Friday 14 August 2020
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest, Martyr
on Friday of week 19 in Ordinary Time
(First Vespers of tomorrow, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
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
I’ll sing a hymn to Mary,
the Mother of my God,
the Virgin of all virgins,
of David’s royal blood.
O teach me, holy Mary,
a loving song to frame,
when wicked men blaspheme thee,
to love and bless thy name.
The Saints are high in glory,
with golden crowns so bright;
but brighter far is Mary,
upon her throne of light.
O that which God did give thee,
let mortal ne’er disclaim;
when wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.
But in the crown of Mary,
there lies a wondrous gem,
as Queen of all the Angels,
which Mary shares with them.
‘No sin hath e’er defiled thee’,
So doth our faith proclaim;
when wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.
________
Psalm 112 (113)
Praise of the Lord's name
“He put down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly” (Lk 1:52).
When Christ ascended into heaven, he prepared there an immortal place for his most chaste Mother. Alleluia.
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for evermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and earth?
From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home
and gladdens her heart with children.
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.
When Christ ascended into heaven, he prepared there an immortal place for his most chaste Mother. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Almighty Father, we praise and bless your name and ask you to join us together through your enduring love in the bosom of Mother Church.
Or:
Lord Jesus, Word of God, surrendering the brightness of your glory you became man so that we might be raised from the dust to share your very being. May there be innumerable children of the Church to offer homage to your name from the rising of the sun to its setting.
________
Psalm 147 (147B)
God, the foundation of Jerusalem
“Come, and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has chosen” (Rev 21:9).
The gates of paradise were closed to all men because of Eve, but they have been opened again through the Virgin Mary. Alleluia.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Sion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates
he has blessed the children within you.
He established peace on your borders,
he feeds you with finest wheat.
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
He showers down snow white as wool,
he scatters hoar-frost like ashes.
He hurls down hailstones like crumbs.
The waters are frozen at his touch;
he sends forth his word and it melts them:
at the breath of his mouth the waters flow.
He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.
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 gates of paradise were closed to all men because of Eve, but they have been opened again through the Virgin Mary. Alleluia.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, you established peace within the borders of Jerusalem. Give the fullness of peace now to your faithful people. May peace rule us in this life and possess us in eternal life. You are about to fill us with the best of wheat; grant that what we see dimly now as in a mirror, we may come to perceive clearly in the brightness of your truth.
Or:
All-powerful God, it is through your Church, generously endowed with gifts of grace and fortified by the Holy Spirit, that you send out your word to all nations. Strengthen your Church with the best of all food and make her dauntless in faith. Multiply her children to celebrate with one accord the mysteries of your love at the altar on high.
________
Canticle
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
The Virgin Mary has been exalted high above the heavens. Come, let us all glorify Christ the great King, whose kingdom has no end.
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
He chose us in him
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy
and blameless before him.
He destined us in love
to be his sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will,
to the praise of his glorious grace
which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace
which he lavished upon us.
He has made known to us
in all wisdom and insight
the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose
which he set forth in Christ.
His purpose he set forth in Christ
as a plan for the fullness of time,
to unite all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth.
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 Virgin Mary has been exalted high above the heavens. Come, let us all glorify Christ the great King, whose kingdom has no end.
________
Short Reading
Romans 8:30
He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.
________
Short Responsory
Mary has been assumed into heaven: the angels rejoice.
– Mary has been assumed into heaven: the angels rejoice.
They sing for joy and praise the Lord.
– Mary has been assumed into heaven: the angels rejoice.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Mary has been assumed into heaven: the angels rejoice.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
All generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me, alleluia.
My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness;
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons for ever.
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.
All generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me, alleluia.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us praise God the Father who chose Mary as the mother of his Son and wanted all generations to call her blessed. With confidence we pray:
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
Father, you did great things for the Virgin Mary and brought her, body and soul, to the glory of heaven;
fill the hearts of your children with the hope of Christ’s glory.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
Through the prayers of Mary, our mother, heal the sick, comfort the sorrowful, pardon sinners;
grant peace and salvation to all.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
You favoured Mary with the fullness of grace;
bestow on all men your overflowing blessings.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
May your Church be united heart and soul, held fast by love;
and may your faithful be joined in continuous prayer, with Mary the mother of Jesus.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
Father, you exalted the Virgin Mary and crowned her queen of heaven;
may the dead enter your kingdom and rejoice with your saints for ever.
– May the Virgin Mary intercede for 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,
you have taken the mother of your Son,
the immaculate Virgin Mary,
body and soul into the glory where you dwell.
Keep our hearts set on heaven
so that, with her, we may share in your 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.