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 121 (122)
Jerusalem, the holy city
They filled me with joy when they said, “We will go to the house of the Lord”. Now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem. Jerusalem, built as a city, whole and self-contained: there the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord – the witness of Israel, to praise the Lord’s name. For there are the thrones of justice, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “Safety for those who care for you, peace inside your walls, security within your ramparts!” For my brethren and those near to me I will say “Peace be upon you”. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will call blessings upon you. 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 121 (122)

Jerusalem, the holy city

They filled me with joy when they said, “We will go to the house of the Lord”.
Now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, built as a city, whole and self-contained:
there the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord –
the witness of Israel, to praise the Lord’s name.
For there are the thrones of justice, the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “Safety for those who care for you,
peace inside your walls, security within your ramparts!”

For my brethren and those near to me I will say “Peace be upon you”.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will call blessings upon you.

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 126 (127)
Without the Lord, we labour in vain
If the Lord does not build the house, its builders labour in vain. If the Lord does not watch over a city, its workmen guard it in vain. It is vain for you to rise before the dawn and go late to your rest, eating the bread of toil – to those he loves, the Lord gives sleep. The Lord bestows sons as an heirloom, the fruit of the womb as a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior – so are the sons of one’s youth. Happy the man who fills his quiver thus: when he disputes with his enemies at the gate, he will not be the loser. 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 126 (127)

Without the Lord, we labour in vain

If the Lord does not build the house,
its builders labour in vain.
If the Lord does not watch over a city,
its workmen guard it in vain.

It is vain for you to rise before the dawn
and go late to your rest,
eating the bread of toil –
to those he loves, the Lord gives sleep.

The Lord bestows sons as an heirloom,
the fruit of the womb as a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior –
so are the sons of one’s youth.
Happy the man who fills his quiver thus:
when he disputes with his enemies at the gate,
he will not be the loser.

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	Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven. In love, he chose us before the creation of the world, to be holy and spotless in his sight. He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ, simply because it pleased him to do so. This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace, of his free gift of us to his Beloved, in whose blood we have gained redemption, and the forgiveness of our sins. This he did according to the riches of his grace, which he gave us in abundance, with all wisdom and discernment, revealing to us the mysteries of his will, because it pleased him to do so. In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time, to bring all things together in Christ, from the heavens and from the earth. 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

Ephesians 1

God the Saviour

Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven.

In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,
to be holy and spotless in his sight.

He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,
simply because it pleased him to do so.

This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,
of his free gift of us to his Beloved,

in whose blood we have gained redemption,
and the forgiveness of our sins.

This he did according to the riches of his grace,
which he gave us in abundance,

with all wisdom and discernment,
revealing to us the mysteries of his will,
because it pleased him to do so.

In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,
to bring all things together in Christ,
from the heavens and from the earth.

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	Galatians 4:4 - 5 ©
When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.

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

Blessings to Christ Emmanuel, conceived and born of the Virgin Mary. We address our prayers to him: - Son of the Virgin Mary, hear us.
You granted to Mary the joy of motherhood:: give all parents true joy in their children.
King and peace-bringer, your reign is justice and peace:: grant that we may work for peace.
You came to consecrate the human race as God’s holy people:: bring all peoples together in harmony.
By being born you took on the bonds of family:: let each family live in unity.
You chose to be born into time with us:: may the deceased be born into eternity with 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.

God, it was by means of blessed Mary, virgin and mother, that you gave the human race the gift of eternal salvation.
Grant that we may feel the effects of her intercession for us,
for it is through her that we have received your Son, the source of life.

He 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

Monday, January 01, 2007

Meditation
Numbers 6:22-27

Mary, the Mother of God

A young boy returning to school after the summer holidays was asked if he liked his new class. No! he shot back. There must be something you like! his parents prodded. Nothing! Not letting up, they encouraged him to see the positive side of his situation: There must be one good thing you can think of. He finally responded: Leaving at the end of the day!

Sometimes we are like that boy, we’d rather stay comfortably in the past than move forward to an unknown future, even one that is full of potential. The Israelites acted no differently during their journey to the Promised Land. They complained often, even wanting to return to slavery in Egypt. So God sought to encourage them, as we see in this beautiful prayer of blessing.

What did this blessing mean? Well, it didn’t mean automatic victory over all their enemies—but neither did it require them to be perfect. No, it was a more indiscriminate blessing, telling the people that no matter what they faced, God was with them.

We too are on a pilgrimage, and as this new year unfolds, we will undoubtedly meet with good fortune as well as challenging obstacles. God’s blessing, however, will be constant. In victory or defeat, in confidence or instability, we can still know our Father’s presence, his wisdom, and his guidance.

Mary is a perfect example of one who constantly lived under God’s blessing. When a sword pierced her soul at Calvary, when her Son was ridiculed and beaten, and even when he ascended to heaven and left her alone, Mary remained full of grace because she had learned the art of resting in God’s providence. So as this year opens, choose to be like Mary and surrender yourself to the Lord. If you look closely enough, you will find God’s blessings wherever you go!

Father, I dedicate this year to you. I trust in all the blessings you have in store for me! May the river of your presence flow in my life!

Psalm 67:2-3,5-6,8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21