Tuesday 29 April 2025    (other days)
Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor 
 on Tuesday of the 2nd week of Eastertide

Using calendar: Australia - Wollongong. You can change this.

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

INTRODUCTION
O God, come to our aid.
  O Lord, make haste to help us.
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. Alleluia.
Hymn
All hail the power of Jesus’ name;
  Let Angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
  To crown him Lord of all.
Crown him, ye Martyrs of your God,
  Who from his altar call;
Praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
  And crown him Lord of all.
Hail him, ye heirs of David’s line,
  Whom David Lord did call;
The God Incarnate, Man Divine,
  And crown him Lord of all.
Let every tribe and every tongue
  To him their hearts enthral,
Lift high the universal song,
  And crown him Lord of all.

Psalm 48 (49)
The uselessness of riches

Look for the things of heaven, not for the things which are upon this earth. Alleluia.
All peoples, listen –
  all who live in the world, hear what I have to say:
humble and great together,
  rich and poor alike!
My mouth will speak wisdom,
  my inmost thoughts will bring good counsel.
I will turn my ears to a mystery,
  I will expound a riddle on the lyre.
Why should I be fearful in times of trouble,
  when the crimes of usurpers hem me in?
They trust in their own strength
  and glory in their great riches.
But, after all, man cannot redeem himself,
  he cannot ransom himself before God.
The price of his soul’s redemption is too great, he cannot pay it –
  the price of eternal death avoided.
He will see that even the wise die;
  the foolish and the stupid too will perish,
  and their riches will pass to others.
Their tombs will be homes to them for ever,
  their dwelling-place for all generations,
  even if the lands they owned are named after them.
Though he be full of honour, man will not endure:
  he is like the beasts of burden, that die;
  he is like the beasts that perish.
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.
Look for the things of heaven, not for the things which are upon this earth. Alleluia.

How to listen

Psalm 48 (49)

The Lord has saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.
Those who trust in themselves – this is the road they take.
  This is the end of those who boast.
Like sheep they go down into the underworld,
  and death is their shepherd.
They will fall headlong into the grave:
  their faces will be eaten away,
  and the underworld will be their dwelling-place.
But God will ransom my life;
  truly he will lift me from the grasp of the underworld.
Do not fear, when a man becomes rich
  and the glory of his house increases.
When he dies, he will not take it with him,
  his glory will not follow him down to the grave.
Even if he calls himself blessed,
  says “see how they praise me for my success,”
still he will join his fathers,
  cut off from light, for ever.
Though he be full of honour, yet he does not understand.
  He is like the beasts of burden, that die;
  he is like the beasts that perish.
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 has saved my soul from the power of death, alleluia.
CanticleApocalypse 4,5

The song of the redeemed

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power, the glory and the victory. Alleluia.
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.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power, the glory and the victory. Alleluia.
Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 7:32,34
An unmarried man can devote himself to the Lord’s affairs, all he need worry about is pleasing the Lord. In the same way an unmarried woman, like a young girl, can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs; all she need worry about is being holy in body and spirit.
Short Responsory
The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
They are led into the temple of the king.
– The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The virgins come before the king. They sing for joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
CanticleMagnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

At all times and in all places, Catherine sought God. She found him and was united to him in love, alleluia.
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.
At all times and in all places, Catherine sought God. She found him and was united to him in love, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Christ the Lord praised those who follow the way of virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let us proclaim his love and pray:
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
Christ our Lord, you presented the Church to yourself, as a chaste virgin to her only husband;
  make her pure, holy and faultless.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
Christ Jesus, the holy virgins went to meet you with lamps burning bright;
  keep alive the flame of fidelity in the hearts of religious women.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
Lord, you have always preserved your Church in purity and soundness of faith;
  grant to all Christians a faith that is true and complete.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
You bring joy to the lives of your faithful as they celebrate the feast of your holy virgin N.;
  may they also rejoice in her constant intercession.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear us.
You have welcomed your holy virgins to the wedding feast of heaven;
  invite all the dead to the feast of eternal life.
– Jesus, king of virgins, hear 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.
Almighty God, you made Saint Catherine of Siena
  a contemplative lover of the Lord’s sufferings
  and an ardent servant of your church.
Grant through her prayer
  that your people may be united to Christ in his mystery,
  and rejoice for ever in the revelation of his glory.
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.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
  Amen.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. 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 Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.

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