Sunday, Evening Prayer

God, come to my assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Hymn

Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!

Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!

Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread;
Mary the stem, Christ the Rose blood-red!

Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven's Rest;
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!

Mary the mother, Christ the Mother's Son
By all things blest while endless ages run. Amen.

Melody: Mary the Dawn
Irregular
Music: Anon

Or:

Your name is Our Lady.
You alone are Mother of God
and raised high over all the earth.
O Spouse of God, we celebrate you with faith,
we honor you with longing,
we venerate you with awe;
at every moment we exalt you
and reverently proclaim you blessed.

St. Germanus of Constantinople (c. 638-730)

Psalmody

Ant.1: O marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity.

Or: Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Christ.

Psalm 110:1-5,7 — The Messiah, king and priest
Christ's reign will last until all his enemies are made subject to him (1 Cor 15:25).

The Lord's revelation to my Master:
"Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet."

The Lord will yield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.

A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
"You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old."

The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.

He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.

Ant. 2: By your miraculous birth from the virgin you have fulfilled the Scriptures: like a gentle rain falling upon the earth you have come down to save your people. O God, we praise you.

Or: With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.

Psalm 112 — The happiness of the just man
Live as children born of the light. Light produces every kind of goodness and justice and truth. (Ephesians 5:8-9).

Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who take delight in all his commands.
His sons shall be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.

Riches and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm for ever.
He is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.

The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honor.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.

He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he will see the downfall of his foes.

Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.

The wicked man sees and is angry,
grinds his teeth and fades away;
the desire of the wicked leads to doom.

Ant. 3: Your blessing and fruitful virginity is like the bush, flaming yet unburned, which Moses saw on Sinai. Pray for us, Mother of God.

Or: In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.

OUTSIDE LENT

Canticle — See Revelation 19:1-7 — The wedding of the lamb

Alleluia.
Salvation, glory, and power to our God:
(R. Alleluia)
his judgments are honest and true.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).

Alleluia.
Sing praise to our God, all you his servants,
(R. Alleluia)
all you who worship him, great and small.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).

Alleluia.
The Lord our all-powerful God is King;
(R. Alleluia)
let us rejoice, sing praise, and give him glory.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).

Alleluia.
The wedding feast of the Lamb has begun,
(R. Alleluia)
and his bride is prepared to welcome him.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).

LENT

Canticle — 1 Peter 2:21-24 — The willing acceptance of his passion by Christ, the servant of God

Ant.: For our sakes God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the holiness of God.

Christ suffered for you,
and left you an example
to have you follow in His footsteps.

He did no wrong;
no deceit was found in His mouth.
When He was insulted,
He returned no insult.

When He was made to suffer,
He did not counter with threats.
Instead He delivered Himself up
to the One who judges justly.

In His own body
He brought your sins to the Cross,
so that all of us, dead to sin,
could live in accord with God's will.

By His wounds you were healed.

First Reading — Galatians 4:4-5

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.

Or — Zechariah 9:9a

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he.

Or — Revelation 12:1-6

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.

Second Reading

From a sermon by Saint Sophronius, bishop
(Oratio 2, in sanctissimae Deiparae Annuntiatione, 21-22, 26, PG 87, 3, 3242, 3250)

Through Mary the Father's blessing has shone forth on humankind

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. What joy could surpass this, O Virgin Mother? What grace can excel that which God has granted to you alone? What could be imagined more dazzling or more delightful? Before the miracle we witness in you, all else pales; all else is inferior when compared with the grace you have been given. All else, even what is most desirable, must take second place and enjoy a lesser importance.

The Lord is with you. Who would dare challenge you? You are God's mother; who would not immediately defer to you and be glad to accord you a greater primacy and honor? For this reason, when I look upon the privilege you have above all creatures, I extol you with the highest praise: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. On your account joy has not only graced men, but is also granted to the powers of heaven.

Responsory

The God of power has given me his strength.
—The God of power has given me his strength.
He has kept me in the way of holiness.
—And has given me his strength.
Glory to the Father ...
—The God of ...

Or:

Through you we drink from the wellsprings of salvation, O Blessed Virgin Mary.
—Through you we drink from the wellsprings of salvation, O Blessed Virgin Mary.
From the sacred wounds of Christ,
—O Blessed Virgin Mary.
Glory to the Father ...
—Through you we ...

Canticle of Mary — Luke 1:46-55
Ant: Blessed is the womb which bore you, O Christ, and the breast that nursed you, Lord and Savior of the world.

My soul rejoices in the Lord.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Intercessions

To Christ, Emmanuel, whom the Virgin conceived and brought forth, let us give praise and pray to him:
—Son of the Virgin Mary, hear us.

You gave Mary the joy of motherhood,
—give all parents true joy in their children.

King of peace, your kingdom is one of justice and peace,
—help us to seek the paths of peace.

You came to make the human race the holy people of God,
—bring all nations to acknowledge the unifying bond of your love.

By your birth you strengthened family ties,
—help families to come to a greater love for one another.

You desired to be born into the days of time,
—grant that our departed brothers and sisters may be born into the day of eternity.

Our Father ...

Concluding Prayer
God our Father,
may we always profit by the prayers
of the Virgin Mother Mary,
for you bring us life and salvation
through Jesus Christ her Son
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

—Amen.

Alternative Prayer

Father,
source of light in every age,
the virgin conceived and bore your Son
Who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace.
May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love,
be your people's joy through all ages.
May her response, born of a humble heart,
draw your Spirit to rest on your people.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
—Amen.