Saturday 28 December 2019
The Holy Innocents, Martyrs - Feast
(First Vespers of tomorrow, The Holy Family)
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
Hail, Queen of the heavens, hail Mistress of earth;
Hail, Virgin most pure of immaculate birth:
Clear star of the morning in beauty enshrined;
O Lady, make speed to the help of mankind.
Thee God in the depth of eternity chose,
And formed thee all fair as his glorious spouse,
And called thee his own Word’s true Mother to be
By whom he created the earth, sky, and sea.
Hail, Mother most pure, hail, Virgin renowned,
Hail, Queen with the stars as a diadem crowned;
Above all the angels in glory untold,
Set next to the King in a vesture of gold.
These praises and prayers we lay at thy feet,
O Virgin of virgins, O Mary most sweet:
Be thou our true guide through this pilgrimage here,
And stand by our side when our death draweth near.
________
Psalm 112 (113)
Praise of the Lord's name
“He put down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly” (Lk 1:52).
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
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.
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
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).
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived this child by the Holy Spirit.
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.
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived this child by the Holy Spirit.
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
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
The shepherds came quickly and they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.
Blessed be the God and Father *
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ *
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
He chose us in him *
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy *
and blameless before him.
He destined us in love *
to be his sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will, †
to the praise of his glorious grace *
which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In him we have redemption through his blood, *
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace *
which he lavished upon us.
He has made known to us †
in all wisdom and insight *
the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose *
which he set forth in Christ.
His purpose he set forth in Christ *
as a plan for the fullness of time,
to unite all things in him, *
things in heaven and things on 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.
The shepherds came quickly and they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.
________
Short Reading
2 Corinthians 8:9
Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty.
________
Short Responsory
The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
And he lived among us. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Word became flesh. Alleluia, alleluia.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.’ (Year A)
Or: The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They thought he was with the other pilgrims, and they sought him among their relations and friends.
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.
The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.’ (Year A)
Or: The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They thought he was with the other pilgrims, and they sought him among their relations and friends.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us adore the Son of the living God, who became son in a human family.
– Lord Jesus, bless our families.
By your obedience to Mary and Joseph,
teach us how to respect proper authority and order.
– Lord Jesus, bless our families.
By the love that filled your home,
give our families the grace of loving harmony and peace.
– Lord Jesus, bless our families.
Your first intent was the honour of your Father.
May God be the heart of all our family life.
– Lord Jesus, bless our families.
Your parents found you teaching in your Father’s house.
Help us, like you, to seek first the Father’s will.
– Lord Jesus, bless our families.
By your reunion with Mary and Joseph in the joy of heaven,
welcome our dead into the family of the saints.
– Lord Jesus, bless our families.
________
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.
________
God our Father,
in the Holy Family of Nazareth
you have given us the true model of a Christian home.
Grant that by following Jesus, Mary and Joseph
in their love for each other and in the example of their family life,
we may come to your home of peace and joy.
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.