PRAYER FOR THIS EVENING (SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13)
Prayer for the Evening
Christ is our joy! Let us adore him.
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
Rejoice, rejoice, believers,
and let your lights appear.
The evening is advancing,
and darker night is near.
The Bridegroom is arising,
and soon he will draw nigh.
Up, pray, and watch, and wrestle:
At midnight comes the cry.
Our hope and expectation,
O Jesus, now appear!
Arise, thou Sun so longed for,
o’er this benighted sphere!
With hearts and hands uplifted,
we plead, O Lord, to see
The day of earth’s redemption
that brings us unto thee.
You saints, who here in patience
your cross and sufferings bore,
Shall live and reign forever,
when sorrow is no more.
Around the throne of glory
the Lamb you shall behold;
In triumph cast before him
your diadems of gold!
PSALM 20:2-7
Rejoice always! (1 Thes 5:16)
In Advent, we rejoice not because of any passing achievement or surface pleasure but because our Lord Jesus Christ, the Anointed One of God, comes to put an end to every ill that quenches true joy in this world. In the reality of his present coming and the hope of his future coming in glory, we truly can rejoice always.
May the Lord answer in time of trial;
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
May he send you help from his shrine
and give you support from Zion.
May he remember all your offerings
and receive your sacrifice with favor.
May he give you your heart’s desire
and fulfill every one of your plans.
May we ring out our joy at your victory
and rejoice in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your prayers.
I am sure now that the Lord
will give victory to his anointed,
will reply from his holy heaven
with the mighty victory of his hand.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Philippians 4:4-7)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The favors of the Lord I will recall/
the glorious deeds of the Lord,/
Because of all he has done for us. (Is 63:7)
CANTICLE OF MARY
Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!/ This is the Lord for whom we looked;/ let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us! (Is 25:9)
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…
INTERCESSIONS
In joy let us pray:
R/You are our salvation, Lord!
In the midst of sin and sorrow: R/
In the midst of injustice and oppression: R/
In the midst of all our needs: R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
May our faith rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God! Amen. (cf. 1 Cor 2:5)
MARIAN ANTIPHON
Antiphon for the Solemnity of Christmas, December 25
This day a Virgin inviolate
has brought forth God for us,
clothed in tender members,
whom she was found worthy to suckle;
let us all adore him,
who has come to save us.
Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us, poor sinners.
V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
