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.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 61 (62)
Peace in God
My soul, find peace in God alone: from him comes my salvation. It is he who is my refuge and my safeguard, my stronghold: I shall never be shaken. How long will you assail a man and band together to crush him, like a toppling wall or a falling fence? They plan to thrust him down from his high place. They delight in lies: with their lips they bless, but a curse is in their hearts. My soul, find peace in God alone, for he gives me strength to endure. It is he who is my God and my safeguard, my stronghold: I shall never be shaken. In God is my salvation and my glory, God is my strength – my refuge is with God. Trust in him, all you people together, pour out your hearts before him; God is our refuge. The children of Adam are as nothing; the children of men are a deceit. Weigh them in the scales, and they rise: they are lighter than a puff of smoke. Put no trust in violence, do not be seduced into robbery; and if riches come, do not count upon them. God has spoken once and for all. Two things have I heard him say: that strength belongs to God, and that mercy, Lord, belongs to you. For to each of us you give whatever our actions have deserved. 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.

Psalm 61 (62)

Peace in God

My soul, find peace in God alone:
from him comes my salvation.
It is he who is my refuge and my safeguard,
my stronghold: I shall never be shaken.

How long will you assail a man
and band together to crush him,
like a toppling wall or a falling fence?
They plan to thrust him down from his high place.
They delight in lies:
with their lips they bless, but a curse is in their hearts.

My soul, find peace in God alone,
for he gives me strength to endure.
It is he who is my God and my safeguard,
my stronghold: I shall never be shaken.

In God is my salvation and my glory,
God is my strength – my refuge is with God.
Trust in him, all you people together,
pour out your hearts before him;
God is our refuge.
The children of Adam are as nothing;
the children of men are a deceit.
Weigh them in the scales, and they rise:
they are lighter than a puff of smoke.

Put no trust in violence,
do not be seduced into robbery;
and if riches come, do not count upon them.
God has spoken once and for all.
Two things have I heard him say:
that strength belongs to God,
and that mercy, Lord, belongs to you.
For to each of us you give
whatever our actions have deserved.

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.

Psalm 66 (67)
All peoples, praise the Lord
O God, take pity on us and bless us, and let your face shine upon us, so that your ways may be known across the world, and all nations learn of your salvation. Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be glad and rejoice, for you judge the peoples with fairness and you guide the nations of the earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you. The earth has produced its harvest: may God, our God, bless us. May God bless us, may the whole world revere 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.

Psalm 66 (67)

All peoples, praise the Lord

O God, take pity on us and bless us, and let your face shine upon us,
so that your ways may be known across the world, and all nations learn of your salvation.

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and rejoice, for you judge the peoples with fairness and you guide the nations of the earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has produced its harvest: may God, our God, bless us.
May God bless us, may the whole world revere 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.

Canticle	(Colossians 1)
Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead
Let us give thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to share in the light that is the saints’ inheritance. He has rescued us from the power of the shadows and brought us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones and dominations, principalities and powers. All things were created through him and for him: he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, and so he is pre-eminent above all. For it was the Father’s will that the fullness of God should dwell in him, and that through him all things should be reconciled to himself. Through the blood of the Cross he brought peace to all things, both on Earth and in the heavens. 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.

Canticle

(Colossians 1)

Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead

Let us give thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to share in the light that is the saints’ inheritance.
He has rescued us from the power of the shadows and brought us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation,
for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
thrones and dominations, principalities and powers.

All things were created through him and for him: he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, and so he is pre-eminent above all.
For it was the Father’s will that the fullness of God should dwell in him, and that through him all things should be reconciled to himself.
Through the blood of the Cross he brought peace to all things, both on Earth and in the heavens.

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.

Short reading	1 Peter 5:5 - 7 ©
Wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in 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.

Canticle

Magnificat

My soul rejoices in 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.

Prayers and Intercessions

Dear brethren, let us rejoice in God, whose joy it is to pour out good things on his people. Let us fervently pray: - Lord, give us your grace and your peace.
Eternal God, to you a thousand years are like yesterday, which is gone:: remind us that life is a flower that springs up in the morning and by evening is nothing but hay.
Give manna to your people, so that they do not hunger;: give them living water, so that they never thirst.
Make those who believe in you seek the things that are above:: may their work and their leisure equally give you praise.
Give us favourable weather, Lord,: that the earth may yield us abundant crops.
Grant the deceased the sight of your face,: and make us blessed by contemplating you.

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 that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Lord, your name is holy and your mercy is proclaimed from generation to generation.
Accept the prayers of your people
and let them sing of your greatness for ever.

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.

A M E N

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Meditation
Luke 9:57-62

No matter what our condition, there is one healing that every one of us needs. It concerns who will be lord of our lives. Many of us love God deeply, believe in Christ staunchly, and want to be filled with more of the Holy Spirit. But we still find it hard to yield our will, priorities, and desires. It’s not that we need more determination to follow Jesus. We just need to be healed—freed to let go of our ways and to trust in the Lord.

Some of us have a vision for our lives, along with definite assumptions about what what following Jesus will look like. But Jesus makes it clear that following him might differ radically from what we imagine. That’s why he gave such a curt response to the man who offered to follow him (Luke 9:57-58). Some of our priorities are good and important, so we assume they’re also Jesus’ priorities. But the truth is, his priorities might be completely different, as when he told another man to let the dead bury the dead (9:59-60). And some of us respond to Jesus when we want, like the man who asked to say good-bye first (9:61-62). But God’s timing doesn’t always accommodate our convenience—or our procrastination.

Does that mean, then, that we are not fit to follow Jesus? Not at all! We just need to be healed. We just need to be convinced by the Spirit that our heavenly Father knows what is best, both for us and for those around us. We need to sit with him in prayer long enough for him to show us that he knows our needs and wants—and that he really does care about them. Only by spending time with the Lord—in private prayer, in eucharistic adoration, at Mass, or just staring into a starry night sky—will we find ourselves ready to surrender ourselves to him more fully. God promises that as we follow his plan, he will summon out of us attributes that we never knew we had: gifts, abilities, passions, and fulfillment. Jesus is not looking to disqualify anyone from following him. Rather, he wants to free us to follow him wherever he leads.

“Jesus, I want to follow you. Heal whatever is in me that would hinder your plans and desires. Fill me with your love today, so that I can trust and yield to you.”

Nehemiah 2:1-8; Psalm 137:1-6