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Compline -- Night Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)

Introduction
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.

This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.


Hymn
Now that the daylight dies away,
By all thy grace and love,
Thee, Maker of the world, we pray
To watch our bed above.
Let dreams depart and phantoms fly,
The offspring of the night,
Keep us, like shrines, beneath thine eye,
Pure in our foe’s despite.
This grace on thy redeemed confer,
Father, co-equal Son,
And Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
Eternal Three in One.

Psalm 90 (91)
The protection of the Most High
He will shade you with his wings; you will not fear the terror of the night.
He who lives under the protection of the Most High
  dwells under the shade of the Almighty.
He will say to the Lord:
  “You are my shelter and my strength,
  my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will free you from the hunter’s snare,
  from the voice of the slanderer.
He will shade you with his wings,
  you will hide underneath his wings.
His faithfulness will be your armour and your shield.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
  nor the arrow that flies by day;
nor the plague that walks in the shadows,
  nor the death that lays waste at noon.
A thousand will fall at your side,
  at your right hand ten thousand will fall,
  but you it will never come near.
You will look with your eyes
  and see the reward of sinners.
For the Lord is your shelter and refuge;
  you have made the Most High your dwelling-place.
Evil will not reach you,
  harm cannot approach your tent;
for he has set his angels to guard you
  and keep you safe in all your ways.
They will carry you in their arms
  in case you hurt your foot on a stone.
You walk on the viper and cobra,
  you will tread on the lion and the serpent.
Because he clung to me, I shall free him:
  I shall lift him up because he knows my name.
He will call upon me and for my part, I will hear him:
  I am with him in his time of trouble.
I shall rescue him and lead him to glory.
I shall fill him with length of days
  and show him my salvation.
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 will shade you with his wings; you will not fear the terror of the night.

Reading Apocalypse 22:4-5
They will see the face of the Lord, and his name will be marked on their foreheads. There will be no more night: they will not need sunlight or lamp-light, because the Lord God himself will shine upon them. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Short Responsory
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

Canticle Nunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
  You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
  which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
  the glory of your people Israel.
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.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

Let us pray.
Today we have celebrated the mystery of the Christ’s resurrection, and so now we humbly ask you, Lord, that we may rest in your peace, far from all harm, and rise rejoicing and giving praise to you.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

A M E N

Salve Regina
Hail to you, O Queen, mother of loving kindness,
  our life, our happiness, our hope.
Hear us cry out to you,
  children of Eve in our exile.
Hear as we sigh, with groaning and weeping
  in this life, this valley of tears.
Come then, our Advocate, turn towards us
  the gaze of your kind and loving eyes.
And show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb,
  when at last our exile here is ended.

38 posted on 10/18/2009 6:39:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
John and James

John and James

October 19th, 2009 by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

It was time to make their move. Usually it was Peter who took the initiative, but now it was their turn. They cleared their throats and asked the master for the best seats in the house, the places of honor right next to the throne.

Of course, in this conversation, recounted in Sunday’s gospel, John and James were referring to that glorious moment when Jesus would be finally acclaimed as king of Israel, indeed, of all the world. They envisioned themselves as prime minister A and prime minister B who should naturally bask in the splendor of the monarch.

Jesus was quite restrained in his correction. For it would be natural for the disciples to strive for excellence since God created us to do so. And it would natural for them to think that excellence would mean privilege, honor and glory, for that is how everyone seems to think of it, whether Jew or Gentile. Both chief priests and Roman governors were surrounded with pomp and circumstance, servants and sycophants.

Jesus wanted them to be ambitious to achieve true greatness, which is not about having big heads but big hearts. It is that love called charity that makes men and women truly great, since it makes them like God in whose image they were created. And Jesus had begun to show them what God’s love was like, but they’d not gotten the point. Their feet had not yet been washed and the King had not been crowned with thorns. They’d not yet understood that love is self-emptying, that true greatness lies in sacrifice, that “prime minister” means servant of all.

In a world where self-interest and self-promotion are the law of the land, such a love is destined to suffer. To be great in love is to suffer much. The cup of feasting may come, but only after the cup of suffering. Jesus had come to drain this bitter cup to its dregs. Were they ready to drink it with him? Glibly they answered yes, oblivious to the implications of their choice. They’d learn soon enough what it would entail.

Jesus, says the letter to the Hebrews, can be compassionate and merciful with us, because he was tempted in every way that we are tempted, though he never succumbed. He could correct the sons of Zebedee with gentleness because he himself was tempted to gain the favor and glory of the kingdoms of the world by bowing before the father of pride (Mathew 4:8-9). He chose instead humbly to serve the Father of mercy.

You’d think it would be easier for us to get the point than the two brothers. After all, we received the spirit of understanding when, in baptism and confirmation, we put on the mind of Christ. We know the end of the story–that the resurrection follows the crucifixion.

But unfortunately, there’s still a scar left on all us from the snakebite passed down to us by our first parents, and a residue of the serpent’s venom still lingers on. There is a tug within us to climb over others in our rise to greatness, to exalt ourselves even at others expense, even to trip up others so that we may get ahead. We are tempted to let others take the rap so that we might look good, to leave others holding the bag while we escape scott-free, to leave the dirty dishes for others lest, God forbid, we do more than our “fair share.”

If we are to be followers of Jesus and be truly great, we must renounce placing any limits on how much we are willing to give or whom we are willing to serve. The one who is greatest, and is most like God, is not the one who appears on the cover of People magazine. It is the one who will go to the greatest lengths for those who are least worthy and least grateful.

 

Dr. D'Ambrosio studied under Avery Cardinal Dulles for his Ph.D. in historical theology and taught for many years at the University of Dallas. He now directs www.crossroadsinitiative.com, which offers Catholic resources for RCIA and adult and teen faith formation, with a special emphasis on the Eucharist, the Theology of the Body, the early Church Fathers, and the Sacrament of Confirmation.

(This article originally appeared in Our Sunday Visitor and is used by permission of the author.)


39 posted on 10/19/2009 9:07:36 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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