Second Sunday of Advent
Prepare the way of the Lord!
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
O comfort each believing heart,
Our ancient bondage ends!
The Lord himself shall take our part
And make, of sinners, friends.
Prepare for him a royal road,
Make smooth and straight his way,
Who comes to bear our weary load,
Our ransom price to pay.
Our life is brief as summer grass,
Our days are but a sigh;
We wither at the winds that pass
And fade and fall and die.
But safe in God’s almighty hand
Our souls are kept secure:
For evermore his word shall stand,
His covenant endure.
The very hills shall find a voice
To make his tidings heard.
In God and in his grace rejoice,
Receive his promised word.
O comfort each believing heart
Where God in Christ has come!
The Lord himself shall take our part
And lead his people home.
Canticle of (Isaiah49:9b-13)
The Lord is our shepherd; there is nothing we shall want. (cf. Ps 23:1)
The herald’s voice cries out: prepare the way of the Lord. Upon that way, we go to meet the Lord as he comes to meet us. The way lies through our own hearts. Let us clear it of stumbling blocks, briars, and dust, that we may travel in freedom and joy and that we may not hinder the Lord’s coming to us.
Along the ways they shall find pasture,
on every bare height shall their pastures be.
They shall not hunger or thirst,
nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;
For he who pities them leads them
and guides them beside springs of water.
I will cut a road through all my mountains,
and make my highways level.
See, some shall come from afar,
others from the north and the west,
and some from the land of Syene.
Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains.
For the Lord comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Baruch 5:5-7)
Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;/ look to the east and see your children/ Gathered from the east and the west/ at the word of the Holy One,/ rejoicing that they are remembered by God./ Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:/ but God will bring them back to you/ borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones./ For God has commanded/ that every lofty mountain be made low,/ And that the age-old depths and gorges/ be filled to level ground,/ that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The mountains melt under him/ and the valleys split open,/ Like wax before the fire,/ like water poured down a slope. (Mi 1:4)
Canticle of Zechariah
For see, the Lord comes forth from his place,/ he descends and treads upon the heights of the earth. (Mi 1:3)
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 to the Father…
Intercessions
Let us pray to Christ with joy at his coming:
R/You comfort your people and show mercy to your afflicted.
Hear the prayers of those who feel separated from
you: R/
Hear the prayers of those who fear your coming: R/
Hear the prayers of those who do not know that you have come and will come again: R/
Personal intentions
Our Father….
God of glory, you prepare the way for your Son to come among us in mercy and in glory. Make straight his road in our hearts through this Advent season. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
