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SERVICE OF LIGHT
Greeting/Invocation
We light the Evening Candle and say or sing:
Light and Peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
~Thanks be to God!
Stay with us Lord for it is evening,
~And the day is almost over.
EVENING HYMN
O God, whose hand has spread the sky
And all its shining hosts on high,
You, when the fourth day was begun
Did frame the circle of the sun.
Surrounding it with fi’ry light,
You crowned the sun with blazing might,
And set the moon her ordered ways,
The mistress over months and days.
O shine your light upon our mind;
All greed and selfishness unbind.
Direct us in the way of right,
As children free to walk in light.
O loving Abba hear our cry
Through Jesus Christ your Word most high,
Whom in the Spirit we adore,
Who reigns with you forevermore. Amen.
Text: Caeli Deus Sanctissime, Tr. Gethsemani Abbey (1968); Tune: Plainsong
SERVICE OF THE WORD
PSALMODY
Antiphon
I shall cry to God for help;
Adonai will come to save me.
Psalm 93/94
O Adonai, God of Justice,
God of Righteousness, appear!
Judge of the earth, arise,
give the proud what they deserve!
How long, O God, shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked triumph?
They bluster with arrogant speech;
the evil-doers boast to each other.
They crush your people, Adonai,
they afflict the ones you have chosen
They kill the widow and the stranger
and murder the fatherless child.
And they say: Adonai does not see;
the God of Jacob pays no heed.”
Mark this, most senseless of people;
fools, when will you understand?
Can the One who made the ear, not hear?
Can the One who formed the eye, not see?
Will the One who trains nations not judge them?
Will the One who instructs us be without knowledge?
Adonai knows the thoughts of men;
and knows they are no more than a breath.
Happy the people whom you teach, Adonai,
whom you train by means of your law;
to them you give peace in evil days
while the wicked fall in the pit they have dug.
Adonai will not abandon this people
nor forsake those who are specially loved;
for judgment shall again be just
and all true hearts shall uphold it.
Who will stand up for me against the wicked?
Who will defend me from those who do evil?
If the Adonai refused to help me,
I would soon go down into the silence.
When I think: I have lost my foothold;
your mercy, Adonai, holds me up.
When cares increase in my heart
your consolation calms my soul.
Can judges who do evil be your friends?
They do injustice under cover of law;
they attack the life of the just
and condemn innocent blood.
As for me, Adonai will be a stronghold;
my God will be the rock where I take refuge.
The wickedness of evil leads to destruction,
Those who refuse God’s love destroy themselves.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love;
as always before,
so now and evermore. Amen.
I shall cry to God for help;
Adonai will come to save me.
READING Colossians 1:21-23
You yourselves were once alienated from God; you nourished hostility because of your evil deeds. But Christ has achieved reconciliation for you in his mortal body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before God, provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, myself, am a minister.
Responsory
R. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, *a holy nation, a people set apart. V. Obey my voice, keep my covenant, for you are my very own possession; *a holy nation, a people set apart. V. Glory to the ABBA, and the WORD, and the Holy BREATH of Love.
Gospel Canticle of Mary
Antiphon
Why be envious because I am generous.
The first will be last and the last first.
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
Why be envious because I am generous.
The first will be last and the last first.
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 heart 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.