Prayer for the Evening

Let us sing psalms to the name of the Lord,

the Most High!

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

Our troubled conscience tells that we

Have bitterly offended thee;

We pray thee, cleanse us by thy grace

And every stain of sin efface.

If thou wilt not, who shall condone?

Send pardon, for ’tis thine alone;

And grant that we may pray aright

From hearts all blameless in thy sight.

PSALM 13

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Mk 15:34)

Once Saint Anthony of the Desert was caught in a prolonged, painful struggle with his own inner demons. When it was over, he asked the Lord: “Where were you?” Christ answered, “I was right here with you all along, Anthony.” Christ suffers in and with those who suffer, and he asks his followers to do the same. Compassion never stands at arm’s length.

How long, O Lord, will you forget me?

How long will you hide your face?

How long must I bear grief in my soul,

this sorrow in my heart day and night?

How long shall my enemy prevail?

Look at me, answer me, Lord my God!

Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death,

lest my enemy say: “I have overcome him”;

lest my foes rejoice to see my fall.

As for me, I trust in your merciful love.

Let my heart rejoice in your saving help:

Let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me,

singing psalms to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Hebrews 2:17-18)

[Christ] had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Stay with us, O Lord!

(cf. Lk 24:29)

CANTICLE OF MARY

Behold, I am with you always. (Mt 28:20)

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 members of Christ’s body, we suffer with those who suffer. Let us pray:

R/Have mercy, Lord.

For those who feel abandoned in their suffering:

– send them compassionate companions to accompany them. R/

For those who struggle under the burden of sorrow:

– send them compassionate friends to support them. R/

For those who fear to share in the sufferings of others:

– send them compassionate guides to encourage

them. R/

For those who feel threatened by the presence of death:

– send them compassionate ministers to bear witness to the Gospel of the cross. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

The God of peace be with all of us. Amen. (cf. Rom 15:33)

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.

Prayer for the Evening

Strong is God’s love for us;/ he is faithful for ever:

come, let us give thanks and praise! (cf. Ps 117:2)

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

O King for ever glorious,

O Son for sinners slain,

O Christ who died victorious

to rise and rule and reign:

the hosts on high enthrone you

at God the Father’s hand;

and wide, to those who own you,

the gates of heaven stand.

In mercy, Lord, behold us,

our God to whom we pray;

let Jesus’ love enfold us

against that final day;

no tale of sin confound us

before the judgment throne;

his righteousness surround us,

who trust in God alone.

PSALM 37:23-29

How shall the young remain sinless?/ By obeying your word. (Ps 119:9)

If you are young, look forward to God’s fidelity to you throughout your life; if you are older, look back on God’s fidelity to you through all that is past. Whatever your age, know that God’s love is the foundation upon which all our hope stands firm.

The Lord guides the steps of a man

and makes safe the path of one he loves.

Though he stumble he shall never fall

for the Lord holds him by the hand.

I was young and now I am old,

but I have never seen the just man forsaken

nor his children begging for bread.

All the day he is generous and lends

and his children become a blessing.

Then turn away from evil and do good

and you shall have a home for ever;

for the Lord loves justice

and will never forsake his friends.

The unjust shall be wiped out for ever

and the children of the wicked destroyed.

The just shall inherit the land;

there they shall live for ever.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Deuteronomy 7:9)

Understand, then, that the Lord, your God, is God indeed, the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant down to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments.

Faithful is God, faithful and true!

CANTICLE OF MARY 

I will ever praise your name/ and be constant in my prayers to you. (Sir 51:11)

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

Lord Jesus, you died and rose in fulfillment of God’s promise of life to all people. Remember all your people as we pray:

R/Come to us, O risen Savior!

You are the faithful physician of our bodies and our souls:

– grant relief to the sick and aging who suffer. R/

You are the faithful help of all the oppressed:

– sustain those who suffer injustice or failure. R/

You are the faithful companion of those who are alone:

– abide with those who suffer trial or bereavement. 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 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.

Prayer for the Evening

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good;

for his love endures for ever!

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 Spirit sends us forth to serve;

We go in Jesus’ name

To bring glad tidings to the poor,

God’s favor to proclaim.

We go to comfort those who mourn

And set the burdened free;

Where hope is dim, to share a dream

And help the blind to see.

We go to be the hands of Christ,

To scatter joy like seed,

And all our days, to cherish life,

To do the loving deed.

Then let us go to serve in peace,

The Gospel to proclaim.

God’s Spirit has empowered us;

We go in Jesus’ name.

PSALM 107:1, 10-16

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives,/ to let the oppressed go free. (cf. Lk 4:18)

As Saint Peter knew, the paradox of the Gospel is that we are set free from the chains of our own making by choosing to yoke ourselves to Christ, who bursts our bonds by his own Death and Resurrection.

“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;

for his love endures for ever.”

Some lay in darkness and in gloom,

prisoners in misery and chains,

having defied the words of God

and spurned the counsels of the Most High.

He crushed their spirit with toil;

they stumbled; there was no one to help.

Then they cried to the Lord in their need

and he rescued them from their distress.

He led them forth from darkness and gloom

and broke their chains to pieces.

Let them thank the Lord for his goodness,

for the wonders he does for men:

for he bursts the gates of bronze

and shatters the iron bars.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Isaiah 58:6-7)

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:/ releasing those bound unjustly,/ untying the thongs of the yoke;/ Setting free the oppressed,/ breaking every yoke;/ Sharing your bread with the hungry,/ sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;/ Clothing the naked when you see them,/ and not turning your back on your own.

For freedom Christ set us free.

(Gal 5:1)

CANTICLE OF MARY 

Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. (Mt 25:40)

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 true liberator. To him we pray:

R/Free your people, Lord.

For those who are unjustly bound, we pray: R/

For those who are oppressed, we pray: R/

For those who are trapped in homelessness, hunger, cold, and nakedness, we pray: 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 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.