Vespers (Evening Prayer)
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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.
Abide with us; the orb of day doth vanish;
Thou Light of Light, the powers of darkness banish:
At evenfall, good Lord, thy people bless;
Shine in our hearts, thou Sun of righteousness.
For this past day let every creature living
Ascribe thee glory, honour and thanksgiving:
Let man, together with the Angel-host
Bless God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Jesu, Good Shepherd, thou who never sleepest,
But o’er thy sheepfold watch and ward who keepest;
The day is spent; it draws to eventide:
With thy disciples, Lord, this night abide.
Psalm 10 (11)
The Lord, support of the just |
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The Lord cares for the weak and oppressed.
I trust in the Lord, so why do you say to me:
“Fly up to the mountain like a sparrow”?
“For the wicked have drawn their bows,
fitted the arrow to the string,
to shoot in darkness at the upright of heart.
When the foundations are being overthrown,
what are the just to do?”
The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes look down on the poor,
he examines the children of men.
The Lord scrutinises the just and the unjust,
and his heart hates those who do evil.
He rains down coals upon the wicked,
fire and brimstone and a scorching wind:
this is what he gives them to drink.
For the Lord is just and loves just deeds,
and the upright shall see his face.
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 cares for the weak and oppressed.
Psalm 14 (15)
Who is worthy to face the Lord? |
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Lord, who will live in your tent?
Who will dwell on your holy mountain?
Whoever comes there without stain,
acts rightly, speaks truth in his heart.
Whoever does not speak deceitfully,
or do harm to his neighbour, or slander him.
Whoever despises the evil-doer,
but reveres those who fear the Lord.
Whoever swears and keeps his word, come what may
– lends his money without usury –
takes no bribe to condemn the innocent.
Whoever lives like this
will stand firm 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.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
God chose us in his Son and made us his adopted sons.
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us, in Christ,
with every spiritual blessing in heaven.
In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,
to be holy and spotless in his sight.
He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,
simply because it pleased him to do so.
This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,
of his free gift to us in his Beloved,
in whose blood we have gained redemption,
and the forgiveness of our sins.
This he did according to the riches of his grace,
which he gave us in abundance,
with all wisdom and discernment,
revealing to us the mysteries of his will,
because it pleased him to do so.
In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,
to bring all things together in Christ,
from the heavens and from the 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.
God chose us in his Son and made us his adopted sons.
| Short reading | Colossians 1:9-11 © |
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Through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding, may you reach the fullest knowledge of God’s will. So you will be able to lead the kind of life which the Lord expects of you, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects; showing the results in all the good actions you do and increasing your knowledge of God. You will have in you the strength, based on his own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear anything joyfully.
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
– Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
I have said, ‘Lord, take pity on me.’
– Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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The Saints, who followed in the footsteps of Christ, rejoice in heaven. They gave their lives for love of Christ: therefore they will reign with him for ever.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.
For he has shown me such favour –
me, his lowly handmaiden.
Now all generations will call me blessed,
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
His name is holy,
his mercy lasts for generation after generation
for those who revere him.
He has put forth his strength:
he has scattered the proud and conceited,
torn princes from their thrones;
but lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children 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.
The Saints, who followed in the footsteps of Christ, rejoice in heaven. They gave their lives for love of Christ: therefore they will reign with him for ever.
| Prayers and Intercessions | |
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God made an eternal covenant with his people, and continues his gifts to them still. So we give him thanks and turn to him in prayer:
– Lord, give blessings to your people.
Lord, save your people
and bless your inheritance.
– Lord, give blessings to your people.
Unite all who bear the name of Christians,
so that the world may believe in Christ, whom you have sent.
– Lord, give blessings to your people.
Pour out your grace onto our friends and acquaintances,
so that they spread the sweetness of Christ through the world.
– Lord, give blessings to your people.
Show your love for the dying
and let them see your salvation with their own eyes.
– Lord, give blessings to your people.
Show your compassion for the dead
and let them rest together in Christ.
– Lord, give blessings to your people.
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, source of strength to all the saints,
you called your martyrs Paul and his companions to undergo the cross that they might enter into life.
Let their prayer help us to keep the faith to the end of our days
[We make our prayer] 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.
May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.
AMEN
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis downloads do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
