> [[js-cm-11|← Morning Prayer]] | [[the-carmelite-manual-toc|TOC]] | [[js-cm-13|An Exposition of the Order, Canon, and Ceremonies of the Mass →]] # Evening Prayer *The many signal blessings which God has bestowed, and does bestow, on those families where prayers are regularly said in common, should alone be a sufficient inducement to establish this practice everywhere, and chiefly at night, when all may be assembled with greater convenience. Where two or three persons shall be assembled in my name, there, saith Christ, shall I be in the midst of them. Oh! Christians, what stronger inducement can we have to procure so great a happiness.* In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Blessed be the Holy and undivided Trinity, now and for ever. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. I believe in God. *Invoke the assistance of the Holy Ghost, saying:* COME, Holy Ghost, send down those beams, Which sweetly flow in silent streams, From thy bright throne above; Come, thou the Father of the poor, Thou bounteous source of all our store; Come, fire our hearts with love. Come, thou of Comforters the best; Come, thou the soul's delightful guest, The pilgrim's sweet relief; Thou art our rest in toil and sweat, Refreshment in excessive heat, And solace in our grief. O sacred light, shoot home thy darts; O pierce the centre of these hearts, Whose faith aspires to thee; Without thy Godhead, nothing can Have any price or worth in man; Nothing can harmless be. Lord, wash our sinful stains away; Water, from heaven, our barren clay: Our wounds and bruises heal; To thy sweet yoke, our stiff necks bend, T' inflame our cold hearts, thy fire send; Our wand'ring feet repel. O grant thy faithful, dearest Lord, Whose only hope is thy sure word, The sev'n gifts of thy Spirit; Grant us in life t' obey thy grace; Grant us at death, to see thy face, And endless joys inherit. V. Send forth thy Spirit, and our hearts will be regenerated. R. And thou wilt renew the face of the earth. *Place yourself in the presence of God, and give him thanks for all the benefits you have received from him, particularly this day.* O MY God, I firmly believe thou art here, and perfectly seest me, and that thou observest all my actions, all my thoughts, and the most secret motions of my heart. Thou watchest over me with an incomparable love, every moment bestowing favours, and preserving me from evil. Blessed be thy holy name, and may all creatures bless thy goodness for the benefits I have ever received from thee, and particularly this day. Never permit me to be so base and wicked as to repay thy bounties with ingratitude, and thy blessings with offences and injuries. *Return thanks to God for the favours he has conferred upon us.* ENABLE me, O Lord, to return thee sufficient thanks for all thine inestimable blessings and favours. Thou hast thought of me, and loved me from all eternity; thou hast formed me from nothing; thou hast delivered up thy beloved Son to the ignominious death of the cross for my redemption; thou didst preserve me from falling into the abyss of eternal misery, when my sins had often provoked thee to cut the slender thread of my life, which thou heldest in thy all-powerful and chastising hand; and thou still continuest to preserve me, notwithstanding I still continue to offend thee. Alas! my God, what return can I make for the innumerable blessings thou hast conferred on me during the whole course of my life, as well as for the particular favours of this day. O all ye angels and saints, unite with me in praising the God of mercies, who is so bountiful to so unworthy a creature. *Ask our Lord Jesus Christ grace to discover the sins you have committed this day, and beg of him a true sorrow for them.* O MY Lord Jesus Christ, Judge of the living and the dead, before whom I must appear one day, to give an exact account of my whole life; enlighten me, I beseech thee, and give me an humble and contrite heart, that I may see wherein I have offended thy infinite Majesty, and judge myself now, with such a just severity, that then thou mayest judge me with mercy and clemency. Here examine what sins you have committed by thought, word, deed, or omission: then conceive a great sorrow for having offended God, and say: O MY God, I detest these and all other sins, which I have committed against thy divine Majesty. I am extremely sorry that I have offended thee, because thou art infinitely good, and sin displeases thee. I love thee with my whole heart, and firmly purpose, by the help of thy grace, never more to offend thee. I resolve to avoid the occasions of sin. I will confess them, and will endeavour to make satisfaction for them. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, and pardon me a wretched sinner. In the name of thy beloved Son Jesus, I humbly beg of thee, so to wash me with his precious blood, that my sins may be entirely remitted. *Endeavour as much as possible, to put yourself in the condition you desire to be found at the hour of your death.* O My God, I accept of death as a homage and adoration which I owe to thy divine Majesty, and as a punishment justly due to my sins, in union with the death of my dear Redeemer, and as the only means of coming to thee, my beginning and last end. I firmly believe all the sacred truths the Catholic Church believes and teaches, because thou hast revealed them. And by the assistance of thy holy grace, I am resolved to live and die in the communion of this thy Church. Relying upon thy goodness, power, and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, and life everlasting, through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ, my only Redeemer, and by the intercession of his blessed Mother and all the saints. I love thee with all my heart and soul, and desire to love thee as the blessed in heaven: I adore all the designs of thy divine providence, resigning myself entirely to thy will. I also love my neighbour for thy sake, as I love myself: I sincerely forgive all that have injured me, and ask pardon of all I have injured. I renounce the devil with all his works, the world with all its pomps, and the flesh with all its temptations. I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. Father, into thy hands I recommend my spirit: Lord Jesus, receive my soul. May the blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all the saints, pray for us to our Lord, that we may be preserved this night from sin and all evils. May blessed St. Michael defend us in the day of battle, that we may not be lost at the dreadful judgment. May my good angel, whom God, by his divine mercy, has appointed to be my guardian, enlighten and protect me, direct and govern me this night. Amen. Almighty God, have mercy on us; and our sins being forgiven, bring me to life everlasting. Amen. The almighty and merciful Lord give us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins. Amen. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this night without sin. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be poured upon us, according to the hopes we have placed in thee. Lord, hear my prayer. And let my supplication come unto thee. ## The Litany of the Blessed Virgin ANTHEM. WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God despise not our prayers in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O thou ever glorious and blessed virgin. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. God the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity One God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace, Most pure Mother, Pray for us. Most chaste Mother, Mother undefiled, Mother unviolated, Most amiable Mother, Most admirable Mother, Mother of our Creator, Mother of our Redeemer, Most prudent virgin, Most venerable virgin, Most renowned virgin, Most powerful virgin, Most merciful virgin, Most faithful virgin, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom, Cause of our joy, Spiritual vessel, Honourable vessel, Vessel of singular devotion, Mystical rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven, Morning star, Health of the weak, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of angels, Queen of patriarchs, Queen of prophets, Queen of apostles, Queen of martyrs, Queen of confessors, Queen of virgins, Queen of all saints, Mother and ornament of Carmel, Pray for us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world: Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world: Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us, O Lord. Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. Lord have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Our Father, &c. V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God; R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. PRAYER. POUR forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may, by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his resurrection: through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. PRAYER. BLESS, O Lord, the repose I am going to take, that by renewing my bodily strength, I may be the better enabled to serve thee. O all ye saints and angels, but especially thou, O Mother of God, intercede for me, not only during this night and the rest of my life, but more particularly at the hour of my death. Amen. ANOTHER PRAYER. POUR downthy blessings, O Lord, on my parents, benefactors, friends, and on my enemies too, if I have any. Protect my superiors, spiritual and temporal. Help the poor and sick, and those that are in their last agony. Convert all heretics and unbelievers. O God of mercy and goodness, have mercy on the souls of the faithful in purgatory; put an end to their sufferings, and grant to all those for whom I am particularly bound to pray, eternal light, rest; and happiness. Amen. HYMN. ERE the waning light decay, God of all, to thee we pray, Thee thy healthful grace to send, Thee to guard us and defend. Guard from dreams that may affright; Guard from terrors of the night: Guard from foes, without, within; Outward danger, inward sin. Mindful of our only stay, Duly thus to thee we pray; Duly thus to thee we raise, Trophies of our grateful praise. Hear our prayer, Almighty King! Hear thy praises while we sing, Hymning with thy heavenly host, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. VISIT, we beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation, and drive away from it all the snares of the enemy; let thy holy angels dwell therein to preserve us in peace, and may thy blessing be upon us for ever: through Christ, our Lord. Amen. May the divine assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Before you go to bed, read a chapter in some spiritual book. Resolve within yourself on the subject of the next morning's meditation. When you compose yourself in bed, think on your grave, and how soon death, of which sleep is an image, will be with you, and what your sentiments will then be of all worldly vanities. Offer up your sleep to God submitting it with a pure intention to his holy will; that by this repose of nature, you may recover new vigour of mind and body to serve him. Wish that every breath you are to draw this night, may be so many acts of praise and love of the divine Majesty, like the happy breathings of the angels and saints, who never sleep: and so compose yourself to rest, in the arms of your Saviour. ## Vespers in English V. Incline unto my aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. V. Glory be to the Father, &c. R. As it was in the beginning, &c. Alleluia. DIXIT DOMINUS. Psalm cix. THE Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right-hand, Until I make thy enemies thy footstool. The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies. With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints, from the womb before the day star, I begot thee. The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. The Lord at thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among nations, he shall fill ruins: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. He shall drink of the torrent in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head. Glory be to the Father, &c. CONFITEBOR TIBI. Psalm cx. I WILL praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; in the council of the just, and in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, sought out according to all his wills. His work is praise and magnificence, and his justice continueth for ever and ever. He hath made a remembrance of his wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious Lord: he hath given food to them that fear him. He will be mindful for ever of his covenant: he will shew forth to his people the power of his works. That he may give them the inheritance of the Gentiles; the works of his hands are truth and judgment. All his commandments are faithful, confirmed for ever and ever; made in truth and equity. He hath sent redemption to his people; he hath commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and terrible is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding to all that do it: his praise continueth for ever and ever. Glory be to the Father, &c. BEATIS VIR. Psalm cxi. BLESSED is the man that feareth the Lord; he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the righteous shall be blessed. Glory and wealth shall be in his house; and his justice remaineth for ever and ever. To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness; he is merciful, and compassionate, and just. Acceptable is the man that showeth mercy, and lendeth; he shall order his words with judgment, because he shall not be moved for ever. The just shall be in everlasting remembrance; he shall not fear the evil hearing. His heart is ready to hope in the Lord; his heart is strengthened; he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies. He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor; his justice remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory. The wicked shall see, and shall be angry; he shall gnash with his teeth, and pine away: the desire of the wicked shall perish. Glory be to the Father, &c. LAUDATE PUERI. Psalm cxii, PRAISE the Lord, ye children: praise ye the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from henceforth, now, and for ever. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise. The Lord is high above all nations; and his glory above the heavens. Who is as the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, and looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth? Raising up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill, That he may place him with princes, with the princes of his people. Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children. Glory be to the Father, &c. IN EXITU ISRAEL. Psalm cxiii. WHEN Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people; Judea was made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea saw and fled; Jordan was turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou didst flee? and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back? Ye mountains that ye skipped like rams, and ye hills like the lambs of the flock? At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved; at the presence of the God of Jacob. Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hills into fountains of waters. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory. For thy mercy and for thy truth's sake, lest the Gentiles should say, Where is their God? But our God is in heaven: he hath done all things whatsoever he would. The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold; the works of the hands of men. They have mouths and speak not; they have eyes and see not. They have ears and hear not; they have noses and smell not. They have hands and feel not; they have feet and walk not; neither shall they cry out through their throats. Let them that make them become like unto them, and all such as trust in them. The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord; he is their helper and their protector. The house of Aaron hath hoped in the Lord; he is their helper and their protector. They that fear the Lord hath hoped in the Lord; he is their helper and their protector. The Lord hath been mindful of us, and hath blessed us. He hath blessed the house of Israel; he hath blessed the house of Aaron. He hath blessed all that fear the Lord, both little and great. May the Lord add blessings upon you, and upon your children. Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The heaven of heavens is the Lord's; but the earth he hath given to the children of men. The dead shall not praise thee, O Lord, nor any of them that go down to hell. But we that live bless the Lord, from this time, now, and for ever. Glory be to the Father, &c. 2 Cor. 1. BLESSED be God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations. Anth. Thanks be to God. HYMN. Now sinks in night the flaming sun; O Thou, our everlasting day, Thrice holy Godhead, Three in One, Thy brightness to pur hearts display: To thee we hymn the morning lay, To thee our evening vows are given; Grant us, as here to thee we pray, To praise thee in the courts of heaven. No shadows there, nor clouds impede The view with visions of affright; Nor sun, nor moon, those mansions need, The Lamb is their perpetual light. O, yet UNSEEN by mortal sight, May in our souls that scene endure, That we, through hope of that delight, May purer grow as thou art pure. And when the day shall come, that we Shall know no more, as now in part, May we, unveiled, thy presence see, Be like, and know thee, as thou art; And evermore, with volce and heart, Join concert with thy heavenly host, And bear, in praising thee, our part, Thee Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. V. May my prayer, O Lord, be directed, R. As incense in thy sight. THE MAGNIFICAT; OR, CANTICLE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. St. Luke i. My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty has done great things to me: and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation to generation, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel his servant; being mindful of his mercy. As he spoke to our Fathers; to Abraham and to his seed for ever. Glory be to the Father, &c. LET US PRAY. VISIT, we beseech thee, O Lord, this abode, and drive far from it all the snares of the enemy: may thy holy angels abide therein to preserve us in peace; and may thy blessing be always on us. Through, &c. V. May the Lord, &c. R. And with, &c. V. Let us bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. THE BLESSING. MAY the almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, bless and preserve us. R. Amen. ## An Oblation to Almighty God *Which may be made every Morning or Evening.* Most merciful Lord and ever living God, behold I, a most wretched and ungrateful sinner, prostrate in thy presence, do adore thee, and offer up in the most profound humility of heart, immortal praise and thanksgiving for thy manifold blessings, but more especially for thy unspeakable charity in sending down thy only begotten Son to this valley of tears, for the accomplishment of the work of our redemption Eternal Lord of heaven and earth, I praise and magnify thy ever glorious name, for thy Son's most holy incarnation and nativity; for his divine example of obedience and all other evangelical virtues; for his heavenly doctrines and miracles; for his death and passion; for his resurrection and glorious ascension. I render thee the utmost thanks that a creature can possibly give, for the divine mystery of his precious body and blood, contained in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist, wherewith we are nourished, cleansed, and sanctified, and made partakers of every heavenly grace and spiritual benediction. I give thee, likewise, most humble and hearty thanks, that, out of the slime of the earth, thou wert pleased to make me according to thine own image, and render me capable of eternal glory. And to restore me to thy favour, which I had forfeited by sin, thou didst vouchsafe, through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ, first to wash me with the laver of baptism, for the remission of that original corruption, which I inherited from my first parents, and afterwards to bring me to the knowledge and practice of the true faith; continually to increase the same in me, by the doctrine and instruction of thy holy Catholic Church, and to favour me with innumerable other graces and invitations. I most humbly thank thee, also, for having, from my infancy, nourished and clothed my frail body, by supplying it with every thing necessary for its relief and maintenance. I evermore extol and praise thy holy name, for having hitherto spared and patiently expected me, till by thy grace I might be awakened from the lethargy of sin, and reclaimed from my vain and wicked course of life; for hadst thou dealt with me according to the innumerable sins wherewith my soul was oppressed, I had been long since plunged into the abyss of eternal perdition. In consideration of all these thy mercies and blessings, I most humbly desire, O Lord, that my heart, being daily enlarged, may render thee a more ample tribute of praise and thanksgiving than it has done hitherto. O my Lord God, and most merciful Father, never abandon me to myself, but let a salutary fear of thy judgments be ever uppermost in my thoughts, to restrain me so effectually within the bounds of obedience to thy holy precepts, as to dread no evil in this world so much, as in the least manner to offend thee. May thy holy love take such absolute possession of my heart, as may enable me to overcome every temptation or trial that may at any time befal me, for thou knowest my frailty to be such, that of myself I can do nothing. I moreover beseech thee, most merciful Father, through the profound humility of thine only Son, Jesus Christ, that thou wouldst preserve my soul from being defiled with the least stain of pride, self-love, vain glory, obstinacy, or disobedience. Cast out of my heart the spirit of gluttony and uncleanness; the spirit of sloth and indevotion; the spirit of malice and envy; the spirit of hatred and disdain; so that I may never despise the meanest of thy creatures, nor vainly prefer myself before others, but being convinced of my own nothingness, I may be always inclined to harbour the best opinion of my neighbours, and the worst of myself. Clothe me, O most beneficent Father, with the nuptial garment of thy beloved Son, the supernatural virtue of heavenly charity; in order that I may love thee, my Lord and my God, with such an absolute and boundless affection, that neither life nor death, prosperity nor adversity, nor any other consideration or circumstance whatsoever, may ever be able to separate me from thy love. O may every inordinate affection to the transitory things of this world, daily decrease within my soul, till at length thou thyself become its sole delight and entertainment. O most gracious God, give to thy servant an humble, contrite, and obedient heart; an understanding incessantly occupied in honest and pious thoughts; a will tractable, and always inclined to do good; affections calm and moderate; a watchful guard over my senses, that by those avenues no sin may steal into my soul. Grant me a perfect government of my tongue, that no corrupt, harsh, or indecent language may proceed from my lips; that I may never slander, speak ill, or busy myself about the faults and imperfections of others, but rather direct all my thoughts and attention to the management of my own. O most loving Lord, so long as I am detained within the prison of the flesh, let this be my comfort, that freed from the distracting cares and pleasures of this life, I may devote myself wholly to thy service, incessantly attending to the heavenly doctrine of thy Holy Spirit. In these sweet exercises let me consume the remainder of my tedious confinement with resignation, under the patient expectation of closing this miserable life with a happy death. And finally, O Redeemer of mankind, my Lord and my God, grant that when this earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved, being through a sincere confession, and the efficacy of the last sacraments of thy holy Church, delivered as well from the guilt as the punishment due to sin, I may be associated to the number of those blessed souls, who through the merits of thy death and passion, are held worthy to reign with thee in eternal bliss; therein to behold the glory thou hast with the Father and the Holy Ghost, before the creation of the world; and to whom be rendered honour, glory, praise, and thanksgiving, by all creatures in heaven and on earth, for an endless duration of ages. Amen. Come, O my Lord and my God; come, O my sweet Saviour Jesus, come and take full possession of my heart and soul for ever and ever. Amen. Amen. --- ![[maps/bibliography#^biblio-spratt]] > [[js-cm-11|← Morning Prayer]] | [[the-carmelite-manual-toc|TOC]] | [[js-cm-13|An Exposition of the Order, Canon, and Ceremonies of the Mass →]]