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Solemn Evening Prayer

So, praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Brother Sun, who makes the day and enlightens us through you.
He is lovely and radiant and grand; and he heralds you, his Most High Lord.

We adore you,

most holy Lord Jesus Christ,
here and in all your churches
throughout the world,
and we bless you
because by your holy cross
you have redeemed the world.

O Lord make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

OPENING HYMN

Francis, wholly catholic and apostolic, was sent to
herald the gospel of peace.

Psalm 112

Lord, we are all made in your image.*
The just more closely resemble their Maker,
faithful love, the root and foundation*
of their thoughts and actions.

Light rises in the darkness for the just,*
who is gracious, merciful and honest.
All goes well for those who lend generously*
and conduct their affairs with integrity.

Their hearts are steady, they have no fear,*
lavishly they give to the poor.
They are not afraid of bad tidings;*
for all time to come they will be remembered.

Sometimes, we make life too complicated, Lord.*
We don’t need the latest book to find you.
Grant us humility of mind*
and simplicity of spirit.

Oh! to have it said by friends and neighbours,†
as they depart from my grave:*
“There was a just person.”

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Pause for quiet prayer & reflection on Psalm.

Francis, wholly catholic and apostolic, was sent to herald
the gospel of peace.

In his lifetime he supported the house of God, and in his
day he made safe the temple of the Lord.

Psalm 147

Our great God knows the number of stars,*
he calls each orbit by name.
The same Lord it is*
who heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.

His greatness is matched†
only by his tenderness,*
while his strength parallels his mercy.

The Lord appoints the times and seasons.*
He covers the sky with rain-clouds.
He refreshes the earth*
with water for its fruits.

He is the harvester of all living things.†
He supplies provisions for all his creatures.*
Such is God’s loving care and providence for all creation.

Well merited the praise and gratitude of †
his children who understand*
their dependence on him.

Call me by name, Lord,*
as you call the stars in heaven.
And one day, use my name to call me*
to your side forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Pause for quiet prayer & reflection on Psalm.

In his lifetime he supported the house of God, and in his
day he made safe the temple of the Lord.

Bring my soul out of this prison; the just await my coming
when you will reward me.

Psalm 141

I have called to you, Lord,*
hasten to help me.
Let my prayer rise before you like incense.*
The raising of my hands
like the evening sacrifice.*
The day is almost over now, Lord,
I would like to offer it to you,*
such as it is.

I may not have accomplished much,*
yet it rises to you,
like the last whiffs*
from a lighted thurible,
dissolving into perfume,*
vanishing into the calm around me.

Accept my evening sacrifice, Lord;*
heal my memories,
gently close the door*
on my past, †
that I may live in the fullness of the present.

Tomorrow bears on its back,*
a satchel, within,
the grace to live that day,*
that hour, that moment, for you.

‘Let my prayer rise before you like incense,*
the raising of my hands like an evening sacrifice.’

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Pause for quiet prayer & reflection on Psalm.

Bring my soul out of this prison; the just await my coming
when you will reward me.

THE FIRST READING

Ecclus. 50:1, 4-11, 13-14, 22-25, 29-31

A reading from the book of Ecclesiasticus

HE SHONE OUT LIKE THE SUN IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD

Here is he who repaired the Temple during his lifetime
and in his day fortified the sanctuary.
Anxious to save his people from ruin,
he fortified the city against siege.
How splendid he was with the people thronging round him.

Like the morning star among the clouds,
like the moon at the full,
like the sun shining on the Temple of the Most High,
like the rainbow gleaming against brilliant clouds,
like roses in the days of spring,
like fire and incense in the censer,
like a vessel of beaten gold
encrusted with every kind of precious stone,
like an olive tree loaded with fruit,
like a cypress soaring to the clouds;
when he put on his splendid vestments,
and clothed himself in glorious perfection.

A crowd of his brothers surrounded him
like a youthful cedar of Lebanon
surrounded by the trunks of palm trees.
He would raise his hands
over the whole concourse of the children of Israel,
to give them the Lord’s blessing from his lips,
being privileged to pronounce his name;
and once again the people would bow low
to receive the blessing from the Most High.
And now bless the God of all things
who has acted towards us in his mercy.
May he grant us cheerful hearts
and bring peace in our time,
for ages on ages.

Instruction in wisdom and knowledge
has been committed to writing in this book
by him who has rained down wisdom from his heart.
Happy are they who busy themselves with these things,
and grow wise by taking them to heart.
If they practice them they will be strong enough for anything,
since the light of the Lord is their path.

Responsory

My teaching and message were not delivered with skilful words
of human wisdom but with convincing proof of the power
of God’s Spirit.

For I have no thought of bringing you any other knowledge
than that of Jesus Christ, and of him as crucified. With
convincing proof of the power of God’s Spirit.

THE SECOND READING

From the Letter of St. Francis to All the Faithful

HOW BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD AND DO AS OUR LORD
HIMSELF TELLS US IN THE GOSPEL.

Since I am the servant of all, I am bound to wait upon everyone and make
known to them the fragrant words of my Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word
of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit, whose words are spirit and life. He was
rich beyond measure, yet he and his holy Mother chose poverty. He bowed to
his Father’s will and said, Father, thy will be done; yet not as I will, but as
thou willest.

It was his Father’s will that his blessed and glorious Son, whom he gave to
us and who was born for our sake, should offer himself by his own blood as a
sacrifice and victim on the altar of the cross; and this, not for himself, through
whom all things were made, but for our sins, leaving us an example that we
might follow in his steps. It is the Father’s will that we should all be saved by
the Son, and that we should receive him with a pure heart and chaste body.
How blessed and happy are those who love the Lord and do as Our Lord
himself tells us, True worshippers will worship the father in spirit and in
truth. We should praise him and pray to him day and night, saying, Our
Father, who art in heaven, because we must always pray and not lose heart.
We are also bound to fast and avoid vice and sin, taking care not to give way
to excess in food and drink, and we must be Catholics.

We should visit churches often and show great reverence for the clergy,
not just for them personally, for they may be sinners, but because of their
high office, for it is they who administer the most holy Body and Blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ. They offer It in sacrifice at the altar, and it is they who
receive It and administer It to others. We should realise, too, that no one can
be saved except by the Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ and by the holy words
of God, and it is the Clergy who tell us his words and administer the Blessed
Sacrament. Religious, especially, are bound to make greater efforts without
neglecting the duties of ordinary Christians because they have left the world.

We should love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. We are
bound to live our lives according to the precepts and counsels of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and so we must renounce self and bring our lower nature into
subjection under the yoke of obedience; this is what we have all promised
God.

It is not for us to be wise and calculating in the world’s fashion; we
should be guileless, lowly and pure. We should never want to be in charge
of others; we are to be servants, and we should be subject to every human
creature for God’s sake. On all those who do this and endure to the last the
Spirit of God will rest: he will make his dwelling in them and there he will
stay, and they will be children of your Father in heaven whose work they do.
It is they who are the brides, the brothers and the mothers of our Lord Jesus
Christ.

In that love which is God, I, Brother Francis, the least of your servants,
beg and implore all those to whom this letter comes, to hear these words of
Our Lord Jesus Christ in a spirit of humility and love, putting them into
practice with all gentleness and observing them perfectly. And may God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless those who welcome them and grasp them,
if they persevere to the last.

Responsory:

Listen to my voice and do all that I command you
And you will find rest for your souls.

Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.
And you will find rest for your souls.

Francis, totally submissive to the Creator, held
sway over his creatures, and was able to enjoy
them to the glory of their Maker.

R/

My soul now glorify
the Lord who is my Saviour
Rejoice for who am I
that God has shown me favour.

R/

The world shall call me blest
and ponder on my story.
In me is manifest
God’s greatness and his glory.

R/

For those who are his friends,
and keep his laws as holy.
His mercy never ends
and he exalts the lowly.

R/

But by his power the great,
the proud, the self conceited.
The kings who sit in state
are humbled and defeated.

R/

He feeds the starving poor,
he guards his holy nation.
Fulfilling what he swore
long since in revelation.

R/

Then glorify with me,
the Lord who is my Saviour.
One Holy Trinity,
for ever and for ever.

Francis, totally submissive to the Creator,
held sway over his creatures, and was able to
enjoy them to the glory of their Maker.

Intercessions

Your Kingdom come!

Your Kingdom come!

Your Kingdom come!

Your Kingdom come!

Your Kingdom come!

Your Kingdom come!

Our Father ….

Concluding Prayer

Father,
you helped our Seraphic Father Francis
reflect the image of Christ
through a life of poverty and humility.
May we follow your Son
by walking in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi
and by imitating his joyful love.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen

Amen