Prayer for the Evening

Come, let us seek the Lord while he may be found,/

and call him while he is near! (cf. Is 55:6)

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

Receive, O Lord, in heaven above

Our prayers and supplications pure;

Give us a heart all full of love

And steady courage to endure.

Thy holy name our mouths confess,

Our tongues are harps to praise thy grace;

Forgive our sins and wickedness,

Who in this vigil seek thy face.

Let not our song become a sigh,

A wail of anguish and despair;

In loving-kindness, Lord most high,

Receive tonight our evening prayer.

O raise us in that day, that we

May sing, where all thy saints adore,

Praise to thy Father, and to thee,

And to thy Spirit, evermore.

PSALM 27:1, 4-5, 6b-9a, 11a, 13-14

Jesus was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. (cf. Mt 17:2)

For the Psalmist, God’s “face” was his mysterious presence in the luminous cloud that led the people through the desert and filled the meeting tent, the forerunner of the Temple. Jesus Christ is for us God’s human face, the visible sign of his presence and of his faithful, protective love.

The Lord is my light and my help;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

before whom shall I shrink?

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,

for this I long,

to live in the house of the Lord,

all the days of my life,

to savor the sweetness of the Lord,

to behold his temple.

For there he keeps me safe in his tent

in the day of evil.

He hides me in the shelter of his tent,

on a rock he sets me safe,

and I shall offer within his tent

a sacrifice of joy.

I will sing and make music for the Lord.

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.

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;

on an even path lead me.

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 (2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:6)

All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ.

We seek your face, O Lord!

CANTICLE OF MARY

Now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light ­produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. (Eph 5:8-9)

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

The Lord is our light and our help. Whom shall we fear? Let us lay our concerns before him in faith.

R/On an even path lead us, O Lord.

You are the stronghold of your people’s life:

– protect those who live in fear of violence, loss, and pain. R/

You keep your people safe in your tent:

– draw all to dwell with you in love. R/

You invite your people to call upon you in hope:

– increase our confidence in your saving love. R/

You have blessed your people with a rich life of prayer in the Church:

– teach us the many ways in which we may offer to you our sacrifice of praise. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

Grace, mercy, and peace be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son in truth and love. Amen. (cf. 2 Jn 3)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon for the Memorial of

Our Lady of the Rosary,

October 7

The daughters of Zion saw her flourishing

in blossoms of roses,

and pronounced her most blessed.

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.

Prayer for the Evening

What marvels the Lord has worked for us!

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

In royal robes of splendor,

Before the great King’s feet,

The princes of his kingdom,

The crowned Apostles, meet;

To him their songs adoring

With heart and tongue they bring,

Pure hearts and mighty voices—

E’en as the angels sing.

Christ’s burden light they proffer,

His easy yoke proclaim;

The seed of life they scatter,

That all may own his name.

The earth brought forth and budded,

Where’er their ploughshare ran,

And fruits of increase followed

The faith of God-made-Man.

PSALM 126

Once more will he fill your mouth with laughter,/ and your lips with rejoicing. (Jb 8:21)

Christ sends his disciples out to sow the seed of the Gospel in a world still governed by sin, pain, exile, and death. When the burden seems too great to bear, let us put our hope in his promise that joy awaits those who follow the road faithfully to the end and bring home the harvest of life.

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,

it seemed like a dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

on our lips there were songs.

The heathens themselves said: “What marvels

the Lord worked for them!”

What marvels the Lord worked for us!

Indeed we were glad.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage

as streams in dry land.

Those who are sowing in tears

will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears,

carrying seed for the sowing:

they come back, they come back, full of song,

carrying their sheaves.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Baruch 4:22-23)

I have trusted in the Eternal God for your welfare,/ and joy has come to me from the Holy One/ Because of the mercy that will swiftly reach you/ from your eternal savior./ With mourning and lament I sent you forth,/ but God will give you back to me/ with enduring gladness and joy.

My word shall not return to me void/

but shall do my will,/ achieving the end

for which I sent it. (cf. Is 55:11)

CANTICLE OF MARY

I will rejoice in Jerusalem/ and exult in my people./ No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,/ or the sound of crying. (Is 65:19)

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 especially for those who have grown ­discouraged in bearing the heat and burden of the day:

R/Deliver your people, O Lord, from bondage.

For all those whose faith has led them into places of exile and sorrow:

– be their deliverance and their joy. R/

For all those who labor in hopelessness:

– be their hope and their courage. R/

For all those who have abandoned pastoral ministry in discouragement:

– be their reconciliation and guide. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the Lord of peace himself give us peace at all times and in every way. Amen. (cf. 2 Thes 3:16)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon for the Memorial of

Our Lady of the Rosary,

October 7

The daughters of Zion saw her flourishing

in blossoms of roses,

and pronounced her most blessed.

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.

Prayer for the Evening

Christ is our light and guide:

come, 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

To do your will is my desire,

To live in you, Lord, is my life,

To spread your love through all the earth,

To find in you the joy of life.

All of my days, I sing your praise.

Through all my nights, you are my light.

You will shine forth through all my years,

And joyously will bring me home.

PSALM 119:1-8

If they obey and serve him,/ they spend their days in prosperity,/ their years in happiness. (Jb 36:11)

Obedience to God’s law seems an unlikely road to happiness. Indeed, at times it seems to bring us conflict, trial, and great loss. What we lose, though, is far less than what we gain if we do the will of the God who wills nothing less for us than the joy of life everlasting in his presence.

They are happy whose life is blameless,

who follow God’s law!

They are happy who do his will,

seeking him with all their hearts,

who never do anything evil

but walk in his ways.

You have laid down your precepts

to be obeyed with care.

May my footsteps be firm

to obey your statutes.

Then I shall not be put to shame

as I heed your commands.

I will thank you with an upright heart

as I learn your decrees.

I will obey your statutes:

do not forsake me.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23)

Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart. You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God.

All who inhabit the world shall understand/ That nothing is better than the fear of the Lord,/ nothing more salutary than to obey his commandments.

(Sir 23:27)

CANTICLE OF MARY

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. (1 Sm 3:9)

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

In hope of God’s promise, we pray:

R/Abide with us always!

In our evening activities:

– grant that we may follow your law. R/

In the day that lies before us tomorrow:

– grant that we may do your will. R/

In the times ahead of us:

– grant that we may never do anything evil. R/

In all the moments of our life:

– grant that we may walk in your ways. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

May the Lord, our God, bless us in all our works and undertakings. Amen. (cf. Dt 15:10)

MARIAN ANTIPHON

Antiphon for the Memorial of

Our Lady of the Rosary,

October 7

The daughters of Zion saw her flourishing

in blossoms of roses,

and pronounced her most blessed.

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.