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June 1 — St. Justin Martyr (100-165)
SERVICE OF LIGHT
Greeting/Invocation
We light the Evening Candle and say or sing:
Light and Peace in Jesus Christ our Love!
~Thanks be to God!
Stay with us O Christ, for it is evening,
~And the day is almost over.
EVENING HYMN Feast of Martyrs
A martyr’s victory we sing
And for ourselves such strength implore
as Christ in other body-ing
Is put to death by sin once more.
No greater love than this is found
For members and their head alike;
His passion is repeated, round:
“Me Saul, it is; yes Me you strike!”
The sign of contradiction glares:
The Lifted One draws all who heed;
Rejection festers, fury flares,
The storm but spreads the Church’s seed.
The glory crowning life is death,
God’s Glory: Abba, Spirit, Son,
So fill and overwhelm our breath
Until all suffering is done. Amen.
Text: St. Meinrad Archabbey, 1968; Tune: Plainsong MODE VIII
SERVICE OF THE WORD
PSALMODY
Antiphon
I lie down in peace, and sleep comes at once
for Adonai makes me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4
When I call, answer me, O God of Justice!
from oppression you released me,
have mercy now, and hear me!
You rebels, how long
will keep your hearts closed,
will you love what is useless
and seek what is stupid and false?
It is Adonai who is kind
to those who are generous in mercy;
I pray that Adonai
will hear whenever I call.
Tremble, do not sin,
ponder on your bed and be still.
Make justice your sacrifice
and trust in our God.
Many people ask,
“What will make me happy?”
Let your face shine on us, O Adonai,
For you have put into our hearts greater joy,
than others provide with abundance of food and barrels of wine.
I lie down in peace, and sleep comes at once
for you, Adonai, make me dwell in safety.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love;
as always before,
so now and evermore. Amen.
I lie down in peace, and sleep comes at once
for Adonai makes me dwell in safety.
Reading First Apology of St. Justin Martyr
When you hear that we look for a kingdom, you suppose, without making any inquiry, that we speak of a human kingdom; whereas we speak of that which is with God, as appears also from the confession of their faith made by those who are charged with being Christians, though they know that death is the punishment awarded to those who so confess. For if we looked for a human kingdom, we should also deny our Christ, that we might not be slain; and we should strive to escape detection, that we might obtain what we expect. But since our thoughts are not fixed on the present, we are not concerned when men cut us off; since also death is a debt which must at all events be paid.
Responsory
R. If you have been raised with Christ, set your minds on things that are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God
* Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are below. Alleluia!
V. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
*Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are below. Alleluia!
V. Glory to the Abba, and the Word, and the Holy Breath of Love.
Gospel Canticle of Mary
Antiphon
The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone
this is Adonai’s work and it is wonderful.
It is customary to make the sign of the cross at the beginning of the Gospel Canticle.
My heart + is radiant with the Lord,
My whole being delights in God my Savior.
All people now will call me blessed
For God has loved this humble handmaid.
The Almighty has shown me great favor
Holy is the NAME,
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
From one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God,
Scatters the proud in their own conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones
While lifting up the lowly:
Fills the famished with bounty,
And reveals the emptiness of riches.
Rescues lowly Israel,
Sharing such loving kindness,
As promised to our ancestors
To Abraham and Sarah, and their descendants forever.
Glory to the ONE and to WORD
And to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone
this is Adonai’s work and it is wonderful.
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
For all who thirst—whose lives are endangered by lack of safe water to drink—whose crops and livestock whither from lack of rain, ~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the millions of women and girls who spend much of their days fetching water for their families, animals and crops, ~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all who suffer from too much water—from tsunamis and floods—and from the death and destruction, dampness and disease carried in the aftermath, ~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For those who hoard water, who waste it or pollute it—forcing others to pay excessively for water that rightfully belongs to all, ~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For those whose bodies, minds and spirits languish—cut off from the endless flow of God’s love enfleshed in self and others, in all creatures and all of creation, ~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father …
Closing Prayer & Blessing
O God of endless life and wisdom, through the folly of the Cross
you wondrously taught Saint Justin the Martyr
the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Grant us the wisdom to discern the truth of the Gospel that we may become steadfast in faith and in service together will all your saints, For yours is the glory and power of love now and forever. Amen.
May the God of all Wisdom + bless us with Understanding and Knowledge, Counsel and Courage, Reverence and Loving Kindness Amen.
Let us bless Adonai! ~Thanks to God.
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Marian Antiphon.
Marian Antiphon
Mother of Mercy, Our Queen we greet you. Our life, our hope, our happiness we hail you. We call to you as Eve’s own children, and exiles. To you we lift our hearts in sorrow and fear, in this valley of tears. Turn then, our loving Advocate, and look with favor upon us. And after our life in exile, show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O gracious, O loving, O Virgin benign, our Mother Mary.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God;
~ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. Holy, Mighty and Immortal God, through the working of the Holy Spirit, you prepared the body and soul of the glorious virgin Mother Mary, as a worthy dwelling for your Word; grant that we, who celebrate her memory each evening, may with the help of her prayers, be freed from ever-present evil, and come to share the fulness of life eternal. Amen.