Mar 18, Evening Prayer I – Solemnity for Thursday in the 4th week of Lent or St. Cyril of Jerusalem, B & D

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:
Ordinary: 1064
Proper of Saints: 1716
Common of Holy Men: 2128

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper of Saints: 1107
Common of Holy Men: 1448

Evening Prayer I for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary

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.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. She gave birth to Jesus who is called Christ.

Psalm 113
Praise the name of the Lord
He has cast down the mighty and has lifted up the lowly (Luke 1:52).

Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for evermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
praised be the name of the Lord!

High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and earth?

From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home
and gladdens her heart with children.

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. Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. She gave birth to Jesus who is called Christ.

Ant. 2 The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph.

Psalm 146
Those who trust in God know what it is to be happy
To praise God in our lives means all we do must be for his glory (Arnobius).

My soul, give praise to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.

Put no trust in princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.

It is he who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,

the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan.

It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever,
Zion’s God, from age to age.

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 angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph.

Ant. 3 Mary the mother of Jesus was betrothed to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Canticle – Ephesians 1:3-10
God our Savior

Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

God chose us in him
before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in his sight.

He predestined us
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.

In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.

God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased
to decree in Christ.

A plan to be carried out
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on earth.

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. Mary the mother of Jesus was betrothed to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the power of the Holy Spirit.

READING Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being. Do it for the Lord rather than for men, since you know full well that you will receive an inheritance from him as your reward. Be slaves of Christ the Lord.

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

The just man shall blossom like the lily.
— The just man shall blossom like the lily.

He shall flourish for ever in the courts of our God,
— like the lily.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— The just man shall blossom like the lily.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. This is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Lord has set over his household.

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. This is the faithful and prudent steward whom the Lord has set over his household.

INTERCESSIONS

All fatherhood in heaven and on earth has its origin in God. Let us turn to him and pray:
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

All-holy Father, you revealed to Saint Joseph your eternal plan of salvation in Christ,
— deepen our understanding of your Son, true God and true man.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

Father in heaven, you feed the birds of the air, and clothe the fields with the fruit of the earth,
— give all your children their daily bread, to sustain soul and body.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

Maker of the universe, you have entrusted your creation to our safekeeping,
— may all who work receive a just reward for their labors.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

God of all righteousness, you want us all to be like you,
— may Saint Joseph inspire us to walk always in your way of holiness.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

Look kindly on the dying and the dead, and grant them your mercy,
— through the intercession of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Our Father in heaven, hear our prayer.

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,
we pray, almighty God,
that by Saint Joseph’s intercession
your Church may constantly watch over
the unfolding of the mysteries of human salvation,
whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care.
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.