, hear us.
Through your cross and resurrection you have won immortal life;
grant to our dead the joys of your kingdom.
– Risen Lord, 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, ever-living God,
make our hearts more open to your love
in these days of Eastertide,
when you have made known to us the depth of that love.
You have rescued us from the darkness of error:
make us adhere more firmly to the teachings of your truth.
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.