Monday 6 April 2020
Monday of Holy Week
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.
________
Hymn
The royal banners forward go,
The Cross shines forth in radiant glow;
Where he, the Life, did death endure,
And yet by death did life procure.
His feet and hands outstretching there,
He willed the piercing nails to bear,
For us and our redemption’s sake
A victim of himself to make.
There whilst he hung, his sacred side
By soldier’s spear was opened wide,
To cleanse us in the precious flood
Of water mingled with his blood.
Fulfilled is now what David told
In true prophetic song of old,
To all the nations, ‘Lo,’ said he,
‘Our God is reigning from the tree.’
Blest Three in One, our praise we sing
To thee from whom all graces spring:
As by the cross thou dost restore,
So rule and guide us evermore.
________
Psalm 44 (45)
The wedding of the King
“Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him” (Mt 25:6).
He had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him.
My héart overflóws with nóble wórds. †
To the kíng I must spéak the sóng I have máde, *
my tóngue as nímble as the pén of a scríbe.
Yóu are the fáirest of the chíldren of mén †
and gráciousness is póured upón your líps: *
because Gód has bléssed you for évermóre.
O míghty one, gírd your swórd upon your thígh; †
in spléndour and státe, ríde on in tríumph *
for the cáuse of trúth and góodness and ríght.
Take áim with your bów in your dréad right hánd. †
Your árrows are shárp, péoples fall benéath you. *
The fóes of the kíng fall dówn and lose héart.
Your thróne, O Gód, shall endúre for éver. †
A scéptre of jústice is the scéptre of your kíngdom. *
Your lóve is for jústice; your hátred for évil.
Therefore Gód, your Gód, has anóinted yóu †
with the óil of gládness abóve other kíngs: *
your róbes are frágrant with alóes and mýrrh.
From the ívory pálace you are gréeted with músic. †
The dáughters of kíngs are amóng your lóved ones. *
On your ríght stands the quéen in góld of Óphir.
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 had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him.
________
Psalm 44 (45)
The King's bride
I will grant him very many people as his own, for surrendering himself to death.
Lísten, O dáughter, give éar to my wórds: *
forgét your own péople and your fáther’s hóuse.
Só will the kíng desíre your béauty: *
Hé is your lórd, pay hómage to hím.
And the péople of Týre shall cóme with gífts, *
the ríchest of the péople shall séek your fávour.
The dáughter of the kíng is clóthed with spléndour, *
her róbes embróidered with péarls set in góld.
She is léd to the kíng with her máiden compánions. †
Théy are escórted amid gládness and jóy; *
they páss withín the pálace of the kíng.
Sóns shall be yóurs in pláce of your fáthers: *
you will máke them prínces over áll the éarth.
May this sóng make your náme for éver remémbered. *
May the péoples práise you from áge to áge.
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.
I will grant him very many people as his own, for surrendering himself to death.
Psalm-prayer
When you took on flesh, Lord Jesus, you made a marriage of mankind with God. Help us to be faithful to your word and endure our exile bravely, until we are called to the heavenly marriage feast, to which the Virgin Mary, exemplar of your Church, has preceded us.
________
Canticle
Ephesians 1
God the Saviour
God has given freely of his goodness to us in his beloved Son, in whom we gain our freedom through the shedding of his blood.
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.
God has given freely of his goodness to us in his beloved Son, in whom we gain our freedom through the shedding of his blood.
________
Short Reading
Romans 5:8-9
What proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger?
________
Short Responsory
We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
– We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
By your cross you have redeemed the world.
– We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– We worship you, Christ, and we bless you.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life.
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.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life.
________
Prayers and intercessions
Let us turn in prayer to the Saviour of all men. By dying he destroyed our death and by rising he restored our life.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Christ, our Redeemer, let us share in your passion by works of penance,
let us attain the glory of your resurrection.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Grant us the protection of your Mother, the comforter of the afflicted,
help us to extend to others the consolation you have given us.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Unite the faithful to your passion in times of trouble and distress
and let the power of your salvation shine forth in their lives.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
You humbled yourself even to accepting death, death on a cross;
grant to your servants obedience and patience.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
Share with the dead your bodily glory;
let us rejoice one day with them in the fellowship of the saints.
– Sanctify the people you redeemed by your blood.
________
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,
grant that we who are constantly betrayed by our own weakness
may draw the breath of new life
from the passion and death of your Only-Begotten 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 © 1996-2020 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.