[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. Alleluia.

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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	James 1:22,25 ©
You must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. But the man who looks steadily at the perfect law of freedom and makes that his habit – not listening and then forgetting, but actively putting it into practice – will be happy in all that he does.

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Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
The mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name.
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.
The mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

Glory be to the name of the Lord, for he cares for his chosen people with infinite love. And so we send our prayers up to him: – Lord, show us your love. Remember your Church, Lord:   keep her free from evil and make her grow perfect in your love. – Lord, show us your love. Make all peoples recognise that you alone are God,   with Jesus Christ your Son, whom you have sent to us. – Lord, show us your love. May all go well with those who are near to us:   bless them and give them unending life. – Lord, show us your love. Give solace to those who are burdened by hard labour,   and uphold the dignity of those the world despises. – Lord, show us your love. In your compassion, open wide your gates for those who have left the body today,   and graciously welcome them into your kingdom. – Lord, show us your love.

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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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Lord, support us as we pray to you, and keep us day and night under your protection.

  Guide us as we live in this world of change,

  and let your own unchangeability be a firm foundation for us.

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

 

 

Casting out Evil
July 1, 2009

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Father Steven Liscinsky, LC

Matthew 8: 28-34

When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go then!" They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present within me. I want to live this day close to you and see everything through the prism of faith. I want to put my trust and confidence in you. You will grant me all the graces I need today. All I have to do is ask. I want to love you with all my heart, especially in charity, giving myself to everyone I meet today so that I can communicate your love to them.

Petition: Lord, help me defeat the evil of sin in my life.

1. Sin Keeps Us Away from God We learn in the catechism that mortal sin takes sanctifying grace away from our soul and cuts us off from God. Today’s Gospel illustrates that separation, as the two possessed men keep their distance from Christ and want him to leave them alone. Our sin, whether mortal or venial, pushes God away from our lives. It is like telling him that we do not need him, that we do not want him in our lives. Have I willfully accepted sin in my life, thereby shunning God? Even in the slightest way?

2. Sin Hurts Our Relationships with Others Clearly the evil of the possessed men has hurt their relationship with their fellow men. They can no longer be a part of their community, but have to live apart from society. Every sin, in a way, is a “social sin” because it has social consequences. Even our most personal sins – in our thoughts – injure the Mystical Body of the Church, and so have an effect on others. Those sins that others see are even greater, because they cause scandal and could lead others into sin. Christ is inviting us to reject sin. Let us join him and cast out the devil from our daily lives.

3. Sin Harms Us, Too The evil that we do is harmful above all to ourselves. The demoniacs often gashed and cut themselves. The physical injury to their bodies signifies a deeper spiritual affliction. Our souls are made for God, and so separation from him is truly heart-wrenching. Sin avoids presenting its ugly face, but after we have committed it, our conscience begins to bother us. Then we realize that our wrong choice has separated us from the One we are drawn to by nature. We feel the pain of separation and of that rupture which divides us interiorly.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me to cast out sin from my life. I need your help, since I cannot do it on my own. Just like the demoniacs who longed to be freed from their torment, I also long to defeat sin in my life. So often I am overpowered by my passions or the temptations of the devil. Grant me the strength I need, Lord.

Resolution: I will promise Christ that today I will reject one specific sin or imperfection that I usually fall into.