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Prayer for the Evening

Let us hope in the Lord!

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

HymnMeter: LM
This hymn can be sung to the tune used for
On Jordan’s Bank

O Christ, our true and only Light,
Illumine those who sit in night;
Let those afar now hear thy voice,
And in thy fold with us rejoice.

Shine on the darkened and the cold;
Recall the wanderers from thy fold;
Unite those now who walk apart;
Confirm the weak and doubting heart.

Psalm 277-14

As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed [him], crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” (Mt 9:27)

Courageous missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier are sent to answer the cry of the blind to see the face of Christ. In Advent, let us all renew our desire to see the light of his goodness and glory.

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;
have mercy and answer.
Of you my heart has spoken:
“Seek his face.”

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not your face.
Dismiss not your servant in anger;
you have been my help.

Do not abandon or forsake me,
O God my help!
Though father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
When they lie in ambush protect me
from my enemy’s greed.
False witnesses rise against me,
breathing out fury.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!

Glory to the Father….

Word of GodMatthew 13:16-17

Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Seek his face! (Ps 105:4)

Canticle of Mary(Text, back cover A)

Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. (cf. Mt 9:29-30)

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…

Intercessions

In faith let us pray:

R/MInstruct us, Lord, in your way.

For those whose faith is threatened by the darkness of sin:
– let your face shine upon them. R/

For those who seek you without knowing whom they seek:
– shed the light of your love upon them. R/

For those who fear the approaching shadow of death:
– enlighten them with the light of your glory. R/

Personal intentions

Our Father….

The Lord bless us and keep us!/ The Lord let his face shine upon us, and be gracious to us!/ The Lord look upon us kindly and give us peace! Amen. (cf. Nm 6:24-26)

Marian Antiphon(page 10 or 11)

Blessed is the womb that bore you, O Christ,
and blessed the breasts that suckled you,
O Lord and Savior of the world, alleluia.

Translated by James Monti

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us, poor sinners.

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.