[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 114 (116A)

Thanksgiving

Lord, free my soul from death and keep my feet from stumbling.

I rejoiced when the Lord listened

  to the voice of my pleading;

I rejoiced for he turned his ear to me,

  as I called to him day after day.

The ropes of death were around me,

  the agonies of the underworld were upon me.

I came upon trouble and anguish,

  and I called on the name of the Lord:

  “Lord, free my soul.”

The Lord is kind and just,

  our God takes pity on us.

The Lord guards the weak;

  I am cast down, but he will save me.

Turn, my soul, to your rest,

  for the Lord is kind to you.

He has torn my soul away from death,

  my eyes from tears,

  my feet from falling.

I shall walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

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.

Lord, free my soul from death and keep my feet from stumbling.

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Psalm 120 (121)

The guardian of the people

My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

I shall lift my eyes to the hills:

  where is my help to come from?

My help will come from the Lord,

  who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip:

  he will not doze, your guardian.

Behold, he will not doze or sleep,

  the guardian of Israel.

The Lord is your guardian, the Lord is your shade;

  he is at your right hand.

By day the sun will not strike you;

  nor the moon by night.

The Lord will guard you from all harm;

  the Lord will guard your life.

The Lord will guard your coming and your going

  both now and 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.

My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

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Canticle	Apocalypse 15
A hymn of adoration
Just and true are your ways, King of all ages.
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.
Just and true are your ways, King of all ages.

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Short reading

1 Corinthians 2:7-10 ©

The hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known, or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

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Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Remember, Lord, your mercies, as you promised to our ancestors.
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.
Remember, Lord, your mercies, as you promised to our ancestors.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

Let us bless Christ the Lord, whose compassion wipes away the tears of those who weep. In loving supplication let us call on him: – Lord, take pity on your people. Christ and Lord, consoler of the lowly,   take notice of the tears of the poor. – Lord, take pity on your people. Compassionate God, hear the sighs of the dying:   send your angel to comfort them. – Lord, take pity on your people. May all exiles receive your loving care, and return to their earthly homes;   and may they one day gain admittance to their eternal home in heaven. – Lord, take pity on your people. May those sunk in the misery of sin be conquered by your love,   and reconciled to you and your Church. – Lord, take pity on your people. Give salvation to our deceased brethren,   and give them a full share in the blessings of your redemption. – Lord, take pity on your people.

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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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O God, the horror of the Cross mysteriously reveals your inexhaustible wisdom.

  Grant that we may contemplate your Son’s glorious Passion

  and always believe and glory in his Cross.

He 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

Family Feud
Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

July 10, 2009 Father Edward McIlmail, LC

Matthew 10:16-23

Jesus said to his Apostles: "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the one constant in my life. You are my beginning and my end. I love you as my savior. I trust you as my closest companion. I hope in you as the one who will welcome me into eternal joy.

Petition: Grant me, Lord, a deeper union with you as the only one who will never fail me.

1. World Wary A key paradox of Jesus was that he loved us so much that he underwent the horrors of crucifixion to redeem us and give us a chance at salvation. Yet, he also knows our weaknesses. He knows how fickle the human heart can be. "Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well" (John 2:24-25). Likewise, Christ warns us not to put too much faith in other people. Like us, everyone else has weaknesses. Our faith in them should be relative and realistic. It shouldn´t be on the same level as our faith in Christ. Do I put "too much" faith in others? Do I realize that expecting too much from them leaves me open to needless anguish?

2. In-house Problems Christ is the rock against which the waves of humanity crash. His demands cut to the heart of each of us, and require a personal response. How each person responds is a mystery. Some will say yes, some will say no. The division within each person can echo in divisions within families. Little wonder that kin can be our fiercest foes. Christ´s own show of steadfastness assures us that he remains more loyal than even family members. Can I accept that following Christ can cause friction with my loved ones? Can I offer up my trials for their salvation?

3. Lonely Hearts Christ never promised his followers an easy life. If he had, there would be no shortage of disciples. He knows what really makes us mature in love: sacrifice. Sacrifice purifies us, ennobles us. Love without sacrifice is a fairy tale. To love means to share in another´s pain. "When men and women demand to be autonomous and totally self-sufficient," said Pope Benedict XVI in a speech February 9, 2008, "they run the risk of being closed in a self-reliance that … reduces them to an oppressive solitude." Similarly, if we close ourselves to God´s pleasure, we stay stuck in our littleness. Can I accept suffering for Christ as a way to break out of the cocoon of my comfort?

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, it´s not easy being your follower. Opposition can arise on all sides, even from within the family. Help me bear all this well, for love of you. Grant me the serenity to persevere in the faith. I offer my sacrifices for the salvation of those who oppose my following you.

Resolution: I will pray or make a sacrifice for a family member who is away from the faith.