Evening Prayer

Thursday, January 4^th, 2024

Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Celebrant: The Most Reverend David L. Toupes

Bishop of Beaumont

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

With joy we praise your servants, Lord,

who worshiped you with all their heart,

and, gladly breaking forth in song,

we honor you with grateful love.

These faithful ones, who followed Christ,

abandoned freely all the joys

this world could offer and display,

all luring gain and fleeting wealth.

With vows they gave themselves to you,

Obedient in humility;

they looked to Christ, the virgin’s Spouse

to imitate him in their flesh.

Inflamed with love’s consuming fire,

with mind and heart, in word and deed,

they longed to please and do your will

and strove to cling to you alone.

Thus, consecrated to your love

with bonds of charity on earth,

in lasting freedom they went forth

to triumph with you in the stars.

Grant us, like them, to hasten, Lord,

spurred on to imitate their lives,

that we may praise with hymns on high

the Father, Son, and Spirit blest.

Amen.

Tune: Wareham, 8 8 8 8

Music: William Knapp, 1698-1768

PSALMODY

Ant.1 I cried to you, Lord, and you healed me; I will praise you for ever.

Psalm 30
Thanksgiving for deliverance from death

Side 1: I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

Side 2: O Lord, I cried to you for help
and you, my God, have healed me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,
restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

Side 1: Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts but a moment; his favor through life.
At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

Side 2: I said to myself in my good fortune:
“Nothing will ever disturb me.”
Your favor had set me on a mountain fastness,
then you hid your face and I was put to confusion.

Side 1: To you, Lord, I cried,
to my God I made appeal:
“What profit would my death be, my going to the grave?
Can dust give you praise or proclaim your truth?”

Side 2: The Lord listened and had pity.
The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing,
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
So my soul sings psalms to you unceasingly.
O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

Side 1: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

Side 2: as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be forever. Amen.

All: I cried to you, Lord, and you healed me; I will praise you for ever.

Ant. 2 The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.

Psalm 32
They are happy whose sins are forgiven

Side 1: Happy the man whose offense is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.

Side 2: I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.
I groaned all the day long
for night and day your hand
was heavy upon me.
Indeed, my strength was dried up
as by the summer’s heat.

Side 1: But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: “I will confess
my offense to the Lord.”
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.

Side 2: So let every good man pray to you
in the time of need.
The floods of water may reach high
but him they shall not reach.
You are my hiding place, O Lord;
you save me from distress.
You surround me with cries of deliverance.

Side 1: I will instruct you and teach you
the way you should go;
I will give you counsel
with my eye upon you.

Side 2: Be not like horse and mule, unintelligent,
needing bridle and bit,
else they will not approach you.
Many sorrows has the wicked
but he who trusts in the Lord,
loving mercy surrounds him.

Side 1: Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.

Side 2: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

Side 1: as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be forever. Amen.

All: The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.

Ant. 3 The Father has given Christ all power, honor and kingship; all people will obey him.

Canticle: Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a
The judgment of God

Side 1: We praise you, the Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power,
you have begun your reign.

Side 2: 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.

Side 1: 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.

Side 2: 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!

Side 1: Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

Side 2: as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be forever. Amen.

All: The Father has given Christ all power, honor and kingship; all people will obey him.

READING

Romans 8: 28-30

We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called according to his decree. Those whom he foreknew he predestined to share the image of his Son, that the Son might be the first-born of many brothers. Those he predestined he likewise called; those he called he also justified; and those he justified he in turn glorified.

RESPONSORY

The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.
— The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.

He has taken her to live with him,
— his loved one from the beginning.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
— The Lord has chosen her, his loved one from the beginning.

GOSPEL CANTICLE

Ant. You have left everything to follow me; you will have it all returned a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

Canticle of Mary

Luke 1:46-55

All: 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 forever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be forever. Amen.

Ant. You have left everything to follow me; you will have it all returned a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

INTERCESSIONS

Presider: Through the intercession of holy women, let us pray for the Church in these words: