Prayer for the Evening

Vigil of the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Hope in God! Let us praise him still!

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

HYMN

Rejoice, rejoice, believers,

And let your lights appear.

The evening is advancing,

And darker night is near.

The Bridegroom is arising,

And soon he will draw nigh.

Up, pray, and watch, and wrestle:

At midnight comes the cry.

See that your lamps are burning;

Replenish them with oil.

And wait for your salvation,

The end of earthly toil.

The watchers on the mountain

Proclaim the Bridegroom near.

Go meet him as he cometh,

With alleluias clear.

Our hope and expectation,

O Jesus, now appear!

Arise, thou Sun so longed for,

O’er this benighted sphere!

With hearts and hands uplifted,

We plead, O Lord, to see

The day of earth’s redemption

That brings us unto thee.

PSALM 42:2-4, 6, 9

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God. (cf. Ps 63:2)

Desire sets our compass. Is our desire for Christ’s coming strong enough to sustain us when the night is long and our hearts grow weary?

Like the deer that yearns

for running streams,

so my soul is yearning

for you, my God.

My soul is thirsting for God,

the God of my life;

when can I enter and see

the face of God?

My tears have become my bread,

by night, by day,

as I hear it said all the day long:

“Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, my soul,

why groan within me?

Hope in God; I will praise him still,

my savior and my God.

By day the Lord will send

his loving kindness;

by night I will sing to him,

praise the God of my life.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Song of Songs 5:2)

I was sleeping, but my heart kept vigil;/ I heard my lover knocking:/ “Open to me, my sister, my beloved,/ my dove, my perfect one!/ For my head is wet with dew,/ my locks with the moisture of the night.”

Consider the Lord and his strength;/

constantly seek his face. (Ps 105:4)

CANTICLE OF MARY

My soul yearns for you in the night,/ yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you. (Is 26:9)

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 evening falls, we pray:

R/Let us keep vigil for you, O Lord!

When our longing for you grows cold:

– inflame us with your Spirit. R/

When we choose the sleep offered by soul-dulling ­distractions:

– awaken us to your love. R/

When we lose hope:

– stir us to renewed zeal for the fulfillment of your promises. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit. Amen. (cf. Rom 15:13)

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

The Lord comforts those who have lost loved ones.

Let us give him thanks and praise.

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

HYMN

Now fades all earthly splendor,

The shades of night descend;

The dying of the daylight

Foretells creation’s end.

Though noon gives place to sunset,

Yet dark gives place to light:

The promise of tomorrow

With dawn’s new hope is bright.

The silver notes of morning

Will greet the rising sun,

As once the Easter glory

Shone round the Risen One.

So will the night of dying

Give place to heaven’s day,

And hope of heaven’s vision,

Will light our pilgrim way.

So will the new creation

Rise from the old reborn

To splendor in Christ’s glory

And everlasting morn.

All darkness will be ended

As faith gives place to sight

Of Father, Son and Spirit,

One God, in heaven’s light.

CANTICLE OF ISAIAH 49:9b-13

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit. (Rom 5:5)

The first Eucharistic Prayer refers to heaven as a place of “refreshment, light, and peace.” The heavenly Father longs for us to be united to him for ever, in perfect contentment.

Along the ways they shall find pasture,

on every bare height shall their pastures be.

They shall not hunger or thirst,

nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;

For he who pities them leads them

and guides them beside springs of water.

I will cut a road through all my mountains,

and make my highways level.

See, some shall come from afar,

others from the north and the west,

and some from the land of Syene.

Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,

break forth into song, you mountains.

For the Lord comforts his people

and shows mercy to his afflicted.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Lamentations 3:22-26)

The favors of the Lord are not exhausted,/ his mercies are not spent;/ They are renewed each morning,/ so great is his faithfulness./ My portion is the Lord, says my soul;/ therefore will I hope in him./

Good is the Lord to the one who waits for him,/ to the soul that seeks him;/ It is good to hope in silence/ for the saving help of the Lord.

God will ransom me from death/

and take my soul to himself. (cf. Ps 49:16)

CANTICLE OF MARY

Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Mt 25:34)

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

Mindful of your saving love, we pray for the holy souls in purgatory:

R/Bring them to their heavenly reward!

Through your cross and Resurrection:

– by which you conquered death itself. R/

Through the intercession of the Church:

– remember the good they have done, and forgive

the evil. R/

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God,

– rest in peace. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the choir of angels receive us and, with Lazarus, who was once poor, may we enjoy eternal rest. Amen. (In Paradisum)

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

The word of the Lord is faithful/ and all his works

to be trusted: come, let us give thanks and praise!

(cf. Ps 33:4)

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

You are my portion, O my God;

Soon as I know your way,

My heart makes haste t’obey your word,

And suffers no delay.

I choose the path of heav’nly truth,

And glory in my choice;

Not all the riches of the earth

Could make me so rejoice.

If I once wander from your path,

I think upon my ways,

Then turn my feet to your commands,

And trust your pard’ning grace.

You have inclined this heart of mine

Your statutes to fulfill;

And thus, till mortal life shall end,

Would I perform your will.

CANTICLE OF ISAIAH 35:4b, 8-10

You have the words of eternal life. (Jn 6:68)

The way of God leads to wisdom, joy, light, and life; the way of evil leads to foolishness, suffering, darkness, and death. Let us live by God’s law.

Here is your God,

he comes with vindication;

with divine recompense

he comes to save you.

A highway will be there,

called the holy way;

no one unclean may pass over it,

nor fools go astray on it.

No lion will be there,

nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.

It is for those with a journey to make,

and on it the redeemed will walk.

Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return

and enter Zion singing,

crowned with everlasting joy;

they will meet with joy and gladness,

sorrow and mourning will flee.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Sirach 24:18-21)

Come to me, all you that yearn for me,/ and be filled with my fruits;/ You will remember me as sweeter than honey,/ better to have than the honeycomb./ He who eats of me will hunger still,/ he who drinks of me will thirst for more;/ He who obeys me will not be put to shame,/ he who serves me will never fail.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

(Ps 34:9)

CANTICLE OF MARY

You will live in my love if you keep my commandments. (cf. Jn 15:10)

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

O Lord, you are the Word of life. As evening falls, we pray:

R/Jesus, light our way.

O Lord, your Word gives wisdom to the simple:

– make us simple of heart. R/

O Lord, your Word is sweet to the taste:

– grant us the discernment to prefer its taste to any empty words we may hear this evening. R/

O Lord, your Word is steadfast, abiding for ever:

– keep our feet firmly on the path to everlasting life. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the word of Christ dwell in us richly, and bring us to life everlasting! Amen. (cf. Col 3:16)

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.