Unfathomable Nature

The name Father has thus been revealed to men; the question arises: What is this Father's own Name? Yet surely the name of God has never been unknown. Moses heard it from the bush, Genesis announces it at the beginning of the history of creation, the Law has proclaimed and the prophets extolled it, the history of the world has made mankind familiar with it; even the pagans have worshipped it under a veil of falsehood. Men have never been left in ignorance of the Name of God.

And yet they were, in very truth, in ignorance. For no man knows God unless He confess Him as Father, Father of the Only-begotten Son, and confess also the Son, a Son by no partition or extension or procession, but born of Him, as the Son of the Father, ineffably and incomprehensibly, and retaining the fullness of that Godhead from which and in which He was born as true and infinite and perfect God. This is what the fullness of the Godhead means. If any of these things be lacking, there will not be that fullness which was pleased to dwell in Him. This is the message of the Son, His revelation to men in their ignorance. The Father is glorified through the Son when men recognise that He is the Father of a Son so Divine.

It is the Father to Whom all existence owes its origin. In Christ and through Christ He is the Source of all. In contrast to all else He is self-existent. He does not draw His Being from without, but possesses it from Himself and in Himself. He is infinite, for nothing contains Him and He contains all things; He is eternally unconditioned by space, for He is illimitable; eternally anterior to time, for time is His creation.

Let imagination range to what you may suppose is God's utmost limit, and you will find Him present there; strain as you will there is always a further horizon towards which to strain. Infinity is His property, just as the power of making such effort is yours. Words will fail you, but His Being will not be circumscribed.

Or again, turn back the pages of history, and you will find Him ever present; should numbers fail to express the antiquity to which you have penetrated, yet God's eternity is not diminished. Engage your intellect to comprehend Him as a whole; He eludes you.

God is everywhere and wholly present wherever He is. Reason, therefore, cannot cope with Him, since no point of contemplation can be found outside Himself and since eternity is eternally His.

This is a true statement of the mystery of that unfathomable nature which is expressed by the Name 'Father:' God invisible, ineffable, infinite. Let us confess by our silence that words cannot describe Him; let sense admit that it is foiled in the attempt to apprehend, and reason in the effort to define. He does not, as men do, receive the power of paternity from an external source. He is unbegotten, everlasting, inherently eternal. To the Son only is He known, for no one knows the Father save the Son and him to whom the Son wills to reveal Him, nor yet the Son save the Father. Each has perfect and complete knowledge of the Other.

Therefore, since no one knows the Father save the Son, let our thoughts of the Father be at one with the thoughts of the Son, the only faithful Witness, Who reveals Him to us.

Listen then to the Unbegotten Father, listen to the Only-begotten Son. Hear His words: The Father is greater than I, and I and the Father are One, and he that has seen Me has seen the Father also , and the Father is in Me and I in the Father, and I went out from the Father, and Who is in the Bosom of the Father, and whatsoever the Father has He has delivered to the Son, and the Son has life in Himself, even as the Father has in Himself. Hear in these words the Son, the Image, the Wisdom, the Power, the Glory of God. Next mark the Holy Spirit proclaiming: Who shall declare His generation? Note the Lord's assurance: No one knows the Son save the Father, neither does any know the Father save the Son and He to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Penetrate into the mystery, plunge into the darkness which shrouds that birth, where you will be alone with God the Unbegotten and God the Only-begotten. Make your start, continue, persevere. I know that you will not reach the goal, but I shall rejoice at your progress. For He who devoutly treads an endless road, though he reach no conclusion, will profit by his exertions.

Reason will fail for want of words, but when it comes to a stand it will be the better for the effort made.

~ Saint Hilary of Poitiers ~

Secret Harbor ~ Portus Secretioris

31 May 2011

The Visitation

Saint Luke in his Gospel took great strides to delineate Our Blessed Lady as the New Ark of the New and Everlasting Covenant, the human Tabernacle of the Lord.

Notice some of the scriptural parallels:

In the Old Testament are these words:
‘The cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it’ (Exodus 40:32).
And in the New Testament:
‘The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God’ (Saint Luke 1:35).

In the Old Testament:
‘And David was afraid of the Lord that day, saying: How shall the ark of the Lord come to me’? (2 Samuel 6:9).
In the New Testament:
‘And whence is this to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me’? (Saint Luke 1:43).

In the Old Testament:
‘And David danced with all his might before the Lord: and David was girded with a linen ephod. And David and all the house of Israel brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joyful shouting, and with sound of trumpet’ (2 Samuel 6:14-15).
In the New Testament:
‘Behold as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy’ (Saint Luke 1:44).

In the Old Testament:
‘The ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom the Gethite three months’ (2 Samuel 6:11).
In the New Testament:
‘Mary abode with her about three months’ (Saint Luke 1:56).

Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote in his Summa Theologica that ‘Mary would not have been a worthy Mother of God if she had ever sinned’, thus we must profess with the Doctor Angelicus: ‘You are wholly beautiful, my love and without blemish’. We are sinners, and so, we can also say with Saint Elizabeth: ‘Whence is this to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me’? Nevertheless Our Blessed Lady would like to be invited to our house, not only the house in which we reside where she can guide us in family matters and parenting skills, but also the inner house, the temple of the soul. She brings Jesus with her. There she perpetually sings her Magnificat. And since she stayed in the house of Zachary for three months, we know that when invited, she will always arrive with a charitable heart. Let us permit Our Lady and her divine Son to take up residence at our inner house, where together they can clean this house of all temporal desires, that this house may always be called a ‘house of prayer’ (Saint Matthew 21:13).

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening 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.

Hymn

Hail, Queen of the heavens, hail Mistress of earth;

Hail, Virgin most pure of immaculate birth:

Clear star of the morning in beauty enshrined;

O Lady, make speed to the help of mankind.

Thee God in the depth of eternity chose,

And formed thee all fair as his glorious spouse,

And called thee his own Word’s true Mother to be

By whom he created the earth, sky, and sea.

Hail, Mother most pure, hail, Virgin renowned,

Hail, Queen with the stars as a diadem crowned;

Above all the angels in glory untold,

Set next to the King in a vesture of gold.

These praises and prayers we lay at thy feet,

O Virgin of virgins, O Mary most sweet:

Be thou our true guide through this pilgrimage here,

And stand by our side when our death draweth near.

Psalm 121 (122) Jerusalem, the holy city

Mary entered the house of Zachary and greeted Elizabeth. Alleluia.

They filled me with joy when they said,

“We will go to the house of the Lord.”

Now our feet are standing

within your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, built as a city,

whole and self-contained:

there the tribes have gone up,

the tribes of the Lord –

the witness of Israel,

to praise the Lord’s name.

For there are the thrones of justice,

the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“Safety for those who care for you,

peace inside your walls,

security within your ramparts!”

For my brethren and those near to me I will say

“Peace be upon you.”

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will call blessings upon you.

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.

Mary entered the house of Zachary and greeted Elizabeth. Alleluia.

Psalm 126 (127) Without the Lord, we labour in vain

When I heard your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Alleluia.

If the Lord does not build the house,

its builders labour in vain.

If the Lord does not watch over a city,

its workmen guard it in vain.

It is vain for you to rise before the dawn

and go late to your rest,

eating the bread of toil –

to those he loves, the Lord gives sleep.

The Lord bestows sons as an heirloom,

the fruit of the womb as a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior –

so are the sons of one’s youth.

Happy the man who fills his quiver thus:

when he disputes with his enemies at the gate,

he will not be the loser.

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.

When I heard your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Alleluia.

Canticle	Ephesians 1

God the Saviour

You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Alleluia.

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.

You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Alleluia.

Short reading	1 Peter 5:5-7 ©

Wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.

Short Responsory

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Alleluia, alleluia.

– Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

– Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Alleluia, alleluia.

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

– Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Alleluia, alleluia.

Canticle	Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

All generations will call me blessed, because God has looked upon his lowly handmaid. 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.

All generations will call me blessed, because God has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Alleluia.

Prayers and Intercessions

God the almighty Father willed that all generations should celebrate Mary, the mother of his son. Let us praise him with great praise and humbly bring him our petitions:

– May Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.

You gave us Mary to be our mother. Through her intercession give healing to those worn out by sickness, consolation to those who mourn and pardon to those who have done wrong;

and to all of us give salvation and peace.

– May Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.

Lord, make love keep your Church united, heart and soul:

make Christians persevere in prayer, united with Mary the mother of Jesus.

– May Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.

You made Mary the mother of mercy and compassion:

may those beset by danger experience her motherly love.

– May Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.

God, you chose Mary to be the mother of your family, in the house of Jesus and Joseph:

let every mother make her own family a place where love and holiness grow.

– May Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.

Lord God, you crowned Mary as the queen of heaven:

may the dead rejoice in the ranks of your saints for ever.

– May Mary, full of grace, intercede for 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, ever-living God,

you inspired the Blessed Virgin Mary,

when she was carrying your Son,

to visit Elizabeth.

Grant that, always docile to the voice of the Spirit,

we may, together with Our Lady, glorify your Name.

[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.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

AMEN

Regnum Christi

An Encounter in the Holy Spirit: Pentecost Anticipated

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (May 31, 2011)

May 31, 2011
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Father Walter Schu, LC

Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary´s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid´s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your supreme goodness and love. I entrust my entire self to you with all of my hopes, fears and joys. Thank you for giving us the gift of yourself in the Eucharist. Thank you, too, for giving us your own mother to be our mother during our exile on this earth and journey home to you in heaven. Here I am, like her, to do your will.

Petition: Mary, help me to grow in humility.

1. Mary Traveled in Haste: What has impelled Mary to undertake her perilous journey not only alone, but also in haste? An irresistible force was acting within Mary: the presence of the Holy Spirit overshadowed and filled her since the moment of the Annunciation. This same Holy Spirit has filled the heart of Elizabeth at Mary’s greeting and moved the infant within her womb. What is the first fruit of the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Joy. Pope Benedict XVI comments on the relationship of joy to the truth who is Christ himself: “Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of truth, attracts to himself the heart of every man, dilates it, and fills it with joy. Only the truth is capable of invading the mind and making it fully joyful. This joy expands the dimensions of the human spirit, raising it from the anxieties of egoism, making it capable of authentic love” (Discourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005).

2. “And How Does This Happen to Me?” - Elizabeth’s moving question reflects the one virtue necessary for a person to be invaded by the Holy Spirit: humility. Elizabeth is profoundly aware of her own lowliness in the face of a visit from the mother of her Lord. Mary herself echoes these sentiments of deep humility throughout her Magnificat. What is the reason her Creator has done great things for her, so much so that all generations will call her blessed? It is not due to any talent or quality she might possess of herself. There is no magnificent grandeur by which she has captivated the Almighty. God has simply “looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness.” Do I rejoice in my own littleness, knowing that it enables the Holy Spirit to make his dwelling within me and do great things for Christ with my life?

3. “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord” - Mary is so filled with the Holy Spirit that her whole being bursts forth in a hymn of joy and praise to the Almighty. Pope Benedict reflects on Mary’s joy at the infant Lord’s presence within her womb: “This is the joy the heart feels when we kneel to adore Jesus in faith” (Discourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005). The joy of Christ, the joy of the Holy Spirit, gratitude to God for the great things he has done in us, impels us to bring Our Lord to others, just as Mary brought him to Elizabeth even before his birth. As she sings her Magnificat, Mary does not remain closed within herself, but reflects on what God has done for her in light of his saving plan for all his people. May the joy of the Holy Spirit bring about a new Pentecost that radiates from our lives.

Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord! The great gift of your Holy Spirit fills our lives with the unspeakable joy of your own presence within us. Help me to respond with haste -- as Mary did -- to the impulses of charity from the Holy Spirit.

Resolution: I will look for occasions to speak about Christ with others and do acts of charity for them with joy and haste, just as Mary did in the Gospel.

Homily of the Day

The Greatness of the Lord

May 31st, 2011 by CE Editors

(Excerpt from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable, priest)

Zep 3:14-18a / Luke 1:39-56

Mary proclaims the greatness of the Lord working in her soul

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” With these words Mary first acknowledges the special gifts she has been given. Then she recalls God’s universal favors, bestowed unceasingly on the human race.

When a man devotes all his thoughts to the praise and service of the Lord, he proclaims God’s greatness. His observance of God’s commands, moreover, shows that he has God’s power and greatness always at heart. His spirit rejoices in God his Savior and delights in the mere recollection of his Creator who gives him hope for eternal salvation.

These words are often used for all God’s creations, but especially for the Mother of God. She alone was chosen, and she burned with spiritual love for the son she so joyously conceived. Above all other saints, she alone could truly rejoice in Jesus, her Savior, for she knew that He Who was the source of eternal salvation would be born in time in her body, in one person both her own son and her Lord.

“For the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” Mary attributes nothing to her own merits. She refers all her greatness to the gift of the one whose essence is power and whose nature is greatness, for He fills with greatness and strength the small and the weak who believe in Him.

She did well to add: “and holy is His name,” to warn those who heard, and indeed all who would receive His words, that they must believe and call upon His name. For they too could share in everlasting holiness and true salvation according to the words of the prophet: and it will come to pass, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is the name she spoke of earlier: “…and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Therefore it is an excellent and fruitful custom of holy Church that we should sing Mary’s hymn at the time of evening prayer. By meditating upon the incarnation, our devotion is kindled, and by remembering the example of God’s Mother, we are encouraged to lead a life of virtue. Such virtues are best achieved in the evening. We are weary after the day’s work and worn out by our distractions. The time for rest is near, and our minds are ready for contemplation.

Let us pray.

Happy are you who have believed,
because the Lord’s promises will be accomplished in you.
And Mary said:

R. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.

Come, and listen,
and I will tell what great things God
has accomplished for me.

R. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.

Te Deum

You are God: we praise You;
You are the Lord: we acclaim You;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships You.

To You all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise You.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise You.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise You.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims You:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that You will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help Your people,
bought with the price of Your own blood,
and bring us with Your saints
to glory everlasting.

V. Save Your people, Lord, and bless Your inheritance.

R. Govern and uphold them now and always.

V. Day by day we bless You.

R. We praise Your name for ever.

V. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.

R. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

V. Lord, show us Your love and mercy;

R. for we put our trust in You.

V. In You, Lord, is our hope:

R. and we shall never hope in vain.

Prayer

Eternal Father,
You inspired the Virgin Mary, mother of Your Son,
to visit Elizabeth and assist her in her need.
Keep us open to the working of Your Spirit,
and with Mary may we praise You for ever.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord. And give Him thanks.

Amen.

One Bread, One Body

<< Tuesday, May 31, 2011 >>

Visitation
Saint of the Day

Zephaniah 3:14-18 or
Romans 12:9-16
View Readings

Isaiah 12:2-6

Luke 1:39-56

VISITING PRIVILEGES

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." —Luke 1:41

On this feast of the Visitation, the Lord reveals to us that even infants in the womb can receive the Holy Spirit by the Lord's sovereign power (Lk 1:15). Old women can receive the Spirit merely by hearing the greeting of a Spirit-filled person (Lk 1:41). Teenage girls will also receive the Spirit as they let it be done unto them according to the Lord's word (Lk 1:38). "The Spirit is moving all over this land."

The prophecy of Joel continues to be fulfilled: "I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out My Spirit" (Jl 3:1-2).

Mary is praying in heaven for you as she prayed for Jesus' disciples in the upper room (Acts 1:14). Repent. Give your life to Jesus. Thirst for the Spirit (Jn 7:37). Ask for the Spirit (Lk 11:13). "Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It was to you and your children that the promise was made" (Acts 2:38-39).

Prayer: Father, stir into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit (2 Tm 1:6).

Promise: "The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty Savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in His love, He will sing joyfully because of you." —Zep 3:17

Praise: Praise Jesus, in the womb of Mary, Who brought joy, life, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Alleluia!

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

Jesu, the world’s redeeming Lord,

The Father’s co-eternal Word,

Of light invisible true Light,

Thine Israel’s Keeper day and night.

Our great Creator and our Guide,

Who times and seasons dost divide,

Refresh at night with quiet rest,

Our limbs by daily toil oppressed.

We pray thee, while we dwell below,

Preserve us from our ghostly foe;

Nor let his wiles victorious be

O’er them that are redeemed by thee.

That while in this frail house of clay

A little longer here we stay,

Our flesh in thee may sweetly sleep,

Our souls with thee their vigils keep.

All praise be thine, O risen Lord,

From death to endless life restored;

All praise to God the Father be,

And Holy Ghost eternally.

Psalm 142 (143) A prayer in time of trouble

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Lord, listen to my prayer:

in your faithfulness turn your ear to my pleading;

in your justice, hear me.

Do not judge your servant:

nothing that lives can justify itself before you.

The enemy has hounded my spirit,

he has crushed my life to the ground,

he has shut me in darkness, like the dead of long ago.

So my spirit trembles within me,

my heart turns to stone.

I remind myself of the days of old,

I reflect on all your works,

I meditate once more on the work of your hands.

I stretch out my arms to you,

I stretch out my soul, like a land without water.

Come quickly and hear me, O Lord,

for my spirit is weakening.

Do not hide your face from me,

do not let me be like the dead,

who go down to the underworld.

Show me your mercy at daybreak,

because of my trust in you.

Tell me the way I should follow,

for I lift up my soul towards you.

Rescue me from my enemies:

Lord, I flee to you for refuge.

Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God.

Your good spirit will lead me to the land of justice;

for your name’s sake, Lord, you will give me life.

In your righteousness you will lead my soul

away from all tribulation.

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. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Reading	1 Peter 5:8-9 ©

Be calm and vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith.

Short Responsory

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness, alleluia, alleluia.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

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

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

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. Alleluia.

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. Alleluia.

Let us pray.

Of your kindness, Lord, dispel the darkness of this night, so that we your servants may go to sleep in peace and wake to the light of the new day, rejoicing in your name.

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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

AMEN

	Regina Caeli

Queen of Heaven, be joyful,

Alleluia.

You who were worthy to bear him.

Alleluia.

He has risen, as he promised.

Alleluia.

Pray for us to God.

Alleluia.

Regina caeli laetare, Alleluia,

Quia quem meruisti portare, Alleluia,

Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluia.

Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia.