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 I am worn out with crying, with longing for my God.
Psalm 69:2-22, 30-37
I am consumed with zeal for your house
They offered him a mixture of wine and gall (Matthew 27:34).
I
Save me, O God, *
for the waters have risen to my neck.
I have sunk into the mud of the deep *
and there is no foothold.
I have entered the waters of the deep *
and the waves overwhelm me.
I am wearied with all my crying, *
my throat is parched.
My eyes are wasted away *
from looking for my God.
More numerous than the hairs on my head *
are those who hate me without cause.
Those who attack me with lies *
are too much for my strength.
How can I restore *
what I have never stolen?
O God, you know my sinful folly; *
my sins you can see.
Let those who hope in you not be put to shame *
through me, Lord of hosts:
let not those who seek you be dismayed *
through me, God of Israel.
It is for you that I suffer taunts, *
that shame covers my face,
that I have become a stranger to my brothers, *
an alien to my own mother’s sons.
I burn with zeal for your house *
and taunts against you fall on me.
When I afflict my soul with fasting *
they make it a taunt against me.
When I put on sackcloth in mourning *
then they make me a byword,
the gossip of men at the gates, *
the subject of drunkards’ songs.
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. I am worn out with crying, with longing for my God.
Ant. 2 I needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar.
II
This is my prayer to you, *
my prayer for your favor.
In your great love, answer me, O God, *
with your help that never fails:
rescue me from sinking in the mud; *
save me from my foes.
Save me from the waters of the deep *
lest the waves overwhelm me.
Do not let the deep engulf me *
nor death close its mouth on me.
Lord, answer, for your love is kind; *
in your compassion, turn towards me.
Do not hide your face from your servant; *
answer quickly for I am in distress.
Come close to my soul and redeem me; *
ransom me pressed by my foes.
You know how they taunt and deride me; *
my oppressors are all before you.
Taunts have broken my heart; *
I have reached the end of my strength.
I looked in vain for compassion, *
for consolers; not one could I find.
For food they gave me poison; *
in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
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. I needed food and they gave me gall; I was parched with thirst and they gave me vinegar.
Ant. 3 Seek the Lord and you will live.
III
As for me in my poverty and pain *
let your help, O God, lift me up.
I will praise God’s name with a song; *
I will glorify him with thanksgiving,
a gift pleasing God more than oxen, *
more than beasts prepared for sacrifice.
The poor when they see it will be glad *
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy *
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
Let the heavens and the earth give him praise, *
the sea and all its living creatures.
For God will bring help to Zion *
and rebuild the cities of Judah
and men shall dwell there in possession. †
The sons of his servants shall inherit it; *
those who love his name shall dwell there.
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 our Father, to show the way of salvation, you chose that the standard of the cross should go before us, and you fulfilled the ancient prophecies in Christ’s passover from death to life. Do not let us rouse your burning indignation by sin, but rather, through the contemplation of his wounds, make us burn with zeal for the honor of your Church and with grateful love for you.
Ant. Seek the Lord and you will live.
Lord, show us your mercy and love.
— And grant us your salvation.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Isaiah
47:1, 3b-15
Lament for Babylon
Come down, sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter Babylon;
Sit on the ground, dethroned,
O daughter of the Chaldeans.
No longer shall you be called
dainty and delicate.
I will take vengeance,
I will yield to no entreaty,
says our redeemer,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts,
the Holy One of Israel.
Go into darkness and sit in silence,
O daughter of the Chaldeans,
No longer shall you be called
sovereign mistress of kingdoms.
Angry at my people,
I profaned my inheritance,
And I gave them into your hand;
but you showed them no mercy,
And upon old men
you laid a very heavy yoke.
You said, “I shall remain always,
a sovereign mistress forever!”
But you did not lay these things to heart,
you disregarded their outcome.
Now hear this, voluptuous one,
enthroned securely,
Saying to yourself,
“I, and no one else!
I shall never be a widow,
or suffer the loss of my children”—
Both these things shall come to you
suddenly, in a single day:
Complete bereavement and widowhood
shall come upon you
For your many sorceries
and the great number of your spells;
Because you felt secure in your wickedness,
and said, “No one sees me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge
led you astray,
And you said to yourself,
“I, and no one else!”
But upon you shall come evil
you will not know how to predict;
Disaster shall befall you
which you cannot allay.
Suddenly there shall come upon you
ruin which you will not expect.
Keep up, now, your spells
and your many sorceries.
Perhaps you can make them avail,
perhaps you can strike terror!
You wearied yourself with many consultations,
at which you toiled from your youth;
Let the astrologers stand forth to save you,
the stargazers who forecast at each new moon
what would happen to you.
Lo, they are like stubble,
fire consumes them;
They cannot save themselves
from the spreading flames.
This is no warming ember,
no fire to sit before.
Thus do your wizards serve you
with whom you have toiled from your youth;
Each wanders his own way,
with none to save you.
RESPONSORY
Isaiah 49:13; 47:4
Rejoice, you heavens, and celebrate, O earth;
cry out with praise, you mountains;
— for the Lord will have compassion on his poor.
Our Redeemer, the Lord God of power and might is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
— For the Lord will have compassion on his poor.
SECOND READING
From a treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop and martyr
(Lib. 3, 20, 2-3: SC 34, 342-344)
The plan of redemption through the Incarnation
God is man’s glory. Man is the vessel which receives God’s action and all his wisdom and power.
Just as a doctor is judged in his care for the sick, so God is revealed in his conduct with men. That is Paul’s reason for saying: God has made the whole world prisoner of unbelief that he may have mercy on all. He was speaking of man, who was disobedient to God, and cast off from immortality, and then found mercy, receiving through the Son of God the adoption he brings.
If man, without being puffed up or boastful, has a right belief regarding created things and their divine Creator, who, having given them being, holds them all in his power, and if man perseveres in God’s love, and in obedience and gratitude to him, he will receive greater glory from him. It will be a glory which will grow ever brighter until he takes on the likeness of the one who died for him.
He it was who took on the likeness of sinful flesh, to condemn sin and rid the flesh of sin, as now condemned. He wanted to invite man to take on his likeness, appointing man an imitator of God, establishing man in a way of life in obedience to the Father that would lead to the vision of God, and endowing man with power to receive the Father. He is the Word of God who dwelt with man and became the Son of Man to open the way for man to receive God, for God to dwell with man, according to the will of the Father.
For this reason the Lord himself gave as the sign of our salvation, the one who was born of the Virgin, Emmanuel. It was the Lord himself who saved them, for of themselves they had no power to be saved. For this reason Paul speaks of the weakness of man, and says: I know that no good dwells in my flesh, meaning that the blessing of our salvation comes not from us but from God. Again, he says: I am a wretched man; who will free me from this body doomed to die? Then he speaks of a liberator, thanks to Jesus Christ our Lord.
Isaiah says the same: Hands that are feeble, grow strong! Knees that are weak, take courage! Hearts that are faint, grow strong! Fear not; see—our God is judgment and he will repay. He himself will come and save us. He means that we could not be saved of ourselves but only with God’s help.
RESPONSORY
See Jeremiah 31:10; 4:5
Listen to the word of the Lord, you peoples,
and proclaim it to the ends of the earth;
— say to the far-off islands: Our Savior is coming.
Proclaim the good news, let it be heard;
tell it to everyone, shout it aloud.
— Say to the far-off islands: Our Savior is coming.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Father,
you show the world the splendor of your glory
in the coming of Christ born of the Virgin.
Give to us true faith and love
to celebrate the mystery of God made man.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
Or:
O God, who through the child-bearing of the holy Virgin
graciously revealed the radiance of your glory to the world,
grant, we pray,
that we may venerate with integrity of faith
the mystery of so wondrous an Incarnation
and always celebrate it with due reverence.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one 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. 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.