[Salvation]

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

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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.

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Hymn

Sing we triumphant hymns of praise,

New hymns to heaven exulting raise:

Christ, by a road before untrod,

Ascendeth to the throne of God.

The holy Apostolic band

Upon the Mount of Olives stand,

And with the Virgin Mother see

Jesu’s resplendent majesty.

O grant us thitherward to tend,

And with unwearied hearts ascend

Toward thy kingdom’s throne, where thou

(As is our faith) art seated now.

All glory, Lord, to thee we pay,

Ascending o’er the stars to-day;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To Father and to Paraclete.

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Psalm 114 (116A)
Thanksgiving

The Lord saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.

I love the Lord, for he has heard

  the cry of my appeal;

because he has turned his ear to me as I call on him,

  day by day.

The ropes of death surrounded me,

  Hell held me tight,

I had found pain and tribulation –

  but I called on the Lord’s name:

  “O Lord, free my soul.”

The Lord is compassionate and just;

  our God takes pity on us.

The Lord cares for the simple –

  I was brought low, but he saved me.

Return, my soul, to your rest,

  for the Lord has looked after you;

he has rescued my spirit from death, my eyes from tears,

  he has saved my feet from stumbling.

I shall walk in the presence of 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.

The Lord saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.

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Psalm 120 (121)
The guardian of the people

The Lord protected his people as the apple of his eye. Alleluia.

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.

The Lord protected his people as the apple of his eye. Alleluia.

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Canticle	Apocalypse 15

A hymn of adoration

The Lord is my strength and protection: he is my salvation. Alleluia.

Great and wonderful are your deeds,

  O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

  O King of the ages!

Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord?

  For you alone are holy.

All nations shall come and worship you,

  for your judgements have been revealed.

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 strength and protection: he is my salvation. Alleluia.

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Short reading	Hebrews 5:8-10 ©

Christ, although he was the Son, learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.

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Short Responsory

The Holy Spirit is the Advocate. Alleluia, alleluia.

– The Holy Spirit is the Advocate. Alleluia, alleluia.

He will teach you everything.

– The Holy Spirit is the Advocate. Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– The Holy Spirit is the Advocate. Alleluia, alleluia.

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Canticle	Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

Your Father in heaven will give his Holy Spirit to those who ask. Alleluia.

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.

Your Father in heaven will give his Holy Spirit to those who ask. Alleluia.

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Prayers and Intercessions

Let us give praise to Christ, whom the Holy Spirit anointed, and pray to him:

– Seated at the right hand of the Father, intercede for us.

Lord, look down on all who bear the name of Christians:

  may the Holy Spirit draw them together into one.

– Seated at the right hand of the Father, intercede for us.

Enlighten all who suffer persecution in your name,

  so that they know how to answer their persecutors.

– Seated at the right hand of the Father, intercede for us.

May everyone acknowledge you as the true vine,

  and become branches bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

– Seated at the right hand of the Father, intercede for us.

Christ, king of all the earth, you rose into heaven amid jubilation:

  reign over all the peoples of the earth.

– Seated at the right hand of the Father, intercede for us.

May all who have been united to your death and resurrection through baptism

  pass with you from death into life.

– Seated at the right hand of the Father, intercede for us.

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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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Lord God, you have made the blood of martyrs become the seed of Christians.

  In your love, grant that your Church, the field that was moistened by the blood of Saint Charles and his companions, may always yield a fertile harvest for you.

[We make our prayer] 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.

AMEN

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

On Grieving and Rejoicing

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyrs (June 3, 2011)

June 3, 2011
Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyrs
Father John Doyle, LC

John 16:20-23a

Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, as I begin this prayer I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze.

Petition: Lord, give me great peace and interior joy in the midst of life’s trials.

1. “You Will Weep”  Grief is not an agreeable experience in itself. Jesus doesn’t promise his disciples that by following him they will be shielded from the sorrow characteristic of any exile in a foreign land. A Christian’s value system is diametrically opposed to the worldly view. Be honest and the common opinion will consider you backward or naive. Be kind and you will be seen as gullible. Be faithful to the love of your spouse and you will be seen as having repressive tendencies. The list could go on and on. An authentic Christian stands out among the fingers of the world as truly the sorest thumb. Have I accepted this unpleasant and challenging element of Christianity?

2. “I Will See You Again”  “Your grief will become joy.” The disciples were surprised and discouraged by Jesus’ crucifixion, but Jesus’ death would not be the final scene in the play. After the dramatic events of Calvary came the joy of the Resurrection, a new and glorious life. How happy the disciples must have been to see Our Lord again! But even then Jesus seems to play “peek-a-boo” with his disciples. He walks though walls bringing them joy and then he just disappears again. We can have a similar experience in prayer. The alternation of dryness and consolation is an essential part of God’s pedagogy with us. Sometimes it seems that the Lord is right beside us and other times that he is on foreign business. Am I able to exercise my faith in the presence of the Lord beyond the state of my feelings at the moment?

3. “Your Hearts Will Rejoice” Sometimes the charge is leveled against Christianity that its moral prohibitions are a source of sorrow and frustration. A closer look shows a different picture entirely. The closeness of the Lord, along with the recognition that the goods of this world are fundamentally good gifts lavished by the Father upon his children, brings profound joy. When we are able to distinguish the presence and action of the Lord in every created thing and through every circumstance, we experience a joy unknown to the world. “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” Do I have this joy founded on my faith and the awareness of God’s immense personal love? Does my obedience to the moral law stem from a complete trust in God who desires my happiness?

Conversation with Christ: My Jesus, when you are near me I experience great joy. I know that you are always with me. Help me to exercise my faith and to be able to strengthen the faith of those of my brothers and sisters who need me to show them your love.

Resolution: I will offer up any difficulty that the Lord sends me today for those who do not yet have the joy of his friendship.