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 140 (141)
Prayer in time of danger |
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I will put my law into their hearts. I will be God for them and they shall be my people.
O Lord, I call on you,
hurry to my help:
listen to my voice when I call.
When I make my prayer, let it rise like incense before you;
when I raise my hands, let it be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard on my mouth, Lord,
a watch upon my lips.
Do not let my heart turn to evil thoughts,
to the planning of wicked deeds,
to alliance with wrongdoers.
Let me not share in their delights.
Let the just man strike and rebuke me out of kindness;
but sinners shall never anoint me with oil,
or I would be an ally in their plans.
When they fall into the hands of harsh judges,
they will see how kind my words were.
Like fragments of spoil after digging,
their bones will lie scattered round the mouth of the underworld.
To you, Lord, to you my eyes are turned.
I take refuge in you –
preserve my life.
Protect me from the trap they have laid for me,
save me from the snares of the wicked.
Let them be caught in their own nets, all of them,
while I pass by in safety.
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.
I will put my law into their hearts. I will be God for them and they shall be my people.
Psalm 141 (142)
You are my refuge |
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I count everything as loss, because of the supreme advantage of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.
My voice cries out to the Lord;
my voice cries out its entreaty.
I pour out lamentation in his sight,
I proclaim my troubles before him.
When my spirit is failing within me,
still, Lord, you know my paths.
On the road I was travelling,
they set up a trap for me.
I looked about me and saw
there was no-one beside me to help.
I have nowhere to flee;
and no-one will miss me.
I have cried to you, Lord,
I have said: “you are my refuge, my share in the land of the living.
Listen to my call for help, for I am crushed down.”
“Lead my spirit from prison, so that I may praise your name.
The upright will gather around me, because you have restored 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.
I count everything as loss, because of the supreme advantage of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.
Although he was the Son of God, his sufferings taught him obedience.
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.
Although he was the Son of God, his sufferings taught him obedience.
| Short reading | 1 Peter 1:18-21 © |
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Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God.
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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Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. He said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’
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.
Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. He said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’
| Prayers and Intercessions | |
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Let us give glory to Christ the Lord, our master, our example, and our brother. Let us plead with him:
– Give life to your people, O Lord.
Christ, you were made like us in all things except sin. Make us able to rejoice with the happy but weep with the sad;
so that our love may grow stronger day by day.
– Give life to your people, O Lord.
You were hungry: let us feed you by feeding those who are hungry now,
and slake your thirst by giving drink to the thirsty.
– Give life to your people, O Lord.
You raised Lazarus from the sleep of death:
awaken those who sleepwalk in sin, and bring them to faith and repentance
– Give life to your people, O Lord.
Let everyone follow your footsteps more closely and more eagerly:
inspired by the example of the blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.
– Give life to your people, O Lord.
Grant that the dead may rise again in your glory
and enjoy life for ever in your love.
– Give life to your people, O Lord.
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.
