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.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 40 (41)
Prayer in time of sickness
Heal my soul, Lord, for I have sinned against you.
Blessed is he who takes thought for the helpless, for the Lord will keep him safe in time of trouble. The Lord will guard him and give him life. He will give him good fortune on the earth, and not betray him into the power of his enemies. The Lord will lend him strength on his bed of pain; you will transform all his sickness into health. I said, “Lord, have mercy, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.” My enemies spoke against me, saying: “When will he die? When will his name perish?” When one of them came to visit me, he talked of nothing, but stored up wickedness in his heart. He went out, and told tales against me. All my enemies whispered together against me, imagined the worst: “A plague has taken hold of him: he has lain down and will not rise.” Even my dearest friend, in whom I put my trust, who had eaten my bread – even he trampled me down. But you, Lord – have mercy on me, revive me, and I will pay them back. This is how I know that I have your favour, when my enemy cannot triumph over me, when you raise me up because of my innocence, and put me in your presence for all eternity. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from the beginning to the end of time. 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.
Heal my soul, Lord, for I have sinned against you.

Psalm 45 (46)
God, our refuge and our strength
The Lord of might is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
The Lord is our refuge and our strength, a true help in our troubles. Therefore we do not fear, even when the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the depths of the sea, the waves roar and foam and rise up to shake the mountains. The streams of the river give joy to the city of God, the holy dwelling-place of the Most High. God is within it, it will not be shaken; God will give help as the day dawns. The nations are in turmoil and kingdoms totter: at the sound of his voice, the earth flows like water. The Lord of strength is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come and see the works of the Lord, who has done wonders on the earth. He puts an end to wars over all the world: he tramples the bow, shatters weapons, and burns the shields with fire. Stop and see that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth. The Lord of strength is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. 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 of might is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Canticle	Apocalypse 15
A hymn of adoration
All nations will come and worship in your presence, O Lord.
Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of all nations! Who, Lord, will not revere and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship in your presence, for your judgements have been seen by all. 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.
All nations will come and worship in your presence, O Lord.

Short reading	James 5:16,19-20 ©
Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you: the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully. My brothers, if one of you strays away from the truth, and another brings him back to it, he may be sure that anyone who can bring back a sinner from the wrong way that he has taken will be saving a soul from death and covering up a great number of sins.

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
If you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.
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.
If you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.

Prayers and Intercessions	?
The Lord Jesus sanctified his people with his own blood. We pray to him: – Take pity on your people, Lord. You are our redeemer and we believe in you. Through your Passion, make us more able to mortify our bodies; support us in our struggles against evil and adversity; and strengthen us with a firmer hope, make us eager to celebrate your resurrection. – Take pity on your people, Lord. You have given Christians the gift of prophecy. Let them use it to spread news of you everywhere: give them burning faith, hope, and charity, to confirm the story they have to tell. – Take pity on your people, Lord. Give your strength to all the afflicted, and make us fulfil our duty of care to them. – Take pity on your people, Lord. Teach the faithful in adversity to share in your passion, and let the light of your salvation shine out through them. – Take pity on your people, Lord. Source of all life, remember those who have left this life make a gift to them of the glory of your resurrection. – Take pity on your people, Lord.

Prayers and Intercessions

The Lord Jesus sanctified his people with his own blood. We pray to him: