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.
Creator of the stars of night,
your people’s everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
we pray you hear us when we call.
In sorrow that the ancient curse
should doom to death a universe,
you came, O Savior, to set free
your own in glorious liberty.
At your great Name, O Jesus, now
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
all things on earth with one accord,
like those in heaven, know you are Word.
To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in one,
praise, honor, might, and glory be
from age to age eternally.
Melody: Conditor Alme Siderum 7.7.7.7; Text: Anonymous, 7th Century
PSALMODY
Antiphon 1: Yours is more than mortal beauty; every word you speak is full of grace.
Psalm 45
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. Glory…
Antiphon 1: Yours is more than mortal beauty; every word you speak is full of grace.
Antiphon 2: The bridegroom is here; go out and welcome him.
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 rulers over all the earth.
May this song make your name for ever remembered.
May the peoples praise you from age to age. Glory…
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.
Antiphon 2: The bridegroom is here; go out and welcome him.
.Antiphon 3 God planned in the fullness of time to restore all things in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3-10
Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
God chose us in him
before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in his sight,
to be full of love.
He predestined us
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.
In him and through his blood,we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.
God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased
to decree in Christ.
A plan to be carried out
in Christ, in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on earth. Glory…
Antiphon 3 God planned in the fullness of time to restore all things in Christ.
OPENING PRAYER (stand)
All sit for the Liturgy of the Word.
After the Homily:
INTERCESSIONS (Universal Prayer)
To Christ our Lord, judge of the living and the dead, let us cry out with faith:
Come, Lord Jesus!
Lord, may the world know your justice which the heavens proclaim,
– may your glory fill the earth.
For us you took upon yourself the weakness of man,
– protect us with the strength of your own divine life.
Come to those imprisoned in the darkness of ignorance,
– show them the radiance of your own divine light.
In your humility as a man, you took away our sin,
– now in your glory grant us true happiness.
When you come in glory to judge us,
– gather the dead into your kingdom.
Presider:
May our prayer of petition
rise before you, we pray, O Lord,
that, with purity unblemished,
we, your servants, may come, as we desire,
to celebrate the great mystery
of the Incarnation of your Only Begotten Son.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(All are seated for the Liturgy of the Eucharist)
Lord’s Prayer
Pater noster, qui es in cælis
Sanctificétur nomen tuum
Advéniat regnum tuum
Fiat volúntas tua
Sicut in cælo et in terra
Panem nostrum quotidiánum da nobis hódie
Et dimítte nobis débita nostra
Sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris
Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem
Sed libera nos a malo
After Holy Communion, all stand for the Magnificat.
MAGNIFICAT (Canticle of Mary)
Antiphon: See, your king comes, the master of the earth; he will shatter the yoke of our slavery. .
(Luke 1: Magnificat by Bernadette Farrell: Breaking Bread Music Issue #825)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord my spirit sings to God, my saving God, who on this day above all others favored me and raised me up, a light for all to see.
Through me great deeds will God make manifest, and all the earth will come to call me blest. Unbounded love and mercy sure will I proclaim for all who know and praise God´s holy name.
God´s mighty arm, protector of the just, will guard the weak and raise them from the dust. But mighty kings will swiftly fall from thrones corrupt. The strong brought low, the lowly lifted up.
Soon will the poor and hungry of the earth be richly blest, be given greater worth. And Israel, as once foretold to Abraham, will live in peace throughout the promised land.
All glory be to God, Creator blest, to Jesus Christ, God´s love made manifest, and to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter, all glory be, both now and ever more.
Antiphon: See, your king comes, the master of the earth; he will shatter the yoke of our slavery.
Holy Communion
Final Blessing/Dismissal