This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 25. Your local date is .
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Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 661
All from the Proper of Seasons: 410
Midday Prayer for the Solemnity of Christmas, using the Current Psalmody
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
Quem pastores laudavere,
Quibus angeli dixere:
Absit vobis iam timere,
Natus est Rex gloriae.
Ad quem magi ambulabant,
Aurum, thus, myrrham portabant,
Immolabant haec sincere
nato Regi Gloriae.
Christo regi, Deo nato
Per Mariam nobis dato
Merito resonet vere
Laus, honor et gloria.
English Translation
He whom the shepherds praised,
to whom the angels sang:
be not afraid,
the king of glory is born.
To whom the Magi journeyed,
carrying gold, frankincense, myrrh,
they truly worshiped,
the glorious King is born.
Christ the king, God incarnate,
given to us through Mary,
may resound with true merit,
praise, honour and glory.
| 𝄞 | "Quem Pastores Laudavere" by Kathleen Lundquist • Title: Quem Pastores Laudavere; Text: Latin carol (14th century); English Tr. Michael Praetorius (1571-1621); Artist: Kathleen Lundquist; Used with permission from Kathleen Lundquist. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Light in Our Darkness: Music for Advent and Christmas |
PSALMODY
Ant. Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
Psalm 19B
The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.
They are more to be desired than gold,
than the purest of gold,
and sweeter are they than honey,
than honey from the comb.
So in them your servant finds instruction;
great reward is in their keeping.
But who can detect all his errors?
From hidden faults acquit me.
From presumption restrain your servant
and let it not rule me.
Then shall I be blameless,
clean from grave sin.
May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,
win favor in your sight, O Lord,
my rescuer, my rock!
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 47
All peoples, clap your hands,
cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
great king over all the earth.
He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.
Our inheritance, our glory, is from him,
given to Jacob out of love.
God goes up with shouts of joy;
the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise,
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
God is king of all the earth.
Sing praise with all your skill.
God is king over the nations;
God reigns on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples are assembled
with the people of Abraham’s God.
The rulers of the earth belong to God,
to God who reigns over all.
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 48
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.
For the kings assembled together,
together they advanced.
They saw; at once they were astounded;
dismayed, they fled in fear.
A trembling seized them there,
like the pangs of birth.
By the east wind you have destroyed
the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of our God,
in the city of the Lord of hosts
which God upholds for ever.
O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.
With justice your right hand is filled.
Mount Zion rejoices;
the people of Judah rejoice
at the sight of your judgments.
Walk through Zion, walk all round it;
count the number of its towers.
Review all its ramparts,
examine its castles,
that you may tell the next generation
that such is our God,
our God for ever and always.
It is he who leads us.
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. Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
READING 1 John 4:9
God’s love was revealed in our midst in this way:
he sent his only Son to the world
that we might have life through him.
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.
All the ends of the earth, alleluia.
— Have seen the saving power of God, alleluia.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
O God,
who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature
and still more wonderfully restored it,
grant, we pray, that we may share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)
Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.