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 Look on us, Lord, and see how we are despised.
Psalm 89:39-53
Lament for the fall of David’s dynasty
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior born of the house of David his servant (Luke 1:69).
IV
And yet you have rejected and spurned *
and are angry with the one you have anointed.
You have broken your covenant with your servant *
and dishonored his crown in the dust.
You have broken down all his walls *
and reduced his fortresses to ruins.
He is despoiled by all who pass by: *
he has become the taunt of his neighbors.
You have exalted the right hand of his foes; *
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
You have made his sword give way, *
you have not upheld him in battle.
You have brought his glory to an end; *
you have hurled his throne to the ground.
You have cut short the years of his youth; *
you have heaped disgrace upon 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. Look on us, Lord, and see how we are despised.
Ant. 2 I am the root and stock of David; I am the morning star.
V
How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself for ever? *
How long will your anger burn like a fire?
Remember, Lord, the shortness of my life *
and how frail you have made the sons of men.
What man can live and never see death? *
Who can save himself from the grasp of the grave?
Where are your mercies of the past, O Lord, *
which you have sworn in your faithfulness to David?
Remember, Lord, how your servant is taunted, *
how I have to bear all the insults of the peoples.
Thus your enemies taunt me, O Lord, *
mocking your anointed at every step.
Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen, amen!
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, God of mercy and fidelity, you made a new and lasting pact with men and sealed it in the blood of your Son. Forgive the folly of our disloyalty and make us keep your commandments, so that in your new covenant we may be witnesses and heralds of your faithfulness and love on earth, and sharers of your glory in heaven.
Ant. I am the root and stock of David; I am the morning star.
Ant. 3 Our years wither away like grass, but you, Lord God, are eternal.
Psalm 90
May we live in the radiance of God
There is no time with God: a thousand years, a single day: it is all one (2 Peter 3:8).
O Lord, you have been our refuge *
from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born †
or the earth or the world brought forth, *
you are God, without beginning or end.
You turn men back into dust *
and say: “Go back, sons of men.”
To your eyes a thousand years †
are like yesterday, come and gone, *
no more than a watch in the night.
You sweep men away like a dream, *
like grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers: *
by evening it withers and fades.
So we are destroyed in your anger, *
struck with terror in your fury.
Our guilt lies open before you; *
our secrets in the light of your face.
All our days pass away in your anger. *
Our life is over like a sigh.
Our span is seventy years *
or eighty for those who are strong.
And most of these are emptiness and pain. *
They pass swiftly and we are gone.
Who understands the power of your anger *
and fears the strength of your fury?
Make us know the shortness of our life *
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? *
Show pity to your servants.
In the morning, fill us with your love; *
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Give us joy to balance our affliction *
for the years when we knew misfortune.
Show forth your work to your servants; *
let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favor of the Lord be upon us: †
give success to the work of our hands, *
give success to the work of our hands.
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
Eternal Father, you give us life despite our guilt and even add days and years to our lives in order to bring us wisdom. Make us love and obey you, so that the work of our hands may always display what your hands have done, until the day we gaze upon the beauty of your face.
Ant. Our years wither away like grass, but you, Lord God, are eternal.
Lift up your heads and see.
— Your recemption is now at hand.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Isaiah
46:1-13
The Lord opposes the idols of Babylon
Bel bows down, Nebo stoops,
their idols are upon beasts and cattle;
They must be borne up on shoulders,
carried as burdens by the weary.
They stoop and bow down together;
unable to save those who bear them,
they too go into captivity.
Hear me, O house of Jacob,
all who remain of the house of Israel,
My burden since your birth,
whom I have carried from your infancy.
Even to your old age I am the same,
even when your hair is gray I will bear you;
It is I who have done this, I who will continue,
and I who will carry you to safety.
Whom would you compare me with, as an equal,
or match me against, as though we were alike?
There are those who pour out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scales;
Then they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god
before which they fall down in worship.
They lift it to their shoulders to carry;
when they set it in place again, it stays,
and does not move from the spot.
Although they cry out to it, it cannot answer;
it delivers no one from distress.
Remember this and be firm,
bear it well in mind, you rebels;
remember the former things, those long ago:
I am God, there is no other;
I am God, there is none like me.
At the beginning I foretell the outcome;
in advance, things not yet done.
I say that my plan shall stand,
I accomplish my every purpose.
I call from the east a bird of prey,
from a distant land, one to carry out my plan.
Yes, I have spoken, I will accomplish it;
I have planned it, and I will do it.
Listen to me, you fainthearted,
you who seem far from the victory of justice:
I am bringing on my justice, it is not far off,
my salvation shall not tarry;
I will put salvation within Zion,
and give to Israel my glory.
RESPONSORY
Isaiah 46:12, 13
Listen to me, you faint hearted, who are far from justice.
— I will grant salvation in Zion, and give my glory to Israel.
I am bringing my justice near at hand;
it shall not be delayed,
nor shall my salvation tarry.
— I will grant salvation in Zion, and give my glory to Israel.
SECOND READING
From a letter to Diognetus
(Cap. 8,5-9,6: Funk 1, 325-327)
God has revealed his love through the Son
No man has ever seen God or known him, but God has revealed himself to us through faith, by which alone it is possible to see him. God, the Lord and maker of all things, who created the world and set it in order, not only loved man but was also patient with him. So he has always been, and is, and will be: kind, good, free from anger, truthful; indeed, he and he alone is good.
He devised a plan, a great and wonderful plan, and shared it only with his Son. As long as he preserved this secrecy and kept his own wise counsel he seemed to be neglecting us, to have no concern for us. But when through his beloved Son he revealed and made public what he had prepared from the very beginning, he gave us all at once gifts such as we could never have dreamt of, even sight and knowledge of himself.
When God had made all his plans in consultation with his Son, he waited until a later time, allowing us to follow our own whim, to be swept along by unruly passions, to be led astray by pleasure and desire. Not that he was pleased by our sins: he only tolerated them. Not that he approved of that time of sin: he was planning this era of holiness. When we had been shown to be undeserving of life, his goodness was to make us worthy of it. When we had made it clear that we could not enter God’s kingdom by our own power, we were to be enabled to do so by the power of God.
When our wickedness had reached its culmination, it became clear that retribution was at hand in the shape of suffering and death. The time came then for God to make known his kindness and power (how immeasurable is God’s generosity and love!). He did not show hatred for us or reject us or take vengeance; instead, he was patient with us, bore with us, and in compassion took our sins upon himself; he gave his own Son as the price of our redemption, the holy one to redeem the wicked, the sinless one to redeem sinners, the just one to redeem the unjust, the incorruptible one to redeem the corruptible, the immortal one to redeem mortals. For what else could have covered our sins but his sinlessness? Where else could we—wicked and sinful as we were—have found the means of holiness except in the Son of God alone?
How wonderful a transformation, how mysterious a design, how inconceivable a blessing! The wickedness of the many is covered up in the holy One, and the holiness of One sanctifies many sinners.
RESPONSORY
Acts 4:12; Isaiah 9:6
There is no salvation in any other person or place;
— nor is there any other name under heaven given to men,
by which we should be saved.
His name shall be Wonder-counselor, God of strength, Father of future ages, Prince of peace.
— Nor is there any other name under heaven given to men,
by which we should be saved.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
All-powerful God,
renew us by the coming feast of your Son
and free us from our slavery to sin.
Grant 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 we, who are weighed down from of old
by slavery beneath the yoke of sin,
may be set free by the newness
of the long-awaited Nativity
of your Only Begotten 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. 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.