Evening Prayer - the Feast of Peter and Paul

Evening Prayer I

PETER AND PAUL

June 29

Deus in adjutorium meum intende,
Domine ad adjuvandum me festina

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us.
Agios o Theos, Agios Ischyros, Agios Athanatos,
Eleison imas.
Sanctus Deus, Sanctus Fortis, Sanctus Immortalis,
miserere nobis.

OPENING

Jesus said, + You are Peter, the Rock;
and on this rock I will build my Church.

When you are old Peter, + you will stretch out your arms, and a stranger will bind you fast,
and carry you where you have no wish to go.

God, who made Peter + an apostle to the Jews,
also made Paul and apostle to the Gentiles.

Paul is my chosen instrument + to bring my name before the nations,
and before the people of Israel.

I have run the great race, + I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
now the prize awaits me, the garland of righteousness.

PHOS HILARON

Antiphon: Christ, the cornerstone, has built his Church upon the apostles and the prophets: Come, let us adore him.

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.

Antiphon: Christ, the cornerstone, has built his Church upon the apostles and the prophets: Come, let us adore him.

READING Romans 1:1-7
From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle, and specially chosen to preach the Good News of his Son that God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures. To you all, who are God’s beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send grace and peace.

HYMN

Peter, good shepherd, may your ceaseless orisons
for us prevailing break the bands of wickedness:
for you in ancient time received authority
the gates to open, or to close, of paradise.

Oh, by your doctrine, Paul, you sage illustrious,
guide us in virtue, raise our spirits heavenward,
till perfect knowledge streams on us abundantly,
and that which is only in part be done away.

Glory eternal to the blessed Trinity,
with laud and honor, homage and supremacy,
Trinal yet Onely, reigning in his majesty
both now and ever, through the ages infinite. Amen

Or:

Aurea luce et decore roseo,
Lux lucis, omne perfudisti saeculum:
decorans caelos inclito martyrio.
Hac sacra die, quae dat reis veniam.

Janitor caeli, doctor orbis pariter,
Judices saecli, vera mundi lumina:
Per crucem alter, alter ense triumphans,
Vitae senatum laureati possident.

O felix Roma, quae tantorum principum
es purpurata pretioso sanguine,
non laude tua, sed ipsorum meritis
excellis omnem mundi pulchritudinem.

Jam, bone Pastor Petre, clemens accipe
Vota precantum, et peccati vincula
Resolve, tibi potestate tradita,
Qua cunctis cślum verbo claudis, aperis.

Doctor egregie, Paule, mores instrue,
Et mente polum nos transferre satage:
Donec perfectum largiatur plenus,
Evacuato quod ex parte gerimus.

Olivae binae pietatis unicae,
fide devotos, spe robustos maxime,
fonte repletos caritatis geminae
post mortem carnis impetrate vivere.

Sit Trinitati sempiterna gloria,
honor, potestas atque iubilatio,
in unitate, cui manet imperium
ex tunc et modo per aeterna saecula.
O light of dawn, O rosy glow,
O Light from Light, all ages show
Your beauty, and the martyrs fame,
That gain us pardon from our blame.

The heavens' porter, and earth's sage,
The world's bright lights who judge the age.
One wins by cross, and one by sword,
And life on high is their reward.

These are your princes, happy Rome!
Their precious blood clothes you, their home.
We praise not you, but praise their worth,
Beyond all beauty of the earth.

Kind Shepherd, Peter, unto thee was given
The keys to close and ope the gates of heaven;
Strike from our souls the galling chain of crime,
And gain the grace for which our hearts have striven.

O learned Paul, inspire us from above
With all the graces of the Heavenly Dove;
Bring us the faith to see the truth of God,
And brighten earth with the sweet reign of love.

One love, one faith, twin olive trees,
One great strong hope filled both of these.
Full fonts, in your matched charity,
Pray that we may in heaven be.

Give glory to the Trinity
And honor to the Unity,
And joy and pow'r, for their reign stays
Today and through all endless days.

The Psalter

Ant. 1: You are Christ,+ the Son of the Living God. / Blessed are you, Simon, son of John.

Quam dilecta!

1: How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! *
My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
2: The sparrow has found her a house
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; *
by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
3: Happy are they who dwell in your house! *
they will always be praising you.
4: Happy are the people whose strength is in you! *
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.
5: Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of
springs, *
for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.
6: They will climb from height to height, *
and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
7: LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; *
hearken, O God of Jacob.
8: Behold our defender, O God; *
and look upon the face of your Anointed.
9: For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own
                                room, *
     and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God
     than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
10: For the LORD God is both sun and shield; *
he will give grace and glory;
11: No good thing will the LORD withhold *
from those who walk with integrity.
12: O LORD of hosts, *
happy are they who put their trust in you!

Ant. 1: You are Christ,+ the Son of the Living God. / Blessed are you, Simon, son of John.

Ant. 2: Paul is my chosen instrument + to bring my name before the nations, / and before the people of Israel.

147:13-21

Laudate Domine

13: Worship the LORD, O Jerusalem; *
praise your God, O Zion;
14: For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; *
he has blessed your children within you.
15: He has established peace on your borders; *
he satisfies you with the finest wheat.
16: He sends out his command to the earth, *
and his word runs very swiftly.
17: He gives snow like wool; *
he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
18: He scatters his hail like bread crumbs; *
who can stand against his cold?
19: He sends forth his word and melts them; *
he blows with his wind, and the waters flow.
20: He declares his word to Jacob, *
his statutes and his judgments to Israel.
21: He has not done so to any other nation; *
to them he has not revealed his judgments.
Hallelujah!

Ant. 2: Paul is my chosen instrument + to bring my name before the nations, / and before the people of Israel.

Ant. 3: I have prayed + for you Peter that your strength may not fail; / and when you have turned to me, you must strengthen the faith of your brothers.

150

Laudate Domine

1: Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy temple; *
praise him in the firmament of his power.
2: Praise him for his mighty acts; *
praise him for his excellent greatness.
3: Praise him with the blast of the ram's-horn; *
Praise him with lyre and harp.
4: Praise him with timbrel and dance; *
praise him with strings and pipe.
5: Praise him with resounding cymbals; *
praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.
6: Let everything that has breath *
praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!

Ant. 3: I have prayed + for you Peter that your strength may not fail; / and when you have turned to me, you must strengthen the faith of your brothers.

First Reading

Isaiah 42:5-9

Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

Canticle
Benedictus es, Domine

Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *
you are worthy of praise; glory to you.

Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *
on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.

Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Glory to you, beholding the depths; *
in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.

Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.

Second Reading

Acts 15:1-12

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the believers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.’

The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’ The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles.

Second Canticle
Magnificat

Antiphon: Holy Peter, + shepherd of the sheep, chief of the apostles; and holy Paul, preacher of the truth, teacher of the Gentiles: / intercede for us to God who chose you.

My soul magnifies 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 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.

Antiphon: Holy Peter, + shepherd of the sheep, chief of the apostles; and holy Paul, preacher of the truth, teacher of the Gentiles: / intercede for us to God who chose you.

Responsory
The apostles proclaimed the word of God and preached it faithfully.
The apostles proclaimed the word of God and preached it faithfully.
They bore witness to the resurrection of Christ.
and preached it faithfully.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
The apostles proclaimed the word of God and preached it faithfully.

Troparion - Tone 4
First-enthroned of the apostles,
teachers of the universe:
Entreat the Master of all
to grant peace to the world,
and to our souls great mercy! Collect
Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martydom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Intercessions

Encouraged by our fellowship with all the saints, let us make our prayers to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Father, your Son called men and women to leave the past behind them and to follow him as his disciples in the way of the cross. Look with mercy upon those whom he has called today, marked with the cross and made his disciples within the Church.