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The Calling of St. Matthew by M. Caravaggio (1599/1600)
SERVICE OF LIGHT
Greeting/Invocation
We light the Evening Vesper Candle and say or sing:
Light and peace in Jesus Christ our Love!
~Thanks be to God!
Throughout all the Earth their voices carry;
~Their message resounds with hope for all!
HYMN FOR ST. MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST
A tax collector, scorned by all, A serf of sov’reign Rome,
Christ called you, Matthew, from your gold To follow him alone.
For Jesus passed you by one day, He looked and called your name,
And in his gaze you knew his love And, leaving all, you came.
You found in him a diff’rent gold, the Treasure of the field,
The Pearl beyond all human price, A whole new world revealed.
Then in your joy you called your friends To meet the one who saves,
That in the vineyard they might work For his eternal wage.
Be with us, Matthew, help us now to trumpet forth God’s name,
That all we do may spread abroad This word that you proclaimed:
That Jesus lives beside us now, the Word the Bread, the Vine,
To be our hope and pow’r and joy Until the end of time.
We praise you Abba, God of all, We praise you Christ the Son
We praise you, Spirit, for in you We may yet live as one;
We beg you for that gift of sight To see in each your face,
That even now our world may know The fullness of your grace.
Text: Ralph Wright, OSB alt. Tune: CMD
SERVICE OF THE WORD
PSALMODY
Antiphon
Then you are truly friends of mine
if what I have told you, you will carry out for me:
love and serve one another.
Psalm 125/126
When Adonai brought us back to Zion
we were like dreamers:
laughing and dancing,
with songs on our lips!
The nations exclaimed:
“A new world of wonders!
Adonai is with them.”
Yes, our God works wonders.
Rejoice and be glad!
Adonai, free us from bondage
as water to thirsty land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will laugh and sing as they reap.
The went out with weeping and tears
carrying seeds to be sown:
They come back, they return with singing
holding the harvest high.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love;
as always before,
so now and evermore. Amen.
Then you are truly friends of mine
if what I have told you, you will carry out for me:
love and serve one another.
Detail of the Inspiration of St. Matthew by M. Caravaggio
READING Ephesians 4:13
Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in roles of service for the faithful to build up the body of Christ, till we become one in faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, and form that perfect man who is Christ come to full stature
Responsory
R. Throughout all the earth, their voices carry. V. Their message resounds with hope for all. V. Glory to the Abba and the Word and the Holy Breath of Love.
Gospel Canticle of Mary
Antiphon
Jesus saw Matthew, the tax collector, sitting at his post and said to him: “Follow me.”
Matthew got up and followed him.
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
Jesus saw Matthew, the tax collector, sitting at his post and said to him: “Follow me.”
Matthew got up and followed him.
Detail from the Martyrdom of St. Matthew–by M. Caravaggio
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
You called Matthew to leave his job to follow you, and sent him to proclaim the Good News of your love to the world, ~call us to bring this same message of hope to all humankind.
Matthew crafted his telling of the Gospel in Five Books, reflecting the Five Books of the Torah, ~ may all who study and pray from this text follow your example of love for the Jewish people and of the Hebrew Scriptures.
You calmed the waves so that your disciples would be saved from drowning ~calm the storms created by our selfishness and greed and the tempests that catch us off guard.
You strengthened Matthew to bear witness to the truth in the face of bitter persecution ~empower us to bear witness to the reality of your love at all times and in every place.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father…
Closing Prayer
Gracious God of Wisdom and Compassion, you called Matthew to bring the Gospel to the world and to witness to your truth and love with his life. Lead us to wisdom through his teaching and example that we may share your compassion with the whole world. We ask this in the Name of Jesus, who lives and loves with you and the Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
May God bless + us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to freedom and the fullness of life, ~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.