Introductory Rite:
God, come to my assistance R/ Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
R/ as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
REFRAIN:
Like a shepherd He feeds his flock
and gathers the lambs in His arms,
holding them carefully close to His heart,
leading them home.
Say to the cities of Judah:
Prepare the way of the Lord.
Go to the mountaintop, lift your voice;
Jerusalem, here is your God.
I Myself will shepherd them,
for others have led them astray.
The lost I will rescue and heal their wounds
and pasture them, giving them rest.
Come unto Me
if you are heavily burdened,
And take My yoke up on your shoulders,
I will give you rest.
PSALMODY
Antiphon 1 Glorious things are said of you, O city of God.
Psalm 87
On the holy mountain is his city
cherished by the Lord.
The Lord prefers the gates of Zion
to all Jacob’s dwellings.
Of you are told glorious things,
O city of God!
Babylon and Egypt I will count
among those who know me;
Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia,
these will be her children
and Zion shall be called Mother
for all shall be her children.
It is he, the Lord Most High,
who gives each his place.
In his register of peoples he writes:
These are her children,
and while they dance they will sing:
In you all find their home. Glory…
Psalm Prayer: Lord God, your only Son wept over ancient Jerusalem, soon to be destroyed for its lack of faith. He established the new Jerusalem firmly upon the rock and made it the mother of the faithful. Make us rejoice in your Church, and grant that all people may be reborn into the freedom of your Spirit.
Antiphon 1 Glorious things are said of you, O city of God.
Antiphon 2 The Lord, the mighty conqueror will come; he will bring with him the prize of victory.
Canticle – Isaiah 40:10-17
Here comes with power
the Lord God,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.
Who has cupped in his hand the waters of the sea,
and marked off the heavens with a span?
Who has held in a measure the dust of the earth,
weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,
or has instructed him as his counselor?
Whom did he consult to gain knowledge?
Who taught him the path of judgment,
or showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations count as a drop of the bucket,
as dust on the scales;
the coastlands weigh no more than powder.
Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor its animals be enough for holocausts.
Before him all the nations are as nought,
as nothing and void he accounts them. Glory…
Antiphon 2 The Lord, the mighty conqueror will come; he will bring with him the prize of victory.
Antiphon 3 Give praise to the Lord our God, bow down before his holy mountain.
Psalm 99
The Lord is king; the peoples tremble.
He is throned on the cherubim; the earth quakes.
The Lord is great in Zion.
He is supreme over all the peoples.
Let them praise his name, so terrible and great,
he is holy, full of power.
You are a king who loves what is right;
you have established equity, justice and right;
you have established them in Jacob.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before Zion, his footstool.
He the Lord is holy.
Among his priests were Aaron and Moses,
among those who invoked his name was Samuel.
They invoked the Lord and he answered.
To them he spoke in the pillar of cloud.
They did his will; they kept the law,
which he, the Lord, had given.
O Lord our God, you answered them.
For them you were a God who forgives;
yet you punished their offenses.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before his holy mountain
for the Lord our God is holy. Glory…
Psalm Prayer: Be gracious and bless us, Lord, and let your face shed its light on us, so that we can make you know with reverence and bring forth a harvest of justice.
Antiphon 3: Give praise to the Lord our God, bow down before his holy mountain.
Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before his holy mountain
for the Lord our God is holy. Glory…
Psalm Prayer: God, you are the source of all holiness. Though no one can see you and live, you give life most generously, and in an even greater way restore it. Sanctify your priests through your life-giving Word, and consecrate your people in his blood until our eyes see your face.
Antiphon 3: Give praise to the Lord our God, bow down before his holy mountain.
Opening Prayer (please stand)
All sit for the Liturgy of the Word.
INTERCESSIONS (Universal Prayer) Let us joyfully cry out in thanks to God the Father whose love guides and nourishes his people:
May you be glorified, Lord, for all ages.
Most merciful Father, we praise you for your love,
– for you wondrously created us and even more wondrously restored us to grace.
At the beginning of this day fill our hearts with zeal for serving you,
– so that our thoughts and actions may redound to your glory.
Purify our hearts of every evil desire,
– make us intent on doing your will.
Open our hearts to the needs of all men,
– fill us with brotherly love.
Presider:
All-powerful and ever-living God,
shine with the light of your radiance
on a people who live in the shadow of death.
Let the dawn from on high break upon us;
your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(All are seated for the Liturgy of the Eucharist)
Lord’s Prayer Pater noster, qui es in cælis Sanctificétur nomen tuum Advéniat regnum tuum Fiat volúntas tua Sicut in cælo et in terra Panem nostrum quotidiánum da nobis hódie Et dimítte nobis débita nostra Sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem Sed libera nos a malo
After Holy Communion, all stand for the Benedictus.
BENEDICTUS/Canticle of Zachariah Benedictus – Luke 1: 68-79
Antiphon: Let us serve the Lord in holiness, and he will save us from our enemies.
(While making the Sign of the Cross, we pray the following)
Blest be the God of Israel who comes to set us free
and raises up new hope for us: a Branch for David’s tree.
So have the prophets long declared that with a mighty arm
God would turn back our enemies and all who wish us harm
.
With promised mercy will God still the covenant recall,
the oath once sworn to Abraham from foes to save us all;
that we might worship without fear and offer lives of praise,
in holiness and righteousness to serve God all our days.
My child, as prophet of the Lord you will prepare the way,
to tell God’s people they are saved from sin’s eternal sway.
Then shall God’s mercy from on high shine forth and never cease
to drive away the gloom of death and lead us into peace.
Antiphon: Let us serve the Lord in holiness, and he will save us from our enemies.
Prayer After Communion
Dismissal & Final Blessing