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.
A suitable hymn may be inserted here.
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?
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.
| 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.
| 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.
Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
– Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Do not cast me away with sinners.
– Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Redeem me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
| 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.
| 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.
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.
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.
May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.
A M E N
On this day, 13 January, the Carthusian Order, other monastic communities, as well as the Extraordinary Form Mass goers celebrate liturgically the Baptism of the Lord. Below are some brief thoughts about baptism by a Carthusian monk. We have to be careful how we understand this piece: the deliverer of this reflection is by no means trying to suggest that Jesus didn’t know Who He was. It is designed, rather, so that we the reader look at this from a human perspective, that is, the Humanity of Jesus and how His example should be followed. Jesus was at prayer waiting on the Father: so should we be a people of prayer, trusting in God’s time. We have received the Holy Spirit in baptism, and the Father has proclaimed His love for His son/daughter. Sealed with the Holy Spirit, we have a purpose/mission in this life. And certainly, as God’s property, expect the evil one to try and take you away from the Lord. Jesus experienced all of this because His full commitment to humanity demands it, and as Jesus embraced what happens to humanity by taking it upon Himself, He has the divine authority to teach us what to do about it.