Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)

Evening Prayer

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Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 667
Proper of Seasons: 358
Psalter: Thursday, Week III, 1007

Christian Prayer:

Ordinary: 694
Proper of Seasons: 129
Psalter: Thursday, Week III, 901

Evening Prayer for December 21, Thursday of the 3rd Week of Advent

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

High Word of God, who once didst come,

leaving thy Father and thy home,
to succor by thy birth our kind,
when, towards thy advent, time declined,

Pour light upon us from above,

and fire our hearts with thy strong love,
that, as we hear thy Gospel read,
all fond desires may flee in dread;

That when thou comest from the skies,

great Judge, to open thine assize,
to give each hidden sin its smart,
and crown as kings the pure in heart,

We be not set at thy left hand,

where sentence due would bid us stand,
but with the saints thy face may see,
forever wholly loving thee.

Praise to the Father and the Son,

through all the ages as they run;
and to the holy Paraclete
be praise with them and worship meet.

𝄞"High Word of God, Who Once Didst Come" by Johanna Montealto • Title: High Word of God, who once didst come; Text: Latin, tenth century; trans. Charles Bigg, 1906; Artist: Johanna Montalto; Recording copyright 2016 Surgeworks

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; come and rescue me, for you are my refuge and my strength.

Psalm 132

God’s promises to the house of David
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David (Luke 1:32).

I

O Lord, remember David

and all the many hardships he endured,
the oath he swore to the Lord,
his vow to the Strong One of Jacob.

“I will not enter the house where I live

nor go to the bed where I rest.
I will give no sleep to my eyes,
to my eyelids I will give no slumber
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.”

At Ephrathah we heard of the ark;

we found it in the plains of Yearim.
“Let us go to the place of his dwelling;
let us go to kneel at his footstool.”

Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest,

you and the ark of your strength.
Your priests shall be clothed with holiness:
your faithful shall ring out their joy.
For the sake of David your servant
do not reject your anointed.

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. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; come and rescue me, for you are my refuge and my strength.

Ant. 2 Bless those, O Lord, who have waited for your coming; let your prophets be proved true.

II

The Lord swore an oath to David;

he will not go back on his word;
“A son, the fruit of your body,
will I set upon your throne.

If they keep my covenant in truth

and my laws that I have taught them,
their sons also shall rule
on your throne from age to age.”

For the Lord has chosen Zion;

he has desired it for his dwelling:
“This is my resting-place for ever,
here have I chosen to live.

I will greatly bless her produce,

I will fill her poor with bread.
I will clothe her priests with salvation
and her faithful shall ring out their joy.

There David’s stock will flower:

I will prepare a lamp for my anointed.
I will cover his enemies with shame
but on him my crown shall shine.”

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 Jesus Christ, you chose to suffer and be overwhelmed by death in order to open the gates of death in triumph. Stay with us to help us on our pilgrimage; free us from all evil by the power of your resurrection. In the company of your saints, and constantly remembering your love for us, may we sing of your wonders in our Father’s house.

Ant. Bless those, O Lord, who have waited for your coming; let your prophets be proved true.

Ant. 3 Turn to us, O Lord, make haste to help your people.

Canticle – Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a

The judgment of God

We praise you, the Lord God Almighty,

who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power,
you have begun your reign.

The nations have raged in anger,

but then came your day of wrath
and the moment to judge the dead:
The time to reward your servants
the prophets and the holy ones who revere you,
the great and the small alike.

Now have salvation and power come,

the reign of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who night and day accused them before God.

They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
So rejoice, you heavens,
and you that dwell therein!

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. Turn to us, O Lord, make haste to help your people.

READING 1 Corinthians 4:5

Stop passing judgment before the time of the Lord’s return. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)

A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

Come and set us free, Lord God of power and might.

— Come and set us free, Lord God of power and might.

Let your face shine upon us and we shall be saved,

— Lord God of power and might.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

— Come and set us free, Lord God of power and might.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

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. O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

INTERCESSIONS

We humbly pray to Jesus Christ, who rescues us from the darkness of sin, and in faith we cry out:

Come, Lord Jesus!

Lord, gather together all the people of the earth,

— and establish with them your everlasting covenant.
Come, Lord Jesus!

Lamb of God, you came of old to take away the sin of the world,

— purge us from the dregs of our guilt.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You came to recover what was lost,

— come once again in your mercy lest you punish what you have recovered.
Come, Lord Jesus!

Our faith seeks you out,

— let us find everlasting joy with you when you come.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You will judge the living and the dead,

— graciously gather the dead into the ranks of the blessed.
Come, Lord Jesus!

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

Hear in kindness, O Lord,

the prayers of your people,
that those who rejoice
at the coming of your Only Begotten Son in our flesh
may, when at last he comes in glory,
gain the reward of eternal life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,

protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
— Amen.

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Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)By Divine Office (DivineOffice.org)