Please load this Link to access a Screen Reader Optimised Version of This Website Skip Navigation
Close
Nasa, Day Nasa, Night
Globe Chevron Down

Liturgy of the Hours for December 21

Evening Prayer I for December 21th or St. Peter Canisius, P & D

Please Note

This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 21. Your local date is .

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 667
Proper of Seasons: 309/358
Psalter: Sunday, Week IV, 1042

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper of Seasons: 110
Psalter: Sunday, Week IV, 921

Evening Prayer I for the 4th Sunday of Advent, December 21

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

Ô Dieu de clémence, viens par ta présence,
Combler nos désirs, apaiser nos soupirs.
Sauveur secourable, parais à nos yeux!
A l'homme coupable viens ouvrir les cieux;
Céleste victime, ferme-lui l'abîme.

Ô Dieu de clémence, viens par ta présence,
Combler nos désirs, apaiser nos soupirs.

Un dur esclavage fut notre partage:
Il brise nos fers et sauve l'univers.
Tout le Cieux s’abaissent saisis du respect;
Nos maux disparaissent à son seul aspect.
Tout à sa naissance, cède à sa puissance.

Un dur esclavage fut notre partage:
Il brise nos fers et sauve l'univers.

English translation by Catherine Fisher, 2016:

O God of Mercy, your presence comes and fills our desires,
And brings peace to our sighs.
Helpful savior, appear before us!
Come and open the heavens for the guilty man,
Heavenly victim, save him from the abyss.
O God of Mercy, your presence comes and fills our desires,
And brings peace to our sighs.

A hard slavery would have been our share:
He broke our irons and saved the universe.
In his honor, all the heavens bow down,
Our sins disappear before his face,
With his birth, all things yield before his power.
A hard slavery would have been our share:
He broke our irons and saved the universe.

𝄞"O Dieu de Clemence" by Kathleen Lundquist • Traditional French Catholic hymn, attributed to Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772);This arrangement (from Light In Our Darkness by Kathleen Lundquist, copyright 2005 by Mystagogia Music) is dedicated to the Carmelite nuns of Compiegne, martyred during the French Revolution on July 17, 1794. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Light in Our Darkness: Music for Advent and Christmas

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 He comes, the desire of all human hearts; his dwelling place shall be resplendent with glory, alleluia.

Psalm 122
Holy city Jerusalem

You have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22).

I rejoiced when I heard them say:
Let us go to God’s house.
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Ant. He comes, the desire of all human hearts; his dwelling place shall be resplendent with glory, alleluia.

Jerusalem is built as a city
strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.

Ant. He comes, the desire of all human hearts; his dwelling place shall be resplendent with glory, alleluia.

For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgment
of the house of David.

Ant. He comes, the desire of all human hearts; his dwelling place shall be resplendent with glory, alleluia.

For the peace of Jerusalem pray:
“Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls,
in your palaces, peace!”

Ant. He comes, the desire of all human hearts; his dwelling place shall be resplendent with glory, alleluia.

For love of my brethren and friends
I say: “Peace upon you.”
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good.

Ant. He comes, the desire of all human hearts; his dwelling place shall be resplendent with glory, alleluia.

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

When you rose from the dead, Lord Jesus, you formed the Church into your new body, and made of it the new Jerusalem, united in your Spirit. Give us peace in our day. Make all nations come to your Church to share in the gifts in fellowship, that they may render you thanks without end and come to your eternal city.

Ant. He comes, the desire of all human hearts; his dwelling place shall be resplendent with glory, alleluia.

Ant. 2 Come, Lord, do not delay; free your people from their sinfulness.

Psalm 130
A cry from the depths

He himself will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.

Ant. Come, Lord, do not delay; free your people from their sinfulness.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.

Ant. Come, Lord, do not delay; free your people from their sinfulness.

My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.

Ant. Come, Lord, do not delay; free your people from their sinfulness.

Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.

Ant. Come, Lord, do not delay; free your people from their sinfulness.

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

Listen with compassion to our prayers, Lord. The forgiveness of sins is yours. Do not look on the wrong we have done, but grant us your merciful kindness.

Ant. Come, Lord, do not delay; free your people from their sinfulness.

Ant. 3 The fullness of time has come upon us at last; God sends his Son into the world.

Canticle – Philippians 2:6-11
Christ, God’s holy servant

Though he was in the form of God,
Jesus did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at.

Ant. The fullness of time has come upon us at last; God sends his Son into the world.

Rather, he emptied himself
and took the form of a slave,
being born in the likeness of men.

Ant. The fullness of time has come upon us at last; God sends his Son into the world.

He was known to be of human estate
and it was thus that he humbled himself,
obediently accepting even death,
death on a cross!

Ant. The fullness of time has come upon us at last; God sends his Son into the world.

Because of this,
God highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
above every other name,

So that at Jesus’ name
every knee must bend
in the heavens, on the earth,
and under the earth,
and every tongue proclaim
to the glory of God the Father:
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Ant. The fullness of time has come upon us at last; God sends his Son into the world.

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 fullness of time has come upon us at last; God sends his Son into the world.

READING 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls us is trustworthy, therefore he will do it.

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 Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

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 Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

INTERCESSIONS

Jesus is Lord, born of the Virgin Mary. Let us pray to him with joyful hearts:
Come, Lord Jesus!

Son of God, you will come again as the true messenger of the covenant.
help the world to recognize and accept you.
Come, Lord Jesus!

Born in your Father’s heart, you became man in the womb of the Virgin Mary,
free us from the tyranny of change and decay.
Come, Lord Jesus!

In your life on earth, you came to die as a man,
save us from everlasting death.
Come, Lord Jesus!

When you come to judge, show us your loving mercy,
and forgive us our weaknesses.
Come, Lord Jesus!

Lord Jesus, by your death you have given hope to those who have died,
be merciful to those for whom we now pray.
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

Pour forth,
we beseech you, O Lord,
your grace into our hearts,
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son
was made known by the message of an Angel,
may by his Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.
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.

Please support DivineOffice.orf -- Illustration by Elisa D. created for DivineOffice.org Please support DivineOffice.orf -- Illustration by Elisa D. created for DivineOffice.org

Contribute to DivineOffice.org

Your contribution ensures this site will be around to serve thousands who use it daily to pray.

Contribute Monthly

A monthly recurring payment is not required, but your support ensures this site will be around to serve thousands who use it daily to pray. You can select the amount of your monthly contribution below, or you can select "custom amount" and set it in the next page.

Contribute One-Time

If you prefer not to commit to a monthly contribution right now, please consider a one-time contribution. You will be able to set any amount in the next page.

Having trouble with this form?

You can also contribute through PayPal from this page, or you can mail a check.

Divine Office Blog

News and Updates from our ministry

A Note to Our Community: Freeing up space for prayer

Mauro on October 11th, 2024at 7:20

Thank you everyone for your feedback, it allowed us to see what needs to be fixed or changed. We recently became aware, thanks to feedback from our visually impaired users, that zooming in on a... Continue reading

Enhancing Your Divine Office Experience: Upcoming Improvements and Features

Mauro on September 19th, 2024at 6:21

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” — Matthew 18:20 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We are happy to announce new features... Continue reading

Celebrating 18 Years of Divine Office: A Journey of Faith and Community

Mauro on August 6th, 2024at 7:36

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Today, we celebrate a remarkable milestone in our journey of faith and devotion. On August 6th, 2006, our very first Catholic website and podcast series went live. Eighteen years... Continue reading

USCCB votes on text of the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition

Monica on June 13th, 2024at 9:19

Dear Community, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is set to gather on June 12-14 for their Spring Plenary Assembly, where they will vote on, among other things, the texts to be included... Continue reading

VISIT OUR BLOG

Get the DivineOffice App!

No Image

Pray always and everywhere with our Award-Winning Liturgy of the Hours app for iPhone, iPad, Android and Kindle Fire. NOW FREE!

No Image
No Image No Image

Ratings and Reviews

Our DivineOffice app is rated 4.9 out of 5, based on over 2,400 ratings and won the About.com Best Catholic App Award for 3 years in a row.

No Image No Image No Image No Image No Image

Pray anywhere
I have prayed the Divine Office for many years. [...] When I discovered this app, all of my concerns of ribbon placement were gone. Having the Divine Office on my phone is absolutely the best thing ever! The sense of community is so wonderful as I see how many others are praying at the same time as myself. [...] Now I don’t need to turn a lamp on as I use to when I used the Office printed volumes. It is such a blessing to have the Divine Office in my pocket. Many times I’ve been sitting in a doctor’s waiting room at the time of Mid Morning prayer. It is so calming of any worries to pull out my phone, open the app, and be able to connect with Our Lord at those times I need Him most. I don’t use the audio version much but the few times I’ve traveled, it is so comforting to not have to skip the Office in order to keep my hands on the steering wheel and my eyes in the road. I recommend this app to friends all the time, especially to those who’d like to pray the Office but feel intimidated by the size of the printed version and getting the ribbons placed properly. Thank you for developing this app. It is my constant companion.

SheezyOCon October 13, 2021

No Image No Image No Image No Image No Image

Super helpful
I have only been introduced to the divine office prayers two times before I downloaded this app. It is laid out in a way that is very easy to understand, and there is an audio option that will say all of the prayers. There is an option to set reminders throughout the day. I got this because, I didn’t really know how to say the divine office, and I didn’t know what prayer books I needed to purchase to begin. During the shutting down of churches for covid :( this has been a wonderful resource. One cool feature is that you can tap on the “in prayer” link and see little specks of light around the globe lighting up in the area that someone else is praying. It’s so cool to see everyone praying with you and is a powerful reminder that we are all connected and unified in Christ’s mystical body.

tori6543588on May 5, 2020

No Image No Image No Image No Image No Image

Praying with the whole Church
I love this app! Since it is now free and no longer for sale, I made sure to donate the price of buying it, and then some. I have loved the Liturgy of the Hours for 25 years. But I always felt alone when I prayed it. With this app, I am connected to others! I use it in conjunction with my printed Christian Prayer volume. On other days, I cannot get to my book but with the app, I always have the prayers available. I have the printed calendar with my book, but I actually rely on this more for placing my ribbons. The audio is wonderful!! I often read out loud with it. I love that I can change the speed of the audio! I have found that 1.3 is good for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this app. Thank you for still supporting it. Thank you for updating the “one God,” to just “God” change in the prayers. My book still throws me off but your app is right! Highly recommend this. Many friends have it. THANK YOU!!

MommytoNFP2on June 12, 2022

 
No Image

Recommended Books

Support us by starting your amazon shopping by clicking on this link.

MORE PRODUCTS
Book
Christian Prayer
This handy one-volume edition simplifies praying the Liturgy of the Hours.
Book
Liturgy of the Hours
Complete 4 Volumes Set
Book
Liturgy of the Hours Volume I
Advent and Christmas
MORE PRODUCTS
Share
1X Speed
100%  Zoom
Moon Icon Light Mode
Minimize Icon EXIT

Where are you from?

Due to our licensing agreements, this website can only be accessed and used from the United States of America. By clicking on the button below and using this website you confirm you are eligible to use this website and accept our privacy policy, as well as the technical, statistical and marketing cookies we use on DivineOffice.org.

To avoid seeing this warning in the future, we recommend you register for an account and . Registering will also allow you to comment and post prayer requests.

Accept and Continue
cancel Cancel