Vespers (Evening Prayer)
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
Come, O Creator Spirit, come,
And make within our hearts thy home;
To us thy grace celestial give,
Who of thy breathing move and live.
O Comforter, that name is thine,
Of God most high the gift divine;
The well of life, the fire of love,
Our souls’ anointing from above.
Our senses with thy light inflame,
Our hearts to heavenly love reclaim;
Our bodies’ poor infirmity
With strength perpetual fortify.
May we by thee the Father learn,
And know the Son, and thee discern,
Who art of both; and thus adore
In perfect faith for evermore.
All laud to God the Father be;
All praise, O risen Son, to thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete.
Psalm 134 (135)
Praise the Lord, the wonder-worker |
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The Lord is great: our God is high above all gods.
Praise the name of the Lord:
praise it, servants of the Lord,
you who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it brings happiness.
For the Lord chose Jacob for his own,
he chose Israel for his possession.
I know how great is the Lord,
how great is our God above all gods.
The Lord accomplishes all that he wills,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the sea and the depths of the oceans.
He brings in clouds from the ends of the earth,
makes lightning for the rain-clouds,
from his storehouse he calls forth the winds.
He struck down the first-born of Egypt,
of man and of beast alike.
He sent signs and wonders among them,
to Pharaoh and all his servants.
He shattered nation after nation,
killed powerful kings:
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, the king of Bashan,
all the kingdoms of Canaan.
He gave their lands as a birthright,
as a birthright for Israel his people.
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 great: our God is high above all gods.
House of Israel, bless the Lord! Sing a psalm to his name, for he is loving.
Lord, your name is for ever;
Lord, your name will be remembered
by generation after generation.
For the Lord will give judgement for his people,
he will look with kindness upon his servants.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of the hands of men.
They have mouths but will not speak,
they have eyes and will not see.
They have ears and will not hear,
there is no breath in their mouths.
They will be like them, those who make them;
and all who put their trust in them.
House of Israel, bless the Lord;
house of Aaron, bless the Lord;
house of Levi, bless the Lord;
you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
whose abode is Jerusalem.
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.
House of Israel, bless the Lord! Sing a psalm to his name, for he is loving.
All the peoples will come and adore you, Lord.
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.
All the peoples will come and adore you, Lord.
| Short Reading | James 1:2-4 © |
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My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege; you understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results so that you will become fully-developed, complete, with nothing missing.
Christ in his love has washed us clean with his blood.
– Christ in his love has washed us clean with his blood.
He has made us a kingdom and priesthood for God.
– Christ in his love has washed us clean with his blood.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Christ in his love has washed us clean with his blood.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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This is the faithful and wise steward whom the Lord has put in charge of his household. He gives them each their measure of wheat at the proper time.
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.
This is the faithful and wise steward whom the Lord has put in charge of his household. He gives them each their measure of wheat at the proper time.
| Prayers and intercessions | |
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Father, Christ prayed that we be forgiven through his passion. As you accepted him, accept his prayer for all sinners.
– Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Through his beloved disciple, Jesus gave us Mary to be our mother;
with her we pray to you for all her children.
– Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Father, heed the anguish of those who cry out to you with your Son:
’My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’
– Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Help us to hear the cry, ‘I thirst’;
help us to see your Son, even in the least of his brothers.
– Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
To the man dying with him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, this day you will be with me in Paradise.’
Father, let these words be heard again by those who die tonight.
– Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
We pray for those who have gone before us, signed with the sign of the cross:
may they rise with Christ in power when his voice resounds again through the universe: ‘It is consummated.’
– Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
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 God, who made blessed Aldhelm a bishop in your Church,
eminent for his ardent love and that faith which overcomes the world,
at his intercession grant that we ourselves, persevering in faith and love,
may join him in your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
AMEN
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis downloads do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
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