Night Vigil 

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Brothers, tonight we keep watch with the Lord. We rise in the night to praise and ask him for the grace of deliverance and healing for ourselves, our Exodus brothers, and all those we love. The following prayers are based upon the monastic practice of Vigils, which involve praying the psalms and reading from the Bible and Fathers, and which has informed the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours. Tonight, we focus on growing in our longing for the Lord. Feel free to meditate and rest upon any of the prayers for as long as you would like.

 

Opening

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V. Lord, open my lips.
R. And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
V. God, come to my assistance.
R. 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 ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

 

Invitatory Psalm (95)

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Ant. Listen to the voice of the Lord this night.

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O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

 

For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.

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The sea is his, for he made it;
for his hands formed the dry land. 

O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

 

For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

 

O that today you would listen to his voice!
Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

 

For forty years I was wearied of that generation
and said, “They are a people who err in heart,
and they do not regard my ways.”

 

Therefore I swore in my anger
that they should not enter my rest. 

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Glory 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.

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Ant. Listen to the voice of the Lord this night.

 

Hymn

O Light of Light, O Day-spring bright,
Co-equal in thy Father’s light:
Assist us, as with prayer and psalm
Thy servants break the twilight calm.

All darkness from our minds dispel,
And turn to flight the hosts of hell:
Bid sleepfulness our eyelids fly,
Lest overwhelmed in sloth we lie.

Jesus, thy pardon, kind and free,
Bestow on us who trust in thee:
And as thy praises we declare,
O with acceptance hear our prayer.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally. Amen.

Psalm 63

Ant. We meditate on you in the watches of the night.

O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where no water is.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your merciful love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name. 

My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,
when I think of you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me. 

But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
they shall be prey for jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall glory;
for the mouths of liars will be stopped. 

Glory 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.

Ant. We meditate on you in the watches of the night.

Reading

Luke 7:36-50

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was sitting at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “What is it, Teacher?” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more? Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

 

Champaigne, Christ in the House of Simon the Pharisee

Response

Lord, you have come into my house tonight. I want to greet you with repentance and love. Move my heart by your grace that I may welcome you. I don’t want to keep my distance any longer.

It is love that gets me out of bed. How can I wash your feet, kiss you, and anoint your head tonight? It is by turning my entire attention to you, opening my mouth in prayer, and pouring out my heart upon you. Teach me to love you more. Teach me to speak to you as one friend to another. Teach me to approach you even to the point of making a scene, making people uncomfortable by the fact that I won’t stop coming to you even though I am unworthy.

I know that I am a sinner, and I come to you to become clean. Heal me through your forgiveness. Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief. Give me faith that I may be saved and may follow you more fully with my whole life.

Lord, I bring before you all the things that stand in the way of my love for you, the things that get in between us...

Take five to ten minutes of silence.

 

Canticle: Isaiah 26:7-21

Ant. My soul yearns for you in the night.

The way of the righteous is level;
you make smooth the path of the righteous.
In the path of your judgments,
O Lord, we wait for you;
The memory of your name
is the desire of our soul. 

My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
If favor is shown to the wicked,
he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals perversely
and does not see the majesty of the Lord. 

O Lord, your hand is lifted up,
but they see it not.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
O Lord, you will ordain peace for us,
you have wrought for us all our works.
O Lord our God,
other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone we acknowledge.
They are dead, they will not live;
they are shades, they will not arise;
to that end you have visited them with destruction
and wiped out all remembrance of them.
But you have increased the nation, O Lord,
you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
you have enlarged all the borders of the land. 

O Lord, in distress they sought you,
they poured out a prayer
when your chastening was upon them.
Like a woman with child,
who writhes and cries out in her pangs,
when she is near her time,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
we were with child, we writhed,
but we gave birth only to wind.
We have wrought no deliverance in the earth,
and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise.
O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and on the land of the shades you will let it fall. 

Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until the wrath is past.
For behold, the Lord is coming forth out of his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed upon her, and will no more cover her slain. 

Glory 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.

Ant. My soul yearns for you in the night.

Reading

Philippians 4:4-13

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.

I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me; you were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.

 

La Tour, Penitent Magdalene (detail)

Response

Lord, I want to take joy in you, but I am ridden with anxiety. Help me to choose joy in your presence. I seek joy in the wrong places but help me to find the true source of joy in you. So many things try to take my attention from you, to suck the source of true joy out of me. Help me to rejoice tonight in your presence.

Now, when all is dark, help me to see what matters most. There are so many things for which I should thank you. You have blessed me in so many ways. There are so many causes of joy, but they all lead back to you. 

I rejoice for all that you have done in me and all that you will do. I have confidence in you as I hope in your promises. Lead me through every difficulty so that I may find you.

Lord, I rejoice in your gifts...
Overcome my anxieties...

Take five to ten minutes of silence.

 

Psalm 42

Ant. My soul is longing for you, my God

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so longs my soul
for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me continually,
“Where is your God.” 

These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my savior and my God. 

My soul is cast down within me,
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
have gone over me.
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love;
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life. 

I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy.”
As with a deadly wound in my body,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
“Where is your God.” 

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God. 

Glory 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.

Ant. My soul is longing for you, my God

Reading

Wisdom 6:6-7, 11-20; 7:7–14

For the lowliest man may be pardoned in mercy,
but mighty men will be mightily tested.
For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of any one,
nor show deference to greatness;
because he himself made both small and great,
and he takes thought for all alike.

Therefore set your desire on my words;
long for them, and you will be instructed.
Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for he will find her sitting at his gates.
To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
and he who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.

The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction,
and concern for instruction is love of her,
and love of her is the keeping of her laws,
and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
and immortality brings one near to God;
so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.

Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;
I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.
Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.
I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light,
because her radiance never ceases.
All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.
I rejoiced in them all, because wisdom leads them;
but I did not know that she was their mother.
I learned without guile and I impart without grudging;
I do not hide her wealth,
for it is an unfailing treasure for men;
those who get it obtain friendship with God,
commended for the gifts that come from instruction.

 

Grebber, King David in Prayer

Response

Lord, I fix my thoughts on you and come to you for wisdom. I desire to be taught by you, to seek you with my whole heart. I have been thirsting for a long time but haven’t known where to drink. Fill me now with your presence. I am rising in the night to seek you, to inflame my longing for you.

You call me into the deep, into things too deep for me to fathom. I must jump, trusting that you will lead when I do not know where I am going. Your wisdom is beyond me, yet without it I remain in the dark. Shine your light on me. Help me to trust in your word, to shape my mind with it, and to order my life by it. Order my life, Lord!

I know my desires have become wrapped up in so many passing things. I am stuck! Untangle my heart so that I can love you more!

I bring all my desires to you that you may order them...

Take five to ten minutes of silence.

 

Prayers

Let us bring our petitions to the Lord.
(Bring to mind your intentions for yourself, your family, your fraternity, friends, and others.)

In peace let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

V. For the peace of God and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy. 

V. For peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. For this house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. For our Bishop (Name), the honorable presbyters, the deacons in the service of Christ, and all the clergy and laity, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. For our country, the president, and all those in public service, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. For our parish and city, for every city and country, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. For favorable weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and temperate seasons, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. For travelers by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives, and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. Help us, save us, have mercy upon us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.
R. Lord, have mercy.

V. Remembering our most holy, pure, blessed, and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and ever virgin Mary, with all the saints, let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.
R. To You, O Lord. 

V. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, do manfully, and be strengthened.
Let all your things be done in charity.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord:
R. They shall praise thee for ever and ever.

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.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom you have given a fervent desire to pray, may, by your mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.

V. May the Lord + bless us,
defend us from all evil,
and bring us to everlasting life.
R. Amen.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen