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St. John’s Bible: Creation Panel by Donald Jackson
Detail of 4th-5th Days of Creation
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.
O SILENCE
O Silence sonorous with Word,
O Breath unseen of Love unheard,
O un-consuming Fire, dark Light,
We worship at the edge of night.
O God beyond all speech or thought,
O God in song half-hid, half-caught,
O God for human mind too much,
In crib and cross and bread we touch.
O timeless One in majesty,
O indivisible yet Three,
O Source and Sabbath of our days,
Accept, accept our stammered praise.
Text: Genevieve Glen, OSB (Abbey of St. Walburga) ; Tune: John Foley, S.J.
SERVICE OF THE WORD
PSALMODY
Antiphon
May the Source of our hope, fill our hearts with peace.
Psalm 61/62
In God alone is my soul at rest;
my help comes from Adonai.
God alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress; I stand firm.
How long will you all attack one person
to break me down,
as though I were a tottering wall,
or a tumbling fence?
Their plan is only to destroy;
they take pleasure in lies.
With their mouth they utter blessing
but in their hearts they curse.
In God alone be at rest, my soul;
for my hope comes from Adonai.
God alone is my rock, my stronghold,
my fortress; I stand firm.
In God is my safety and glory,
the rock of my strength.
Take refuge in God, all you people.
Trust in Adonai at all times.
Pour out your hearts with confidence
for God alone is our refuge.
Common folk are only a breath,
great men an illusion.
Placed in the scales, they rise;
they weigh less than a breath.
Do not put your trust in oppression
nor vain hopes on plunder.
Do not set your heart on riches
even when they increase.
For God has said only one thing;
only two do I know:
that to God alone belongs power
and to you, Adonai, all love;
and that you repay each of us
according to our deeds.
Glory to the One and to the Word,
and to the Breath of Life;
As always before
so now and evermore. Amen.
May the Source of our hope, fill our hearts with peace.
Reading Galatians 3:23-29
Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise.
Responsory
R. Baptized into union with Christ we have all put on Christ as a garment * we are all one person in Christ Jesus our Love. V. There is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female; * we are all one person in Christ Jesus our Love.
V. Glory to the Abba and the Word and the Holy Breath of Love.
Gospel Canticle of Mary
Antiphon
“O Lord, even dogs feed on the scraps from the master’s table!”
And Jesus said: “Great is your faith, O woman, your daughter is healed.”
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
“O Lord, even dogs feed on the scraps from the master’s table!”
And Jesus said: “Great is your faith, O woman, your daughter is healed.”
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
For astronomers, cosmologists, and all who explore the depths of space and the mysteries and wonder of the universe, ~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all whose lives and work are intimately connected to the time of day and the seasons of the years, especially those affected most by global warming and climate change,
~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all who are forced by poverty or war to live under the open sky, burned by the sun during the day or freezing under the stars each night,
~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all who are deprived by modern lifestyles and preferences from experiencing the natural beauty and rhythms of day and night, seasons and celebrations that acknowledge our home and role in the universe,
~God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Dear Abba …
Closing Prayer & Blessing
God of the Starry Universe, as we celebrate the fourth day of the week, we praise and thank you for the wisdom and splendor of each shimmering star; the heat and life-giving energy of our Sun, the serene beauty and mystery of our Moon, and the reliable rhythms of days, weeks, months, seasons and years. May every person on earth be entranced by each sunset, amazed by each constellation, astonished by each season, and filled with gratitude that your universe in its infinite variety has invited each of us to be an integral part of such splendor, for your love is the power that has created all things, sustains all things, and frees all things to join you in building the future now and forever. Amen.
May the God of the Cosmos + bless us with reverence, wonder and awe . Amen.
Let us bless Adonai! ~Thanks be to God.
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Salve Regina
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.