Prayer for the Evening
Let us tell of God’s wonderful works:
let us praise him with all the saints!
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
Soldiers of Christ, arise,
And put your armor on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies
Through his eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of hosts,
And in his mighty power,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts
Is more than conqueror.
Pray without ceasing, pray,
Your captain gives the word;
His summons cheerfully obey
And call upon the Lord;
To God your every want
In instant prayer display,
Pray always; [pray] and never faint,
Pray, without ceasing, pray!
Pour out your souls to God,
And bow them with your knees,
[And] spread your hearts and hands abroad,And pray for Sion’s peace;
Your guides, and brethren, bear
For ever on your mind;
Extend the arms of mighty prayer,
In grasping all mankind.
Psalm 73:23-26, 28
Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Col 4:2)
Ceaseless prayer is the ideal of the monastic life developed by Saint Anthony. Its goal is purity of heart, that is, a heart so filled with love for God and neighbor that there is room for nothing else. Its tool is discernment, that is, the habit of watchfully testing the inner movements of the heart, following those which are from God and ignoring those which are not. It is the desert legacy to all who seek God in any walk of life.
I was always in your presence;
you were holding me by my right hand.
You will guide me by your counsel
and so you will lead me to glory.
What else have I in heaven but you?
Apart from you I want nothing on earth.
My body and my heart faint for joy;
God is my possession for ever.
To be near God is my happiness.
I have made the Lord God my refuge.
I will tell of all your works
at the gates of the city of Zion.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-22
Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.
The Lord guides the steps of a man/
and makes safe the path of one he loves.
(Ps 37:23)
Canticle of Mary
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. (Mk 14:38)
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 the intercession of Saint Anthony, let us pray to Christ our Lord:
R/Make safe our path, O Lord!
You call all your followers to pray without ceasing:
– deepen in your Church the spirit of prayer. R/
You call all your followers to watchfulness:
– deepen in your Church the spirit of discernment. R/
You call all your followers to purity of heart:
– deepen in your Church the spirit of holiness. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
May the God of peace himself make us perfectly holy and may we entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (cf. 1 Thes 5:23)
Marian Antiphon
Blessed Mother of God, Mary, perpetual Virgin,
temple of the Lord, shrine of the Holy Spirit,
you alone without compare were pleasing
to the Lord Jesus Christ;
pray for the people, intervene for the clergy;
intercede for devout women.
Alma Redemptoris Mater
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.
Salve Regina
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.
