Introductory Rite:
God, come to my assistance R/ Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
R/ as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
People, look east. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the guest, is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the rose, is on the way.
Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the bird, is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the star, is on the way.
Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
With the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way.
PSALMODY
Antiphon 1: Our God will come from Lebanon; he shall be as brilliant as the sun.
I call with all my heart; Lord, hear me,
I will keep your statutes.
I call upon you, save me
and I will do your will.
I rise before dawn and cry for help,
I hope in your word.
My eyes watch through the night
to ponder your promise.
In your love hear my voice, O Lord;
give me life by your decrees.
Those who harm me unjustly draw near;
they are far from your law.
But you, O Lord, are close,
your commands are truth.
Long have I known that your will
is established for ever. Glory…
Psalm Prayer: Save us by the power of your hand, Father, for our enemies have ignored your words. May the fire of your word consume our sins and its brightness illumine our hearts.
Antiphon 1: Our God will come from Lebanon; he shall be as brilliant as the sun.
Antiphon 2 May the Holy One from heaven come down like gentle rain; may the earth burst into blossom and bear the tender Savior.
God of my fathers, Lord of mercy,
you who have made all things by your word and in your wisdom have established man to rule the creatures produced by you,
To govern the world in holiness and justice, and to render judgment in integrity of heart:
Give me Wisdom, the attendant at your throne, and reject me not from among your children;
For I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, a man weak and short-lived
and lacking in comprehension of judgment and of laws.
Indeed, though one be perfect among the sons of men, if Wisdom, who comes from you, be not with him,
he shall be held in no esteem.
Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world;
Who understands what is pleasing in your eyes and what is conformable with your commands.
Send her forth from your holy heavens
and from your glorious throne dispatch her that she may be with me and work with me,
that I may know what is your pleasure.
For she knows and understands all things,
and will guide me discreetly in my affairs
and safeguard me by her glory. Glory…
Antiphon 2 May the Holy One from heaven come down like gentle rain; may the earth burst into blossom and bear the tender Savior.
Antiphon 3 Israel, prepare yourself to meet the Lord, for he is coming.
O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him all you peoples!
Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever. Glory…
Psalm Prayer: God, our Father, may all nations and peoples praise you. May Jesus, who is called faithful and true and who lives with you eternally, possess our hearts forever,
Antiphon 3: Israel, prepare yourself to meet the Lord, for he is coming.
All sit for the Liturgy of the Word.
After the Homily:
INTERCESSIONS (Universal Prayer)
To Christ our Redeemer, who will come again to free from the power of death all those who return to him, let us humbly pray:
Come, Lord Jesus!
As we proclaim your coming, Lord,
– cleanse our hearts of every vain desire.
Lord, may the Church which you founded,
– proclaim your greatness to all peoples.
Your law is a light to our eyes,
– let it protect those who trust in you.
You allow the joys of your coming to be foretold to us by your Church,
– may we receive you with eager devotion
Presider:
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.
After Holy Communion, all stand for the Benedictus.
BENEDICTUS/Canticle of Zachariah Benedictus – Luke 1: 68-79
Antiphon: Like the sun in the morning sky, the Savior of the world will dawn; like rain on the meadows he will descend to rest in the womb of the Virgin, alleluia.
(While making the Sign of the Cross, we pray the following)
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
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.
Antiphon: Like the sun in the morning sky, the Savior of the world will dawn; like rain on the meadows he will descend to rest in the womb of the Virgin, alleluia.
Prayer After Communion
Dismissal & Final Blessing
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte;Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.