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 131 (132)
God's promise to the house of David
Lord, remember David and how he served you. He swore to the Lord, vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: “I will not go into my tent, my home, nor go up to my bed of rest; I will not let my eyes sleep or my eyelids grow heavy until I have found a place for the Lord, a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob”. We heard that it was in Ephratha, we found it in the plains of Jaar. So let us go into his dwelling-place and let us worship before his footstool. Rise up, Lord, and come to your place of rest. Come with the Ark of your power. Let your priests be robed in your justice, and let your chosen ones rejoice. Remember what David did for you, and do not turn your face from your Anointed. 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 131 (132)

God's promise to the house of David

Lord, remember David and how he served you.
He swore to the Lord, vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

“I will not go into my tent, my home, nor go up to my bed of rest;
I will not let my eyes sleep or my eyelids grow heavy
until I have found a place for the Lord,
a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob”.

We heard that it was in Ephratha, we found it in the plains of Jaar.
So let us go into his dwelling-place and let us worship before his footstool.

Rise up, Lord, and come to your place of rest.
Come with the Ark of your power.
Let your priests be robed in your justice,
and let your chosen ones rejoice.
Remember what David did for you,
and do not turn your face from your Anointed.

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 131 (132)
The Lord swore David a true oath, he will not go back on his word: “The fruit of your body I will place on your throne. If your children keep my covenant and the commands I teach them, their children’s children will occupy your throne for ever”. For the Lord has chosen Sion, taken it for his dwelling-place: “Here will I take my rest for all time: here will I live, such is my desire. I will bless its crops with my blessing, I will fill its poor with bread. I will clothe its priests with righteousness. Its chosen ones will exult with joy. There will I plant the sign of David, and prepare a lamp for my anointed one. I will wrap his enemies in confusion, but over his head my crown will shine. 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 131 (132)

The Lord swore David a true oath, he will not go back on his word:
“The fruit of your body I will place on your throne.
If your children keep my covenant and the commands I teach them,
their children’s children will occupy your throne for ever”.

For the Lord has chosen Sion, taken it for his dwelling-place:
“Here will I take my rest for all time: here will I live, such is my desire.

I will bless its crops with my blessing, I will fill its poor with bread.
I will clothe its priests with righteousness. Its chosen ones will exult with joy.

There will I plant the sign of David, and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
I will wrap his enemies in confusion, but over his head my crown will shine.

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	Apocalypse 11
The Judgement
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.

Canticle

Apocalypse 11

The Judgement

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.

A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here.

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

Christ rose from the dead, the first-fruits of all who slept. Let us rejoice and give him praise, saying: - You rose from the dead: hear our prayer.
Remember, Christ, your holy Church. You founded it on the Apostles and spread it throughout the world:: give your blessing to all who believe in you.
Healer of our souls and our bodies,: come to our aid and bring us to safety.
Help the sick and give them strength:: free them from their weakness.
Help those who are weighed down with pain and oppression;: in your mercy, sustain the the poor.
Through your cross and resurrection, you opened up for all the road to eternal life:: grant that our brethren who have died may share in the joy of your kingdom.

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.

A concluding prayer may follow here.

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

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Meditation
Acts 8:26-40

Having been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Philip developed a natural expectation to hear God’s voice. Through years of practice, he had become sensitive to the Spirit’s promptings and knew when God was speaking to him. So when the Spirit told him, “Go over to this chariot and join it” (Acts 8:29), he was swift to obey. It may not have made much sense at first, but Philip’s desire to spread the good news won out. If he thought the Spirit was telling him to chase after a chariot, he would do it—and the results were amazing.

Like any skill, discerning the Spirit’s voice requires practice. After all, God’s way of thinking can be quite different from ours. For example, we might wonder why Philip, whose mission was to preach the gospel, would be directed to leave a city like Samaria, where his preaching was bearing fruit, and to travel through a less populated region. And why should he approach a eunuch, whose physical condition, according to the Mosaic law, made him incapable of participating fully in Israel’s worship?

A man guided only by human thinking could find reasons to dismiss these promptings from the Spirit. But through acts of loving obedience and time in prayer and study of Scripture, Philip had absorbed Jesus’ way of thinking. He had come to see how precious each person is to God, and he was not too surprised when spreading the gospel involved some unexpected maneuvers.

Through our prayer and study of God’s word, we too can prepare ourselves to hear the Spirit’s voice. Let us think of ourselves as athletes in competition. A runner, on his mark, drowns out all distractions and strains to hear the signal that begins the race. Similarly, let us work at shutting out distractions so we can hear the gentle voice of the Spirit. God is always preparing people’s hearts to receive the good news. Even if we are shy or reticent, the Spirit can guide us and make our very lives into signs of his love to people who are ready to receive them.

“Holy Spirit, be with me today as I walk among your people. You always point to Jesus Christ, the Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world. Guide me to those whom you have prepared, so that they would know the joy of belonging to Jesus.”

Psalm 66:8-9,16-17,20; John 6:44-51