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 112 (113)
Praise of the Lord's name |
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A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: on him rests the spirit of the Lord.
Praise, servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Let the Lord’s name be blessed,
now and for ever.
From the sun’s rising to its setting,
the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high over all peoples,
his glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, who lives on high,
who bends down to watch over heaven and earth?
He raises the weak from the ground,
the poor from the dunghill,
raises them among the princes,
the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a household,
makes her the happy mother of children.
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 shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: on him rests the spirit of the Lord.
Psalm 147 (147B)
God, the foundation of Jerusalem |
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The Lord will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule for ever.
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem
— Zion, praise your God.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
he has blessed your children.
He keeps your borders in peace,
he fills you with the richest wheat.
He sends out his command over the earth,
and swiftly runs his word.
He sends down snow that is like wool,
frost that is like ashes.
He sends hailstones like crumbs
— who can withstand his cold?
He will send out his word, and all will be melted;
his spirit will breathe, and the waters will flow.
He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his laws and judgements to Israel.
He has not done this for other nations:
he has not shown them his judgements.
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 give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule for ever.
The heavenly Word, born of the Father before time began, has today emptied himself and became flesh for us.
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.
The heavenly Word, born of the Father before time began, has today emptied himself and became flesh for us.
| Short reading | 1 John 1:1-2 © |
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Something which has existed since the beginning,
that we have heard,
and we have seen with our own eyes;
that we have watched
and touched with our hands:
the Word, who is life –
this is our subject.
That life was made visible:
we saw it and we are giving our testimony,
telling you of the eternal life
which was with the Father and has been made visible to us.
The root of Jesse has put forth a shoot, a star is risen from Jacob, alleluia, alleluia.
– The root of Jesse has put forth a shoot, a star is risen from Jacob, alleluia, alleluia.
The Virgin has given birth to the Saviour.
– The root of Jesse has put forth a shoot, a star is risen from Jacob, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The root of Jesse has put forth a shoot, a star is risen from Jacob, alleluia, alleluia.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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Mary, the Holy Spirit will come down upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
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.
Mary, the Holy Spirit will come down upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
| Prayers and Intercessions | |
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Let us praise God, the all-powerful, the compassionate. He knows all our needs, but above all he wants us to ask for the coming of his kingdom. So let us acclaim him and say:
– May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice.
Holy Father, you gave us Christ as a shepherd for our souls. Be close to your shepherds and the people they have gathered: let the shepherds be faithful in caring for their flock;
let the flock be faithful in obeying the shepherds.
– May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice.
Let Christians care for the sick with brotherly devotion:
it is Christ they are caring for.
– May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice.
Lead into your Church those who do not yet believe in the Gospel:
let them help her to grow through love and good works.
– May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice.
We are sinners: make us able to beg for your pardon;
and thus be reconciled to your Church.
– May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice.
Let the dead awaken to eternal life
and remain for ever with you.
– May your kingdom come, the kingdom of justice.
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.
O God, you willed that your Word should take on true human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Grant, we pray you,
that as we proclaim our Redeemer to be man and also our God,
we may deserve to share in his divine nature.
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.
A M E N
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.
