Prayer for the Evening
Holy is God! Holy and strong! Holy and immortal!
Come, let us adore!
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
See the destined day arise!
See a willing sacrifice!
Jesus, to redeem our loss,
Hangs upon the shameful cross.
Jesus, who but you had borne,
Lifted on that tree of scorn,
Every pang and bitter throe,
Finishing your life of woe?
Who but you had dared to drain,
Steeped in gall, the cup of pain,
And with tender body bear
Thorns, and nails, and piercing spear?
Thence the cleansing water flowed,
Mingled from your side with blood;
Sign to all attesting eyes
Of the finished sacrifice.
CANTICLE (1 Pt 2:21-24)
When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself. (Jn 12:32)
The key to this feast lies in the last line of this canticle: Christ’s suffering was hideous, his death dreadful, but by his wounds, we were healed. The wounds borne by Christ risen and glorified are visible signs of suffering and death transformed into channels through which the grace of God flows out to lift the world from darkness to light.
Christ suffered for you,
and left you an example
to have you follow in his footsteps.
He did no wrong;
no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was insulted,
he returned no insult.
When he was made to suffer,
he did not counter with threats.
Instead he delivered himself up
to the One who judges justly.
In his own body
he brought your sins to the cross,
so that all of us, dead to sin,
could live in accord with God’s will.
By his wounds, you were healed.
Word of God (Romans 6:8-11)
If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
Son though he was, he learned obedience
from what he suffered.
(Heb 5:8)
CANTICLE OF MARY
Where, O death, is your victory?/ Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Cor 15:55)
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 the Lord who is enthroned in glory, we pray:
R/We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because, by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!
You suffered for us and now you live for ever to make intercession for us: R/
You were insulted for our sake and now you reign for ever in glory: R/
You were delivered up for us and now you are raised up for ever upon the throne that is yours at the right hand of the Father: R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
Peace to all who are in Christ! Amen. (cf. 1 Pt 5:14)
MARIAN ANTIPHON
Antiphon for the Feast of the Nativity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
8 September
With joy let us celebrate the nativity of blessed Mary,
that she may intercede for us
before the Lord Jesus Christ.
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.
