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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Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
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.
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
Psalm 145 (146)
The blessedness of those who hope in the Lord |
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The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee named Nazareth, to the virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph
Praise the Lord, my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life,
make music to my God as long as I exist.
Do not trust in princes to save you,
they are only sons of men.
One day their breath will leave them, they will return to the ground;
on that day perish all their plans.
Happy the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth and all that is in them,
who keeps faith for ever,
who gives justice to the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord frees prisoners,
he gives light to the blind,
he raises the fallen.
The Lord loves the upright, cares for strangers,
sustains orphans and widows;
but the wicked he sends astray.
The Lord will reign for all ages,
your God, O Zion, from generation to generation.
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 angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee named Nazareth, to the virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us, in Christ,
with every spiritual blessing in heaven.
In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,
to be holy and spotless in his sight.
He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,
simply because it pleased him to do so.
This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,
of his free gift to us in his Beloved,
in whose blood we have gained redemption,
and the forgiveness of our sins.
This he did according to the riches of his grace,
which he gave us in abundance,
with all wisdom and discernment,
revealing to us the mysteries of his will,
because it pleased him to do so.
In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,
to bring all things together in Christ,
from the heavens and from the earth.
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 mother of Jesus, was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
| Short reading | Colossians 3:23-24 © |
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Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for men, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving.
The righteous man will grow like the lily.
– The righteous man will grow like the lily.
And bloom for ever before the Lord.
– The righteous man will grow like the lily.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The righteous man will grow like the lily.
| My soul rejoices in the Lord |
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Behold the faithful and careful servant whom the Lord has set over his family.
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.
Behold the faithful and careful servant whom the Lord has set over his family.
| Prayers and Intercessions | |
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Let us celebrate the loving kindness of God, who fills us with the light of the Holy Spirit and makes us shine in faith and good works. Let us pray to him:
– Give life, Lord, to the people that Christ redeemed.
Lord, source of all sanctity, through the mystery of the Eucharist unite all bishops, priests, and deacons more closely to Christ;
daily let them renew the grace that they received through the laying on of hands.
– Give life, Lord, to the people that Christ redeemed.
Teach your faithful to come worthily and eagerly to the table of Christ’s body and Christ’s word;
may the sacrament they receive fill their lives and their actions.
– Give life, Lord, to the people that Christ redeemed.
To all men you gave the honour of being redeemed by your Son’s blood.
May we respect that honour by protecting their liberty and their conscience.
– Give life, Lord, to the people that Christ redeemed.
Grant that people may moderate their desire for the good things of this earth
and pay attention to the poverty of others.
– Give life, Lord, to the people that Christ redeemed.
Take pity on all whom you have called from this life today;
grant them the gift of eternal happiness.
– Give life, Lord, to the people that Christ redeemed.
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.
Almighty God, at the beginning of your plan to save the human race you entrusted your Son to Joseph’s care.
By his intercession may your Church
be a constant faithful guardian of your saving mysteries.
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.
