Universalis
Friday 17 April 2026    (other days)
3rd Sunday of Easter 
Solemnity

Using calendar: Middle East - Southern Arabia - Special Fridays. You can change this.

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. Alleluia.
Hymn
O Christ, the heavens’ eternal King,
Creator, unto thee we sing,
With God the Father ever One,
Co-equal, co-eternal Son.
Thy hand, when first the world began,
Made in thine own pure image man,
And linked to fleshly form of earth
A living soul of heavenly birth.
And when the envious crafty foe
Had marred thy noblest work below,
Thou didst our ruined state repair
By deigning flesh thyself to wear.
Once of a virgin born to save,
And now new born from death’s dark grave,
O Christ, thou bidd’st us rise with thee
From death to immortality.
Eternal Shepherd, thou art wont
To cleanse Thy sheep within the font,
That mystic bath, that grave of sin,
Where ransomed souls new life begin.
Divine Redeemer, thou didst deign
To bear for us the cross of pain,
And freely pay the precious price
Of all thy blood in sacrifice.
Jesu, do thou to every heart
Unceasing Paschal joy impart;
From death of sin and guilty strife
Set free the new born sons of life.
All praise be thine, O risen Lord,
From death to endless life restored;
All praise to God the Father be
And Holy Ghost eternally.

Psalm 114 (116A)
Thanksgiving

The Lord saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.
I love the Lord, for he has heard
  the cry of my appeal;
because he has turned his ear to me as I call on him,
  day by day.
The ropes of death surrounded me,
  Hell held me tight,
I had found pain and tribulation –
  but I called on the Lord’s name:
  “O Lord, free my soul.”
The Lord is compassionate and just;
  our God takes pity on us.
The Lord cares for the simple –
  I was brought low, but he saved me.
Return, my soul, to your rest,
  for the Lord has looked after you;
he has rescued my spirit from death, my eyes from tears,
  he has saved my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk in the presence of the Lord
  in the land of the living.
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 saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.

How to listen

Psalm 120 (121)
The guardian of the people

The Lord protected his people as the apple of his eye. Alleluia.
I shall lift my eyes to the hills:
  where is my help to come from?
My help will come from the Lord,
  who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip:
  he will not doze, your guardian.
Behold, he will not doze or sleep,
  the guardian of Israel.
The Lord is your guardian, the Lord is your shade;
  he is at your right hand.
By day the sun will not strike you;
  nor the moon by night.
The Lord will guard you from all harm;
  the Lord will guard your life.
The Lord will guard your coming and your going
  both now 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.
The Lord protected his people as the apple of his eye. Alleluia.
CanticleApocalypse 15

A hymn of adoration

Alleluia. The Lord our God is king: let us rejoice and give glory to him. Alleluia.
Great and wonderful are your deeds,
  O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
  O King of the ages!
Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord?
  For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you,
  for your judgements have been revealed.
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. The Lord our God is king: let us rejoice and give glory to him. Alleluia.
Scripture Reading
Hebrews 10:12-14
Christ has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for him. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying.
Short Responsory
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
– The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
He has appeared to Simon.
– The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord has truly risen, alleluia, alleluia.
CanticleMagnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

While he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him. Alleluia. (Year A)
Or: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of fish. Alleluia.
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.
While he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him. Alleluia. (Year A)
Or: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of fish. Alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray with joy to Christ the Lord. He rose from the dead and is living now to intercede for us.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Christ, you are the light of the world and the salvation of nations;
  set us on fire with your Spirit as we proclaim the wonder of your resurrection.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Let Israel recognize in you the Messiah it has longed for;
  fill all men with the knowledge of your glory.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Keep us united in the communion of saints;
  may we find rest with them, when life’s work is done.
– Victorious king, hear us.
You have overcome death, the last enemy of man;
  destroy everything in us that is at enmity with God.
– Victorious king, hear us.
Christ, our Saviour, you became obedient to death, but God raised you to the heights;
  receive our brothers into the kingdom of your glory.
– Victorious king, hear 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.
Lord God,
  grant your people constant joy
  in the renewed vigour of their souls.
They rejoice because you have restored them
  to the glory of your adopted children:
let them look forward gladly
  in the certain hope of resurrection.
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.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. 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 apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.

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