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Evening Prayer

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 • Lent, Week 5 — Tuesday
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Opening

O God, come to my assistance.

Lord, make haste to help me.

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.

Hymn
Lift High the Cross
In the evening of this day, O Lord, we come to you,
contrite hearts and broken spirits, seeking to be made new;
for our sins are heavy burdens, and the way is long and steep;
grant us mercy, Lord, and pardon, as we cry to you and weep.
Let the cross of Jesus be the sign before our eyes,
his great love poured out in sorrow, his great death our sacrifice;
and the stone rolled back in glory, and the tomb forever bare:
this the sign that sins are conquered, this the gift beyond compare.
Now the evening lamps are lighted, and the darkness gathers near;
grant us peace beyond all asking, keep us safe from doubt and fear;
in the night may angels watch us, and at morning may we rise
to the glory of your mercy shining bright before our eyes.
Psalmody
Psalm 20Thanksgiving for Victory
Ant. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
O Lord, the king will rejoice in your strength, and in your salvation he will exult greatly.
You have given him his heart's desire, and you have not withheld the will of his lips.
For you have anticipated him with sweet blessings; you have placed a crown of precious stones on his head.
He asked life from you, and you gave him a length of days forever and ever.
His glory is great in your salvation; glory and great beauty you will place upon him.
For you will give him to be a blessing forever and ever; you will gladden him in joy with your face.
For the king hopes in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High, he will not be moved.
Let your hand be found by all your enemies; let your right hand find all who hate you.
You will make them like a fiery oven in the time of your countenance; the Lord will trouble them in his wrath, and fire will devour them.
You will destroy their fruit from the earth and their seed from among the sons of men.
For they have extended evils against you; they have devised a plan which they were not able to establish.
For you will make them turn their back; among your remnants you will prepare their face.
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your power.
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.
Ant. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Psalm 21My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
Ant. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
O God, my God, look upon me; why have you forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins.
O my God, I will cry out by day, and you will not hear; and by night, and it will not be foolishness in me.
But you dwell in the sanctuary, the praise of Israel.
In you our fathers hoped; they hoped and you delivered them.
They cried out to you and were saved; they hoped in you and were not confounded.
But I am a worm and not a man; the reproach of men and the outcast of the people.
All who saw me ridiculed me; they spoke with their lips and wagged their heads.
"He hoped in the Lord; let him rescue him; let him save him, since he wants him."
For you have drawn me out from the womb; you are my hope from the breasts of my mother.
I was cast upon you from the womb; from the womb of my mother, you are my God.
Do not depart from me, for tribulation is near, for there is none to help me.
Many calves have surrounded me; fat bulls have besieged me.
They have opened their mouths against me like a lion seizing prey and roaring.
I have been poured out like water, and all my bones have been scattered.
My heart has become like wax, melting in the midst of my bowels.
My strength has dried up like a clay pot, and my tongue has cleaved to my jaws, and you have led me down into the dust of death.
For many dogs have surrounded me; the assembly of the wicked has besieged me.
They have dug my hands and feet; they have numbered all my bones.
And they themselves have looked upon me and stared at me.
They divided my garments among them, and over my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O Lord, do not take your help far from me; attend to my defense.
O God, rescue my soul from the sword, and my only life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the mouth of the lion, and my humility from the horns of the rhinoceros.
I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the church I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him; all the seed of Jacob, glorify him.
Let all the seed of Israel fear him, because he has not spurned or scorned the supplication of the poor man.
Neither has he turned away his face from me, and when I cried out to him, he heard me.
My praise is with you in the great church; I will pay my vows in the sight of those who fear him.
The poor will eat and will be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord will praise him; their hearts will live forever and ever.
All the ends of the earth will remember and will return to the Lord.
And all the families of the nations will adore in his sight.
For the kingdom is the Lord's and he will rule the nations.
All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and adored; all who descend into the earth will fall before him.
And my soul will live for him, and my seed will serve him.
The generation to come will be announced to the Lord, and the heavens will proclaim his justice to the people who will be born, whom the Lord has made.
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.
Ant. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
New Testament Canticle
New Testament Canticle (Revelation 19:1–7)
Alleluia! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
For his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication.
And he has avenged the blood of his servants from her hands.
Alleluia! And her smoke ascends forever and ever.
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and adored God, seated upon the throne, saying: Amen. Alleluia.
And a voice went out from the throne, saying: "Give praise to our God, all you servants of God, and those who fear him, the small and the great."
And I heard as if a voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of great thunders, saying: "Alleluia! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, has reigned."
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself."
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.
Gospel Canticle: Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
The Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) (Luke 1:46–55)
Ant. Turn to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.
My soul magnifies the Lord.
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
Because he has regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
Because he who is powerful has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation to generation for those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the conceit 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 received Israel, his servant, being mindful of his mercy.
As he spoke to our fathers: to Abraham and to his offspring forever.
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.
Ant. Turn to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.
Short Reading
Hebrews 4:15–16
We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
Responsory
V. Turn to me, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
R. Give your strength to your servant.
V. Do not forsake me, O Lord;
R. be not far from me, O my God.
Evening Intercessions
At the close of this Lenten day, let us lay our prayers before the Lord, saying:
For the church, that this Lenten season may lead to a deeper love of God and neighbor: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For catechumens preparing for Easter baptism, that their formation in faith may be fruitful: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those suffering from addiction, violence, or poverty, that they may find relief and support: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those we have hurt or neglected, that God may heal the wounds we have caused: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who are dying, that they may face death with hope and peace: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the faithful departed, that they may come to the fullness of life: we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
The Lord's Prayer
Let us pray as the Lord himself has taught us:
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,
forever and ever. Amen.
Concluding Prayer
God of compassion, have mercy on us and on all sinners. Turn our hearts toward you in this holy season and grant us the grace of true repentance; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Marian Antiphon
Ave Regina Caelorum
Hail, O Queen of heaven enthroned! Hail, by angels Mistress owned! Root of Jesse, Gate of morn, whence the world's true Light was born: glorious Virgin, joy to thee, loveliest whom in heaven they see: fairest thou where all are fair, plead with Christ our sins to spare.
Dismissal

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

May almighty God bless us: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.