This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 17. Your local date is .
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:32 — 19.4MB)
Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 653
Proper of Seasons: 322
Psalter: Saturday, Week III, 1035
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Proper of Seasons: 116
Psalter: Saturday, Week III, 916
Morning Prayer for Saturday, December 17, 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 come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel.
Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem
From every foe deliver them
That trust your mighty power to save;
Bring them in victory through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel.
| 𝄞 | "O come, O come, Emmanuel" by Melinda Kirigin-Voss, Vince Clark • Title: O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Text: Unknown, 12th c.; Tr. John Mason (1851); Artist: Melinda Kirigin-Voss and Vince Clark; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office |
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Our God will come from Lebanon; he shall be as brilliant as the sun.
Psalm 119:145-152
XIX (Koph)
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 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
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.
Ant. Our God will come from Lebanon; he shall be as brilliant as the sun.
Ant.2 May the Holy One from heaven come down like gentle rain; may the earth burst into blossom and bear the tender Savior.
Canticle – Wisdom 9:1-6,9-11
Lord, give me wisdom
I will inspire you with wisdom which your adversaries will be unable to resist. (Luke 21:15)
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 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. May the Holy One from heaven come down like gentle rain; may the earth burst into blossom and bear the tender Savior.
Ant. 3 Israel, prepare yourself to meet the Lord, for he is coming.
Psalm 117
Praise for God’s loving compassion
I affirm that… the Gentile peoples are to praise God because of his mercy. (Romans 15:8-9)
O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him all you peoples!
Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever.
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, 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.
Ant. Israel, prepare yourself to meet the Lord, for he is coming.
READING Isaiah 11:1-3a
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,
and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.
This audio file has a longer reading taken from the single volume Christian Prayer book.
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. Believe me, the kingdom of God is at hand; I tell you solemnly, your Savior will not delay his coming.
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. Believe me, the kingdom of God is at hand; I tell you solemnly, your Savior will not delay his coming.
INTERCESSIONS
Let us pray to God our Father, who from of old has called his people to salvation:
Lord, protect your people.
You promised to plant the seed of justice among your people,
— protect the holiness of your Church.
Lord, protect your people.
Lord, teach all men and women to listen to your word,
— and help believers to persevere in holiness.
Lord, protect your people.
Keep us in the love of your Spirit,
— that we may know the mercy of your Son who is to come.
Lord, protect your people.
Father most merciful, strengthen us to the last,
— until the day of the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord, protect your people.
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, Creator and Redeemer of human nature,
who willed that your Word should take flesh
in an ever-virgin womb,
look with favor on our prayers,
that your Only Begotten Son,
having taken to himself our humanity,
may be pleased to grant us a share in his divinity.
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.