Friday 10 April 2020
Good Friday
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
Sole hope of all the world and Lord,
Bestower of the great reward,
Receive the prayers thy servants raise
Mixed with meet psalms and chants of praise.
And though our conscience doth proclaim
Our deep transgressions and our shame,
Cleanse us, O God, we humbly plead,
From sins of thought and word and deed.
Our sins remember thou no more;
Forgive: thou art of mighty pow’r:
So take upon thee, Lord, our care
That pure in heart we make our prayer.
Therefore accept, O Lord, this tide
Of fast which thou hast sanctified,
That we may reach by mystic ways
The sacraments of Easter days.
________
Psalm 115 (116B)
Thanksgiving in the Temple
“Through him [Christ], let us offer God an unending sacrifice of praise” (Heb 13:15).
Look, all you peoples, and see my grief.
I trústed, éven when I sáid: *
‘I am sórely afflícted,’
and whén I sáid in my alárm: *
‘No mán can be trústed.’
How cán I repáy the Lórd *
for his góodness to mé?
The cúp of salvátion I will ráise; *
I will cáll on the Lórd’s name.
My vóws to the Lórd I will fulfíl *
befóre all his péople.
O précious in the éyes of the Lórd *
is the déath of his fáithful.
Your sérvant, Lord, your sérvant am Í; *
you have lóosened my bónds.
A thánksgiving sácrifice I máke; *
I will cáll on the Lórd’s name.
My vóws to the Lórd I will fulfíl *
befóre all his péople,
in the cóurts of the hóuse of the Lórd, *
in your mídst, O Jerúsalem.
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, all you peoples, and see my grief.
Psalm-prayer
Lord, accept the prayers of your faithful people. Help us always to offer you a sacrifice of praise. Quickly break the bonds that hold your children down, and we will fulfil our vows and praise you every day.
Or:
Father, precious in your sight is the death of the saints, but precious above all is the love with which Christ suffered to redeem us. In this life we fill up in our own flesh what is still lacking in the sufferings of Christ; accept this as our sacrifice of praise, and we shall even now taste the joy of the new Jerusalem.
________
Psalm 142 (143)
A prayer in time of trouble
“A man is made righteous not by obedience to the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:16).
My spirit fails; my heart is numb within me.
Lórd, lísten to my práyer: †
túrn your éar to my appéal. *
You are fáithful, you are júst; give ánswer.
Do not cáll your sérvant to júdgement *
for nó one is júst in your síght.
The énemy pursúes my sóul; *
he has crúshed my lífe to the gróund;
he has máde me dwéll in dárkness *
like the déad, lóng forgótten.
Thérefore my spírit fáils; *
my héart is númb withín me.
I remémber the dáys that are pást: *
I pónder áll your wórks.
I múse on what your hánd has wróught †
and to yóu I strétch out my hánds. *
Like a párched land my sóul thirsts for yóu.
Lórd, make háste and ánswer; *
for my spírit fáils withín me.
Dó not híde your fáce *
lest I becóme like thóse in the gráve.
In the mórning let me knów your lóve *
for I pút my trúst in yóu.
Make me knów the wáy I should wálk: *
to yóu I líft up my sóul.
Réscue me, Lórd, from my énemies; *
I have fléd to yóu for réfuge.
Téach me to dó your wíll *
for yóu, O Lórd, are my Gód.
Let yóur good spírit gúide me *
in wáys that are lével and smóoth.
For your náme’s sake, Lórd, save my lífe; *
in your jústice save my sóul from distréss.
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.
My spirit fails; my heart is numb within me.
Psalm-prayer
Lord Jesus, early in the morning of your resurrection, you made your love known and brought the first light of dawn to those who dwell in darkness. Your death has opened a path for us. Do not enter into judgement with your servants; let your Holy Spirit guide us together into the land of justice.
________
Canticle
Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said, ‘It is accomplished’; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.
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.
After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said, ‘It is accomplished’; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.
________
Short Reading
1 Peter 2
Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed.
________
Short Responsory
Christ humbled himself for us and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on a cross.
________
Canticle
Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
When we were still God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son.
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 we were still God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son.
________
Prayers and intercessions
As we recall Christ’s saving death, let us pray to God the Father.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Lord, unite your Church throughout the world.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Keep Pope N. in your loving care.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Sanctify by your Spirit the entire people of God.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Deepen the faith and understanding of those preparing for baptism.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Gather all Christians into unity.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Bring the Jewish people to the fullness of redemption.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Shed your light on those who do not believe in Christ.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Show the signs of your love to those who deny your existence.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Guide the minds and hearts of governments and rulers.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Comfort those who live in sorrow.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord hear us.
Grant to the dead eternal rest.
– Through the death of your Son, Lord 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.
________
Be mindful, Lord, of this your family,
for whose sake our Lord Jesus Christ, when betrayed,
did not hesitate to yield himself into his enemies’ hands
and undergo the agony of the cross.
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.