Thursday –
St. Matthew
Evening Prayer
Yours is the day, O God, yours also the night; you established the moon and the sun. You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:15,16
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 will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
O gracious
light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O
Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of
the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your
praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at
all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of
Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
19
Cœli
enarrant
1
The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows
his handiwork.
2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and
one night imparts knowledge to another.
3 Although they have
no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,
4
Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to
the ends of the world.
5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for
the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it
rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of
the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is
hidden from its burning heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the
testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.
8
The statutes of the Lord are just
and rejoice the heart; *
the
commandment of the Lord is clear
and gives light to the eyes.
9
The fear of the Lord is clean
and endures for ever; *
the
judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
10
More to be desired are they than gold,
more than much fine gold,
*
sweeter far than honey,
than honey in the comb.
11 By
them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there
is great reward.
12 Who can tell how often he offends?
*
cleanse me from my secret faults.
13 Above all, keep your
servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not get dominion over me;
*
then shall I be whole and sound,
and innocent of a great
offense.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O Lord, my strength and my
redeemer.
112
Beatus vir
1 Hallelujah!
Happy are they who fear
the Lord *
and have great delight in his commandments!
2
Their descendants will be mighty in the land; *
the generation of
the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches will be in
their house, *
and their righteousness will last for ever.
4
Light shines in the darkness for the upright; *
the righteous are
merciful and full of compassion.
5 It is good for them to be
generous in lending *
and to manage their affairs with justice.
6
For they will never be shaken; *
the righteous will be kept in
everlasting remembrance.
7 They will not be afraid of any evil
rumors; *
their heart is right;
they put their trust in the
Lord.
8 Their heart is established and will not shrink,
*
until they see their desire upon their enemies.
9 They
have given freely to the poor, *
and their righteousness stands
fast for ever;
they will hold up their head with honor.
10
The wicked will see it and be angry;
they will gnash their teeth
and pine away; *
the desires of the wicked will perish.
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.
Reading
‘But where
shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of
understanding?
Mortals do not know the way to it,*
and
it is not found in the land of the living.
The deep says, “It
is not in me”,
and the sea says, “It
is not with me.”
It cannot be bought for gold,
and
silver cannot be weighed out as its price.
It cannot be valued in
the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or
sapphire.*
Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it
be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of
coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is
above pearls.
The chrysolite of Ethiopia*
cannot compare with it,
nor can it be valued in
pure gold.
‘Where then does wisdom come from?
And
where is the place of understanding?
It is hidden from the eyes
of all living,
and concealed from the birds of
the air.
Abaddon and Death say,
“We
have heard a rumour of it with our ears.”
‘God understands the way to it,
and
he knows its place.
For he looks to the ends of the earth,
and
sees everything under the heavens.
When he gave to the wind its
weight,
and apportioned out the waters by
measure;
when he made a decree for the rain,
and
a way for the thunderbolt;
then he saw it and declared it;
he
established it, and searched it out.
And he said to
humankind,
“Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is
wisdom;
and to depart from evil is
understanding.” ’
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Canticle 17
Lord, you now
have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of
mine have seen the Savior,*
whom you have prepared for all the
world to see:
A Light to
enlighten the nations,*
and the glory of your people Israel.
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.
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived
by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was
buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose
again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the
dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the
communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection
of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The
Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
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.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for
ever. Amen.
That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That
we may depart this life in your faith and fear,
and not be
condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
That
we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in
the communion of
all your saints,
entrusting one another and all our life to
Christ,
We entreat you, O Lord.
Collect of the Day: Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
We thank thee, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
For Protection
O God, the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank you for the blessings of the day that is past, and humbly ask for your protection through the coming night. Bring us in safety to the morning hours; through him who died and rose again for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
For Mission
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2
Corinthians 13:14