Vespers (Evening Prayer)

(These are the First Vespers of tomorrow, 28th Sunday of the year)

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 121 (122)
Jerusalem, the holy city
They filled me with joy when they said, “We will go to the house of the Lord.” Now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem. Jerusalem, built as a city, whole and self-contained: there the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord – the witness of Israel, to praise the Lord’s name. For there are the thrones of justice, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “Safety for those who care for you, peace inside your walls, security within your ramparts!” For my brethren and those near to me I will say “Peace be upon you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will call blessings upon you. 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 121 (122)

Jerusalem, the holy city

They filled me with joy when they said, “We will go to the house of the Lord.”
Now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, built as a city, whole and self-contained:
there the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord –
the witness of Israel, to praise the Lord’s name.
For there are the thrones of justice, the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “Safety for those who care for you,
peace inside your walls, security within your ramparts!”

For my brethren and those near to me I will say “Peace be upon you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will call blessings upon you.

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	2 Peter 1:19 - 21 ©
We have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds. At the same time, we must be most careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. Why? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s initiative. When men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.

Short reading

2 Peter 1:19 - 21 ©

We have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds. At the same time, we must be most careful to remember that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. Why? Because no prophecy ever came from man’s initiative. When men spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit that moved them.

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

Let us address our prayers to Christ, the joy of all who hope in him: - Look down on us, Lord, and hear us.
You are the faithful witness to God’s grace and the first-born from the dead. With your blood you have washed us clean of our sins.: Make us mindful of the wonderful things you have done for us.
You have raised up heralds to proclaim your Gospel:: may they eagerly and faithfully teach the mysteries of your kingdom.
King of peace, send your spirit upon those who rule,: so that they take special care for the poor and destitute.
Counsel those who suffer discrimination for their race, colour, status, speech or religion,: that they may win recognition of their rights and dignity.
Give all who have died a share in your blessedness,: with the blessed Virgin Mary and all your saints.

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, may your grace go always before us and behind us:
may it make us constantly eager to do good works.

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

Regnum Christi

Hearing and Doing

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

October 11, 2008
Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Father Patrick Butler, LC

Luke 11: 27-28
While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Introductory Prayer:Lord, I want to be in your presence, like the woman who speaks to you in the Gospel. Like her, I want to be filled with enthusiasm for what it means to be close to you. I believe that you bless those who listen to you with the ability to do your will. I trust that you will make me capable of constancy, striving to accomplish your plan for my life, until you bring me to heaven. I love you, because you are infinitely loveable and because you loved me first.

Petition:Lord, make me capable of hearing what you desire to communicate to my heart and able to do what you ask of me.

1. An Interruption While Jesus was speaking, a woman interrupted him. She had a sentiment in her heart that she wanted to express to him. In itself, this interruption is fine, but what Jesus was speaking about was certainly more enriching. In prayer, I often want to tell the Lord what is happening in my life and what sentiments are passing through my heart. However, I wonder if he would not communicate deeper truths to me if I just listened attentively to what he has to say to me. We need to be careful not to fall into the error of speaking constantly during our prayer, but to allow God to speak to us too.

2. The Blessed Virgin Mary The woman who speaks to Jesus compliments his mother, calling her blessed for carrying him in her womb and nursing him. While it is true that Mary’s vocation makes all generations call her blessed, she is also “full of grace” because she was attentive to God’s word and put it into practice. Being the Mother of God was a pure gift, while being the perfect disciple of her Son was active cooperation in his mission.

3. The Other Blessed I, too, can be a disciple of Jesus by enrolling myself in Mary’s school. She teaches me that it is not enough to hear the word of God, if all I do is contemplate it as if saying, “That’s nice.” In Mary, there is no hesitation between hearing God’s desires and putting them into practice. Better said, she allows God to have free rein in her life by saying to him, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.” I, too, want promptly and generously to let God act in my life.

Conversation with Christ:Lord Jesus, I want to be among those who are blessed by hearing and doing what you desire. Today, I have strived to listen to your voice in prayer. You will surely continue to speak to me throughout the day, so I will continue to be attentive. You will also surely give me the strength to put into action what you ask of me, so I will confidently resolve to carry out your will.

Resolution:I will be courageous in my fidelity to my conscience – that inner sanctuary where God speaks to me. In my conversations and human relations, I will represent the values of my faith and not cave in to peer pressure, whether at home, in school or in the work place.