O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
O Emmanuel, rex et legisfer noster, espectatio gentium et salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.
Tag: Vespers
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O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!O Rex gentium et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum,: veni et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.
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O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.
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O Root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!O radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare
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O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!O Adonai et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in bracchio extento
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I had to share..
Vespers – Part of the Homily NOT preached Today (Aug 17) at the Vigil Mass: “Jesus has indeed set the earth on fire with His truth, and there will be no peace in this world until all falsehood finally bows to the truth”.
Someone says, “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act”. We are living in such times. The world today stands in a great danger of being crushed by the secular aggression that is pouring out from all sides. A prophet is always a revolutionary. A prophet’s primary duty is to speak forth God’s message to God’s people; to tell people the truth they would not like to hear. A prophet to admonishes, reproves, denounces sin, calls to repentance, and brings consolation and pardon. Human society in every age bears testimony to the fact that to offer the light of truth to any morally depraved society is to invite serious repercussions. Prophet Jeremiah called the people of Judah to repentance. So the people hated him because of this, and plotted to kill him. Through baptism, we share in Christ’s own prophetic office. We too are invited to speak the word of God to our increasingly morally depraved world. As prophets, we are also called to speak in prayer to God the way Jesus does, and the main prayer of Jesus to His Father is the offering of His flesh and blood. We too are called to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, in spiritual worship. We are called to be completely crucified to the world, live to God alone, enjoying an intimate familiarity with the Lord. This is total commitment. As St Paul rightly counsels in the second reading, we must persevere in living out our faith, while always keeping Jesus before our eyes, and having in mind the joys of eternal life that await us in heaven.
One Egyptian Christian said two days ago, following the burning of several Churches in his country: “You can burn our Churches but you cannot burn our faith”. This is the spirit of martyrdom to which we are called as prophets in Christ. Jesus has indeed set the earth on fire with His truth, and there will be no peace in this world until all falsehood finally bows to the truth.
Fr-Nwora Okeke
Johns Creek, Georgia -
After dressing the Altar last night & praying Vespers & Compline, I went into Adoration & kissed the tabernacle. On my ride home, I noticed a heavy taste in my mouth of honey. It wasn’t just a slight taste, it was as if someone poured an entire jar of honey down my throat. It was across my teeth, coating my entire mouth. No, the tabernacle had not been cleaned with anything recently. I was amazed and couldn’t wipe the smile from my face and had a great night sleep…
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For the past few weeks, every Monday night, I have been blessed to be a part of singing Vespers and Compline (Night Prayer) in my parish, with the Brothers of the Little Oratory. Granted, I have not been blessed with a singing voice in the least and feel I am a hinder to them rather then special add. LOL But they are most definitely a blessing to our parish and to me.
For my readers who do not know what vespers are, even Vatican II stressed the importance of every Catholic praying the Liturgy of the Hours or otherwise known as Divine Office. Please check out the link HERE. Litergy of the Hours is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings. Together with the Mass, it constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. Upon ordination to the Diaconate, the daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours becomes a canonical obligation. The Liturgy of the Hours also forms the basis of prayer within Christian monasticism.
The Liturgy of the Hours, along with the Eucharist, has formed part of the Catholic Church’s public worship from the earliest times.Praying Vespers on Monday Night is an absolute treat to my soul. Although, I do pray the Divine Office daily. It is prayed in Gregorian Chant, completely in Latin. Last night was the first night I let go of my inhibitions and sung without fear. I have to admit I have never been able to carry a tone but with the help of this group, and the Holy Spirit, I am working on that. As I was praying last night, the Holy Spirit reminded me of something I used to do as a very young child. When I was about four or five, in my parents basement, there was a metal bookcase. More like a utility cabinet that kept books. In it, were my older sisters school books and one of them was the Liturgy of the Hours. I used to take it out and try to read it. Never knowing what it was. I used to ponder about how hard it was to be “Big”. To have to learn all this new stuff. I would sit and stare at the Latin and the voice notes and wonder when I would be able to read them and understand them. I never knew what it was or what it meant. One day, my older sister came home and seen me flipping through the book and said something on the order of “Your Reading Gregorian Chant now? I’ll believe its a miracle when you actually start singing it”. And walked away.
Well??? Here we are. Forty one years later and look! I’m singing Gregorian Chat, the Divine Office, and the glory goes to God.
EDIT TO ADD:
I have to mention the school my older sisters attended was Mother Théodore Guérin High School. Saint Mother Théodore Guérin (1798 – 1856), designated by the Vatican as Saint Theodora, is the foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, a congregation of Catholic nuns. After a standard process of approval within the church often referred to as a “cause for sainthood,” she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 1998 and finally canonized a saint of the Roman Catholic church on October 15, 2006, by Pope Benedict XVI.
Thank you for your intercession Saint Theodora. I truly understand how serious our Lord’s intrest is, in my soul and every soul on earth.
Peg Pondering Again 