[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 109 (110)

The Messiah, king and priest

The Lord said to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand.’ Alleluia.

The Lord has said to my lord:

  “Sit at my right hand

  while I make your enemies your footstool.”

From Zion the Lord will give you a sceptre,

  and you will rule in the midst of your foes.

Royal power is yours in the day of your strength,

  among the sacred splendours.

  Before the dawn, I begot you from the womb.

The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:

  “You are a priest for ever,

  a priest of the priesthood of Melchisedech.”

The Lord is at your right hand,

  and on the day of his anger he will shatter kings.

He will drink from the stream as he goes –

  he will hold his head high.

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 said to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand.’ Alleluia.

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Psalm 110 (111)

Great are the works of the Lord

The compassionate Lord keeps alive the memory of the wonders he has worked. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart

  in the council of the upright and the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord,

  to be studied by all who delight in them.

His works are splendour and majesty,

  his righteousness lasts for ever and ever.

He gives us a record of the wonders he has worked,

  the Lord, the kind and compassionate.

He gives food to those who fear him:

  for all ages he will remember his covenant.

He has shown to his people the power of his deeds,

  he has given them the inheritance of the nations.

Steadfastness and justice

  are the works of the Lord.

All his precepts are to be trusted,

  they stand firm for ever and ever:

  they were laid down in faithfulness and justice.

He has sent deliverance to his people;

  he has set up his covenant for ever.

Holy is his name, and much to be feared.

  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

To those who fear him comes true understanding,

  and his praise endures for ever and 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 compassionate Lord keeps alive the memory of the wonders he has worked. Alleluia.

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Canticle	(Apocalypse 19)
The wedding of the Lamb
God reigns: our Lord, the Almighty. Alleluia.
Alleluia. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,   because his judgements are true and just. Alleluia. Alleluia. Praise our God, all his servants,   and you who fear him, small and great. Alleluia. Alleluia. For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty:   let us rejoice and exult and give him glory. Alleluia. Alleluia. The marriage of the Lamb has come,   and his spouse has made herself ready. Alleluia. 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.
God reigns: our Lord, the Almighty. Alleluia.

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Short reading

1 Peter 1:3-5 ©

Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy has given us a new birth as his sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away, because it is being kept for you in the heavens. Through your faith, God’s power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time.

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Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
The disciples cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.
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 disciples cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

God, creator of the world, re-created it through the Redemption and renews it daily through his love. With joy we pray: – Lord, renew the wonders of your love. O God, we thank you for your power, revealed in the whole of your creation;   and for your providence, revealed day by day in the world. – Lord, renew the wonders of your love. Through your Son, proclaimer of peace and victor on the Cross,   free us from pointless fears and from despair. – Lord, renew the wonders of your love. To all who love and work for justice,   give the gift of working together in openness and trust, building up the world in true peace. – Lord, renew the wonders of your love. Support the oppressed, give freedom to captives, console those who mourn:   let the victory of the Cross transform everything. – Lord, renew the wonders of your love. After your Son was dead and buried you miraculously raised him into glory:   grant that all the dead may come to share eternal life with him. – Lord, renew the wonders of 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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O God, your light guides those who have strayed and helps them back to the right path.

  Grant to all who are called Christians

  that they may reject whatever contradicts that name

  but hold fast to whatever is right for it.

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

Learning to Follow Directions
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Father Jason Clark, LC

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick-- no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, and I believe that I must follow your will in all that I do. I hope in you, and I place my hope in what you have planned for me today. Teach me not to place my hope in created things, but only in your will. Lord, I love you, and I desire to love your will with greater fervor. Open my heart to respond to your will with generosity and joy.

Petition: Lord, help me to transmit your message through my words and actions.

1. Two By Two Our Lord didn’t send the apostles out in their mission as isolated individuals, but in pairs. Jesus wanted them to realize that alone they would not be strong enough. Alone they would be vulnerable to attacks. Alone they might succumb to temptation and discouragement. Jesus’ disciples were not alone as they labored to carry out their mission, and neither are we. The mission we have of following Jesus may be difficult at times, but Jesus knows this. He places people in our path to help and support us. We must realize that we need the help of others and that others also need our help. We are not alone!

2. Take Nothing Jesus wanted his apostles to realize that he is in charge of the mission. Jesus tells them to leave at home what we would consider basic items necessary for any trip. This was a radical lesson for the apostles, as it is for us. Jesus doesn’t want us to rely on our personal efforts, the advanced technology of the day, or any other methods or elements that we can invent for our security or success. He is the origin of any success in our lives, and he alone gives true security. Jesus tells the apostles to take nothing on their journey, except him.

3. They Went Off The apostles then went to preach repentance and cure the sick. They trusted in Jesus and in the mission he had entrusted to them. As they began to work, they saw that their efforts were bearing fruit. The people they encountered were responsive. They could see that they were changing lives. In our own lives we don’t often encounter receptive crowds, open and eager to hear about Christ and prepared to amend their lives and start off on a new path. We often find hostility and opposition. In either situation — success or failure — as we try to build Christ’s Kingdom, we must trust in him and remember that we are called to be faithful, not necessarily successful from a human standpoint.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you’ve given me a mission to spread your Gospel among my family members, friends and coworkers — everyone I encounter. Help me to be faithful to this mission and to undertake it in the way you wish, not the way it most pleases me.

Resolution: I will fulfill my prayer commitments today with generosity and fidelity.