Tuesday 24 December 2019
24 December
(First Vespers of tomorrow, Christmas Day)
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
O Christ, the Father’s only Son,
Whose death for all redemption won,
Before the worlds, of God Most High,
Begotten all ineffably.
The Father’s Light and Splendour thou,
Their endless Hope to thee that bow;
Accept the prayers and praise today
That through the world thy servants pay.
Salvation’s Author, call to mind
Thou took’st the form of humankind,
When of the Virgin undefiled
Thou in man’s flesh becam’st a Child.
Thus testifies the present day
Through every year in long array,
That thou, salvation’s source alone,
Proceedest from the Father’s throne.
All honour, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
________
Psalm 112 (113)
Praise of the Lord's name
“He put down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly” (Lk 1:52).
The King of Peace has shown himself in glory: all the peoples desire to see him.
Práise, O sérvants of the Lórd, *
práise the náme of the Lórd!
May the náme of the Lórd be bléssed *
both nów and for évermóre!
From the rísing of the sún to its sétting *
práised be the náme of the Lórd!
Hígh above all nátions is the Lórd, *
abóve the héavens his glóry.
Whó is like the Lórd, our Gód, *
who has rísen on hígh to his thróne
yet stóops from the héights to look dówn, *
to look dówn upon héaven and éarth?
From the dúst he lífts up the lówly, *
from the dúngheap he ráises the póor
to sét him in the cómpany of prínces, *
yés, with the prínces of his péople.
To the chíldless wífe he gives a hóme *
and gláddens her héart with chíldren.
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 King of Peace has shown himself in glory: all the peoples desire to see him.
Psalm-prayer
Almighty Father, we praise and bless your name and ask you to join us together through your enduring love in the bosom of Mother Church.
Or:
Lord Jesus, Word of God, surrendering the brightness of your glory you became man so that we might be raised from the dust to share your very being. May there be innumerable children of the Church to offer homage to your name from the rising of the sun to its setting.
________
Psalm 147 (147B)
God, the foundation of Jerusalem
“Come, and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has chosen” (Rev 21:9).
He sends out his word to the earth, and swiftly runs his command.
O práise the Lórd, Jerúsalem! *
Síon, práise your Gód!
He has stréngthened the bárs of your gátes *
he has bléssed the chíldren withín you.
He estáblished péace on your bórders, *
he féeds you with fínest whéat.
He sénds out his wórd to the éarth *
and swíftly rúns his commánd.
He shówers down snów white as wóol, *
he scátters hóar-frost like áshes.
He húrls down háilstones like crúmbs. *
The wáters are frózen at his tóuch;
he sénds forth his wórd and it mélts them: *
at the bréath of his móuth the waters flów.
He mákes his wórd known to Jácob, *
to Ísrael his láws and decrées.
He has not déalt thus with óther nátions; *
he has not táught them hís decrées.
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 sends out his word to the earth, and swiftly runs his command.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, you established peace within the borders of Jerusalem. Give the fullness of peace now to your faithful people. May peace rule us in this life and possess us in eternal life. You are about to fill us with the best of wheat; grant that what we see dimly now as in a mirror, we may come to perceive clearly in the brightness of your truth.
Or:
All-powerful God, it is through your Church, generously endowed with gifts of grace and fortified by the Holy Spirit, that you send out your word to all nations. Strengthen your Church with the best of all food and make her dauntless in faith. Multiply her children to celebrate with one accord the mysteries of your love at the altar on high.
________
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
The Word of God, born of the Father before time began, humbled himself today for us and became man.
Though he was in the form of God, *
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
He emptied himself, †
taking the form of a servant, *
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, †
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, *
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him *
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, *
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
And every tongue confess that 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.
The Word of God, born of the Father before time began, humbled himself today for us and became man.
________
Short Reading
Galatians 4:4-5
When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.
________
Short Responsory
Today you know that the Lord will come.
– Today you know that the Lord will come.
In the morning you will see his glory.
– Today you know that the Lord will come.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Today you know that the Lord will come.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
When the sun rises in the heavens you will see the king of kings. He comes forth from the Father like a bridegroom coming in splendour from his wedding chamber.
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.
When the sun rises in the heavens you will see the king of kings. He comes forth from the Father like a bridegroom coming in splendour from his wedding chamber.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us turn in prayer to Christ who emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave. He was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.
– Save us through your birth.
Coming into our world, Lord Jesus, you open the new age which the prophets foretold.
In every age, may the Church come again to new birth.
– Save us through your birth.
You took on our human weakness.
Be the eyes of the blind, the strength of the weak, the friend of the lonely.
– Save us through your birth.
Lord, you were born among the poor:
show them your love.
– Save us through your birth.
Your birth brings eternal life within man’s reach;
comfort the dying with hope of new life in heaven.
– Save us through your birth.
Gather the departed to yourself;
and make them radiant in your glory.
– Save us through your birth.
________
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.
________
Fill us with confidence, Lord God,
when your Only-Begotten Son comes as our judge.
We welcome him with joy as our redeemer:
year by year renew that joy,
as we await the fulfilment of our redemption
by Jesus Christ our Lord, 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.