Prayer for the Evening (Friday, December 17)

Prayer for the Evening

Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God:

come, let us adore him!

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 great O Antiphons, verses traditionally sung before and after the Canticle of Mary each evening at Vespers, begin this evening. The popular Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” paraphrases them.

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…

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,

Who orders all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

R/Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

Canticle. Zephaniah 3:14-18a

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! (Rom 11:33)

God sent his only Son to recreate through his life and death of loving obedience the world created in wisdom and disrupted by sin. The extraordinary generosity of God is itself the most powerful sign that God’s wisdom is far beyond our own.

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

sing joyfully, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

The Lord has removed the judgment against you,

he has turned away your enemies;

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst,

you have no further misfortune to fear.

On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

The Lord, your God, is in your midst,

a mighty savior;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

and renew you in his love,

He will sing joyfully because of you,

as one sings at festivals.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God. Sirach 24:3-6

[Wisdom speaks:] “From the mouth of the Most High I came forth,/ and mistlike covered the earth./ In the highest heavens did I dwell,/ my throne on a pillar of cloud./ The vault of heaven I compassed alone,/ through the deep abyss I wandered./ Over waves of the sea, over all the land,/ over every people and nation I held sway.”

All wisdom comes from the Lord/

and with him it remains forever. (Sir 1:1)

Canticle of Mary

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: come and teach us the way of prudence. (Traditional O Antiphon)

Intercessions

We pray in hope to Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (cf. 1 Cor 1:24)

R/Come, Lord Jesus!

You created the world in wisdom:

– in wisdom may we forge the pattern of our lives. R/

You redeemed the world by the wisdom of the cross:

– in wisdom may we turn from selfishness and sin to love. R/

You order all things according to your wisdom:

– in wisdom may we seek and do your will. R/

Personal intentions

Our Father….

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. Amen. (cf. Eph 1:17)

Marian Antiphon

O Mary, ever Virgin, rejoice,

you who were worthy to bear Christ,

the Creator of heaven and earth;

for from your womb

you brought forth the Savior of the world, alleluia.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quæ pervia cæli

porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

surgere qui curat, populo: tu quæ 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.

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