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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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
Redeemer of the nations, come;
reveal yourself by virgin birth.
Let ev’ry age with wonder know
that such a birth befits our God.
Conceived not from the seed of man
but by the Spirit’s wondrous breath,
the Word of God is now made flesh,
as Mary’s womb brings forth its fruit.
The Virgin’s womb grows great with child,
this cloister is for ever pure;
the banners of her virtues gleam,
for in this temple God resides.
From bridal chamber let him come,
from royal Virgin, palace chaste,
with two-fold nature God and man,
a champion swift to run his course.
The eternal Father’s Equal, come,
bind on the trophy of our flesh,
and strengthen with your lasting pow’r
the weakness of our mortal frame.
Your manger now with splendor shines
and night breathes forth new radiant light,
which no night may corrupt or dim:
so let it shine through constant faith.
To you, O Christ, most loving King,
and to the Father, glory be,
one with the Spirit Paraclete,
from age to age for evermore. Amen.
Tune: BRESLAU, 8 8 8 8
Music: first appeared in As Hymnodus Sacer, Leipzig, 1625, adapted by Felix Mendehssohn Bartholdy, 1809-1847
or Mode II, melody 46; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Veni, redemptor gentium, Saint Ambrose, 340-397, © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Lord, let my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me.
Psalm 102
The longings and prayers of an exile.
God comforts us in all our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:4).
I
O Lord, listen to my prayer *
and let my cry for help reach you.
Do not hide your face from me *
in the day of my distress.
Turn your ear towards me *
and answer me quickly when I call.
For my days are vanishing like smoke, *
my bones burn away like a fire.
My heart is withered like the grass. *
I forget to eat my bread.
I cry with all my strength *
and my skin clings to my bones.
I have become like a pelican in the wilderness, *
like an owl in desolate places.
I lie awake and I moan *
like some lonely bird on a roof.
All day long my foes revile me; *
those who hate me use my name as a curse.
The bread I eat is ashes; *
my drink is mingled with tears.
In your anger, Lord, and your fury *
you have lifted me up and thrown me down.
My days are like a passing shadow *
and I wither away like the grass.
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. Lord, let my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me.
Ant. 2 Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless.
II
But you, O Lord, will endure for ever *
and your name from age to age.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion: *
for this is the time to have mercy;
yes, the time appointed has come †
for your servants love her very stones, *
are moved with pity even for her dust.
The nations shall fear the name of the Lord *
and all the earth’s kings your glory,
when the Lord shall build up Zion again *
and appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless; *
he will not despise their prayers.
Let this be written for ages to come *
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high. *
He looked down from heaven to the earth
that he might hear the groans of the prisoners *
and free those condemned to die.
The sons of your servants shall dwell untroubled *
and their race shall endure before you
that the name of the Lord may be proclaimed in Zion *
and his praise in the heart of Jerusalem,
when peoples and kingdoms are gathered together *
to pay their homage to the Lord.
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. Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless.
Ant. 3 You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
III
He has broken my strength in mid-course; *
he has shortened the days of my life.
I say to God: “Do not take me away †
before my days are complete, *
you, whose days last from age to age.
Long ago you founded the earth *
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish but you will remain. *
They will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like clothes that are changed. *
But you neither change, nor have an end.”
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
Lord, you live in the hearts of your saints, and so have built up Zion. May you always show your greatness through their good works.
Ant. You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Let your compassion come upon me, O Lord.
— Your salvation, true to your promise.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Isaiah
51:1-11
The salvation promised to the children of Abraham
Listen to me, you who pursue justice,
who seek the Lord;
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
to the pit from which you were quarried;
Look to Abraham, your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth;
When he was but one I called him,
I blessed him and made him many.
Yes, the Lord shall comfort Zion
and have pity on all her ruins;
Her deserts he shall make like Eden,
her wasteland like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness shall be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of song.
Be attentive to me, my people;
my folk, give ear to me.
For law shall go forth from my presence,
and my judgment, as the light of the peoples.
I will make my justice come speedily;
my salvation shall go forth
and my arm shall judge the nations;
In me shall the coastlands hope,
and my arm they shall await.
Raise your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth below;
Though the heavens grow thin like smoke,
the earth wears out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies,
My salvation shall remain forever
and my justice shall never be dismayed.
Hear me, you who know justice,
you people who have my teaching at heart:
Fear not the reproach of men,
be not dismayed at their revilings.
They shall be like a garment eaten by moths,
like wool consumed by grubs;
But my justice shall remain forever
and my salvation, for all generations.
Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake as in the days of old,
in ages long ago!
Was it not you who crushed Rahab,
you who pierced the dragon?
Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
Who made the depths of the sea into a way
for the redeemed to pass over?
Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
RESPONSORY
See Isaiah 51:4, 5; 35:10
My people, listen to me;
hear me, all you who belong to my race;
— close at hand is my Just One, my Savior draws near.
Now those redeemed by the Lord will come back and enter Zion with songs of praise.
— Close at hand is my Just One, my Savior draws near.
SECOND READING
From a treatise against the heresy of Noetus by Saint Hippolytus, priest and martyr
(Cap. 9-12: PG 10, 815-819)
The manifestation of the hidden mystery
There is only one God, brethren, and we learn about him only from sacred Scripture. It is therefore our duty to become acquainted with what Scripture proclaims and to investigate its teachings thoroughly. We should believe them in the sense that the Father wills, thinking of the Son in the way the Father wills, and accepting the teaching he wills to give us with regard to the Holy Spirit. Sacred Scripture is God’s gift to us and it should be understood in the way that he intends: we should not do violence to it by interpreting it according to our own preconceived ideas.
God was all alone and nothing existed but himself when he determined to create the world. He thought of it, willed it, spoke the word and so made it. It came into being instantaneously, exactly as he had willed. It is enough then for us to be aware of a single fact: nothing is coeternal with God. Apart from God there was simply nothing else. Yet although he was alone, he was manifold because he lacked neither reason, wisdom, power, nor counsel. All things were in him and he himself was all. At a moment of his own choosing and in a manner determined by himself, God manifested his Word, and through him he made the whole universe.
When the Word was hidden within God himself he was invisible to the created world, but God made him visible. First God gave utterance to his voice, engendering light from light, and then he sent his own mind into the world as its Lord. Visible before to God alone and not to the world, God made him visible so that the world could be saved by seeing him. This mind that entered our world was made known as the Son of God. All things came into being through him; but he alone is begotten by the Father.
The Son gave us the law and the prophets, and he filled the prophets with the Holy Spirit to compel them to speak out. Inspired by the Father’s power, they were to proclaim the Father’s purpose and his will.
So the Word was made manifest, as Saint John declares when, summing up all the sayings of the prophets, he announces that this is the Word through whom the whole universe was made. He says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things came into being; not one thing was created without him. And further on he adds: The world was made through him, and yet the world did not know him. He entered his own creation, and his own did not receive him.
RESPONSORY
See Isaiah 9:6; John 1:4
A little child is born to us,
and he shall be called the mighty God.
— He himself will sit upon the throne of David his father to rule; the authority of David rests on his shoulders.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
— He himself will sit upon the throne of David his father to rule; the authority of David rests on his shoulders.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Father,
we contemplate the birth of your Son.
He was born of the Virgin Mary
and came to live among us.
May we receive forgiveness and mercy.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
Or:
Almighty ever-living God,
as we see how the Nativity of your Son
according to the flesh draws near,
we pray that to us, your unworthy servants,
mercy may flow from your word,
who chose to become flesh of the Virgin Mary
and establish among us his dwelling,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
mdash; And give him thanks.
******
Make a Christmas gift to iBreviary!
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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
Go within his gates, giving thanks. †
Enter his courts with songs of praise. *
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship 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. The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.
The advent of our King
Our prayers must now employ,
And we must hymns of welcome sing
In strains of holy joy.
The everlasting Son
Incarnate deigns to be;
Himself a servant’s form puts on,
To set his servants free.
Daughter of Sion, rise
To meet thy lowly King;
Nor let thy faithless heart despise
The peace he comes to bring.
As judge, on clouds of light,
He soon will come again,
And his true members all unite
With him in heaven to reign.
All glory to the Son
Who comes to set us free,
With Father, Spirit, ever One,
Through all eternity.
Tune: Optatus Votis Omnium SM
Music: Anonymous, Songs of Sion, 1910
Text: Charles Coffin, 1676-1749
Translation: John Chandler, 1806-1876, alt.
Or:
The people that in darkness walked
Have seen a glorious light;
The light has shone on them who dwelt
In death’s surrounding night.
To hail you, Son of righteousness,
The gathering nations come;
Rejoicing as when reapers bear
Their harvest treasures home.
To us a child of hope is born,
To us a son is given;
And on his shoulder ever rests
All power in earth and heaven.
His name shall be the Prince of peace,
For evermore adored;
The Wonderful, the Counselor,
The great and mighty Lord.
His peace and righteous government
Shall over all extend;
On judgement and on justice based,
His reign shall never end.
Tune: Credition, CM
Music: Thomas Clark, 175-1859, A Second Set of Psalm Tunes (for) Country Choirs, c. 1807
Text: Paraphrase of Isaiah 9:2-8, John Morison, 1750-1798, Scottish Translations Paraphrases, 1781, alt.
Or:
Throughout a world in shadow,
John’s urgent voice we hear;
Prepare for Christ your Savior!
The Son of God is near.
He gives a new beginning
To those who turn from sin,
Who answer love with loving
By turning back to him.
His veiled but certain splendor
Begins to shine from far;
He comes, his saints around him:
The bright and morning star.
With all who wait in longing,
Give thanks that never cease,
For him whom God is sending
To visit us in peace.
Tune: De Ersten zum Laatsten, 76. 76
Music: Frits Mehrtens, 1922-1975
Text: © Stanbrook Abbey, used with permission