Alexander Penrose Forbes, Bishop, 1875 (translated from 8 October)
Monday after Pentecost 18
Evening Prayer – Week C
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;*
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever.
Amen.
PSALMODY
Antiphon: Search me out, O God, and know my heart;*
try me and know my restless thoughts
Opening (from 139)
1 You trace my journeys and my resting-places*
and are acquainted with all my ways.
2 Indeed there is not a word on my lips,*
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
3 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me,*
and the light around me turn to night’,
4 Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day;*
darkness and light to you are both alike.
Glory to the Father…
or a suitable hymn
Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
hearken, all you who dwell in the world,*
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.
2 My mouth shall speak of wisdom,*
and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
3 I will incline my ear to a proverb*
and set forth my riddle upon the harp.
4 Why should I be afraid in evil days,*
when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,
5 The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods,*
and boast of their great riches?
6 We can never ransom ourselves,*
or deliver to God the price of our life;
7 For the ransom of our life is so great,*
that we should never have enough to pay it,
8 In order to live for ever and ever,*
and never see the grave.
9 For we see that the wise die also;
like the dull and stupid they perish*
and leave their wealth to those who come after them.
10 Their graves shall be their homes for ever,
their dwelling places from generation to generation,*
though they call the lands after their own names.
11 Even though honoured, they cannot live for ever;*
they are like the beasts that perish.
12 Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves,*
and the end of those who delight in their own words.
13 Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;
Death is their shepherd;*
they go down straightway to the grave.
14 Their form shall waste away,*
and the land of the dead shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my life;*
he will snatch me from the grasp of death.
16 Do not be envious when some become rich,*
or when the grandeur of their house increases;
17 For they will carry nothing away at their death,*
nor will their grandeur follow them.
18 Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived,*
and were praised for their success,
19 They shall join the company of their forebears,*
who will never see the light again.
20 Those who are honoured, but have no understanding,*
are like the beasts that perish.
God of our salvation, save us from envy, and teach us to be content with what is enough. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.
Conclusion Sirach 51
1 While I was still young, before I began my travels,*
I sought for wisdom openly in my prayers.
2 I asked for her outside the temple sanctuary,*
and I will seek her to the end.
3 She has been the delight of my heart.*
from first blossom to early fruit.
4 I have kept firmly to the true path;*
I have followed her steps since my youth.
5 I bowed my ear a little and received her;*
I found wisdom and was well instructed.
6 Glory to the One who gives me wisdom!*
I will live according to her way.
7 From the beginning I gained understanding from her;*
therefore I will never be deserted.
8 Because I longed to find her with all my heart,*
I have gained a good possession.
9 As my reward the Lord has given me a tongue*
with which I shall sing his praises.
Glory to the Father…
Antiphon: Search me out, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my restless thoughts.
READING(S)
Matthew 8:28-34
When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, ‘What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’ Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.’ And he said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighbourhood.
Response Sirach 51.26
Buy wisdom without money, take her yoke upon you.
Buy wisdom without money, take her yoke upon you.
Let your souls receive instruction.
Take her yoke upon you.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Buy wisdom without money, take her yoke upon you.
MAGNIFICAT
Magnificat Antiphon: My soul proclaims* the greatness of the Lord (not repeated in canticle).
1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,*
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
2 for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant;*
from this day all generations will call me blessed.
3 The Almighty has done great things for me*
and holy is his name.
4 He has mercy on those who fear him*
in every generation.
5 He has shown the strength of his arm;*
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
6 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones*
and has lifted up the lowly.
7 He has filled the hungry with good things,*
and the rich he has sent away empty.
8 He has come to the help of his servant Israel,*
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
9 the promise he made to our forebears,*
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father… (may be said by all)
Magnificat Antiphon: My soul proclaims* the greatness of the Lord (not repeated in canticle).
PRAYERS
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
Collect of the Day
O Lord, we beseech you:
give your people grace to turn away from evil;
and to follow you, the only God,
in pureness of heart and mind;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Lord God almighty, come and dispel the darkness from our hearts, that in the radiance of your brightness we may know you, the only unfading light, glorious in all eternity. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord:
Thanks be to God!
The God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing:
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
