Fr. Guillermo A. Arboleda
- Apr 8, 2020
- 14 min read

Evening Prayer for Wednesday in Holy Week

Wednesday in Holy Week

Evening Prayer & The Great Litany

April 8, 2020

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Want to pray on your own? Visit prayer.forwardmovement.org for many varieties of Daily Prayer in the Episcopal tradition.

Note: We are praying using Rite I (traditional, Elizabethan, "Ye Olde English") language during the season of Lent. This change is to help us slow down and pay attention to the words we are praying and also to experience different forms of the Confession of Sin.

This service is drawn from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and the scriptures are reprinted from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Evening Prayer (BCP, p. 62)

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6; BCP, p. 39).

Confession of Sin

Dear friends in Christ, here in the presence of Almighty God, let us kneel in silence, and with penitent and obedient hearts confess our sins, so that we may obtain forgiveness by his infinite goodness and mercy.

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy holy laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, spare thou those who confess their faults, restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord; and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

V: O God, make speed to save us. R: O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen.

Canticle 10: The Second Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 55:6-11; BCP, p. 86).

Seek the Lord while he wills to be found; *

call upon him when he draws near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways *

and the evil ones their thoughts;

And let them turn to the Lord, and he will have compassion, *

and to our God, for he will richly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, *

nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, *

so are my ways higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as rain and snow fall from the heavens *

and return not again, but water the earth,

Bringing forth life and giving growth, *

seed for sowing and bread for eating,

So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; *

it will not return to me empty;

But it will accomplish that which I have purposed, *

and prosper in that for which I sent it.

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.

The Psalm or Psalms Appointed

Psalm 74 Ut quid, Deus?

1 O God, why have you utterly cast us off? *

why is your wrath so hot against the sheep of your pasture?

2 Remember your congregation that you purchased long ago, *

the tribe you redeemed to be your inheritance, and Mount Zion where you dwell.

3 Turn your steps toward the endless ruins; *

the enemy has laid waste everything in your sanctuary.

4 Your adversaries roared in your holy place; *

they set up their banners as tokens of victory.

5 They were like men coming up with axes to a grove of trees; *

they broke down all your carved work with hatchets and hammers.

6 They set fire to your holy place; *

they defiled the dwelling-place of your Name and razed it to the ground.

7 They said to themselves, "Let us destroy them altogether." *

They burned down all the meeting-places of God in the land.

8 There are no signs for us to see; there is no prophet left; *

there is not one among us who knows how long.

9 How long, O God, will the adversary scoff? *

will the enemy blaspheme your Name for ever?

10 Why do you draw back your hand? *

why is your right hand hidden in your bosom?

11 Yet God is my King from ancient times, *

victorious in the midst of the earth.

12 You divided the sea by your might *

and shattered the heads of the dragons upon the waters;

13 You crushed the heads of Leviathan *

and gave him to the people of the desert for food.

14 You split open spring and torrent; *

you dried up ever-flowing rivers.

15 Yours is the day, yours also the night; *

you established the moon and the sun.

16 You fixed all the boundaries of the earth; *

you made both summer and winter.

17 Remember, O LORD, how the enemy scoffed, *

how a foolish people despised your Name.

18 Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; *

never forget the lives of your poor.

19 Look upon your covenant; *

the dark places of the earth are haunts of violence.

20 Let not the oppressed turn away ashamed; *

let the poor and needy praise your Name.

21 Arise, O God, maintain your cause; *

remember how fools revile you all day long.

22 Forget not the clamor of your adversaries, *

the unending tumult of those who rise up against you.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen.

The Lessons

A reading from Second Corinthians (1:23-2:11)

23 But I call on God as witness against me: it was to spare you that I did not come again to Corinth. 24 I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in the faith. 2:1 So I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came, I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice; for I am confident about all of you, that my joy would be the joy of all of you. 4 For I wrote you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

5 But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but to some extent—not to exaggerate it—to all of you. 6 This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person; 7 so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 I wrote for this reason: to test you and to know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. 11 And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The Song of Mary Magnificat

Luke 1:46-55

My soul doth magnify the Lord, * and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded * the lowliness of his handmaiden. For behold from henceforth * all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath magnified me, * and holy is his Name. And his mercy is on them that fear him * throughout all generations. He hath showed strength with his arm; * he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, * and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he hath sent empty away. He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, * as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed 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 forever. Amen.

A Reading from the Gospel of John (13:21-32)

After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples-- the one whom Jesus loved-- was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival" or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The Song of Simeon Nunc Dimittis

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, *

according to thy word;

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, *

which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, *

And to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, * and will be forever. Amen.

A Reading from [["non-biblical Christian literature" to be determined (BCP, p. 142)]]

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

V: The Lord be with you. R: And with thy spirit. Let us pray.

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. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffrages B

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, We entreat thee, O Lord.

That thy holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill, We entreat thee, O Lord.

That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses, We entreat thee, O Lord.

That there may be peace to thy Church and to the whole world, We entreat thee, O Lord.

That we may depart this life in thy faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ, We entreat thee, O Lord.

That we may be bound together by thy Holy Spirit in the communion of Blessed Mary the Bearer of God, Blessed Matthew our Patron, and all thy saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ, We entreat thee, O Lord.

Collect of the Day: Wednesday in Holy Week

O Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his back to the smiters and hid not his face from shame: Give us grace to take joyfully the sufferings of the present time, in full assurance of the glory that shall be revealed; through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Collect for Fridays

O Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy death didst take away the sting of death: Grant unto us thy servants so to follow in faith where thou hast led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in thee, and awake up after thy likeness; for thy tender mercies' sake. Amen.

A Collect for Protection

O God, who art the life of all who live, the light of the faithful, the strength of those who labor, and the repose of the dead: We thank thee for the timely blessings of the day, and humbly beseech thy merciful protection all the night. Bring us, we pray thee, in safety to the morning hours; through him who died for us and rose again, thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Great Litany (BCP, pp. 148)

O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,

Have mercy upon us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

Have mercy upon us.

O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful,

Have mercy upon us.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God,

Have mercy upon us.

Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers; neither reward us according to our sins. Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and by thy mercy preserve us, for ever.

Spare us, good Lord.

From all evil and wickedness; from sin; from the crafts and assaults of the devil; and from everlasting damnation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all want of charity,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all inordinate and sinful affections; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word and commandment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion; from violence, battle, and murder; and from dying suddenly and unprepared,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity and submission to the Law; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,

Good Lord, deliver us.

In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God; and that it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church Universal in the right way,

We beesech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to illumine all bishops, priests, and deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of thy Word; and that both by their preaching and living, they may set it forth, and show it accordingly,