Prayer for the Evening
The word of the Lord is faithful/ and all his works
to be trusted: let us give him thanks and praise!
(cf. Ps 33:4)
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
He sat to watch o’er customs paid,
A man of scorned and hardening trade;
Alike the symbol and the tool
Of foreign masters’ hated rule.
But grace within his breast had stirred;
There needed but the timely word:
It came, true Lord of souls, from thee
That royal summons, “Follow me.”
Enough, when thou were passing by,
To hear thy voice, to meet thine eye:
He rose, responsive to the call,
And left his task, his gains, his all.
Who keep thy gifts, O bid them claim
The steward’s, not the owner’s name;
Who yield up all for thy dear sake,
Let them of Matthew’s wealth partake.
PSALM 19:8-11, 15
You have the words of eternal life. (Jn 6:68)
In response to Jesus’ call, Matthew left his tax collector’s table for the table to which Jesus called sinners. He exchanged the gold of this world for the gold of God’s word. May we learn from him to lay up treasures in heaven by storing in our hearts the treasures of the Gospel.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.
They are more to be desired than gold,
than the purest of gold,
and sweeter are they than honey,
than honey from the comb.
May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,
win favor in your sight, O Lord,
my rescuer, my rock!
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Sirach 24:18-19, 21)
Come to me, all you that yearn for me,/ and be filled with my fruits;/ You will remember me as sweeter than honey,/ better to have than the honeycomb./ He who obeys me will not be put to shame,/ he who serves me will never fail.
Taste and see how sweet the Lord is!
(cf. Ps 34:9)
CANTICLE OF MARY
But Israel I would feed with finest wheat/ and fill them with honey from the rock. (Ps 81:17)
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
O Lord, you feed us on the Word of life. Through the intercession of Saint Matthew, we pray:
R/Jesus, we are hungry; give us this day our daily bread at the table of your Word.
O Lord, your Word gives wisdom to the simple:
– nourish in us simplicity of heart. R/
O Lord, your Word is sweet to the taste:
– grant us the discernment to prefer its taste to any empty words we may hear this evening. R/
O Lord, your Word is steadfast, abiding for ever:
– strengthen us to walk firmly on the path to everlasting life. 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.
