This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 31. Your local date is .
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Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 653
Proper of Seasons: 364
Psalter: Thursday, Week IV, 1122
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Proper of Seasons: 131
Psalter: Thursday, Week IV, 969
Morning Prayer for Thursday, December 22, in the Season of Advent
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
O Gentle Christ I thank you forever
That you have freely raised me from the black;
And from the darkness of last night;
To the kindly light,
The light of this new day.
Praise unto Thee, O God of creation,
According to each life
Thou hast poured unto me;
In my desire, my thoughts and my word;
Praise unto Thee, O Light of this new day.
| 𝄞 | "Praise unto Thee, O Light of this New Day" by Briege O'Hare And Marie Cox • Available on iTunes • Available for Purchase • Title: The New Day; Text: Briege O'Hare, OSC, inspired by The Carmina Gadelica; Album: The Peace of God. Songs from a Celtic Monastery; Composed and arranged by: Briege O'Hare, OSC; Sung by: Marie Cox,RSM; (c) 2006 Hermitage Production; Used by permission • Albums that contain this Hymn: The Peace of God |
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; come and rescue me, for you are my refuge and my strength.
Psalm 143:1-11
Prayer in distress
A man is not justified by observance of the law but only through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16)
Lord, listen to my prayer:
turn your ear to my appeal.
You are faithful, you are just; give answer.
Do not call your servant to judgment
for no one is just in your sight.
The enemy pursues my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me dwell in darkness
like the dead, long forgotten.
Therefore my spirit fails;
my heart is numb within me.
I remember the days that are past:
I ponder all your works.
I muse on what your hand has wrought
and to you I stretch out my hands.
Like a parched land my soul thirsts for you.
Lord, make haste and answer;
for my spirit fails within me.
Do not hide your face
lest I become like those in the grave.
In the morning let me know your love
for I put my trust in you.
Make me know the way I should walk:
to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me, Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will
for you, O Lord, are my God.
Let your good spirit guide me
in ways that are level and smooth.
For your name’s sake, Lord, save my life;
in your justice save my soul from distress.
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 Jesus, early in the morning of your resurrection, you made your love known and brought the first light of dawn to those who dwell in darkness. Your death has opened a path for us. Do not enter into judgment with your servants; let your Holy Spirit guide us together into the land of justice.
Ant. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; come and rescue me, for you are my refuge and my strength.
Ant. 2 Bless those, O Lord, who have waited for your coming; let your prophets be proved true.
Canticle – Isaiah 66:10-14a
Joys of heaven
The heavenly Jerusalem is a free woman and our mother (Galatians 4:26)
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
all you who love her;
Exult, exult with her,
all you who were mourning over her!
Oh, that you may suck fully
of the milk of her comfort,
That you may nurse with delight
at her abundant breasts!
For thus says the Lord:
Lo, I will spread prosperity over her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.
As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,
and fondled in her lap;
As a mother comforts her son,
so will I comfort you;
in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.
When you see this, your heart shall rejoice,
and your bodies flourish like the grass.
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. Bless those, O Lord, who have waited for your coming; let your prophets be proved true.
Ant. 3 Turn to us, O Lord, make haste to help your people.
Psalm 147:1-11
The loving kindness of God who can do all he wills
You are God: we praise you; you are the Lord: we acclaim you.
Praise the Lord for he is good;
sing to our God for he is loving:
to him our praise is due.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel’s exiles,
he heals the broken-hearted,
he binds up all their wounds.
He fixes the number of the stars;
he calls each one by its name.
Our Lord is great and almighty;
his wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord raises the lowly;
he humbles the wicked to the dust.
O sing to the Lord giving thanks;
sing psalms to our God with the harp.
He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares the rain for the earth,
making mountains sprout with grass
and with plants to serve man’s needs.
He provides the beasts with their food
and young ravens that call upon him.
His delight is not in horses
nor his pleasure in warriors’ strength.
The Lord delights in those who revere him,
in those who wait for his love.
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
God our Father, great builder of the heavenly Jerusalem, you know the number of the stars and call each of them by name. Heal hearts that are broken, gather together those who have been scattered, and enrich us all from the plenitude of your eternal wisdom.
Ant. Turn to us, O Lord, make haste to help your people.
READING Isaiah 45:8
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up.
Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.
RESPONSORY
Your light will come Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.
— Your light will come Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.
You will see his glory within you;
— the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— Your light will come Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Ant. The moment that your greeting reached my ears, the child within my womb leapt for joy.
Luke 1:68 – 79
The Messiah and his forerunner
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.
Ant. The moment that your greeting reached my ears, the child within my womb leapt for joy.
INTERCESSIONS
To Christ our Redeemer, who comes to save us from our sins, let us cry out with joy:
Come, Lord Jesus!
The prophets of old foretold your birth among us,
— now make virtue come to life in us.
Come, Lord Jesus!
We proclaim your saving work,
— now grant us your salvation.
Come, Lord Jesus!
You came to heal the contrite of heart,
— heal the weaknesses of your people.
Come, Lord Jesus!
You came and saw fit to reconcile the world,
— when you come again in judgment, free us from the torments of punishment.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Concluding Prayer
O God, who,
seeing the human race fallen into death,
willed to redeem it by the coming of your Only Begotten Son,
grant, we pray, that those who confess his Incarnation
with humble fervor may merit his company as their Redeemer.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
DISMISSAL
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
— Amen.