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 109 (110)
The Messiah, king and priest |
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As the serpent was raised up in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be raised up.
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.
As the serpent was raised up in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be raised up.
Psalm 113A (114)
Israel set free from Egypt |
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Lord of hosts, you are our protector and liberator, our merciful rescuer.
When Israel came out of Egypt,
Jacob’s people from a land of strangers,
Judah became his sanctuary
and Israel his domain.
The sea saw it, and fled;
the Jordan flowed backwards at the sight;
the mountains leapt like rams;
the hills, like yearling sheep.
Sea, what was it, what made you flee?
And you, Jordan, why did you flow uphill?
Mountains, why did you leap like rams?
Hills, like yearling sheep?
Tremble, Earth, at the presence of the Lord,
the presence of the Lord of Jacob,
who has turned the rock into a pool of water
and made a fountain out of the flint.
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 of hosts, you are our protector and liberator, our merciful rescuer.
| Christ's passion, freely chosen |
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He himself has been wounded for our transgressions, battered by our sins. By his dying we have been healed.
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, to follow in his path.
He committed no sin, in his speech there was no deceit;
when they cursed him, he did not curse them;
when he suffered, he did not threaten retribution, but committed them to the one just judge.
He endured our sins in the sufferings of his body on the tree,
so that we would die to our sins and live for righteousness –
and by his bruises you have been healed.
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 himself has been wounded for our transgressions, battered by our sins. By his dying we have been healed.
| Short reading | Acts 13:26-30 © |
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My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every sabbath. Though they found nothing to justify his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out everything that scripture foretells about him they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead.
Lord, listen and take pity on us, for we have sinned against you.
– Lord, listen and take pity on us, for we have sinned against you.
Christ, hear those who cry to you.
– Lord, listen and take pity on us, for we have sinned against you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Lord, listen and take pity on us, for we have sinned against you.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ – ‘No one, sir.’ – ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus: ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’
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.
‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ – ‘No one, sir.’ – ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus: ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’
| Prayers and Intercessions | |
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Let us give praise to God the Father, who willed that his chosen people should be born once again, of an incorruptible stock, through his eternal Word. We ask him humbly
– Look with favour, Lord, upon your people.
Merciful God, hear what we ask on behalf of your whole people
let them desire your word more than food itself.
– Look with favour, Lord, upon your people.
Teach us to love our own people, and all men, without any distinction
teach us to help them grow in peace and prosperity.
– Look with favour, Lord, upon your people.
Look after all who are to be reborn through baptism
make them a spiritual gift to you, living stones to build your holy city.
– Look with favour, Lord, upon your people.
Through Jonah you inspired Nineveh to repentance
turn round the hearts of sinners, through your Word.
– Look with favour, Lord, upon your people.
Grant that the dying may come with hope before Christ the Judge
and let them rejoice in your presence for ever.
– Look with favour, Lord, upon your people.
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 Lord, our God, your Son’s love for the world was so great
that he gave himself up to death for it.
We ask you that by your aid we may eagerly live that same love.
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.
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.
