The Night Watch
-
JOIN THE NIGHT WATCH LEARN MORE THE FOUR PILLARS
Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. (Luke 12:35-38)
The Night Watch, inspired by soldiers of old who kept watch over their cities by night from their lofty towers, is a vital ministry to our parish family, tasked with spiritually keeping watch while the pastor of the flock is asleep -- specifically, the third (12-3 a.m.) and fourth watches (3-6 a.m.) of the night.
For some men, it may be too difficult — for various reasons — to dedicate themselves to a weekly Night Watch hour. Ideally, we should have enough Watchmen so that one man only need keep watch once per month, with the option of being an alternate for additional hours each month as needed. For example, if you sign up for the "2nd Sunday of the Month @ 5 am," then you are responsible for the 5 a.m. time slot on the 2nd Sunday of every month.
If you are unable to cover your hour for a particular month, we will show you how to request an alternate. If others request an alternate, you will be notified, and you have the option of filling in, if you feel so called.
Four Pillars
of the Night Watch
Each watchman is responsible for faithfully maintaining the four parts of the Night Watch, as described below:
-
Prostrate thyself.
When you enter the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, you enter the throne room of Christ the King of the Universe — to whom belongs all honor, all glory, and all worship. As a sign of your humility, being accepted into His holy presence, it is appropriate to bow in worship before Him. If you feel so compelled, prostrate yourself before Him or kneel before Him. Remind yourself of your own unworthiness to enter His presence; be filled with gratitude for this wondrous opportunity.
✠ Pray Psalm 95The Praise of a Canticle, of David himselfCome, let us exult in the Lord.
Let us shout joyfully to God, our Savior.
Let us anticipate His presence with confession,
and let us sing joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God
and a great King over all gods.
For in His hand are all the limits of the earth,
and the heights of the mountains are His.
For the sea is His, and He made it,
and His hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us adore and fall prostrate,
and let us weep before the Lord who made us.
For He is the Lord our God, and we are the people of His pasture
and the sheep of His hand.
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts:
as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness,
where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me, though they had seen my works.
For forty years, I was offended by that generation,
and I said: These have always strayed in heart.
And these have not known my ways.
So I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest.
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.✠ Offer a Prayer of PraiseIn your own words, offer a prayer of praise to God for all that He has done, is doing, and is yet to do in your life and in our parish family.-
Abandon thyself.
At the feet of Christ the King, lay down your own crown. Lay down the Cross you carried with you into the chapel — the worries of work, the stresses of family life, the anxieties that disturb your peace, all the burdens you carried with you into the chapel. Lay everything at the feet of Jesus; and abandon yourself, entrust yourself into His loving care. Surrender yourself entirely to Him.✠ Pray the Litany of SurrenderLord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
God, the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on me.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on me.
God, the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier,
Have mercy on me.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on me.
Christ, hear me.
Christ, graciously hear me.
From anxiety about the future…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From excessive preoccupation…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of complete control…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From depending on myself more than I depend on You…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From restlessness rooted in the unpredictable…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the belief that I have to have it all figured out…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From dissatisfaction in my vocation and current state of life…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From irritation when things happen unexpectedly…
Deliver me, Jesus.
From distrust in Your inexhaustible love…
Deliver me, Jesus.
For trust in Your plan for my life…
Lord, everything is Yours, do with it what You will.
That I may find peace in knowing You are sovereign…
Lord, everything is Yours, do with it what You will.
For discernment and further union with Your intentions…
Lord, everything is Yours, do with it what You will.
That I may cling to joy as I face the unknown…
Lord, everything is Yours, do with it what You will.
That I may truly believe that Your love and mercy will fulfill me…
Lord, everything is Yours, do with it what You will.-
Gird thyself.
Having abandoned yourself before Christ the Lord and entrusted yourself to Him, now gird yourself in His strength. Consider the words of St. Paul:✠ Pray with Ephesians 6:10-18Be strengthened in the Lord, by the power of his virtue.
Be clothed in the armor of God,
so that you may be able to stand against the treachery of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities and powers,
against the directors of this world of darkness,
against the spirits of wickedness in high places.
Because of this, take up the armor of God,
so that you may be able to withstand the evil day and remain perfect in all things.
Therefore, stand firm, having been girded about your waist with truth,
and having been clothed with the breastplate of justice,
and having feet which have been shod by the preparation of the Gospel of peace.
In all things, take up the shield of faith,
with which you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one.
And take up the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God).
Through every kind of prayer and supplication, pray at all times in spirit,
and so be vigilant with every kind of earnest supplication.Having taken up the armor of God, now call upon the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel to defend you and all of us, particularly the souls of our parish family, from the snares of Satan and the fires of Hell. Ask for the intercession of this prince of the Heavenly Host by praying the Prayer of Saint Michael.✠ Pray the Prayer of Saint Michael the ArchangelSaint 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 Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
✠ Prayer for the PopeAlmighty and Everlasting God, have mercy on Your servant [name of Pope], our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to Your loving kindness, in the way of eternal salvation, that with Your help he may ever desire that which is pleasing to You and accomplish it with all his strength. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord Jesus, shelter our Holy Father the Pope under the protection of Your Sacred Heart. Be his light, his strength and his consolation. Amen.✠ Prayer for our ArchbishopHeavenly Father, in these trying times, when the spirit of this age threatens Christian values, give our archbishop holiness of life and wisdom to direct and guide our archdiocesan family, so that we may grow in Your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
✠ Prayer for our Priests, St. Therese of LisieuxO Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
for your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted
and who gave me your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …).
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen.✠ Prayer for the Sanctification of our Priests, Pope Benedict XVILord Jesus Christ, eternal High Priest,
you offered yourself to the Father on the altar of the cross
and through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
gave your priestly people a share in your redeeming sacrifice.
Hear our prayer for the sanctification of our priests.
Grant that all who are ordained to the ministerial priesthood
may be ever more conformed to you, the Divine Master.
May they preach the Gospel with pure heart and clear conscience.
Let them be shepherds according to your own heart,
single-minded in service to you and to the Church,
and shining examples of a holy, simple, and joyful life.
Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother and ours,
draw all priests and the flocks entrusted to their care
to the fullness of eternal life where you live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.✠ Prayer for our Parish FamilyGod our Father, who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, who created man and woman in your likeness, establishing a covenant with them, and promising to bring forth an abundance of descendants, it is You who created us and birthed us into our families. Through Baptism, You re-create us and birth us into our spiritual family, the Body of Christ; but, specifically, this parish family of St. Luke.
Look now upon our parish family and unseal for her the fountain of Your grace. Root out of our parish family all of the cardinal vices: pride, wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth, envy, and greed. Form in our parish family all of the cardinal virtues: humility, patience, purity, temperance, diligence, gratitude, and generosity.
Pour forth in our parish family the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, fear of the Lord, piety. Grow forth in our parish family the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.
Enrich our parish family by adding new souls through the Sacrament of Baptism. Heal us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and make us sharers of Your mercy. Make us worthy offerings at Your altar of sacrifice, and nourish us by Your Body and Blood. Confirm us in Your Holy Spirit and strengthen our resolve to serve You worthily.
Inspire holy vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life, and consecrated virginity. Inspire those called to offer their “yes” with courage and joy. Transform the hearts of engaged couples, that they may seek the fullness of married life. Enrich the marriages of our parish family, that they may find new zeal to seek Your Kingdom. Accompany and strengthen all those in our parish family that are sick and suffering, especially those who may die this night. Lead them back home to You.
Unite us as one in Your love. Unite us to Your Church in Purgatory, that our prayers and sacrifices may assist them in their purification. Unite us to Your Church triumphant, all the angels and saints in Heaven, that we may be edified by their example and protected by their intercession.
In all things, may we work together for the salvation of souls and may we always and everywhere seek none other than to give honor and glory to Your name. Amen.✠ Prayer for our Night WatchLord Jesus Christ, who instruct us to gird our loins, light our lamps, and keep vigil with you, I pray for all others who keep the Night Watch, just as I do tonight, and entrust their intentions to You. In union with them, I ask for the strength to make a worthy watch this night with You, that I may more faithfully keep watch over my soul and the souls entrusted to my care. Keep me vigilant, my Great King, that I may serve You honorably. Amen.
-
Keep vigil.
For the remaining time with Christ your King, spend time in the silence with Him, learning to hear Him speak, asking to hear His voice. Consider opening the Holy Bible to pray with His Word. Spend the time however the Lord so calls you, but remain vigilant and alert; for you know not the day nor the hour when the Lord will appear.
When the next adorer arrives, give thanks to Christ for allowing you this time with Him. Give thanks to Him for all that He has done, is doing, and will do in your life. Ask for the grace of bearing great fruit in the world. And offer a prayer for the next adorer before genuflecting and leaving.✠ Prayer for the Next WatchO Jesus, my King and my God, I surrender my responsibility of keeping watch this night to the next adorer. May he be filled with Your peace, experience Your closeness, and remain vigilant throughout his watch. Unite him to Your Most Sacred Heart and permit him to find new strength and joy by spending this most precious time with You, as I did. Amen.
-