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January 21st is the Feast of two Martyrs
Saint Agnes of Rome (+305) & Saint Meinrad of Einsiedeln (+861)
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!
May we prefer nothing to the Love of Christ;
~ May he lead us all to the fullness of life.
MARTYR’S MORNING HYMN
All may sing or alternate the verses of any Hymn .
The martyrs living now with Christ
In suffering were tried.
Their anguish overthrown by love,
When on his Cross they died.
Across the centuries they come,
In constancy unmoved.
Their loving hearts make no complaint;
In silence they are proved.
No one has ever measured love,
Or weighed it with a hand.
But God, who knows the inmost heart,
Gives them the promised land.
Beloved Martyrs let us join
your shouts of joy and praise;
And show us how to follow Christ
Who leads us all our days.
Praise Abba, Word and Spirit blest
Who guide us through the night.
In ways that reach beyond the stars
To everlasting light.
Text: Stanbrook Abbey (1971) alt. v. 4 The Daily Feast ; Tune: DETROIT CM
PSALMODY
Antiphon
They did no wrong to anyone, but bore patiently wrongs done to them,
praying for their enemies in the love of Christ.
Psalm 115/116
I trust in God, even when I say,
“I am sorely afflicted,”
I believe, even when I cry out,
“There is no one I can trust!”
What gift can repay Adonai
for such goodness to me?
I will raise the cup of freedom
as I call on the Holy Name!
I will fulfill all my vows
in the presence of the people.
o precious in your eyes, Adonai
is the death of your faithful ones.
It is I, the servant you love
the one you have freed from bondage,
who calls to you now for help.
I bring an offering of thanks
as I call on your Name.
I fulfill my vows to you, Adonai
standing before your assembly,
in the courts of your house, my God,
in the very heart of Jerusalem.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen.
They did no wrong to anyone, but bore patiently wrongs done to them,
praying for their enemies in the love of Christ
READING Vita Sancti Meinradi
At last this strong athlete went out to the fight with God’s help, and did not deny his presence to the murderers. First offering them words of greeting, he then said: “O friends, why did you come so late? Why didn’t you hurry and come and hear my humble Mass so that I could pray to our common Lord on your behalf? But even now go in, ask God and his saints to be gentle with you, and afterwards return to me, so that I may share for the love God whatever blessing I can offer you that he bestows. And so finish the work that you have come to do.” So they went into the oratory, not intent on what he had urged them to do, but rather on the evil they had come to commit, and they came back to him quickly. The man of God gave them his tunic and cuculla, and added as well bread and drink, saying: “Take these things from my hands; indeed, once you finish what you have come to do, you can take for yourselves whatever you want of these things here. For I know that you have come to kill me. But one favor I beg of you. After you have ended the course of my present life, place these candles which you see and which I made for this very purpose, one burning at my head and one at my feet. Then afterwards quickly leave this place, lest those who are used to visit me come upon you and force you to pay the penalty of your crime.”
Silent Prayer
Responsory
R. This great lover of charity greeted his enemies, gave them food and drink, while he knew they would kill him. V. The great witness of Christ, Meinrad, forgave his enemies and commended his spirit to God; *gave them food and drink, while he knew they would kill him.
Canticle of Mary
Antiphon
The blessed Agnes prayed from the midst of the flames:
O Mighty One, I have loved you, I have sought you; you are the One I choose to serve.
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 the Word
And to the Breath of Love
As always before
So now and evermore. Amen
The blessed Agnes prayed from the midst of the flames:
O Mighty One, I have loved you, I have sought you; you are the One I choose to serve.
Intercessory Prayer
You made the martyrs powerful witnesses even to the point of giving up their lives,
– help all Christians to give faithful witness to your Word.
You gave holy virgins and consecrated religious the gift of following Christ in community,
– may those consecrated to religious life be steadfast witnesses to the coming of your kingdom.
You called so many to extraordinary lives of loving their families, their neighbors, and those in need, ~may their examples inspire each of us to love all whom you place in our lives.
You invited many to journey ever-deeper into the mystery and beauty of your love and to share their experience in mystical wisdom, poetry, music or art ~ bless all who share their gifts and talents in celebrating your beauty and enriching the lives of others.
You called ordinary people in every generation to search for truth, to dismantle the institutions of oppression, and to work for justice and peace, ~may we hear the cry of the poor and follow in the footsteps of the saints.
Bring all who have died into the company of heaven with Mary, Joseph and all your saints,
– and give us also a place in the unending fellowship of your reign.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Dear Abba …
Great Fire of Charity, you kindled in Saint Agnes and Saint Meinrad a generous love and a heartfelt compassion for those who were about to kill them. As we remember their lives and their legends, empower us to follow the Gospel’s command that we love our enemies do good to those who hate us and pray for those who wish us harm. We ask this in the name of Jesus…
Blessing
May the God of love fill us with all joy and peace, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may abound in hope. ~Amen.
Let us bless Adonai.
~Thanks be to God.
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Marian Antiphon for this season.
Marian Antiphon
Loving Mother of our Savior, holding open heaven’s only hope, Star for steerage in this vastness, rise to help us, save the sinking. Nature’s greatest Wonder: you have borne your own true Maker, giving human life to him. Virgin ever, before and after, that Good News from Gabriel, Word of Life for living, tell it now: mercy to all people!
The angel of the Lord brought the message to Mary. ~ And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray. O Holy One, as you have already blessed humankind through the fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary, grant that we may further enjoy the fruit of the prayers of her, through whom we are related to the very Author of Life, Jesus our Emmanuel. Amen.