Universalis
Thursday 16 April 2026    (other days)
Thursday of the 2nd week of Eastertide 

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
Bless’d be the Lord our God!
With joy let heaven ring;
Before his presence let all earth
Its songs of homage bring!
His mighty deeds be told;
His majesty be praised;
To God, enthroned in heavenly light,
Let every voice be raised!
All that has life and breath,
Give thanks with heartfelt songs!
To him let all creation sing
To whom all praise belongs!
Acclaim the Father’s love,
Who gave us God his Son;
Praise too the Spirit, given by both,
With both for ever one!
James Quinn SJ

Psalm 71 (72)
The Messiah's royal power

God has appointed him to judge all men, both living and dead. Alleluia.
Give the king your judgement, O God,
  give the king’s son your righteousness.
Let him judge your people with justice
  and your poor ones with wisdom.
Let the mountains bring peace to your people,
  let the hills bring righteousness.
He will give his judgement to the poor among the people,
  he will rescue the children of the destitute,
  he will lay low the false accuser.
He will endure with the sun, beneath the moon,
  from generation to generation.
He will come down like rain on the pasture,
  like a shower that waters the earth.
In his time, righteousness will flourish
  and abundance of peace,
  until the moon itself is no more.
He will rule from coast to coast,
  from the world’s centre to its farthest edge.
The desert-dwellers will cast themselves down before him;
  his enemies will eat dust at his feet.
The kings of Tharsis and the islands will bring tribute,
  the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring gifts.
All the kings will worship him,
  all nations will serve him.
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 has appointed him to judge all men, both living and dead. Alleluia.

Psalm 71 (72)

Every tribe shall be blessed in him. Alleluia.
Because he has given freedom to the destitute who called to him,
  to the poor, whom no-one will hear.
He will spare the poor and the needy,
  he will keep their lives safe.
He will rescue their lives from oppression and violence,
  their blood will be precious in his sight.
He will live long, and receive gifts of gold from Arabia;
  they will pray for him always,
  bless him all through the day.
There will be abundance of grain in the land,
  it will wave even from the tops of the mountains;
its fruit will be richer than Lebanon.
  The people will flourish as easily as grass.
Let his name be blessed for ever,
  let his name endure beneath the sun.
All the nations of the earth will be blessed in him,
  all nations will acclaim his greatness.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
  who alone works wonders.
Let his majesty be blessed for ever;
  let it fill all the earth. Amen, amen.
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.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him. Alleluia.

CanticleApocalypse 11

The Judgement

The Son of God learned to obey through suffering, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Alleluia.
We thank you,
  Lord God Almighty,
who are and who were,
  that you have taken up your great power and begun to reign.
The nations were angered,
  but your anger came, the time for the dead to be judged,
the time to reward the prophets and saints, your servants,
  and those who feared your name, both great and small.
Now have come the salvation and might and kingdom of our God,
  and the power of his Anointed,
for the accuser of our brethren has been brought down,
  who accused them day and night in the sight of God.
But they vanquished him through the blood of the Lamb
  and through their own witness.
They did not cling to life,
  even in the face of death.
Therefore rejoice, heavens,
  and you who dwell in them.
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 Son of God learned to obey through suffering, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading1 Peter 2:9-10
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people at all and now you are the People of God; once you were outside the mercy and now you have been given mercy.

Short Responsory
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
They saw the Lord, alleluia, alleluia.
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.

CanticleMagnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

Stay with us, Lord, for evening is approaching and the day is almost over, 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.
Stay with us, Lord, for evening is approaching and the day is almost over, alleluia.

Prayers and intercessions
Let us pray to Christ, our life and our resurrection.
Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for your Catholic Church:
  may she reveal among the nations your kingdom of justice and holiness.
Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for the sick, the sorrowful, captives and exiles:
  show them your power and compassion.
Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for those who have lost you in the maze of life:
  let them know once more the joy of coming home.
Son of the living God, protect your people.
Crucified and risen Saviour, you will come again in judgement:
  be merciful to us sinners.
Son of the living God, protect your people.
We pray for all the living,
  and for those who have left this world in the hope of the resurrection.
Son of the living God, protect 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,
  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.

You can also view this page in Latin and English.


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