Prayer for the Evening (Saturday, December 4)
Prayer for the Evening
Vigil of the Second Sunday of Advent
Prepare the way of the Lord!
In joy let us prepare it.
5Glory 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 comfort my people and calm all their fear,
And tell them the time of salvation draws near.
O tell them I come to remove all their shame.
Then they will forever give praise to my name.
Proclaim to the cities of Judah my word;
That “gentle yet strong is the hand of the Lord.”
I rescue the captives, my people defend
And bring them to justice and joy without end.
All mountains and hills shall become as a plain
For vanished are mourning and hunger and pain
And never again shall these war against you.
Behold I come quickly to make all things new.
Psalm 84:6-13
God has commanded/ that every lofty mountain be made low,/ And that the age-old depths and gorges/ be filled to level ground,/ that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. (Bar 5:7)
The herald’s voice cries out: Prepare the way of the Lord. Upon that way, we go to meet the Lord as he comes to meet us. The way lies through our own hearts. Let us clear it of stumbling blocks, briars, and dust, that we may travel in freedom and joy and that we may not hinder the Lord’s coming to us.
They are happy, whose strength is in you,
in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.
As they go through the Bitter Valley
they make it a place of springs,
the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
They walk with ever growing strength,
they will see the God of gods in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer,
give ear, O God of Jacob.
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed.
One day within your courts
is better than a thousand elsewhere.
The threshold of the house of God
I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a rampart, a shield;
he will give us his favor and glory.
The Lord will not refuse any good
to those who walk without blame.
Lord, God of hosts,
happy the man who trusts in you!
Glory to the Father….
Word of God. Isaiah 40:1-5
Comfort, give comfort to my people,/ says your God./ Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her/ that her service is at an end,/ her guilt is expiated;/ Indeed, she has received from the hand of the Lord/ double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:/ In the desert prepare the way of the Lord!/ Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!/ Every valley shall be filled in,/ every mountain and hill shall be made low;/ The rugged land shall be made a plain,/ the rough country, a broad valley./ Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,/ and all mankind shall see it together;/ for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Would that you might meet us doing right,/
that we were mindful of you in our ways! (Is 64:4)
Canticle of Mary
God is leading Israel in joy/ by the light of his glory,/ with his mercy and justice for company. (Bar 5:9)
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
Let us pray for the coming of the Lord:
R/Stir up your might and come!
Clear from our hearts all hatred and contempt for our brothers and sisters,
– that we may welcome you with joy. R/
Clear from our minds all falsehood and prejudice,
– that we may know you at your coming. R/
Clear from our homes all self-seeking and violence,
– that we may receive you in peace. R/
Personal intentions
Our Father….
May God make us steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and untiring in love all the days of our life. Amen.
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
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
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.
