Vespers (Evening Prayer)
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 |
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| Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal |
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O Light serene of God the Father’s glory,
To you, O Christ, we sing,
And with the evening star, at hour of sunset,
Our worship bring.
To Father, Son and God’s most Holy Spirit,
Eternal praise is due.
O Christ, who gave your life, the world gives glory
And thanks to you.
Rejoice and be glad, new Sion. See now how humbly your King, our Saviour, will come to you.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet,
a light for my journey.
I have firmly sworn to keep your just laws.
Lord, I am greatly afflicted:
revive me as you have promised.
Lord, accept the vows I make,
and teach me your judgements.
I hold my life in my hands,
I remember your laws.
The wicked placed a trap for me,
but I did not wander from your commandments.
Your decrees are my inheritance for ever,
they are the joy of my heart:
my heart is set on carrying them out,
for ever, until the end.
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.
Rejoice and be glad, new Sion. See now how humbly your King, our Saviour, will come to you.
Psalm 15 (16)
The Lord, my inheritance |
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Strengthen the weary hands: be strong, and say: ‘Behold, our God will come and he will save us, alleluia.’
Preserve me, Lord,
I put my hope in you.
I have said to the Lord
“You are my Lord,
in you alone is all my good.”
As for the holy and noble men of the land,
in them is all my delight.
But for those who run to alien gods,
their sorrows are many.
I will not share in their libations of blood.
I will not speak their names.
You, Lord, are my inheritance and my cup.
You control my destiny,
the lot marked out for me is of the best,
my inheritance is all I could ask for.
I will bless the Lord who gave me understanding;
even in the night my heart will teach me wisdom.
I will hold the Lord for ever in my sight:
with him at my side I can never be shaken.
Thus it is that my heart rejoices,
heart and soul together;
while my body rests in calm hope.
You will not leave my soul in the underworld.
You will not let your chosen one see decay.
You will show me the paths of life,
the fullness of joy before your face,
and delights at your right hand until the end of time.
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.
Strengthen the weary hands: be strong, and say: ‘Behold, our God will come and he will save us, alleluia.’
The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature,
did not try to seize equality with God for himself;
but emptied himself, took on the form of a slave,
and became like a man:
not in appearance only,
for he humbled himself by accepting death,
even death on a cross.
For this, God has raised him high,
and given him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend,
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
and every tongue will proclaim
“Jesus Christ is Lord,”
to the glory of God the Father.
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 Law was given through Moses; grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
| Short Reading |
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| 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 © |
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May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will not fail you.
Show us, Lord, your loving kindness.
– Show us, Lord, your loving kindness.
Send us your salvation.
– Show us, Lord, your loving kindness.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Show us, Lord, your loving kindness.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ (Year A)
Or: Come, Lord, and bring us peace. Let us rejoice before you with sincere hearts.
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.
John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ (Year A)
Or: Come, Lord, and bring us peace. Let us rejoice before you with sincere hearts.
| Prayers and intercessions | |
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Before time began, the Word was with the Father; in the fulness of time he came to us through the Virgin Mary.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
All that came to be was alive with his life:
may our lives be a light for men.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
The Word dwells with God:
may we dwell with him in the Father’s love.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
The Word entered his own realm, and his own would not receive him.
By responding to those who demand our care, may we welcome him into our hearts.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
The Word came among us, full of grace and truth;
may all the dead be counted as children of God.
– Come today through the Church, Lord Jesus.
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 and merciful God,
let neither our daily work nor the cares of this life
prevent us from hastening to meet your Son.
Enlighten us with your wisdom
and lead us into his company.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and 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
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.
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