Opening
God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me.
Hymn
As light fades, gather what this day has been — And bless it, Lord, even the unfinished part. Thank you for every unnoticed grace That found its way into the heart. Stay with us; it is nearly evening. The day is almost spent. Forgive what was harsh, heal what was hurried, And keep what was true to the end.
Original – Prayer on Fire
Psalm I
Antiphon
Risen Christ, firstborn from the dead, renew our hope this day.
Psalm 118 (117):1, 14–17
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is forever. The Lord is my strength and my praise, and he has become my salvation. A voice of exultation and salvation is in the tabernacles of the just. The right hand of the Lord has wrought virtue. The right hand of the Lord has exalted me. The right hand of the Lord has wrought virtue. I will not die, but I will live. And I will declare the works of the Lord.
Glory Be
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
Risen Christ, firstborn from the dead, renew our hope this day.
Psalm II
Antiphon
As light fades, gather what this day has been — and bless it.
Psalm 145 (144):1–3, 8–9
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Psalm
I will extol you, O God, my king. And I will bless your name, in this time and forever and ever. Throughout every single day, I will bless you. And I will praise your name, in this time and forever and ever. The Lord is great and exceedingly praiseworthy. And there is no end to his greatness. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, patient and full of mercy. The Lord is sweet to all things, and his compassion is upon all his works.
Glory Be
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
As light fades, gather what this day has been — and bless it.
Silence
Hold the psalm a little longer.
Reading
1 Peter 1:3–7
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has regenerated us into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: unto an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance, which is reserved for you in heaven. By the power of God, you are guarded through faith for a salvation which is ready to be revealed in the end time. In this, you should exult, if now, for a brief time, it is necessary to be made sorrowful by various trials, so that the testing of your faith, which is much more precious than gold tested by fire, may be found in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Responsory
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His mercy endures forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Magnificat
Antiphon
He looks with favor on the lowly; let evening find us among them.
Luke 1:46–55
Catholic Public Domain Version (public domain)
Canticle
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit leaps for joy in God my Savior. For he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed. For he who is great has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation to generations for those who fear him. He has accomplished powerful deeds with his arm. He has scattered the arrogant in the intentions of their heart. He has deposed the powerful from their seat, and he has exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has taken up his servant Israel, mindful of his mercy, just as he spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Glory Be
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
He looks with favor on the lowly; let evening find us among them.
Intercessions
For bishops, priests, and all who keep the Church in prayer.
R. Lord, have mercy.
For workers returning home, and for those with no home to enter.
R. Lord, have mercy.
For friendships strained today, that evening may soften them.
R. Lord, have mercy.
For the dead we name before you, and those known to you alone.
R. Lord, have mercy.
For a heart that can still give thanks.
R. Lord, have mercy.
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. Amen.
Closing prayer
Stay with us, Lord, at evening tables and empty rooms. Be our bread and our peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.