This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 20. Your local date is .
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Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 667
Proper of Seasons: 349
Psalter: Wednesday, Week III, 989
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper of Seasons: 126
Psalter: Wednesday, Week III, 892
Evening Prayer for December 20, Wednesday of 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
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!
"Christ is near," we hear it say.
"Cast away the works of darkness,
All you children of the day!"
Startled at the solemn warning,
From the darkness we arise
Christ, our sun, all ill dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.
See, the Lamb so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heaven.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all, to be forgiven;
So when next he comes in glory
And the world is wrapped in fear,
He will shield us with his mercy
And with words of love draw near.
Honor, glory, might, dominion
To the Father and the Son,
With the ever-living Spirit
While eternal ages run!
𝄞 | "Hark, A Thrilling Voice is Sounding" by Johanna Montealto • Title: Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding; Text: Latin, sixth century; Tr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878); Artist: Johanna Montalto; Recording copyright 2016 Surgeworks |
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 The Lord, the mighty God, will come forth from Zion to set his people free.
Psalm 126
Joyful hope in God
Just as you share in sufferings so you will share in the divine glory (2 Corinthians 1:7).
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
The heathens themselves said: “What marvels
the Lord worked for them!”
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
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, you have raised us from the earth; may you let the seeds of justice, which we have sown in tears, grow and increase in your sight. May we reap in joy the harvest we hope for patiently.
Ant. The Lord, the mighty God, will come forth from Zion to set his people free.
Ant. 2 I shall not cease to plead with God for Zion until he sends his Holy One in all his radiant beauty.
Psalm 127
Apart from God our labors are worthless
You are God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9).
If the Lord does not build the house,
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city,
in vain does the watchman keep vigil.
In vain is your earlier rising,
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat:
when he pours gifts on his beloved while they slumber.
Truly sons are a gift from the Lord,
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed the sons of youth
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
O the happiness of the man
who has filled his quiver with these arrows!
He will have no cause for shame
when he disputes with his foes in the gateways.
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
You command the seed to rise, Lord God, though the farmer is unaware. Grant that those who labor for you may trust not in their own work but in your help. Remembering that the land is brought to flower not with human tears but with those of your Son, may the Church rely only upon your gifts.
Ant. I shall not cease to plead with God for Zion until he sends his Holy One in all his radiant beauty.
Ant. 3 The Spirit of the Lord rests upon me; he has sent me to preach his joyful message to the poor.
Canticle — Colossians 1:12-20
Christ the first-born of all creation and the first-born from the dead
Let us give thanks to the Father
for having made you worthy
to share the lot of the saints
in light.
He rescued us
from the power of darkness
and brought us
into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
Through him we have redemption,
the forgiveness of our sins.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the first-born of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven and on earth was created,
things visible and invisible.
All were created through him;
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is.
In him everything continues in being.
It is he who is head of the body, the church!
he who is the beginning,
the first-born of the dead,
so that primacy may be his in everything.
It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in him
and, by means of him, to reconcile everything in his person,
both on earth and in the heavens,
making peace through the blood of his cross.
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 Spirit of the Lord rests upon me; he has sent me to preach his joyful message to the poor.
READING See 1 Corinthians 1:7b-9
We await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will strengthen us to the end, so that we will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and it was he who called us to fellowship with his Son.
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
Come and set us free, Lord God of power and might.
— Come and set us free, Lord God of power and might.
Let your face shine upon us and we shall be saved,
— Lord God of power and might.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— Come and set us free, Lord God of power and might.
CANTICLE OF MARY
Ant. O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.
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 Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.
INTERCESSIONS
To Christ, our Lord and Redeemer, who will appear openly on the last day, let us joyfully pray:
Come, Lord Jesus!
Our Redeemer and Lord, by your birth as a man you freed us from the yoke of the law,
— complete in us the works of your loving kindness.
Come, Lord Jesus!
From us you took whatever served your divinity,
— give us whatever we need to serve you.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Grant the desire we ask of you today,
— inflame our hearts with the fire of your love.
Come, Lord Jesus!
On earth we live with you by faith,
— in glory may we rejoice with you.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Steep the souls of the faithful departed,
— in the dew of your loving kindness.
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,
eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word
the immaculate Virgin received
through the message of an Angel,
and so became the dwelling-place of divinity,
filled with the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant, we pray, that by her example,
we may in humility hold fast to your will.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your 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.
The Faith Journey of our Community
John B. on December 20th, 2023 at 21:13
The Sons of Youth