Wednesday 11 December 2019
Wednesday of the 2nd week of Advent
or Saint Damasus I, Pope
Vespers (Evening Prayer)
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
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
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Come then and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings from the King of kings.
Then cleansed be every Christian breast,
And furnished for so great a guest!
Yea, let us each his heart prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.
For thou art our salvation, Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without thy grace our souls must fade,
And wither like a flower decayed.
Stretch forth thine hand, to heal our sore,
And make us rise to fall no more;
Once more upon thy people shine,
And fill the world with love divine.
All praise, eternal Son, to thee,
Whose Advent sets thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore,
And Holy Ghost, for evermore.
________
Psalm 61 (62)
Peace in God
“May the God of hope fill you with all peace as you believe in him” (Rom 15:13).
We are waiting in hope for the blessings of the glorious coming of our Saviour.
In God alóne is my sóul at rést; *
my hélp comes from hím.
He alóne is my róck, my strónghold, *
my fórtress: I stand fírm.
How lóng will you áll attack one mán *
to bréak him dówn,
as thóugh he were a tóttering wáll, *
or a túmbling fénce?
Their plán is ónly to destróy: *
they take pléasure in líes.
With their móuth they útter bléssing *
but in their héart they cúrse.
In God alóne be at rést, my sóul; *
for my hópe comes from hím.
He alóne is my róck, my strónghold, *
my fórtress: I stand fírm.
In Gód is my sáfety and glóry, *
the róck of my stréngth.
Take réfuge in Gód, all you péople. *
Trúst him at áll times.
Póur out your héarts befóre him *
for Gód is our réfuge.
Cómmon folk are ónly a bréath, *
gréat men an illúsion.
Pláced in the scáles, they ríse; *
they weigh léss than a bréath.
Dó not put your trúst in oppréssion *
nor vain hópes on plúnder.
Dó not set your héart on ríches *
even whén they incréase.
For Gód has sáid only óne thing: *
only twó do I knów:
that to Gód alóne belongs pówer *
and to yóu, Lord, lóve;
and that yóu repáy each mán *
accórding to his déeds.
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.
We are waiting in hope for the blessings of the glorious coming of our Saviour.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you reward each one according to his works. Hear us as we pour out our hearts to you, seeking your grace and secure protection. We look to you for our stable hope in a constantly changing world.
________
Psalm 66 (67)
All peoples, praise the Lord
“Let it be known to you that this salvation from God has been sent to all peoples” (Acts 28:28).
Let God bless us; let his face shine upon us.
O Gód, be grácious and bléss us *
and let your fáce shed its líght upón us.
So will your wáys be knówn upon éarth *
and all nátions learn your sáving hélp.
Let the péoples práise you, O Gód; *
let áll the péoples práise you.
Let the nátions be glád and exúlt *
for you rúle the wórld with jústice.
With fáirness you rúle the péoples, *
you gúide the nátions on éarth.
Let the péoples práise you, O Gód; *
let áll the péoples práise you.
The éarth has yíelded its frúit *
for Gód, our Gód, has bléssed us.
May Gód still gíve us his bléssing *
till the énds of the éarth revére him.
Let the péoples práise you, O Gód; *
let áll the péoples práise you.
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.
Let God bless us; let his face shine upon us.
Psalm-prayer
Be gracious and bless us, Lord, and let your face shed its light on us, so that we can make you known with reverence and bring forth a harvest of justice.
Or:
All peoples praise you, Father, because through your kindly power the earth has brought forth its fruit, the tree of the cross. We ask that this cross unite all peoples in its embrace and feed them with its fruit, everlasting life.
________
Canticle
(Colossians 1)
Christ, firstborn of all creatures and firstborn from the dead
All things were created in him and he holds all things in being.
Let us give thanks to the Father, †
who has qualified us to share *
in the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness *
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, *
the firstborn of all creation,
for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, *
visible and invisible.
All things were created *
through him and for him.
He is before all things, *
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the Church; *
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, *
that in everything he might be pre-eminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, *
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, *
making peace by the blood of his cross.
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.
All things were created in him and he holds all things in being.
________
Short Reading
1 Corinthians 4:5
There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.
________
Short Responsory
Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
– Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
Let your face smile on us and we shall be safe.
– Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Come to us and save us, Lord God almighty.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Sion, you will be built anew. Your Holy One will come to you and you will see him.
My soul glórifies the Lórd, *
my spirit rejóices in Gód, my Sáviour.
He looks on his sérvant in her lówliness; *
henceforth all áges will cáll me bléssed.
The Almíghty works márvels for me. *
Hóly his náme!
His mércy is from age to áge, *
on thóse who féar him.
He púts forth his árm in stréngth *
and scátters the proud-héarted.
He casts the míghty from their thrónes *
and ráises the lówly.
He fills the stárving with good thíngs, *
sends the rích away émpty.
He protects Ísrael, his sérvant, *
remémbering his mércy,
the mercy prómised to our fáthers, *
to Ábraham and his sóns for éver.
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.
Sion, you will be built anew. Your Holy One will come to you and you will see him.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Christ is coming to free us from the dark night of sin.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
Gather the nations together;
Lord, give them the peace which the world cannot give.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
Strengthen our faith in the midst of uncertainty and doubt;
vindicate the hope which we place in you.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
Teach us to use our gifts for others,
and to fulfil the purpose the Father has for each of his sons.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
Bring all the dead into the light that no darkness can overpower:
may we all meet in joy with you.
– Come, Lord Jesus!
________
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.
________
At your bidding, Lord,
we are preparing the way for Christ, your Son.
May we not grow faint on the journey
as we wait for his healing presence.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
________
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.