Prayer for the Evening

Jesus Christ is a lamp for our steps:

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

Come, let us raise our songs of celebration,

Joining the triumph train of this confessor,

Father and leader, now above the heavens

Reigning forever.

He spent his gifts to sanctify the many,

He was a priest, a ruler, and a teacher,

Leading with judgment, fostering a people

For gifts eternal.

Now let us ask him earnestly for favor:

Cleansing of all the sins of his beloved;

And by his fervent prayers we may be lifted

To the high heavens.

PSALM 19:8-11, 15

By wisdom is a house built,/ by understanding is it made firm;/ And by knowledge are its rooms filled/ with every precious and pleasing ­possession. (Prv 24:3-4)

This patron of catechists was deeply devoted to Christian formation for all people in the Church. In addition to his contributions to the education of the laity, he laid the groundwork for the seminary ­system of priestly formation. He left a legacy of great spiritual wealth to the whole Church.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

it revives the soul.

The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,

it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

they gladden the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear,

it gives light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is holy,

abiding for ever.

The decrees of the Lord are truth

and all of them just.

They are more to be desired than gold,

than the purest of gold,

and sweeter are they than honey,

than honey from the comb.

May the spoken words of my mouth,

the thoughts of my heart,

win favor in your sight, O Lord,

my rescuer, my rock!

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Wisdom 7:11-14)

All good things together came to me in [Wisdom’s] company,/ and countless riches at her hands;/ And I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom is their leader,/ though I had not known that she is the mother of these.

Simply I learned about her, and ungrudgingly do I share—/ her riches I do not hide away;/ For to men she is an unfailing treasure;/ those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God,/ to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them.

God is the guide of Wisdom/ and the director of the wise. (cf. Wis 7:15)

CANTICLE OF MARY

When a man walks in integrity and justice,/ happy are his children after him! (Prv 20:7)

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

Let us pray to the source of wisdom:

R/Lord Jesus Christ, light the way!

For all who do the work of priestly formation:

– keep them faithful in their discipleship and exemplary in their leadership. R/

For all teachers and catechists:

– possess them with love for your Word and your people. R/

For all who compose materials for religious education and formation:

– illumine them with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the love of truth. R/

For all young people:

– guide them to follow in your footsteps with ­enthusiasm and love. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May our faith rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God! Amen. (cf. 1 Cor 2:5)

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

Let our prayer arise before God like incense,

the raising of our hands in prayer

like the evening sacrifice!

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

As the darkness draweth nigh,

Daylight fadeth from the sky:

Father, unto thee we call,

Thou who rulest over all.

Light that cannot know decline,

Come within our souls to shine!

All our hearts to thee are known;

Come, possess them as thine own.

Thou alone these hearts can fill,

And their deepest yearning still.

Love that never groweth old,

In thy love our lives enfold!

May the virtue of our lives

Unto thee as incense rise,

When each joy and pain shall be

Joined with Paschal Mystery.

May our gift to thee arise

As an evening sacrifice.

PSALM 141:1-5a, 8

May the spoken words of my mouth,/ the thoughts of my heart,/ win favor in your sight, O Lord. (Ps 19:15)

We can use our treasured capacity for speech to offer prayer, as ­fragrant as incense before God, or to offer hurt to another.

I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!

Hear my voice when I cry to you.

Let my prayer arise before you like incense,

the raising of my hands like an evening oblation.

Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth;

keep watch at the door of my lips!

Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong,

to evil deeds with men who are sinners.

Never allow me to share in their feasting.

If a good man strikes or reproves me it is kindness;

but let the oil of the wicked not anoint my head.

To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned:

in you I take refuge; spare my soul!

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Revelation 8:3-4)

Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

(Rv 5:8)

CANTICLE OF MARY

Live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. (Eph 5:2)

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

Our love for God and neighbor is the fire in which the incense of our worship burns sweetly. Let us pray:

R/Receive our prayer, O Lord.

You have called your people to pray always:

– may we grow in awareness that every thought, word, and deed lies open to you. R/

You receive all our offerings in love:

– may we offer them more and more faithfully in

love. R/

You have promised us the gift of your Holy Spirit:

– may the fire of divine charity burn in our hearts and in our prayer. R/

You desire to bring all people into your glory:

– receive the souls of those who have died. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May grace, mercy, and peace be with us from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (cf. 2 Tm 1:2)

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

Let us exult and rejoice in the Lord

all the days of our life!

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

HYMN

Father of Jesus Christ, my Lord,

My Savior and my Head;

I trust in you, whose powerful Word

Has raised him from the dead.

To you the glory of your power

And faithfulness I give;

I shall in Christ, at that glad hour,

And Christ in me shall live.

PSALM 90:1-6, 14-15

Make us know the shortness of our life/ that we may gain wisdom of heart. (Ps 90:12)

All humanity is bound together by the common mortality in which Christ Jesus came to share. With us he died, so that in him we might rise to everlasting life. Let us learn from those who have gone before us how to live well so that we may die well, and let us accompany them on their journey with our love and prayer.

O Lord, you have been our refuge

from one generation to the next.

Before the mountains were born

or the earth or the world brought forth,

you are God, without beginning or end.

You turn men back to dust

and say: “Go back, sons of men.”

To your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday, come and gone,

no more than a watch in the night.

You sweep men away like a dream,

like grass which springs up in the morning.

In the morning it springs up and flowers:

by evening it withers and fades.

In the morning, fill us with your love;

we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Give us joy to balance our affliction

for the years when we knew misfortune.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (John 6:39-40)

“This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day.”

I am the resurrection and the life;

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (Jn 11:25)

CANTICLE OF MARY

If we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. (Rom 6:5)

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 Christ, who became like us in all things but sin, let us pray for those who have died:

R/Give them joy, O Lord!

You were born into the world of death so that you might bring abundant life:

– raise to new life all those who have died in poverty and pain. R/

You took on our flesh, subject to death, so that we might take on new life in you:

– raise to new life those who have died in illness, ­violence, and deprivation. R/

You died on the cross, that we might rise from the grave:

– raise to new life those who have been tortured, ­murdered, or executed. R/

Your Mother endured the sorrow of your death, that we might know the gladness of your rising:

– raise up all those who are bowed down under the ­sorrow of bereavement. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the angels lead us into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome us and lead us into the holy city Jerusalem. 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.