Morning Prayer - December 29

Morning Prayer
December 29
______

Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

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.

Invitatory:
Ant. Christ is born for us; come let us adore him.

HYMN

Oh, come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him Born the king of angels:

Refrain:

Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God in the highest glory:

Refrain

Savior, we greet thee, Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be all glory given!
Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing:

Refrain

Melody: Adeste Fidelis
Music: J.F. Wade, 1751
Text: Latin, 18th century
Translator: Frederick Oakeley, 1841 et al.

Psalmody

Antiphon: Tell us, shepherds, what have you seen? Who has appeared on earth? We have seen a newborn infant and a choir of angels praising the Lord, alleuia.

Psalm 63:2-9
Deus, Deus meus

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.

So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you.
On you I muse through the night

for your have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

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.

Antiphon: Tell us, shepherds, what have you seen? Who has appeared on earth? We have seen a newborn infant and a choir of angels praising the Lord, alleuia.

Antiphon:The angel said to the shepherds: I proclaim to you great joy; Today the Savior of the world is born for you, alleluia.

Canticle – Daniel 3:57-88, 56

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord. *
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord. *
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord. *
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord. *
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord. *
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord. *
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord. *
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord. *
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord. *
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord. *
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. *
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
O Israel, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. *
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. *
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord. *
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. *
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven. *
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.

Antiphon:The angel said to the shepherds: I proclaim to you great joy; Today the Savior of the world is born for you, alleluia.

Antiphon: A little child is born for us today; little and yet called the mighty God, alleluia.

Psalm 149
Cantate Domino

Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion's sons exult in their king.

Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.

Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.

Let the praise of God be on their lips
and a two-edged sword in their hand,

to deal out vengeance to the nations
and punishment on all the peoples;

to bind their kings in chains
and their nobles in fetters of iron;

to carry out the sentence pre-ordained:
this honor is for all his faithful.

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.

Antiphon:A little child is born for us today; little and yet called the mighty God, alleluia.

Reading - Hebrews 1:1-2
In times past, God spoke in fragmentary and varied ways to our fathers through the prophets; in this, the final age, he has spoken to us through his Son, whom he has made heir of all things and through whom he first created the universe.

Responsory:
The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia. - The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.

His saving power.
- Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
- The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.

Benedictus

Antiphon: The shepherds said to one another: Let us make our way to Bethlehem and see for ourselves this thing which the Lord has revealed to us.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way 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.

Antiphon:The shepherds said to one another: Let us make our way to Bethlehem and see for ourselves this thing which the Lord has revealed to us.

Intercessions

Because God has been merciful to us and sent his Son to us, the Prince of peace, let us cry out with confidence:
Peace to his people on earth.

Almighty God, Father of the Lord, Jesus Christ,
the Church now celebrates your saving love,
- graciously receive our praise.

From the very beginning you promised us your victory
through Christ our Savior,
- let all be enlightened by the good news.

In praise of your Son whose coming was
joyously forseen by Abraham, hoped for by the patriarchs,
announced by the prophets and yearned for by the Gentiles,
- save the whole people of Israel.

You wished the birth of your Son to be proclaimed by angels
and to be praised by the apostles, martyrs and faithful of all ages,
- grant the world that peace which the angels proclaimed.

Our Father…

Closing Prayer:

All-powerful and unseen God,
the coming of your light into our world
has made the darkness vanish.
Teach us to proclaim the birth of your Son Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.