This is the Liturgy of the Hours for December 31. Your local date is .
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Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 668
All from Proper of Seasons: 624
Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
All from Proper of Seasons: 663
Evening Prayer I for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
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 God has loved us with an everlasting love; therefore, when he was lifted up from the earth, in his mercy he drew us to his heart.
Psalm 113
Praise the name of the Lord
He has cast down the mighty and has lifted up the lowly (Luke 1:52).
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed
both now and for evermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting
praised be the name of the Lord!
High above all nations is the Lord,
above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down,
to look down upon heaven and earth?
From the dust he lifts up the lowly,
from his misery he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes,
yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home
and gladdens her heart with children.
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. God has loved us with an everlasting love; therefore, when he was lifted up from the earth, in his mercy he drew us to his heart.
Ant. 2 Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.
Psalm 146
Those who trust in God know what it is to be happy
To praise God in our lives means all we do must be for his glory (Arnobius).
My soul, give praise to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.
Put no trust in princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
It is he who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,
the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan.
It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever,
Zion’s God, from age to age.
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. Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.
Ant. 3 I am the Good Shepherd; I pasture my sheep and I lay down my life for them.
Canticle — Revelation 4:11; 5:9, 10, 12
Redemption hymn
O Lord our God, you are worthy
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you have created all things;
by your will they came to be and were made.
Worthy are you, O Lord,
to receive the scroll and break open its seals.
For you were slain;
with your blood you purchased for God
men of every race and tongue,
of every people and nation.
You made of them a kingdom,
and priests to serve our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches,
wisdom and strength,
honor and glory and praise.
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. I am the Good Shepherd; I pasture my sheep and I lay down my life for them.
READING Ephesians 5:25b-27
Christ loved the church. He gave himself up for her to make her holy, purifying her in the bath of water by the power of the word, to present to himself a glorious church, holy and immaculate, without stain or wrinkle or anything of that sort.
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
Christ has loved us, and in his blood he has washed away our sins.
— Christ has loved us, and in his blood he has washed away our sins.
He has made us a kingdom and priests to serve God our Father.
— And in his blood he has washed away our sins.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— Christ has loved us, and in his blood he has washed away our sins.
CANTICLE OF MARY
Ant. I have come to cast fire upon the earth; how I long to see the flame leap up.
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. I have come to cast fire upon the earth; how I long to see the flame leap up.
INTERCESSIONS
Brethren, let us pray to the Lord Jesus, the refuge of our souls; let us ask him:
Most loving Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, whose heart when pierced by a lance poured forth blood and water and gave birth to your spouse the Church,
— cleanse and sanctify us.
Most loving Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, holy temple of God, slain by men and raised up again by the Father,
— make your Church the dwelling place of the Most High.
Most loving Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, King and center of all hearts, you love us and lead us to yourself with unending love and mercy,
— renew your covenant with all men.
Most loving Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, you unite all in the peace of the new creation and put enmity to death through the cross,
— show us the path to the Father.
Most loving Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our life and resurrection, you refresh the burdened and give rest to the weary,
— draw all sinners to yourself.
Most loving Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, because you loved us with so great a love, you were obedient even to death on the cross,
— raise up again all who sleep in your peace.
Most loving 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
Grant, we pray,
almighty God, that we,
who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son
and recall the wonders of his love for us,
may be made worthy to receive
an overflowing measure of grace
from that fount of heavenly gifts.
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.