Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 667
Proper of Seasons: 137
Psalter: Sunday, Week I, 678

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper of Seasons: 40
Psalter: Sunday, Week I, 701

Evening Prayer I for Sunday in the First Week of Advent

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 for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Proclaim the good news among the nations: Our God will come to save us.

Psalm 141
A prayer when in danger
An angel stood before the face of God, thurible in hand. The fragrant incense soaring aloft was the prayer of God’s people on earth (Revelation 8:4)

I have called to you, Lord; hasten to help me!
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense,
the raising of my hands like an evening oblation.

Ant. Proclaim the good news among the nations: Our God will come to save us.

Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth;
keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!
Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong,
to evil deeds with men who are sinners.

Ant. Proclaim the good news among the nations: Our God will come to save us.

Never allow me to share in their feasting.
If a just man strikes or reproves me it is kindness
but let the oil of the wicked not anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.

Ant. Proclaim the good news among the nations: Our God will come to save us.

Their princes were thrown down by the side of the rock;
then they understood that my words were kind.
As a millstone is shattered to pieces on the ground,
so their bones were strewn at the mouth of the grave.

Ant. Proclaim the good news among the nations: Our God will come to save us.

To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned:
in you I take refuge; spare my soul!
From the trap they have laid for me keep me safe:
keep me from the snares of those who do evil.

Ant. Proclaim the good news among the nations: Our God will come to save us.

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.

Psalm-prayer

Lord, from the rising of the sun to its setting your name is worthy of all praise. Let our prayer come like incense before you. May the lifting up of our hands be as an evening sacrifice acceptable to you, Lord our God.

Ant. Proclaim the good news among the nations: Our God will come to save us.

Ant. 2 Know that the Lord is coming and with him all his saints; that day will dawn with a wonderful light, alleluia.

Psalm 142
You, Lord are my refuge
What is written in this Psalm was fulfilled by our Lord’s passion (Saint Hilary)

With all my voice I cry to the Lord,
with all my voice I entreat the Lord.
I pour out my trouble before him;
I tell him all my distress
while my spirit faints within me.
But you, O Lord, know my path.

Ant. Know that the Lord is coming and with him all his saints; that day will dawn with a wonderful light, alleluia.

On the way where I shall walk
they have hidden a snare to entrap me.
Look on my right and see:
there is no one who takes my part.
I have no means of escape,
not one who cares for my soul.

Ant. Know that the Lord is coming and with him all his saints; that day will dawn with a wonderful light, alleluia.

I cry to you, O Lord.
I have said: “You are my refuge
all I have in the land of the living.”
Listen, then, to my cry
for I am in the depths of distress.

Ant. Know that the Lord is coming and with him all his saints; that day will dawn with a wonderful light, alleluia.

Rescue me from those who pursue me
for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of this prison
and then I shall praise your name.
Around me the just will assemble
because of your goodness to me.

Ant. Know that the Lord is coming and with him all his saints; that day will dawn with a wonderful light, alleluia.

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.

Psalm-prayer

Lord, we humbly ask for your goodness. May you help us to hope in you, and give us a share with your chosen ones in the land of the living.

Ant. Know that the Lord is coming and with him all his saints; that day will dawn with a wonderful light, alleluia.

Ant. 3 The Lord will come with mighty power; all mortal eyes shall see him.

Canticle — Philippians 2:6-11
Christ, God’s holy servant

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.

Ant. The Lord will come with mighty power; all mortal eyes shall see him.

Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.

Ant. The Lord will come with mighty power; all mortal eyes shall see him.

He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!

Ant. The Lord will come with mighty power; all mortal eyes shall see him.

Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,

So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Ant. The Lord will come with mighty power; all mortal eyes shall see him.

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.

Ant. The Lord will come with mighty power; all mortal eyes shall see him.

READING 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls us is trustworthy, therefore he will do it.
The audio for this hour uses a longer reading taken from the single volume Christian Prayer book, while this abbreviated text is from the 4 volume Liturgy of the Hours.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

Lord, show us your mercy and love.
— Lord, show us your mercy and love.

And grant us your salvation,
— your mercy and love.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— Lord, show us your mercy and love.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. See the Lord coming from afar. His splendor fills the earth.

Luke 1:46-55
The 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.

Ant. See the Lord coming from afar. His splendor fills the earth.

INTERCESSIONS

Jesus Christ is the joy and happiness of all who look forward to his coming. Let us call upon him and say:
Come, Lord, and do not delay!

In joy, we wait for your coming;
— come, Lord Jesus.
Come, Lord, and do not delay!

Before time began, you shared life with the Father;
— come now and save us.
Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You created the world and all who live in it;
— come to redeem the work of your hands.
Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You did not hesitate to become man, subject to death;
— come to free us from the power of death.
Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You came to give us life to the full;
— come and give us your unending life.
Come, Lord, and do not delay!

You desire all people to live in love in your kingdom;
— come and bring together those who long to see you face to face.
Come, Lord, and do not delay!

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer

Grant your faithful,
we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth
to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming,
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

DISMISSAL

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