Prayer for the Evening

Come, let us praise the God of all good!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

Saint Martin, with Apostle’s zeal

You were prepared to live or die

As pleased God best; smile down on us,

As lovingly to you we cry.

In spirit walk the earth once more,

Guide shepherds and their flocks as well,

Increase the beauty of God’s Church,

Restrain and curb the pow’rs of hell.

Three times you stole from death its prey,

So now raise up those fallen low,

And as you shared your cloak on earth,

True virtue on our souls bestow.

PSALM 10:12-18

Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? (Jas 2:5)

Saint Martin is perhaps best remembered for tearing his warm cloak in half and sharing it with a shivering beggar, only to discover later in a dream that the beggar was Christ. He never lost this love for the poor or for a life of personal poverty in service of the Gospel.

Arise then, Lord, lift up your hand!

O God, do not forget the poor!

Why should the wicked spurn the Lord

and think in his heart: “He will not punish”?

But you have seen the trouble and sorrow,

you note it, you take it in hand.

The helpless trusts himself to you;

for you are the helper of the orphan.

Break the power of the wicked and the sinner!

Punish his wickedness till nothing remains!

The Lord is king for ever and ever.

The heathen shall perish from the land he rules.

Lord, you hear the prayer of the poor;

you strengthen their hearts; you turn your ear

to protect the rights of the orphan and oppressed

so that mortal man may strike terror no more.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Luke 14:13-15)

[Jesus said,] “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.”

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

(Acts 20:35)

CANTICLE OF MARY

We are treated as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things. (cf. 2 Cor 6:8, 10)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

Through the intercession of Saint Martin, let us pray:

R/Lord, you hear the cry of the poor!

For those who pursue wealth and power at the expense of the poor and powerless:

– grant them the insight of the Gospel. R/

For those who regard the poor and homeless with ­indifference:

– grant them eyes to see you in their suffering. R/

For those who care for the poor without reward:

– grant them Saint Martin’s reward. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May Christ dwell in our hearts through faith, and may charity be the root and foundation of our life. Amen. (cf. Eph 3:17)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon of the Divine Office

My soul magnifies the Lord,

for God has regarded my humility.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli

porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,

natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,

Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore

sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Loving mother of the Redeemer,

gate of heaven, star of the sea,

assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.

To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before.

You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Prayer for the Evening

Jesus Christ is our Shepherd:

come, let us adore him!

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

HYMN

Your hand, O God, has guided

Your flock, from age to age;

Their wondrous tale is written,

Full clear, on every page;

Your people owned your goodness,

And we their deeds record;

And both of this bear witness;

One Church, one Faith, one Lord.

When shadows thick were falling,

And all seemed sunk in night,

O Lord, you sent your servants,

Your chosen sons of light.

On them and on your people

Your plenteous grace was poured,

And this was still their message,

One Church, one Faith, one Lord.

PSALM  80:2a, 3b, 9-10, 15-16, 18-20

I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart,/ who will shepherd you wisely and prudently. (Jer 3:15)

In the name of Christ, Saint Leo watched over the Church, God’s beloved flock and vine, in troubled times not entirely unlike our own. He guarded the faithful in unity and truth during the early onslaught of the barbarian migrations toward Rome.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,

you who lead Joseph’s flock,

O Lord, rouse up your might,

O Lord, come to our help.

You brought a vine out of Egypt;

to plant it you drove out the nations.

Before it you cleared the ground;

it took root and spread through the land.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

the vine your right hand has planted.

May your hand be on the man you have chosen,

the man you have given your strength.

And we shall never forsake you again:

give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back;

let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Acts 20:28, 32)

Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood. And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.

The Lord is our shepherd;/ nothing shall we want.

(cf. Ps 23:1)

CANTICLE OF MARY

I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the Lord. (Jer 23:4)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. Through the intercession of Saint Leo, we pray:

R/Loving Shepherd, hear us.

You have led us through wise, prudent, and firm pastors:

– strengthen our pope in holiness, discernment, and ­singleness of heart. R/

You have cared for your Church in every danger:

– grant all those who hold the pastoral office the courage of the Gospel. R/

You have promised to be with your Church in every age:

– be with us amid the tensions and uncertainties of our time. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, Jesus our Lord, furnish us with all that is good, so that we may do his will. May he carry out in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (cf. Heb 13:20-21)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon of the Divine Office

My soul magnifies the Lord,

for God has regarded my humility.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli

porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,

natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,

Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore

sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Loving mother of the Redeemer,

gate of heaven, star of the sea,

assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.

To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before.

You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Prayer for the Evening

Come, in God’s presence let us pray!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

The Church’s one foundation

is Jesus Christ her Lord,

She is his new creation

by water and the Word.

From heaven he came and sought her

to be his holy bride;

With his own blood he bought her,

and for her life he died.

Elect from every nation,

yet one o’er all the earth;

Her charter of salvation,

one Lord, one faith, one birth;

One holy Name she blesses,

partakes one holy food,

And to one hope she presses,

with every grace endued.

’Mid toil and tribulation,

and tumult of her war,

She waits the consummation

of peace for evermore;

Till, with the vision glorious,

her longing eyes are blessed,

And the great Church victorious

shall be the Church at rest.

PSALM 87

My house shall be called/ a house of prayer for all peoples. (Is 56:7)

God’s house stands as an open invitation to all peoples, even Israel’s traditional enemies such as Babylon, Egypt, and Philistia. We must take care lest our love be more exclusive than his.

On the holy mountain is his city

cherished by the Lord.

The Lord prefers the gates of Zion

to all Jacob’s dwellings.

Of you are told glorious things,

O city of God!

“Babylon and Egypt I will count

among those who know me;

Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia,

these will be her children

and Zion shall be called ‘Mother’

for all shall be her children.”

It is he, the Lord Most High,

who gives each his place.

In his register of peoples he writes:

“These are her children,”

and while they dance they will sing:

“In you all find their home.”

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Ephesians 2:19-22)

You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 3:11)

CANTICLE OF MARY

Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. (Rv 21:3)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

To Jesus Christ, our Rock and foundation, let us pray:

R/Build up your Church, O Lord!

On the foundation laid in the mystery of your Incarnation and cross: R/

On the faith of Peter and his successors: R/

On the word you entrusted to your Apostles: R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May we live as God’s household, holding fast to our confidence and pride in our hope. Amen. (cf. Heb 3:6)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon of the Divine Office

My soul magnifies the Lord,

for God has regarded my humility.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli

porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,

natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,

Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore

sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Loving mother of the Redeemer,

gate of heaven, star of the sea,

assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.

To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before.

You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Prayer for the Evening

In Christ, God shows us the path to life:

let us give thanks and praise!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

Fades the glory of the west—

All the crimson and the gold,

Night allures the world to rest

’Neath her mantle’s dusky fold.

Ah, my soul, when night descends,

Fear lest slumber bind you fast,

And the Bridegroom with his friends,

To the marriage hasten past.

He may come—what soul can know?—

When the sun has gone from sight,

When the stars in myriads glow

In the middle of the night.

Think not you may safely dream

Of his coming by and by,

When the morning’s early gleam

Wakes the slumb’rer, from the sky.

Wake, awake, the time is near,

Trim your lamp, and tend its light;

For the Bridegroom may appear

In the middle of the night.

PSALM 27:7-14

If we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thes 4:14)

True wisdom chooses to live by faith in the Christ who died, is risen, and will come again in glory to draw us to himself despite the apparent power of our great enemy, death. To long for life is to long for Christ.

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;

have mercy and answer.

Of you my heart has spoken:

“Seek his face.”

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;

hide not your face.

Dismiss not your servant in anger;

you have been my help.

Do not abandon or forsake me,

O God my help!

Though father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;

on an even path lead me.

When they lie in ambush protect me

from my enemy’s greed.

False witnesses rise against me,

breathing out fury.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

Hope in the Lord!

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Now I am reminding you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.

We await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ. (Ti 2:13)

CANTICLE OF MARY

Entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. (2 Pt 1:11)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

As we keep vigil for the coming of Christ, we pray:

R/Have mercy, Lord, and answer!

We await you in hope:

– make us firm in our fidelity. R/

We look forward to your coming:

– make us wise in our perseverance. R/

We place our trust in you:

– make us strong in our joy. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May we find happiness at God’s right hand forever! Amen. (cf. Ps 16:11)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon of the Divine Office

My soul magnifies the Lord,

for God has regarded my humility.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli

porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,

natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,

Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore

sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Loving mother of the Redeemer,

gate of heaven, star of the sea,

assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.

To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before.

You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.