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.
IGod Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay;
Remember Christ, our Saviour,
Was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our Heavenly Father,
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
“Fear not,” then said the Angel,
“let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan’s power and might.”
O tidings of comfort and joy,
comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Antiphon 1:Dawn finds me ready to welcome you, my God..
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:Dawn finds me ready to welcome you, my God.
Antiphon 2: The Lord is my strength and I shall sing his praise, for he has become my savior.
I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the Lord,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.
The Lord is a warrior,
Lord is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army he hurled into the sea.
At a breath of your anger the waters piled up,
the flowing waters stood like a mound,
the flood waters congealed in the midst of the sea.
The enemy boasted, “I will pursue and overtake them;
I will divide the spoils and have my fill of them;
I will draw my sword;
my hand shall despoil them!”
When your wind blew, the sea covered them;
like lead they sank in the mighty waters.
Who is like to you among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like to you, magnificent in holiness?
O terrible in renown, worker of wonders,
when you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them!
In your mercy you led the people you redeemed;
in your strength you guided them to your holy dwelling.
And you brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance-
the place where you made your seat, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands established.
The Lord shall reign forever and ever. Glory…
Antiphon 2: The Lord is my strength and I shall sing his praise, for he has become my savior.
Antiphon 3 O, praise the Lord, all you nations.
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 O, praise the Lord, all you nations.
Please stand for the GLORIA
OPENING PRAYER
All sit for the Liturgy of the Word.
After the Homily:
INTERCESSIONS (Universal Prayer)
All the ends of the earth have seen Jesus Christ, the saving power of God. Let us praise him and cry out in joy:
Glory be to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Redeemer of all, you came to tear down the walls separating Jew from Gentile
- root out the prejudices which erode the depths of our humanity.
Through your incarnation and your birth you established your presence among us,
- teach us to recognize the many forms of your presence in the Church and in one another.
You are the fullest revelation of God to men and women,
- show us how we can assent to your word with integrity of faith and action.
You are God-with-us, wondrously transforming all creation,
- let every heart, every voice, every deed throughout the universe now be transformed.
Presider:
Almighty ever-living God,
who were pleased to shine forth with new light
through the coming of your Only Begotten Son,
grant, we pray,
that, just as he was pleased to share our bodily form
through the childbearing of the Virgin Mary,
so we, too, may one day merit
to become companions in his kingdom of grace.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(All are seated for the Liturgy of the Eucharist)
After Holy Communion, all stand for the Benedictus.
BENEDICTUS/Canticle of Zachariah Benedictus – Luke 1: 68-79
Antiphon: He is the one of whom it has been written: Christ is born in Israel.
(While making the Sign of the Cross, we pray the following)
Blest be the God of Israel who comes to set us free
and raises up new hope for us: a Branch for David’s tree.
So have the prophets long declared that with a mighty arm
God would turn back our enemies and all who wish us harm
.
With promised mercy will God still the covenant recall,
the oath once sworn to Abraham from foes to save us all;
that we might worship without fear and offer lives of praise,
in holiness and righteousness to serve God all our days.
My child, as prophet of the Lord you will prepare the way,
to tell God’s people they are saved from sin’s eternal sway.
Then shall God’s mercy from on high shine forth and never cease
to drive away the gloom of death and lead us into peace.
Antiphon: He is the one of whom it has been written: Christ is born in Israel.
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.