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Vespers (Evening Prayer)

INTRODUCTION

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.

Hymn

God, of thy pity, unto us thy children

Bend down thine ear in thine own loving kindness,

And all thy people’s prayers and vows ascending

Hear, we beseech thee.

Look down in mercy from thy seat of glory,

Pour on our souls the radiance of thy presence,

Drive from our weary hearts the shades of darkness,

Lightening our footsteps.

Free us from sin by might of thy great loving,

Cleanse thou the sordid, loose the fettered spirit,

Spare every sinner, raise with thine own right hand

All who are fallen.

Glory to God the Father everlasting,

Glory for ever to the Sole-begotten,

With whom thy Holy Spirit through the ages

Reigneth co-equal.

Psalm 44 (45)
The wedding of the King

You are the fairest of the children of men, and graciousness is poured upon your lips.

My heart cries out on a joyful theme:

I will tell my poem to the king,

my tongue like the pen of the swiftest scribe.

You have been given more than human beauty,

and grace is poured out upon your lips,

so that God has blessed you for ever.

Strap your sword to your side, mighty one,

in all your greatness and splendour.

In your splendour go forth, mount your chariot,

on behalf of truth, kindness and justice.

Let your right hand show your marvels,

let your arrows be sharp against the hearts of the king’s enemies

– the peoples will fall before you.

Your throne is firm, O God, from age to age,

your royal sceptre is a sceptre of justice.

You love uprightness, hate injustice

– for God, your God has anointed you

with the oil of gladness, above all your companions.

Myrrh and aloes and cassia anoint your garments.

From ivory palaces the sound of harps delights you.

In your retinue go the daughters of kings.

At your right hand, the queen is adorned with gold of Ophir.

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.

You are the fairest of the children of men, and graciousness is poured upon your lips.

Psalm 44 (45)
The King's bride

Behold, the Bridegroom is coming: go out and meet him.

Listen, my daughter, and understand;

turn your ears to what I have to say.

Forget your people, forget your father’s house,

and the king will desire you for your beauty.

He is your lord, so worship him.

The daughters of Tyre will bring you gifts;

the richest of your subjects will beg you to look on them.

How great is the king’s daughter, within the palace!

She is clothed in woven gold.

She will be taken to the king in coloured garments,

her maidens will escort her to your presence.

In gladness and rejoicing they are brought

and led to the house of the king.

Instead of your fathers you will have sons:

you will make them rulers over all the world.

I will remember your name

from generation to generation.

And so your people will do you honour

for ever and 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.

Behold, the Bridegroom is coming: go out and meet him.

Canticle	Ephesians 1

God the Saviour

God planned to bring all things together under Christ when the fullness of time had come.

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 planned to bring all things together under Christ when the fullness of time had come.

Scripture Reading	Romans 12:1-2

Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

Short Responsory

I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’

– I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’

‘Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.’

– I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– I said: ‘Lord, have mercy on me.’

Canticle	Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

Do not judge, and you will not be judged, because the judgements you give are the judgements you will receive, says the Lord.

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.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged, because the judgements you give are the judgements you will receive, says the Lord.

Prayers and intercessions

Let us praise God the Father, who hears the prayers of his children and grants what they ask.