Breviary

Evening Prayer

INTRODUCTION

God, + come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

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

Alternate Hymn

Most Holy God in heav’n above,
who paints the sky with gleaming ray,
adorning with resplendent lights
the glowing dome of heaven’s vault,

On this fourth day you set in place
the flaming circle of the sun
and made the wand’ring paths of stars
to serve the orbit of the moon,

That you might set for night and day
a bound’ry keeping them apart
and mark with clear, unfailing sign
each new beginning of the month.

Enlighten ev’ry heart and mind
and wipe away all shameful thoughts;
deliver us from bonds of guilt
and ease the burden of our sin.

Most loving Father, hear our prayer,
and you, O Christ coequal Son,
who with the Spirit Paraclete
now reign for all eternity. Amen.

Tune: OLD HUNDRETH, 8 8 8 8
Music: from the Genevan Psalter, 1551
or Mode D, melody 128; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Cæli Deus sanctissime, attributed to Saint Gregory the Great, ca. 540-604, © 2023 ICEL

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

Psalm 126
Joyful hope in God


Just as you share in sufferings so you will share in the divine glory (2 Corinthians 1:7).

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, *
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
on our lips there were songs.

The heathens themselves said: “What marvels *
the Lord worked for them!”
What marvels the Lord worked for us! *
Indeed we were glad.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage *
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears *
will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears, *
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song, *
carrying their sheaves.

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.

Psalm Prayer

Lord, you have raised us from the earth; may you let the seeds of justice, which we have sown in tears, grow and increase in your sight. May we reap in joy the harvest we hope for patiently.

Ant. Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

Ant. 2 May the Lord build our house and guard our city.

Psalm 127
Apart from God our labors are worthless


You are God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9).

If the Lord does not build the house, *
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city, *
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.

In vain is your earlier rising, *
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat: *
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.

Truly sons are a gift from the Lord, *
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth *
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

O the happiness of the man *
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame *
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.

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.

Psalm Prayer

You command the seed to rise, Lord God, though the farmer is unaware. Grant that those who labor for you may trust not in their own work but in your help. Remembering that the land is brought to flower not with human tears but with those of your Son, may the Church rely only upon your gifts.

Ant. May the Lord build our house and guard our city.

Ant. 3 He is the first-born of all creation; in every way the primacy is his.

Canticle: Colossians 1:12-20
Christ the first-born of all creation and the first-born from the dead


Let us give thanks to the Father *
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints *
in light.

He rescued us *
from the power of darkness
and brought us *
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption, *
the forgiveness of our sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, *
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created, *
things visible and invisible.

All were created through him; *
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is. *
In him everything continues in being.

It is he who is head of the body, the church! *
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead, *
so that primacy may be his in everything.

It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him *
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens, *
making peace through the blood of his cross.

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.

Ant.
He is the first-born of all creation; in every way the primacy is his.

READING
Ephesians 3:20-21

To God whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, world without end. Amen.

RESPONSORY

Claim me once more as your own, Lord, and have mercy on me.
Claim me once more as your own, Lord, and have mercy on me.

Do not abandon me with the wicked;
have mercy on me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Claim me once more as your own, Lord, and have mercy on me.

GOSPEL CANTICLE

Ant. The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

Canticle of Mary
Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord


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, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

INTERCESSIONS

Let us humbly pray to God who sent his Son as the Savior and exemplar of his people:
May your people praise you, Lord.

Let us give thanks to God who chose us as the first-fruits of salvation,
and who called us to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May your people praise you, Lord.

May those who confess your holy name be united in your truth,
and fervent in your love.
May your people praise you, Lord.

Creator of all things, your Son desired to work among us with his own hands,
be mindful of all who earn their living by the sweat of their brow.
May your people praise you, Lord.

Be mindful of those who devote themselves to the service of their brothers,
do not let them be deterred from their goals by discouraging results or lack of support.
May your people praise you, Lord.

Be merciful to the faithful departed,
keep them from the power of the Evil One.
May your people praise you, Lord.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

(With longing for the coming of God’s kingdom, let us offer our prayer to the Father:)

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Merciful Lord,
let the evening prayer of your Church
come before you.
May we do your work faithfully;
free us from sin
and make us secure in your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

DISMISSAL

If a priest or deacon presides, he dismisses the people:

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Another form of the blessing may be used, as at Mass.

Then he adds:


Go in peace.
Thanks be to God.

In the absence of a priest or deacon and in individual recitation, Evening Prayer concludes:

May the Lord + bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

******

DONATE to support the continued development of the iBreviary

SUBSCRIBE iBreviary newsletter


O Father, whose creating hand
Brings harvest from the fruitful land,
Your providence we gladly own,
And bring our hymns before your throne
To praise you for the living bread
On which our lives are daily fed.

O Lord, who in the desert fed
The hungry thousands in their need,
Where want and famine still abound
Let your relieving love be found,
And in your name we may supply
Your hungry children when they cry.

O Spirit, your revealing light
Has led our questing souls aright;
Source of our science, you have taught
The marvels human minds have wrought,
So that the barren deserts yield
The bounty by your love revealed.

Tune: Melita 88.88.88
Music: John B. Dykes, 1823-1876
Text: Donald Hughes, 1911-1967


Continue with the Psalmody

- Menu -