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Liturgy of the Hours for December 18

Evening Prayer for December 18th

Please Note

This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 18. Your local date is .

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 667
Proper of Seasons: 333
Psalter: Monday, Week III, 952

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper of Seasons: 120
Psalter: Monday, Week III, 872

Evening Prayer for December 18, Monday in the 3rd Week 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 thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

𝄞"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" by Burke Ingraffia • Available for Purchase • Title: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel; Text: Unknown, 12th c.; Tr. John Mason Neale (1851); Artist: Burke Ingraffia: Vocals and Guitar (c) 2016 Divine Mercy Music (ASCAP); Used with permission from Burke Ingraffia. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Christmas Carol Lullabies

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 The Lord, the ruler over the kings of the earth, will come; blessed are they who are ready to go and welcome him.

Psalm 123
The Lord, unfailing hope of his people

Two blind men cried out: “Have pity on us, Lord, Son of David” (Matthew 20:30).

To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens:
my eyes, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords.

Like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
till he show us his mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt.
Indeed all too full is our soul
with the scorn of the rich,
with the proud man’s disdain.

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

Father in heaven, we lift our eyes to you and pray: confound the scorn of the proud and graciously show us your mercy.

Ant. The Lord, the ruler over the kings of the earth, will come; blessed are they who are ready to go and welcome him.

Ant. 2 Sing a new song to the Lord; proclaim his praises to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 124
Our help is in the name of the Lord

The Lord said to Paul: “Fear not… I am with you” (Acts 18).

“If the Lord had not been on our side,”
this is Israel’s song.
“If the Lord had not been on our side
when men rose against us,

then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.
Then would the waters have engulfed us,
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept the raging waters.”

Blessed be the Lord who did not give us
as prey to their teeth!
Our life, like a bird, has escaped
from the snare of the fowler.

Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

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, you foretold that your disciples would be despised on account of your name, but that not a hair of their heads is ever forgotten. In times of persecution, defend and revive us by the power and comfort of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be freed from our enemies and praise your saving help.

Ant. Sing a new song to the Lord; proclaim his praises to the ends of the earth.

Ant. 3 When the Son of Man comes to earth, do you think he will find faith in men’s hearts?

Canticle – Ephesians 1:3-10
God our Savior

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.

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 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. When the Son of Man comes to earth, do you think he will find faith in men’s hearts?

READING Philippians 4:4-5

Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near.

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

Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Lord, show us your mercy and love.

And grant us your salvation
your mercy and love.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Lord, show us your mercy and love.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children 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.

Ant. O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

INTERCESSIONS

To Christ the Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, let us pray with joyful hearts:
Come, Lord Jesus!

Lord Jesus, in the mystery of your incarnation, you revealed your glory to the world,
give us new life by your coming.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You have taken our weakness upon yourself,
grant us your mercy.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You redeemed the world from sin by your first coming in humility,
free us from all guilt when you come again in glory.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You live and rule over all,
in your goodness bring us to our eternal inheritance.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You sit at the right hand of the father,
gladden the souls of the dead with your light.
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

Grant,
we pray, almighty God,
that we, who are weighed down from of old
by slavery beneath the yoke of sin,
may be set free by the newness
of the long-awaited Nativity
of your Only Begotten Son.
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.

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Personal Reflections

The Faith Journey of our Community

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seanmoylantd on December 18th, 2023 at 12:27

Meditation
Lord Jesus, you foretold that your disciples would be despised on account of your name, but that not a hair of their heads is ever forgotten. 
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