Wednesday 6 July 2022
Wednesday of week 14 in Ordinary Time
or Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin, 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.
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Hymn
O Trinity of blessèd light,
O Unity of princely might,
The fiery sun now goes his way;
Shed thou within our hearts thy ray.
To thee our morning song of praise,
To thee our evening prayer we raise;
Thy glory humbly we adore
For ever and for evermore.
All laud to God the Father be;
All praise, eternal Son, to thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete.
________
Psalm 61 (62)
Peace in God
“May the God of hope fill you with all peace as you believe in him” (Rom 15:13).
We are waiting in hope for the blessings of the glorious coming of our Saviour.
In God alone is my soul at rest;
my help comes from him.
He alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress: I stand firm.
How long will you all attack one man
to break him down,
as though he were a tottering wall,
or a tumbling fence?
Their plan is only to destroy:
they take pleasure in lies.
With their mouth they utter blessing
but in their heart they curse.
In God alone be at rest, my soul;
for my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress: I stand firm.
In God is my safety and glory,
the rock of my strength.
Take refuge in God, all you people.
Trust him at all times.
Pour out your hearts before him
for God is our refuge.
Common folk are only a breath,
great men an illusion.
Placed in the scales, they rise;
they weigh less than a breath.
Do not put your trust in oppression
nor vain hopes on plunder.
Do not set your heart on riches
even when they increase.
For God has said only one thing:
only two do I know:
that to God alone belongs power
and to you, Lord, love;
and that you repay each man
according to his deeds.
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.
We are waiting in hope for the blessings of the glorious coming of our Saviour.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you reward each one according to his works. Hear us as we pour out our hearts to you, seeking your grace and secure protection. We look to you for our stable hope in a constantly changing world.
________
Psalm 66 (67)
All peoples, praise the Lord
“Let it be known to you that this salvation from God has been sent to all peoples” (Acts 28:28).
Let God bless us; let his face shed its light upon us.
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its fruit
for God, our God, has blessed us.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth revere him.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
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.
Let God bless us; let his face shed its light upon us.
Psalm-prayer
Be gracious and bless us, Lord, and let your face shed its light on us, so that we can make you known with reverence and bring forth a harvest of justice.
Or:
All peoples praise you, Father, because through your kindly power the earth has brought forth its fruit, the tree of the cross. We ask that this cross unite all peoples in its embrace and feed them with its fruit, everlasting life.
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Canticle
(Colossians 1)
Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead
All things were created in him and he holds all things in being.
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.
All things were created in him and he holds all things in being.
________
Short Reading
1 Peter 5:5-7
Wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.
________
Short Responsory
Guard us, Lord, as the apple of your eye.
– Guard us, Lord, as the apple of your eye.
Hide us in the shadow of your wings.
– Guard us, Lord, as the apple of your eye.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Guard us, Lord, as the apple of your eye.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Show the power of your arm, Lord: put down the proud and exalt the lowly.
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.
Show the power of your arm, Lord: put down the proud and exalt the lowly.
________
Prayers and intercessions
At the end of the day we give thanks to God the Father who reconciled the whole universe to himself in Christ.
– Glory to you, Lord God!
We thank you for the beauty of creation:
may the work of man not disfigure it, but enhance it to your greater glory.
– Glory to you, Lord God!
We thank you, Father, for all the good things we enjoy:
teach us to be grateful and to use them well.
– Glory to you, Lord God!
Teach us to seek the things that please you,
then we shall find you in all that we do.
– Glory to you, Lord God!
Lord, as we journey towards the promised land, feed us with bread from heaven,
quench our thirst with living water.
– Glory to you, Lord God!
To you, a thousand years are like a single day:
take up those who have died with hope in you, and waken them into eternity.
– Glory to you, Lord God!
________
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.
________
Lord God,
whose name is holy
and whose mercy is proclaimed in every generation,
receive your people’s prayer,
and let them sing your greatness with never-ending praise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
________
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Copyright © 1996-2022 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.