Vespers

Vespers

Watch o Lord with those who wake or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who wake or sleep.
tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ Jesus our only Lord and Saviour beloved and only Son of the living God O holy Father Almighty in the unity and power of your Holy Spirit our Paraclete O welcome Comforter;
rest your weary ones;
bless your dying ones;
soothe your suffering ones;
pity your afflicted ones;
shield your joyous ones;
and all for your love’s sake;
and have us do the same for the sake of your most holy name baruch Adonai Yahweh tsidkenou our only righteousness unceasingly in the humble joy of your willing servants.

Compline

Fiery creator of fire,
light giver of light,
life and author of life,
salvation and bestower of salvation,
in case the lamps should abandon
the joys of this night,
you who do not desire our death,
give light to our breast.
to those wandering from Egypt,
you bestow the double grace,
you show the veil of cloud,
and give the nocturnal light.
with a pillar of cloud in the day,
you protect the people as they go,
with a pillar of fire at evening,
you dispel the night with light.

You call out to your servant from the flame,
you do not spurn the bush of thorns,
and though you are consuming fire,
you do not burn what you illumine.
Now it is time that the cloudy bee-bread
should be consumed, all impurity boiled away, and the waxen flesh should shine
with the glow of the Holy Spirit.

You store now in the recesses of the comb the sweet food of the divine honey,
and purifying the inmost cells of the heart,
you have filled them with your word;
that the swarm of the new brood,
chosen by your mouth and spirit,
may leave their burdens and win heaven
on wings now free from care.

May your holy angels, O Christ Jesus, Son of the living God,
tend our sleep, our rest, our bright bed.
Let them reveal true visions to us in our sleep, O high prince of the universe, O great and mysterious king.
May no devils, no demons, no spirits of sorcery or magic, no evil spirits of any sort visible or invisible, no injury or terrifying dreams disturb our rest, our prompt and swift repose.
May our waking, our work, and our living be holy; our sleep, our rest, without hindrance or harm.

O holy Lord God of creation, we invoke you. you are our gracious counselor. do you turn your face toward our enemies, for you are our judgement without betrayal.

You are our king. You are our law. Yours are our spirits, souls, bodies, we love you, blessed Christ Jesus, for our spirits, souls, bodies are yours tonight, tomorrow and at all times unceasingly and now and unto the endless ages of ages to come.
O holy King. keep us in your royal dwelling all our days. Eating the feast from your table. Keep us in you,
O holy Jesus,
gentle friend,
morning star,
midday sun adorned,
brilliant flame of righteousness, life everlasting and eternity,
fountain ever-new, ever-living, ever-lasting,
heart’s desire of patriarchs, especially St. Enoch in the flesh,
longing of prophets, especially St. Elijah in the flesh, with St. Enoch, your holy prophets yet to come,
beloved master of St. Michael and St. Gabriel, your loyal warriors, holy archangels,
master of apostles and disciples,
giver of the law,
prince of the new testament,
Saviour of the saved,
judge of doom,
Son of the merciful Father without mother in heaven,
Son of the true virgin Mary, without father on earth,
true and loving brother,
keep us in you O holy God at all times unceasingly and now and unto the endless ages of ages to come,
blessed virgin who bore God and took care of him with tender love,
bright, with goodness full,
Mary miracle, the lion’s precious love,
virgin once, mother of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, and virgin still, all ye elect angels and saints of God, the same, pray for and with us unceasingly, baruch Adonai Yahweh Elohim olam eth Abba our Father and the Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and the Holy Spirit our Paraclete deliver us unceasingly with and by the prayer and company of all your elect angels and saints for and with us unceasingly and now and always and unto the endless ages of ages to come.