[Salvation]

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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.

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A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 109 (110)

The Messiah, king and priest

The Lord has said to my lord: “Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies into your footstool”.

From Sion the Lord will give you a sceptre, and you will rule in the midst of your foes.
Royal power is yours in the day of your strength, glorious and holy; from the time of your birth, before the dawn.

The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: “You are a priest for ever, a priest of the priesthood of Melchisedech”.
The Lord is at your right hand, and on the day of his anger he will shatter kings.

He will judge the nations, he will pile high their skulls;
he will drink from the stream as he goes – he will hold his head high.

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.

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Psalm 120 (121)

The guardian of the people

I shall lift my eyes to the hills:
 where is my help to come from?
My help will come from the Lord,
 who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip:
 he will not doze, your guardian.
Behold, he will not doze or sleep,
 the guardian of Israel.

The Lord is your guardian, the Lord is your shade;
 he is at your right hand.
By day the sun will not strike you;
 nor the moon by night.

The Lord will guard you from all harm;
 the Lord will guard your life.
The Lord will guard your coming and your going
 both now and for ever.

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.

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Canticle	(1 Timothy 3)
The mystery and glory of Christ
Praise the Lord, all you nations! He was manifested in flesh, justified in spirit – praise the Lord, all you nations! He was seen by the angels, he was preached to the nations – praise the Lord, all you nations! The world believed in him, he was taken up in glory – praise the Lord, all you nations! 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.

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Short reading	Romans 8:16 - 17 ©
The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.

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Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour –  me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed,  because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy,  his mercy lasts for generation after generation  for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength:  he has scattered the proud and conceited,  torn princes from their thrones;  but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things;  the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel,  he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,  to Abraham and his children for ever. 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.

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Prayers and Intercessions

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We bring our prayers to our Saviour, who was miraculously transfigured on the mountain before his disciples’ eyes: - Lighten our darkness, for you are our God. Christ, by being transfigured you revealed the resurrection to your disciples before the passion had even taken place. We pray to you for your holy Church, labouring to serve the needs of the world: in her tribulations may she be constantly transfigured by joy at your victory. Christ, you took aside Peter, James and John, and led them to a high mountain. We pray to you for our Pope N. and for the bishops: may they minister to your people in the hope of the resurrection. Christ, on the mountain your face shone brighter than Moses and Elijah. We pray to you for the Jews, the people you gained of old: may their merits bring them at last to fulness of redemption. Christ, shining with the glory of the Creator you illuminated the earth. We pray to you for men of good will: may they walk in your light. Christ, you will reshape our human bodies to be like your body of light. We pray to you for our deceased brethren: may they enter your glory.

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 that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
 but deliver us from evil.

O God, at your only-begotten Son’s glorious transfiguration you confirmed the mysteries of faith by the witness of the prophets of old, and you miraculously prefigured what would happen when your adopted children were brought to perfection.
Grant to us, your servants
 that we may hear the voice of your beloved Son
 and so desire to become co-heirs with him.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
 who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
 God for ever and ever.
Amen.

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May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Monday, August 06, 2007 Meditation Luke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration of the Lord Peter was a “take charge” kind of fellow. Jesus must have recognized that quality when he first saw him in his fishing boat on the edge of the sea. More than once, Jesus even congratulates him for this characteristic, prophesying a leading role for Peter. He tells the fisherman that he will become a fisher of men, and he even calls Peter the “rock” on which he will build his church. However, it took many lessons from Jesus for Peter to be able to fulfill these roles and achieve the potential that Jesus saw in him. In today’s Gospel, we see Peter wanting to take charge again. Seeing the glory of God come upon Jesus, as well as Moses and Elijah standing with him, Peter immediately proposed building some kind of shrine to memorialize this amazing event. Instead of standing in awe of what was before his eyes—instead of prostrating himself before these holy men, Peter wanted to take action. But, knowing Peter’s tendencies, the Father told him exactly what he needed to hear: “This is my chosen Son; listen to him” (Luke 9:35). “Listen to him.” This is a word we all need to hear. If we want to serve Jesus as his disciples on this earth, we need to spend time listening to him and getting direction and guidance from him. All action and no reflection is far from the most effective way to build the kingdom of God! Remember the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42)? Martha was busy working, while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to his teaching. Of course, Martha did good things, but Mary chose the better part. We can learn from these stories and make sure we are spending enough time with Jesus, adoring him, praying, reading his word. As we do, we will begin to detect the difference between a “good” idea and an inspired one that comes from the Holy Spirit. Jesus wants to lead us in all our endeavors, and if we stay in touch with him, he will make us into his own instruments, no matter what we are doing. “Jesus, I want to sit at your feet today. Even when I am busy with the tasks of daily life, I want to hold you close in my heart and listen to your voice. I love you, my Jesus, my Savior and Lord.” Daniel 7:9-10,13-14; Psalm 97:1-2,5-6,9; 2 Peter 1:16-19

[cheme]

So do you pray the liturgy of the hours?