TODAY’S OFFICE OF READINGS Thursday, 25 December 2014 Christmas Day Lord, + open my lips. – And my mouth will proclaim your praise. INVITATORY (The Invitatory is said when this is the first ‘hour’ of the day.) Ant. Christ is born for us; come, let us adore him. 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 forever. 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 forever. Amen. Alleluia. HYMN What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary. Why lies he in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christian, fear, for sinners here The silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear, shall pierce him through, The cross be borne for me, for you: Hail, hail, the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary. So bring him incense, gold and myrrh, Come, peasant, king, to own him; The King of kings salvation brings Let loving hearts enthrone him. Raise, raise the song on high, The virgin sings her lullaby: Joy, joy, for Christ is born, The Babe, the Son of Mary. PSALMODY Ant. 1 The Lord said to me: You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Psalm 2 The Messiah, king and conqueror The rulers of the earth joined forces to overthrow Jesus, your anointed Son (Acts 4:27). Why this tumult among nations, * among peoples this useless murmuring? They arise, the kings of the earth, * princes plot against the Lord and his Anointed. “Come let us break their fetters, * come, let us cast off their yoke.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; * the Lord is laughing them to scorn. Then he will speak in his anger, * his rage will strike them with terror. “It is I who have set up my king * on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will announce the decree of the Lord: The Lord said to me: “You are my Son. * It is I who have begotten you this day. Ask and I shall bequeath you the nations, * put the ends of the earth in your possession. With a rod of iron you will break them, * shatter them like a potter’s jar.” Now, O kings, understand, * take warning, rulers of the earth; serve the Lord with awe * and trembling, pay him your homage lest he be angry and you perish; * for suddenly his anger will blaze. Blessed are they who put their trust in God. 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, you gave the peoples of the world to be the inheritance of your only Son; you crowned him as King of Zion, your holy city, and gave him your Church to be his Bride. As he proclaims the law of your eternal kingdom, may we serve him faithfully, and so share his royal power forever. Ant. The Lord said to me: You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ant. 2 The Lord comes forth, the bridegroom from his bridal chamber. Psalm 19A Praise of the Lord, the Creator of all The dawn from on high shall break on us . . . to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78, 79). The heavens proclaim the glory of God * and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands. Day unto day takes up the story * and night unto night makes known the message. No speech, no word, no voice is heard † yet their span extends through all the earth, * their words to the utmost bounds of the world. There he has placed a tent for the sun; † it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent, * rejoices like a champion to run its course. At the end of the sky is the rising of the sun; † to the furthest end of the sky is its course. * There is nothing concealed from its burning heat. 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 To enlighten the world, Father, you sent to us your Word as the sun of truth and justice shining upon mankind. Illumine our eyes that we may discern your glory in the many works of your hand. Ant. The Lord comes forth, the bridegroom from his bridal chamber. Ant. 3 Your words are filled with grace, because God has blessed you for ever. Psalm 45 The marriage of the king The Bridegroom is here; go out and welcome him (Matthew 25:6). My heart overflows with noble words.† To the king I must speak the song I have made; * my tongue as nimble as the pen of a scribe. You are the fairest of the children of men † and graciousness is poured upon your lips: * because God has blessed you for evermore. O mighty one, gird your sword upon your thigh; † in splendor and state, ride on in triumph * for the cause of truth and goodness and right. Take aim with your bow in your dread right hand. † Your arrows are sharp: peoples fall beneath you. * The foes of the king fall down and lose heart. Your throne, O God, shall endure for ever. † A scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom. * Your love is for justice; your hatred for evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you † with the oil of gladness above other kings: * your robes are fragrant with aloes and myrrh. From the ivory palace you are greeted with music. † The daughters of kings are among your loved ones. * On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir. Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words: * forget your own people and your father’s house. So will the king desire your beauty: * he is your lord, pay homage to him. And the people of Tyre shall come with gifts, * the richest of the people shall seek your favor. The daughter of the king is clothed with splendor, * her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold. She is led to the king with her maiden companions. † They are escorted amid gladness and joy; * they pass within the palace of the king. Sons shall be yours in place of your fathers: * you will make them princes over all the earth. May this song make your name for ever remembered. * May the peoples praise you from age to age. 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 When you took on flesh, Lord Jesus, you made a marriage of mankind with God. Help us to be faithful to your word and endure our exile bravely, until we are called to the heavenly marriage feast, to which the Virgin Mary, exemplar of your Church, has preceded us. Ant. Your words are filled with grace, because God has blessed you forever. The Word was made man, alleluia. – He lived among us, alleluia. READINGS FIRST READING From the book of the prophet Isaiah 11:1-10 The root of Jesse. Thus says the Lord God: A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. RESPONSORY Today, for our sake. the King of heaven chose to be born of his virgin mother, to reclaim lost men for the heavenly kingdom. – All the angels cry aloud with joy, for God has come himself to save mankind. Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. – All the angels cry aloud with joy, for God has come himself to save mankind. SECOND READING From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope (Sermo 1 in Nativitate Domini, 1-3: PI, 54, 190-193) Christian, remember your dignity Dearly beloved, today our Savior is born; let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness. No one is shut out from this joy; all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our Lord, victor over sin and death, finding no man free from sin, came to free us all. Let the saint rejoice as he sees the palm of victory at hand. Let the sinner be glad as he receives the offer of forgiveness. Let the pagan take courage as he is summoned to life. In the fullness of time, chosen in the unfathomable depths of God’s wisdom, the Son of God took for himself our common humanity in order to reconcile it with its creator. He came to overthrow the devil, the origin of death, in that very nature by which he had overthrown mankind. And so at the birth of our Lord the angels sing in joy: Glory to God in the highest, and they proclaim peace to his people on earth as they see the heavenly Jerusalem being built from all the nations of the world. When the angels on high are so exultant at this marvellous work of God’s goodness, what joy should it not bring to the lowly hearts of men? Beloved, let us give thanks to God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit, because in his great love for us he took pity on us, and when we were dead in our sins he brought us to life with Christ, so that in him we might be a new creation. Let us throw off our old nature and all its ways and, as we have come to birth in Christ, let us renounce the works of the flesh. Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom. Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ. RESPONSORY Today true peace came down from heaven. – Today the whole earth was filled with heaven’s sweetness. Today a new day dawns, the day of our redemption, prepared by God from ages past, the beginning of our never-ending gladness. – Today the whole earth was filled with heaven’s sweetness. 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. V. Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance. R. Govern and uphold them now and always. V. Day by day we bless you. R. We praise your name for ever. V. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin. R. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy. V. Lord, show us your love and mercy; R. for we put our trust in you. V. In you, Lord, is our hope: R. and we shall never hope in vain. The concluding part of the hymn may be omitted. CONCLUDING PRAYER Let us pray. Lord God, we praise you for creating man, and still more for restoring him in Christ. Your Son shared our weakness: may we share his glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – Amen. Or: O God, who have made this most sacred night radiant with the splendor of the true light, grant, we pray, that we who have known the mysteries of the light on earth, may also delight in his gladness in heaven. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – Amen. Or: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, as we are bathed in the new radiance of your incarnate Word, the light of faith, which illumines our minds, may also shine through in our deeds. 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.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 11:07:51 +0000
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