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.
O gladsome light, O grace
Of God the Father’s face,
The eternal splendour wearing;
Celestial, holy, blest,
Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
Joyful in thine appearing.
Now, ere day fadeth quite,
We see the evening light,
Our wonted hymn outpouring;
Father of might unknown,
Thee, his incarnate Son,
And Holy Ghost adoring.
To thee of right belongs
All praise of holy songs,
O Son of God, Life-giver:
Thee therefore, O most High,
The world doth glorify,
And shall exalt for ever.
Psalm 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest |
With your gentle yoke, Lord, rule in the midst of your foes.
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.
With your gentle yoke, Lord, rule in the midst of your foes.
Psalm 110 (111)
Great are the works of the Lord |
The Lord is compassion and love: he gives food to those who fear him.
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 Lord is compassion and love: he gives food to those who fear him.
This is the Lamb of God; this is he who takes away the sins of the world.
Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature,
did not try to seize equality with God for himself;
but emptied himself, took on the form of a slave,
and became like a man:
not in appearance only,
for he humbled himself by accepting death,
even death on a cross.
For this, God has raised him high,
and given him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend,
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
and every tongue will proclaim
“Jesus Christ is Lord,”
to the glory of God the Father.
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.
This is the Lamb of God; this is he who takes away the sins of the world.
| Short reading |
Ephesians 2:4-7 © |
God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus. This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace.
Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.
– Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.
He has made us a kingdom, priests for God, his father.
– Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Christ in his love has washed us in his blood.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
The Lord has folded us to his breast, next to his heart: he has remembered his mercy. 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.
The Lord has folded us to his breast, next to his heart: he has remembered his mercy. Alleluia.
| Prayers and Intercessions |
|
Jesus brings peace to weary souls. Brethren, let us bring our prayers before him:
– Most loving King, take pity on us.
Jesus, holy temple of God, thrown down by men and raised up again by the Father,
make the Church a tabernacle of the Most High.
– Most loving King, take pity on us.
Jesus, you love us with an everlasting love and in your mercy you draw us to yourself:
renew your covenant with each one of us.
– Most loving King, take pity on us.
Jesus, you are peace and reconciliation. You renew mankind in unity and bring all men together in peace; by your cross you destroy all enmity:
open for us the path to God.
– Most loving King, take pity on us.
Jesus, our life and our resurrection, you lighten burdens and give rest to the soul:
draw sinners to yourself.
– Most loving King, take pity on us.
Jesus, your overflowing love made you obedient even to death on a cross:
to all who sleep in your peace bring resurrection.
– Most loving King, take pity on us.
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.
Almighty God and Father,
we glory in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, your beloved Son,
as we call to mind the great things his love has done for us.
Fill us with the grace that flows in abundance
from the Heart of Jesus, the source of heaven’s gifts.
He 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.
AMEN
