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.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

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.

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.

Psalm 129 (130)
Out of the depths
Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord: Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears listen out for the voice of my pleading. If you took notice of our transgressions, Lord – Lord, who would be left? But with you is forgiveness, and for this we revere you. I rely on you, Lord, my spirit relies on your promise; my soul hopes in the Lord, more than the watchman for daybreak. More than the watchman for daybreak, let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is kindness and abundant redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all its transgressions. 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.

Psalm 129 (130)

Out of the depths

Out of the depths I have cried to you, Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears listen out for the voice of my pleading.

If you took notice of our transgressions, Lord – Lord, who would be left?
But with you is forgiveness, and for this we revere you.
I rely on you, Lord, my spirit relies on your promise;
my soul hopes in the Lord, more than the watchman for daybreak.

More than the watchman for daybreak, let Israel hope in the Lord:
for with the Lord there is kindness and abundant redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel from all its transgressions.

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.

Canticle	Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature, did not try to seize equality with God for himself; but emptied himself, took on the form of a slave, and became like a man – not in appearance only, for he humbled himself by accepting death – even death on a cross. For this, God has raised him high, and given him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue will proclaim “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.

Canticle

Philippians 2

Christ, God's servant

Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature, did not try to seize equality with God for himself; but emptied himself, took on the form of a slave, and became like a man – not in appearance only, for he humbled himself by accepting death – even death on a cross.
For this, God has raised him high, and given him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
and every tongue will proclaim “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.

Short reading	1 Corinthians 15:55 - 57 ©
Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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.

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.

Prayers and Intercessions

Christ the Lord gives us the hope that our lowly bodies will take on the form of his body of light. And so let us acclaim him: - Lord, you are our life and our resurrection.
Christ, Son of the living God, you raised your friend Lazarus from the dead:: raise the dead to life and glory, for you have redeemed them by your precious blood.
Christ, consoler of those who mourn, you wiped away the tears of Lazarus’ family, of Jairus and the widow of Naim:: bring consolation and comfort to all who mourn their dead.
Christ, our saviour, dethrone sin from ruling over our mortal bodies, so that just as we have deserved death as the wages of sin,: we may receive the reward of eternal life in you.
Christ, our redeemer, look upon those who have no hope because they do not know you:: make them believe in the resurrection and the life of the world to come.
You gave the blind man the gift of seeing light, and abundant sight of you:: show your face to the dead who have not so far seen your light.
At length you will permit our earthly home itself to disappear:: grant us an eternal home in heaven, one not made by human hands.

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.

Lord, in your kindness accept our prayers:
as our faith looks up to your Son, risen from the dead,
so may we receive a more solid hope
of the future resurrection of your servants.

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.

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

A M E N

The Word Among Us

Friday, November 02, 2007

Meditation
Wisdom 3:1-9

All Souls

The faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect. (Wisdom 3:9)

It’s not very pleasant to think about death. If we were not people of faith, recalling our departed loved ones would bring us nothing but sadness. We’d see their passing as “affliction” and “utter destruction” (Wisdom 3:2-3). There would be nothing beyond this life to offer us any consolation and encouragement—all we could really say is, “When you’re dead, you’re dead!”

But as Christians, we know that such an attitude has no place in our hearts. Especially today, on this feast of All Souls, God is inviting us to put aside sadness and share in his joy. As today’s first reading tells us, all those who have left this world in the friendship of God are in the hands of a loving Father. Sorrow and tears can no longer touch them; they are at peace now because all their questions have been answered, and they can live with Jesus forever.

Don’t let this day pass by as just another feast day! Take a moment to remember your friends, family members, and acquaintances who are no longer with you. If you can, try making a list of their names, and recall all the things you loved about each of them. Recall the kindnesses they showed you, and the times you laughed and cried together. Thank God for bringing them into your life, and for the work they did in building his kingdom. Praise him for the ways they are still influencing you, even now, to become a holier person.

On this day of happy rejoicing, let’s pray that all of our departed loved ones experience the fullness of joy in God’s presence. Imagine them dressed in white robes, standing before the throne of God. Picture them praising and worshipping Jesus with all the choirs of angels, in the company of all the saints. What a beautiful song they must be singing as they behold their Creator, Savior, and Lord!

“Father, thank you for making me a part of your own family. I praise you for giving me a great cloud of witnesses who can intercede for me in heaven. Have mercy on all the departed—may they all behold your glory!”

Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40