This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 31. Your local date is .
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Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 667
Proper of Seasons: 307
Psalter: Friday, Week III, 1024
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper of Seasons: 108
Psalter: Friday, Week III, 911
Evening Prayer for Friday 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
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
in the Body and the Blood
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of Light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
cherubim with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the Presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
"Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, Lord Most High!"
𝄞 | "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" by Rebecca Hincke • Available for Purchase • Title: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; Text: Liturgy of Saint James (fifth century); Tr. Gerald Moultrie (1864); Music: Picardy (French carol as in The English Hymnal, 1906); Artist: Rebecca Hincke; (c) 2016 Surgeworks, Inc. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Hymns and Chants of Divine Office, Vol. 4 |
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Great is the Lord our God, transcending all other gods.
Psalm 135
Praise for the wonderful things God does for us.
He has won us for himself… and you must proclaim what he has done for you. He has called you out of darkness into his own wonderful light. (see 1 Peter 2:9)
I
Praise the name of the Lord,
praise him, servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.
Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself
and Israel for his own possession.
For I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is high above all gods.
The Lord does whatever he wills,
in heaven, on earth, in the seas.
He summons clouds from the ends of the earth;
makes lightning produce the rain;
from his treasuries he sends forth the wind.
The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
of man and beast alike.
Signs and wonders he worked
in the midst of your land, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
Nations in their greatness he struck
and kings in their splendor he slew.
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, the king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
He let Israel inherit their land;
on his people their land he bestowed.
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. Great is the Lord our God, transcending all other gods.
Ant. 2 House of Israel, bless the Lord! Sing psalms to him for he is merciful.
II
Lord, your name stands for ever,
unforgotten from age to age,
for the Lord does justice for his people;
the Lord takes pity on his servants.
Pagan idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths but they cannot speak;
they have eyes but they cannot see.
They have ears but they cannot hear;
there is never a breath on their lips.
Their makers will come to be like them
and so will all who trust in them!
Sons of Israel, bless the Lord!
Sons of Aaron, bless the Lord!
Sons of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear him, bless the Lord!
From Zion may the Lord be blessed,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
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, your name and your memory last forever. We stand to pray and praise you with psalms of joy. We ask you in your kindness to have mercy on us in our lowliness.
Ant. House of Israel, bless the Lord! Sing psalms to him for he is merciful.
Ant. 3 All nations will come and worship before you, O Lord.
Canticle — Revelation 15:3-4
Hymn of adoration
Mighty and wonderful are your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Righteous and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who would dare refuse you honor,
or the glory due your name, O Lord?
Since you alone are holy,
all nations shall come
and worship in your presence.
Your mighty deeds are clearly seen.
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. All nations will come and worship before you, O Lord.
READING 2 Peter 3:8b-9
In the Lord’s eyes, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day. The Lord does not delay in keeping his promise – though some consider it “delay.” Rather, he shows you generous patience, since he wants none to perish but all to come to repentance.
The audio for this hour uses a longer reading taken from the single volume Christian Prayer book, while this abbreviated text is from the 4 volume Liturgy of the Hours.
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. This was the witness of John the Baptist: The One who comes after me existed before me.
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. This was the witness of John the Baptist: The One who comes after me existed before me.
INTERCESSIONS
With confidence let us call upon Christ, the shepherd and guardian of our souls:
— Lord, have mercy on us.
Good shepherd of God’s flock,
gather all into your Church.
— Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, help the shepherds of your pilgrim people,
until you come again may they zealously feed your flock.
— Lord, have mercy on us.
Choose from among us heralds of your word,
to proclaim your Gospel to the ends of the earth.
— Lord, have mercy on us.
Take pity on all who struggle and fall along the way,
may they find a friend to help them.
— Lord, have mercy on us.
Show your glory in heaven,
to those who listen to your voice on earth.
— Lord, have mercy on us.
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
May your grace, almighty God,
always go before us and follow after,
so that we who await with heartfelt desire
the coming of your Only Begotten Son,
may receive your help both now and in the life to come.
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.