INVITATORY
The Invitatory is said when this is the first ‘hour’ of the day.
Lord, + open my lips.
— And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
The antiphon is repeated. In individual recitation, the antiphon may be said only at the beginning of the psalm; it need not be repeated after each strophe.
Psalm 95
A call to praise God
Encourage each other daily while it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).
Come, let us sing to the Lord *
and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving *
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
The Lord is God, the mighty God, *
the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth *
and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him, *
the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Come, then, let us bow down and worship, *
bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people, *
the flock he shepherds.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: †
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did
in the wilderness, *
when at Meriba and Massah
they challenged me and provoked me, *
Although they had seen all of my works.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Forty years I endured that generation. *
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger, *
“They shall not enter into my rest.”
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
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.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
If the Invitatory is not said, then the following is used:
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 for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
HYMN
Loving, eternal splendor of the Godhead,
Life, Light, and Mercy, Christ you come among us,
Healer of illness and all human weakness,
Gate of Salvation.
Angels in chorus to the earth are singing
tidings from heaven, telling of new ages:
praise to the Father, to our human fam’ly
joy, peace, and gladness.
Infant so lowly, Lord of all creation,
born of the Virgin, holy, pure, and sinless,
rule all the world now, Jesus Christ, our Master,
ever beloved.
Born to give heaven, our eternal homeland,
our flesh assuming, joined to us for ever;
draw hearts that seek you, mind and soul renewing;
by your love bind us.
Lord, see us gathered, filled with exultation,
joined to the angels, singing hymns of gladness;
joyous we praise you, one with God the Father,
and Love, your equal. Amen.
Tune: HERR, DEINEN ZORN 11 11 11 5;
Music: later form of melody from Johann Crüger. 1599-1662
or Mode I, melody 22; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Candor æternæ Deitatis alme, Anselmo Lentini, O.S.B., 1901-1989, © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Truth has arisen from the earth, and justice has looked down from the heavens.
Psalm 85
Our salvation is near
God blessed the land when our Savior came to earth (Origen).
O Lord, you once favored your land *
and revived the fortunes of Jacob,
you forgave the guilt of your people *
and covered all their sins.
You averted all your rage, *
you calmed the heat of your anger.
Revive us now, God, our helper! *
Put an end to your grievance against us.
Will you be angry with us for ever, *
will your anger never cease?
Will you not restore again our life *
that your people may rejoice in you?
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy *
and give us your saving help.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say, *
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for his people and his friends *
and those who turn to him in their hearts.
His help is near for those who fear him *
and his glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met; *
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth *
and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord will make us prosper *
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him *
and peace shall follow his steps.
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.
Psalm Prayer
Show us your mercy, Lord; our misery is known to us. May no evil desires prevail over us, for your glory and love dwell in our hearts.
Ant. Truth has arisen from the earth, and justice has looked down from the heavens.
Ant. 2 Wherever you are, Lord, there is mercy, there is truth.
Psalm 89:2-38
God’s favors to the house of David
According to his promise, the Lord has raised up Jesus, a Savior, from the family of David (Acts 13:22, 23).
I
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; *
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever, *
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
“With my chosen one, I have made a covenant; *
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your dynasty for ever *
and set up your throne through all ages.”
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; *
the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth.
For who in the skies can compare with the Lord *
or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?
A God to be feared in the council of the holy ones, *
great and dreadful to all around him.
O Lord God of hosts, who is your equal? *
You are mighty, O Lord, and truth is your garment.
It is you who rule the sea in its pride; *
it is you who still the surging of its waves.
You crushed the monster Rahab and killed it, *
scattering your foes with your mighty arm.
The heavens are yours, the world is yours. *
It is you who founded the earth and all it holds;
it is you who created the North and the South. *
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name.
Yours is a mighty arm, O Lord; *
your hand is strong, your right hand ready.
Justice and right are the pillars of your throne, *
love and truth walk in your presence.
Happy the people who acclaim such a king, *
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name, *
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
For you, O Lord, are the glory of their strength; *
by your favor it is that our might is exalted:
for our ruler is in the keeping of the Lord; *
our king in the keeping of the Holy One of 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 for ever. Amen.
Ant. Wherever you are, Lord, there is mercy, there is truth.
Ant. 3 He himself will call out to me: You are my Father, alleluia.
II
Of old you spoke in a vision. *
To your friends the prophets you said:
“I have set the crown on a warrior, *
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found David my servant *
and with my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always be with him *
and my arm shall make him strong.
The enemy shall never outwit him *
nor the evil man oppress him.
I will beat down his foes before him *
and smite those who hate him.
My truth and my love shall be with him; *
by my name his might shall be exalted.
I will stretch out his hand to the Sea *
and his right hand as far as the River.
He will say to me: ‘You are my father, *
my God, the rock who saves me.’
And I will make him my first-born, *
the highest of the kings of the earth.
I will keep my love for him always; *
for him my covenant shall last.
I will establish his dynasty for ever, *
make his throne endure as the heavens.”
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.
Psalm Prayer
God, you anointed your servant Jesus with holy oil and raised him higher than all kings on earth. In this you fulfilled the promise made to David’s descendants, and established a lasting covenant through your first-born Son. Do not forget your holy covenant, so that we, who are signed with the blood of your Son through the new sacraments of faith, may sing of your mercies for ever.
Ant. He himself will call out to me: You are my Father, alleluia.
The Lord has made known, alleluia.
— His saving power, alleluia.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the letter of the apostle Paul to the Colossians
1:15—2:3
Christ, the head of the Church; Paul, the servant of the Church
Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for you and for those in Laodicea and all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged as they are brought together in love, to have all the richness of fully assured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
RESPONSORY
Colossians 1:18, 17
Christ is the head and the church is his body;
he is the firstborn of the dead,
— so that in every way the primacy was his.
Before anything came into being, he existed:
he holds all things in unity.
— So that in every way the primacy was his.
SECOND READING
From a treatise On the Refutation of All Heresies, by Saint Hippolytus, priest and martyr
(Cap. 10, 33-34: PG 16, 3452-3453)
The Word made flesh makes us divine
Our faith is not founded upon empty words; nor are we carried away by mere caprice or beguiled by specious arguments. On the contrary, we put our faith in words spoken by the power of God, spoken by the Word himself at God’s command. God wished to win men back from disobedience, not by using force to reduce him to slavery but by addressing to his free will a call to liberty.
The Word spoke first of all through the prophets, but because the message was couched in such obscure language that it could be only dimly apprehended, in the last days the Father sent the Word in person, commanding him to show himself openly so that the world could see him and be saved.
We know that by taking a body from the Virgin he re-fashioned our fallen nature. We know that his manhood was of the same clay as our own; if this were not so, he would hardly have been a teacher who could expect to be imitated. If he were of a different substance from me, he would surely not have ordered me to do as he did, when by my very nature I am so weak. Such a demand could not be reconciled with his goodness and justice.
No. He wanted us to consider him as no different from ourselves, and so he worked, he was hungry and thirsty, he slept. Without protest he endured his passion, he submitted to death and revealed his resurrection. In all these ways he offered his own manhood as the first fruits of our race to keep us from losing heart when suffering comes our way, and to make us look forward to receiving the same reward as he did, since we know that we possess the same humanity.
When we have come to know the true God, both our bodies and our souls will be immortal and incorruptible. We shall enter the kingdom of heaven, because while we lived on earth we acknowledged heaven’s King. Friends of God and co-heirs with Christ, we shall be subject to no evil desires or inclinations, or to any affliction of body or soul, for we shall have become divine.
Whatever evil you may have suffered, being man, it is God that sent it to you, precisely because you are man; but equally, when you have been deified, God has promised you a share in every one of his own attributes. The saying “Know yourself” means therefore that we should recognize and acknowledge in ourselves the God who made us in his own image, for if we do this, we in turn will be recognized and acknowledged by our Maker.
So let us not be at enmity with ourselves, but change our way of life without delay. For Christ who is God, exalted above all creation, has taken away man’s sin and has re-fashioned our fallen nature. In the beginning God made man in his image and so gave proof of his love for us. If we obey his holy commands and learn to imitate his goodness, we shall be like him and he will honor us. God is not beggarly, and for the sake of his own glory he has given us a share in his divinity.
RESPONSORY
John 1:14; Baruch 3:38
The Word was made flesh, and lived among us.
— We have seen his glory.
the glory of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
He was seen on earth and lived among us.
— We have seen his glory,
the glory of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
TE DEUM
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
℣. Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
℟. Govern and uphold them now and always.
℣. Day by day we bless you.
℟. We praise your name for ever.
℣. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
℟. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
℣. Lord, show us your love and mercy;
℟. for we put our trust in you.
℣. In you, Lord, is our hope:
℟. and we shall never hope in vain.
The concluding part of the hymn may be omitted.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
All-powerful God,
may the human birth of your Son
free us from our former slavery to sin
and bring us to new life.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
Or:
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that the newness of the Nativity in the flesh
of your Only Begotten Son may set us free,
for ancient servitude holds us bound
beneath the yoke of sin.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
ACCLAMATION
Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.
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Psalm 24
The Lord’s entry into his temple
Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Irenaeus).
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, *
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas; *
on the waters he made it firm.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? *
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, †
who desires not worthless things, *
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord *
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him, *
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
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.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Psalm 67
People of all nations will worship the Lord
You must know that God is offering his salvation to all the world (Acts 28:28).
O God, be gracious and bless us *
and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth *
and all nations learn your saving help.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Let the nations be glad and exult *
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples, *
you guide the nations on earth.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
The earth has yielded its fruit *
for God, our God, has blessed us.
May God still give us his blessing *
till the ends of the earth revere him.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
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.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Psalm 100
The joyful song of those entering God’s temple
The Lord calls his ransomed people to sing songs of victory (Saint Athanasius).
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. †
Serve the Lord with gladness. *
Come before him, singing for joy.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Know that he, the Lord, is God. †
He made us, we belong to him, *
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Go within his gates, giving thanks. †
Enter his courts with songs of praise. *
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
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.
Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him.
Good Christian friends, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice;
Give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ was born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
And he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!
Good Christian friends, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice;
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He has opened heaven's door,
And we are blest forevermore.
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!
Good Christian friends, rejoice
With heart and soul and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
To gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
Tune: In dulci jubilo 66.77.66.55
Music: Klug’s Geistliche Lieder, Wittenberg, 1535
Text: In dulci jubilo: Latin and German, fourteenth century
Translation: John Mason Neale, 1818-1866, alt.
Or:
Christ was born on Christmas Day
Wreathe the holly, twine the bay;
Christus natus hodie;
The Babe, The Son, the Holy One of Mary.
He is born to set us free,
He is born our Lord to be,
Ex Maria Virgine,
The God, the Lord, by all ador’d forever.
Let the bright red berries glow,
Ev’ry where in goodly show,
Christus natus hodie;
The Babe, the Son, the Holy One of Mary.
Christian men, rejoice and sing,
‘Tis the birthday of a King
Ex Maria Virgine;
The God, the Lord, by all ador’d forever.
Tune: Resonet in laudibus 777. 11
Music: German, sixteenth century
Text: Traditional