Evening Prayer II - Presentation of the Lord

PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

Evening Prayer II

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.

HYMN

When Mary brought her treasure
Unto the holy place,
No eye of man could measure
The joy upon her face.
He was but six weeks old,
Her plaything and her pleasure,
Her silver and her gold.

Then Simeon, on him gazing
With wonder and with love,
His aged voice up-raising
Gave thanks to God above:
'Now welcome sweet release!
For I, my saviour praising,
May die at last in peace.'

And she, all sorrow scorning,
Rejoiced in Jesus' fame.
The child her arms adorning
Shone softly like a flame
That burns the long night through,
And keeps from dusk till morning
Its vigil clear and true.

As by the sun in splendour
The flags of night are furled,
So darkness shall surrender
To Christ who lights the world:
To Christ the star of day,
Who once was small and tender,
A candle's gentle ray.
Words: Jan Struther; Tune: Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen

PSALMODY

Antiphon 1: The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord.

Psalm 110:1-5,7

The Lord's revelation to my Master:
"Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet."

The Lord will yield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.

A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
"You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old."

The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.

He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head. Glory...

Antiphon 1 The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord.

Antiphon 2 As the law prescribed, they offered to the Lord a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.

My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
(Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.)

Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity. Glory...

Antiphon 2 As the law prescribed, they offered to the Lord a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Antiphon 3 My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people.

Canticle - Colossians 1:12-20

Let us give thanks to the Father
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints
in light.

He rescued us
from the power of darkness
and brought us
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption,
the forgiveness of our sins.

He is the image of the invisible God,
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created,
things visible and invisible.

All were created through him;
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is.
In him everything continues in being.

It is he who is head of the body, the church;
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead,
so that primacy may be his in everything.

It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens,
making peace through the blood of his cross. Glory...

Antiphon 3 My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people.

READING Hebrews 4:15-16
We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need

RESPONSORY
The Lord has made known his saving power.
- The Lord has made known his saving power.
Which he has prepared in the sight of every people.
- His saving power.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
- The Lord has made known his saving power.

MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: Today, the Blessed Virgin Mary presented the Child Jesus in the temple; and Simeon, inspired by the Holy Spirit, took him in his arms, and gave thanks to God.

INTERCESSIONS
Today our Savior was presented in the temple. Let us adore him as we say:

Lord, may our eyes see your saving power.

Christ Jesus, you are the light that enlightens all nations,
- shine upon those who do not know you, that they may come to believe in you, the one, true God.

You are the redeemer and glory of your people Israel,
- may your Church proclaim your salvation to the ends of the earth.

Jesus, desire of the nations, Simeon, the just man, rejoiced at your coming,
- lead all men to recognize that you still come to them.

Lord, when you were presented in the temple, Simeon foretold that a sword of sorrow would pierce your mother's heart,
- strengthen us to accept the sufferings we endure for the sake of your name.

Christ Jesus, joy of all the saints, Simeon longed to see you before he died, and his prayer was answered,
- hear our plea for all the dead who still yearn to see you face to face.

Our Father...

COLLECT
Almighty ever-living God,
we humbly implore your majesty
that, just as your Only Begotten Son
was presented on this day in the Temple
in the substance of our flesh,
so, by your grace,
we may be presented to you with minds made pure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

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

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