[Salvation]

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

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.

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A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 26 (27)

Keeping faith in time of peril

The Lord is my light and my help: whom should I fear?

The Lord is my light and my help:

  whom should I fear?

The Lord protects my life:

  what could terrify me?

When they come to do me harm,

  to consume my flesh,

my enemies and my persecutors,

  it is they who stumble and fall.

If their armies encamp against me,

  my heart will not fear;

if battle flares up against me,

  even then will I hope.

One thing I beg of the Lord, one thing will I ask:

  that I may live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

so that I may behold the joys of the Lord

  and always see his temple.

For he will shelter me in his tent in the time of evils.

He will hide me in the hidden parts of the tabernacle;

  then raise me up on a rock,

  lift me high up above the enemies who surround me.

In his tabernacle I will offer him a sacrifice

  of shouts, of songs, of psalms to the Lord.

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 is my light and my help: whom should I fear?

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Psalm 26 (27)

I seek your face, Lord: do not turn it away from me.

Listen, Lord, to my voice as I cry:

  have mercy and listen to me.

“Seek his face,” my heart has said,

  and so I will seek your face, O Lord.

Do not turn your face away from me,

  do not turn from your servant in anger.

You are my helper, do not reject me;

  do not abandon me, God, my help.

For when my father and mother have abandoned me,

  the Lord will take me up.

Show me your ways, Lord, and guide me along the right path,

  out of the reach of my enemies.

Do not hand me over to the whim of those who would persecute me,

  when lying witnesses have risen up against me,

  with those who plan to do me violence.

I trust I shall see the joys of the Lord

  in the land of the living.

Hope in the Lord, be brave,

  let your heart take comfort and trust in the Lord.

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.

I seek your face, Lord: do not turn it away from me.

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Canticle	(Colossians 1)
Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead
He is the first-born of all creation, he is pre-eminent above all.
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.
He is the first-born of all creation, he is pre-eminent above all.

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Short reading	Philippians 2:12-15 ©
Work for your salvation in fear and trembling, for it is God, for his own loving purpose, who puts both the will and the action into you. Do all that has to be done without complaining or arguing and then you will be innocent and genuine, you will be children of God.

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Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Just as Jonah remained in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will remain in the heart of the earth.
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.
Just as Jonah remained in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will remain in the heart of the earth.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

Let us praise God, the all-powerful, the compassionate. He knows all our needs, but above all he wants us to ask for the coming of his kingdom. So let us acclaim him and say: – May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice. Holy Father, you gave us Christ as a shepherd for our souls. Be close to your shepherds and the people they have gathered: let the shepherds be faithful in caring for their flock;   let the flock be faithful in obeying the shepherds. – May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice. Let Christians care for the sick with brotherly devotion:   it is Christ they are caring for. – May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice. Lead into your Church those who do not yet believe in the Gospel:   let them help her to grow through love and good works. – May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice. We are sinners: make us able to beg for your pardon;   and thus be reconciled to your Church. – May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice. Let the dead awaken to eternal life   and remain for ever with you. – May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice.

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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.

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Look with favour, Lord, on your people’s devotion.

  May our abstinence keep our bodies in good order,

  and may our good works restore us in mind and spirit.

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.

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May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Awareness of God´s Gift
March 4, 2009

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Father Robert Presutti, LC

Luke 11:29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you because you are the truth itself and you reveal to me more and more the meaning and purpose of my life. I trust in you because every day you are there waiting for me, knocking at my door, always ready to forgive, always ready to draw me close to you in prayer and the sacraments. I love you because you gave your entire self for me on the Cross and taught me what it means to fulfill myself in love.

Petition: Holy Spirit, help me be attentive to the many daily signs of your presence and love.

1. Never Quite Satisfied. Jesus has already given sight to the blind, healed many paralytics, raised the dead and cast out demons. Yet there are those who are still not convinced. They ask for yet another sign. Their real problem lies not in insufficient signs, but in hearts unwilling to accept the truth. When there is resistance or inconformity with God’s will, it is not really signs we need or should seek, but a change of heart and a willingness to accept what Christ is already telling and showing us. Looking for signs often arises not because God is hidden, but because we want to hear something else. The cause could be fear, selfishness or a lack of spiritual depth. The result is always dissatisfaction, insecurity and defensiveness. And the solution is always the same: Purify my heart, change my criteria, and let go of what I secretly want to hear. Let Christ reign supreme and accept him on his terms.

2. The Sign of Jonah. Nineveh converted at the preaching of Jonah, did penance, and averted their destruction. Jonah’s message resounded profoundly throughout the great city, and everyone, from lowest citizen to the king himself, did penance and changed their ways. Jonah’s preaching was a sign of God’s judgment and their impending destruction, but also of God’s mercy and the abundant opportunities he affords for change and salvation. God does not desire the death of the sinner, but that the sinner change and be saved. Jonah and the Ninevites show that sin in itself is never an obstacle to the path of God. God can forgive and make the sinner a saint. The problem lies rather in attachment to sin and in the resistance to change and belief.

3. The Queen of the South and the Citizens of Nineveh. I have received innumerable graces from God and incomparable blessings. What fruits of repentance and change have I allowed this grace to produce? Who knows if those I look down on would not be farther along on the path of holiness had they received the blessings and opportunities God has given me. Many others have done more with less. Humility, compunction and gratitude with God are more in order than that hidden pride, self-sufficiency and conceit I at times feel. I need to strive to show the fruits of repentance every day.

Conversation with Christ:Lord Jesus, thank you for your warning and your wake-up call. Help me have heartfelt humility, recognizing my need for change. Help me not to look so much at how good I am, as at how much I can improve. Teach me the humility of truth.

Resolution: I will not compare myself with others today, but seek the highest degree of generosity and correspondence with God’s grace.