All the descendants of Israel shall glory in victory through the Lord.
In truth you are a hidden God,
the God and Saviour of Israel.
They were dismayed and ashamed, all the makers of idols,
all of them fled in dismay.
Israel has been saved by the Lord, saved for ever;
you will not be dismayed or ashamed,
to the end of time.
For thus says the Lord, the God
who made the heavens,
who made the earth, shaped it, set it firm –
he did not make it to be empty,
but to be full of life –
“I am the Lord, there is no other.
I have not spoken secretly,
in some dark corner of the earth.
I have not said to the children of Jacob, ‘seek me in vain.’
I am the Lord who speaks justice, who proclaims uprightness.
“Gather together, come, approach me
all you who have been rescued from the Gentiles.
They were ignorant, who raised up wooden idols
and begged favours of a god without power.
Announce it – come, ponder it together –
who was saying this from the beginning, who foretold this from the start?
Am I not the Lord?
Is there any other God but me?
Do you seek a just God who will save you? There is no other.
“Turn to me and you will be saved, all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, there is no other.
“I have sworn by my own being,
I have decreed a judgement that will not be revoked;
for every knee will bend to me,
every tongue swear by my name.”
“Only in the Lord,” they will say,
“are there justice and strength!”
All who resisted him will come to him, and be dismayed;
but in the Lord all descendants of Israel
will receive justice and glory.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
All the descendants of Israel shall glory in victory through the Lord.
Psalm 99 (100) Enter the Temple with joy
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth,
and serve him with joy.
Exult as you enter his presence.
Know that the Lord is God.
He made us and we are his
– his people, the sheep of his flock.
Cry out his praises as you enter his gates,
fill his courtyards with songs.
Proclaim him and bless his name;
for the Lord is our delight.
His mercy lasts for ever,
his faithfulness through all the ages.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Scripture Reading
Jeremiah 30:21,22
The Lord says this: Their prince will come from Jacob, their ruler come from their own people. I will let him come freely into my presence and he can come close to me. And you shall be my people and I will be your God.
Short Responsory
The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
His glory will appear in your midst.
– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Behold the one who is both God and man: he comes forth from the house of David and sits on the throne, alleluia.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of peace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Behold the one who is both God and man: he comes forth from the house of David and sits on the throne, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
It was the Father’s will that men should see him in the face of his beloved Son.
– Hallowed be your name!
Christ greeted us with good news:
may the world hear it through us, and find hope.
– Hallowed be your name!
We praise and thank you, Lord of heaven and earth:
the hope and joy of men in every age.
– Hallowed be your name!
May Christ’s coming transform the Church,
renewing its youth and vigour in the service of men.
– Hallowed be your name!
We pray for Christians who suffer for their beliefs:
sustain them in their hope.
– Hallowed be your name!
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.
Call forth your power, Lord:
come and save us from the judgement
that threatens us by reason of our sins.
Come, and set us free.
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.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 7 to 13 December
More Isaiah. Rejoicing. Joy and pleasure and the true meaning of Christmas. Church liturgy and family liturgy. The story of the flaming Christmas pudding. How the Gospels this week explain Isaiah. The Immaculate Conception. Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. (23 minutes) Episode notes.