[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 122 (123)

The Lord guards his people

We keep our eyes on the Lord our God as we wait for his kindness.

To you I lift up my eyes,

  to you who dwell in the heavens.

Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,

  like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,

  so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,

  as we wait for his kindness.

Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:

  we have had our fill of contempt.

Our souls have had their fill

  of the laughter of the rich,

  of the contempt of the proud.

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.

We keep our eyes on the Lord our God as we wait for his kindness.

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Psalm 123 (124)

Our help is in the name of the Lord

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

If the Lord had not been with us

  (so let Israel sing),

If the Lord had not been with us

  when men rose up against us,

they might have skinned us alive,

  such was their anger.

The waters could have drowned us,

  the torrent poured over us,

  the foaming waters poured over us.

Blessed be the Lord, who saved us

  from being torn to pieces by their teeth.

We have escaped, like a bird

  from the snare of the fowler.

The snare was broken,

  and we escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

  who made heaven and 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.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

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Canticle	Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
Through his Son, God chose us to be his adopted children.
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 to us in 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.
Through his Son, God chose us to be his adopted children.

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Short reading	James 4:11-12 ©
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who slanders a brother, or condemns him, is speaking against the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you have stopped keeping it and become a judge over it. There is only one lawgiver and he is the only judge and has the power to acquit or to sentence. Who are you to give a verdict on your neighbour?

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Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of my Lord, because God has looked upon my lowliness.
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.
My soul proclaims the greatness of my Lord, because God has looked upon my lowliness.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

It is Christ’s will to lead all men to final salvation. With sincere hearts let us pray to him: – Lord, draw all things to yourself. Blessed are you, Lord: with your precious blood you ransomed us from the slavery of sin:   give us the freedom that belongs to the children of glory. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. Give your grace to our Bishop N., and to all the bishops of your Church   may they celebrate your mysteries with ardent joy. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. To all who seek the truth, grant the joy of finding what they seek,   and let them live always according to that truth. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. Lord, be near to orphans, widows, and all who are abandoned:   may they feel your presence and keep always close to you. – Lord, draw all things to yourself. In your goodness, receive our deceased into your heavenly city,   where you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, will be all in all. – Lord, draw all things to yourself.

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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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God, you are truly said to be inexhaustible light.

  You have brought us to this hour:

  enlighten our souls and be pleased to forget our sins.

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

Jesus Breaks the Habit of Putting Limits on Our Love

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Monday, 27th week, OT

Father James Swanson, LC

Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live." But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ´Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.´ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers´ victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the master of the universe, and yet you wish to listen to me and guide me. You know all things past, present and future, and yet you respect my freedom to choose you. Holy Trinity, you are completely happy and fulfilled on your own, and yet you have generously brought us into existence. You are our fulfillment. Thank you for the gift of yourself. I offer the littleness of myself in return, knowing you are pleased with what I have to give.

Petition: Lord, help me to be like the Good Samaritan.

1. Love Our Neighbor Above Ourselves The people listening to Jesus would all admit that they should love God above all things. Maybe many didn’t practice it well, but they at least pretended to love him outwardly by living his commandments. Love of neighbor was another matter. The Jewish Law of the Talion put a limit on vengeful action: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But Jesus wants to take things to a whole new level – the level of brotherly love. He wants us to live a love for others inspired by the love he showed for us on the cross. We were his enemies, addicted to sin. He owed us nothing, yet he died for our sake. In times past, it was common to abuse the poor and the handicapped as people cursed by God on account of some sin. Now, Jesus proposes to love all, regardless of their condition. Do I strive to love this way?

2. It’s Not Enough to Love Those Close to Me Probably most of us, like those listening to Jesus, accept that we need to love and serve God, and obey the commandments. But when it comes to loving others, we fail. Sometimes it seems that I have a difficult time loving even those who are closest to me. Those I see on a daily basis are often the ones that have to bear the worst in me. They suffer the most from my impatience, anger and lack of self-control. Why does this happen? Is it because the love I have for my family and closest friends is a selfish love? Is it because I am looking for what they can do for me instead of what I could be doing for them? Love’s response should always be that I haven’t done enough, that I can never do enough – because real love has no limits.

3. Love Your Enemies Jesus also asks us to love our enemies. In the parable, the victim receives help from someone he, as a Jew, would have considered to be inferior and an enemy – a Samaritan. Although their lands were adjoining, historical circumstances caused them to carry grudges against each other and avoid each other as much as possible. Yet it is a Samaritan whom Jesus makes the hero of the parable. In seeing the man’s distress, and stopping to help and care for him, Jesus makes him the image of himself. St. Augustine says that the Samaritan represents Jesus and the victim represents humanity. When we couldn’t help ourselves, when we were estranged from God’s friendship because of our sins, God in his love stopped to help us. This is the love Jesus wants us to practice – the same love he practiced on the cross. "Go and do likewise," he tells us.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I am sorry for accepting your love for me on the cross while failing to love others in the same way. Don’t let me get discouraged by my little daily setbacks as I try to love more, but encourage me to be more like you, to be a Good Samaritan to all I meet.

Resolution: I will remove the limits I have placed on loving someone close to me – my spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters, close friends, co-workers – and be patient and understanding at moments when I don’t feel like loving.