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.
A suitable hymn may be inserted here.
Psalm 19 (20)
Prayer for victory |
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The Lord will grant victory to his Anointed One.
May the Lord hear your prayer in the day of tribulation,
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from his holy place;
from Zion, may he extend his protection.
May he remember every one of your sacrifices
and find merit in your burnt-offerings.
May he deal with you as your heart desires
and bring all your plans to fulfilment.
We will rejoice in your salvation,
we will raise our banners in the name of God;
may the Lord grant all your prayers.
Now I know that the Lord keeps his anointed one safe:
in his sanctuary in heaven he hears his prayer,
and lends the support of his strong right hand.
Some put their faith in chariots
and some in horses,
but we invoked the name of the Lord our God.
They stumbled and fell,
but we rose and we stand upright.
Lord, keep the king safe,
and hear our prayer whenever we call 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.
The Lord will grant victory to his Anointed One.
Psalm 20 (21)
Thanksgiving for victory |
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We shall sing of your power.
Lord, the king will rejoice in your strength,
he will triumph in your saving power.
You have granted him his heart’s desire,
you have not denied the wish that he spoke.
For you showered him with blessings
even before he asked for them.
You have placed a crown of purest gold upon his head.
He asked you for life,
and you granted it to him,
length of days for ever and for ever.
Great is his glory through your help:
you cover him with splendour and majesty.
You lay a blessing upon him that will last for ever,
you make him rejoice in joy before you.
For the king hopes in the Lord,
and through the kindness of the Most High he will not be shaken.
Stand high above us, Lord, in your power;
and we will sing and celebrate your might.
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.
We shall sing of your power.
Lord, you have made us a kingdom and a priesthood for our God.
You are worthy, our Lord and our God,
to receive glory and honour and power;
for you made all things,
and it is by your will that they exist and were created.
You are worthy, Lord,
to receive the book and open its seals,
for you were killed,
and with your blood you have ransomed people
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and made them rulers and priests for God;
and they will rule over the earth.
The Lamb is worthy, who was killed,
to receive power and riches and wisdom,
strength and honour, glory and blessing.
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.
Lord, you have made us a kingdom and a priesthood for our God.
| Short reading | 1 Corinthians 1:27-30 © |
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To shame what is strong, God chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom.
I have said: Lord, take pity on me.
– I have said: Lord, take pity on me.
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
– I have said: Lord, take pity on me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– I have said: Lord, take pity on me.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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He who sent me is with me, and has not left me to myself, for I always do what pleases him.
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.
He who sent me is with me, and has not left me to myself, for I always do what pleases him.
| Prayers and Intercessions | |
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Christ the Lord warned us to keep watch against temptation and to defend ourselves with prayer. So let us pray to him eagerly, saying
– Turn to us, Lord, take pity on us.
Jesus Christ, you promised to be with those who gathered together to pray in your name:
be with us always as we pray to the Father through the Holy Spirit.
– Turn to us, Lord, take pity on us.
You are the bridegroom of the Church: keep her free from stain.
Let her journey ahead in hope, strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
– Turn to us, Lord, take pity on us.
You love mankind and commanded each of us to take care of our neighbour. Give us the desire to obey you in this,
so that your saving light may shine more brightly on all men.
– Turn to us, Lord, take pity on us.
King of peace, let your peace rule throughout the world
so that the presence of our Saviour may be seen everywhere.
– Turn to us, Lord, take pity on us.
Admit all the dead to eternal happiness;
shine the light of glory and immortality upon them.
– Turn to us, Lord, 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.
Lord, give us a persevering spirit of service to your will,
so that in our lifetime your people
may grow in number and strength in your service.
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
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 downloadable versions of Universalis do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
