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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.
TUESDAY EVENING HYMN
Life, never bounded or constrained,
tamed chaos, took the flood in hand,
determined these should now recede
and bare what would become the land.
And so, this day, their bound’ries set,
God named one “Earth!” the other “Sea!”
And then, beholding both were good,
Love’s eye was drawn to shrub and tree.
Life thus addressed our Mother Earth,
and charged her: “Color, bloom and root!
Be lavish in the gifts you bear
of greening forests, plants and fruit!”
And so it was and it was good!
Our planet’s splendors stood untrod;
each peak, each valley, plain and pond
poured forth its poetry to God.
Thus evening came and morning came
the third day, when our Earth first breathed;
so fragile, faithful, fruitful, free:
by Life sustained, by Love conceived! Amen.
Text: Aelred-Seton Shanley; Tune: O KINDLY MAKER, L.M. Gethsemani Abbey (1971)
SERVICE OF THE WORD
PSALMODY
Antiphon
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Psalm 66/67
O Holy One, show your graciousness and bless us,
let the Light of your Face shine upon us.
So will your ways be known upon Earth
and all nations will learn how you save.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations exult and be glad
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you govern the peoples
and guide the nations on Earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
This way Earth can yield her fruit,
for these blessings extend to all creation–
May your blessings continue for all time
so the ends of Earth can respond with praise.
Then the peoples can praise you, O God;
then all peoples will praise you!
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love,
As always before, so now and evermore. Amen.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Reading Proverbs 21:10-13
The souls of the wicked desire evil;
their neighbors find no pity in their eyes.
When the arrogant one is punished, the simple are the wiser;
when the wise are instructed, they gain knowledge.
The just one appraises the house of the wicked:
there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin.
Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor
will themselves also call and not be heard.
Responsory
R. Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker; those who are kind to the needy honor God. V. God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Reign of God* those who are kind to the needy honor God. V. Glory to the ONE, to the WORD, and to the Holy BREATH of Life.
Gospel Canticle of Mary
Antiphon
We are the siblings of Jesus
if we do the will of his Abba, Alleluia!
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
We are the siblings of Jesus
if we do the will of his Abba, Alleluia!
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
For all who hunger–whose lives are endangered by lack of fresh fruit and vegetables–whose families and livestock are perishing from lack of vegetation…
For all whose poverty force them to survive on grains and vegetables when they can find them, and for those who willingly adopt this simple diet so others may simply live…
For all who work closely with soil–farmers, scientists, and gardeners–who recognize its fragile beauty and strive to restore its natural balance…
For those who farm and garden the Earth using permaculture and other sustainable methods that harmonize with the life of entire ecosystems…
For those who hoard the produce of the land, who build larger barns and funnel grains and greens that could feed the whole world into the unsustainable production of pork, beef and poultry to satisfy the cravings of the elite…
For those who hunger for meaning, cut off from the life-giving and sustaining love of God manifest in the cycle of life in all its paradox and diversity…
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father …
Closing Prayer & Blessing
Creator God, we stand in wonder and awe before Mother Earth, whom you invited to join you in the on-going work of Creation; and now each peak, valley, field and pond pours forth its poetry of gratitude and praise. As we celebrate the appearance of dry land and the birth of plants and vegetation on this third day of the week, give us the wisdom and will to care for and conserve our Earth and the many life forms to which she has given birth. May we join the trees in clapping our hands and join all your saints in singing your praise, for yours is the love, the power and the glory now and forever. Amen.
May the God who blesses creation with times and seasons + bless us with reverence and love for all people and all Earthkind. ~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.
Pray for us, 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.