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: 667
All from Proper of Seasons: 414
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
All from Proper of Seasons: 147
Evening Prayer II for the Solemnity of Christmas
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
All my heart this night rejoices
As I hear far and near
Sweetest angel voices.
"Christ is come," their choirs are singing
Till the air Everywhere
Now with joy is ringing.
Shall we still dread God's displeasure,
Who, to save, freely gave
His most cherished Treasure?
To redeem us, He hath given
His own Son from the throne
Of His might in heaven.
Should He who Himself imparted
Aught withhold from the fold,
Leave us broken-hearted?
Should the Son of God not love us,
Who, to cheer sufferers here,
Left His throne above us?
He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away and for aye
Full atonement taketh.
For our life His own He tenders
And our race, by His grace,
Meet for glory renders.
Hark! a voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet, doth entreat:
"Flee from woe and danger.
Brethren, come from all doth grieve you
You are freed; all you need
I will surely give you."
Blessed Savior, let me find Thee!
Keep Thou me close to Thee,
Cast me not behind Thee!
Life of life, my heart Thou stillest,
Calm I rest on Thy breast,
All this void Thou fillest.
Come, then, let us hasten yonder;
Here let all, great and small,
Kneel in awe and wonder,
Love Him Who with love is yearning;
Hail the star that from far
Bright with hope is burning.
𝄞 | "All My Heart This Night Rejoices" by Kathleen Lundquist • Title: All My Heart This Night Rejoices; Text: Luke 2:11; Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1653; Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1858, alt.; 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. 1 You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
Psalm 110:1-5, 7
The Messiah, king and priest
Christ’s reign will last until all his enemies are made subject to him (1 Corinthians 15:25).
The Lord’s revelation to my Master:
“Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet.”
Ant. You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
The Lord will wield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.
Ant. You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.
Ant. You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
“You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old.”
Ant. You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his great wrath.
Ant. You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.
Ant. You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
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. You have been endowed from your birth with princely gifts; in eternal splendor, before the dawn of light on earth, I have begotten you.
Ant. 2 With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
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. With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
Ant. With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
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. With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity.
Ant. With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
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. With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
Ant. 3 In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
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.
Ant. In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
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.
Ant. In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
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.
Ant. In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
All were created through him;
all were created for him.
He is before all else that is.
In him everything continues in being.
Ant. In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
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.
Ant. In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
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.
Ant. In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of 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. In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
READING 1 John 1:1-3
This is what we proclaim to you:
what was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have looked upon
and our hands have touched –
we speak of the word of life.
(This life became visible;
we have seen and bear witness to it,
and we proclaim to you the eternal life
that was present to the Father
and became visible to us.)
What we have seen and heard
we proclaim in turn to you
so that you may share life with us.
This fellowship of ours is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
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
The Word was made man, alleluia, alleluia.
— The Word was made man, alleluia, alleluia.
He lived among us.
— Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— The Word was made man, alleluia, alleluia.
CANTICLE OF MARY
Ant. Christ the Lord is born today; today, the Savior has appeared. Earth echoes songs of angel choirs, archangels’ joyful praise. Today on earth his friends exult: Glory to God in the highest, alleluia.
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. Christ the Lord is born today; today, the Savior has appeared. Earth echoes songs of angel choirs, archangels’ joyful praise. Today on earth his friends exult: Glory to God in the highest, alleluia.
INTERCESSIONS
At the birth of Jesus, angels proclaimed peace to the world. We worship him now with joy, and we pray with hearts full of faith:
May your birth bring peace to all.
Lord, fill your holy people with whatever good they need,
— let the mystery of your birth be the source of our peace.
May your birth bring peace to all.
You came as chief shepherd and guardian of our lives,
— let the pope and bishops be faithful channels of your many gifts of grace.
May your birth bring peace to all.
King from all eternity, you desired to be born within time and to experience the day-to-day life of men and women,
— share your gift of unending life with us, weak people, doomed to death.
May your birth bring peace to all.
Awaited from the beginning of the world, you came only in the fullness of time,
— now reveal your presence to those who are still expecting you.
May your birth bring peace to all.
You became man and gave new life to our human condition in the grip of death,
— now give the fullness of life to all who have died.
May your birth bring peace to all.
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, as we are bathed in the new radiance of your incarnate Word,
the light of faith, which illumines our minds,
may also shine through in our deeds.
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.