Come to the waters, all you who thirst: seek the Lord while he may be found. Alleluia.
Blessed are you, Lord God of our fathers,
praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed is the holy name of your glory
praised above all things and exalted for ever.
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory
praised and glorious above all things for ever.
Blessed are you who gaze on the depths,
seated on the cherubim,
praised and exalted for ever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven
praised and glorious for ever.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
praise and exalt him for ever.
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 to the waters, all you who thirst: seek the Lord while he may be found. Alleluia.
Psalm 150 Praise the Lord
Behold, our Lord will come with strength and he will give light to the eyes of his servants. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord in his sanctuary,
praise him in his mighty firmament.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for all his greatness.
Praise him with trumpet-blasts,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes,
praise him with cymbals resounding,
praise him with cymbals of jubilation.
All that breathes, praise the Lord!
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, our Lord will come with strength and he will give light to the eyes of his servants. Alleluia.
Scripture Reading
Romans 13:11-12
You know ‘the time’ has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon – let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light.
Short Responsory
Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
– Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
You are coming into the world.
– Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
A voice cries in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight!’ (Year A)
Or: Behold, I am sending a herald before you to prepare the way for you.
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.
A voice cries in the wilderness: ‘Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight!’ (Year A)
Or: Behold, I am sending a herald before you to prepare the way for you.
Prayers and intercessions
It is time for us to wake out of our sleep: salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
– Father of light, we praise you!
Christ is coming, the day is near:
in our Eucharist today let us look forward with hope and joy.
– Father of light, we praise you!
As today we hear the scriptures, heralding the coming of your Son,
may our minds and hearts be touched by your Word.
– Father of light, we praise you!
As we receive the Body and Blood of your Son,
may we be healed and refreshed by your love.
– Father of light, we praise you!
United in one body, may we pursue the things that make for peace,
and build up our life together until Christ comes.
– Father of light, we praise you!
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.
Almighty and merciful God,
let neither our daily work nor the cares of this life
prevent us from hastening to meet your Son.
Enlighten us with your wisdom
and lead us into his company.
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.