Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)

Morning Prayer

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Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 653
Proper of Seasons: 330
Psalter: Monday, Week III, 944

Christian Prayer:

Ordinary: 689
Proper of Seasons: 95
Psalter: Monday, Week III, 867

Morning Prayer for December 18, Monday in the 3rd Week of Advent

God, come to my assistance.

— Lord, make haste to help me.

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

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, praising Thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,

Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,

Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Saviour, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the mighty chorus, which the morning stars began;

Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

𝄞"Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" by Johanna Montealto • Title: Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee; Text: Henry J. van Dyke, 1907. Music: Hymn to Joy, from the 9th Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven; adapted by Edward Hodges, 1824; Artist: Johanna Montealto; Recording copyright 2016 Surgeworks

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 The Lord, the ruler over the king of the earth, will come; blessed are they who are ready to go and welcome him.

Psalm 84

Longing for God’s temple
Here we do not have a lasting city; we seek a home that is yet to come. (Hebrews 13:14).

How lovely is your dwelling place,

Lord, God of hosts.

My soul is longing and yearning,

is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God.

The sparrow herself finds a home

and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God.

They are happy, who dwell in your house,

for ever singing your praise.
They are happy, whose strength is in you,
in whose hearts are the roads to Zion.

As they go through the Bitter Valley

they make it a place of springs
the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
They walk with ever growing strength,
they will see the God of gods in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer,

give ear, O God of Jacob.
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed.

One day within your courts

is better than a thousand elsewhere.
The threshold of the house of God
I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.

For the Lord God is a rampart, a shield;

he will give us his favor and glory.
The Lord will not refuse any good
to those who walk without blame.

Lord, God of hosts,

happy the man who trusts in you!

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.

Psalm-prayer

Bless your people, Lord. You have given us the law that we may walk from strength to strength and raise our minds to you from this valley of tears. May we receive the gifts you have gained for us.

Ant. The Lord, the ruler over the king of the earth, will come; blessed are they who are ready to go and welcome him.

Ant. 2 Sing a new song to the Lord, proclaim his praises to the ends of the earth.

Canticle – Isaiah 2:2-5

The mountain of the Lord’s dwelling towers above every mountain
All peoples shall come and worship in your presence (Revelation 15:4).

In days to come,

The mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.

All nations shall stream toward it;

many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”

For from Zion shall go forth instruction,

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations,

and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come,

let us walk in the light 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.

Ant. Sing a new song to the Lord, proclaim his praises to the ends of the earth.

Ant. 3 When the Son of Man comes to earth, do you think he will find faith in men’s hearts?

Psalm 96

The Lord, king and judge of the world
A new theme now inspired their praise to God; they belong to the Lamb (see Revelation 4:3).

O sing a new song to the Lord,

sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim his help day by day,

tell among the nations his glory
and his wonders among all the peoples.

The Lord is great and worthy of praise,

to be feared above all gods;
the gods of the heathens are naught.

It was the Lord who made the heavens,

his are majesty and state and power
and splendor in his holy place.

Give the Lord, you families of peoples,

give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name.

Bring an offering and enter his courts,

worship the Lord in his temple.
O earth, tremble before him.

Proclaim to the nations: “God is king.”

The world he made firm in its place;
he will judge the people in fairness.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,

let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy

at the presence of the Lord for he comes,

he comes to rule the earth.
With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.

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.

Psalm-prayer

Lord, you have renewed the face of the earth. Your Church throughout the world sings you a new song, announcing your wonders to all. Through a virgin, you have brought forth a new birth in our world; through your miracles, a new power; through your suffering, a new patience; in your resurrection, a new hope, and in your ascension, new majesty.

Ant. When the Son of Man comes to earth, do you think he will find faith in men’s hearts?

READING Romans 13:11-12

It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep, for our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the faith. The night is far spent; the day draws near. Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

Your light will come Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

— Your light will come Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

You will see his glory within you;

— the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

— Your light will come Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. Let everything within you watch and wait for the Lord our God draws near.

Luke 1:68 – 79

The Messiah and his forerunner

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, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Let everything within you watch and wait for the Lord our God draws near.

INTERCESSIONS

To the Lord Jesus Christ, judge of the living and the dead, let us pray:

Come, Lord Jesus!

Lord Jesus, you came to save sinners,

— protect us in times of temptation.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You will come in glory to be our judge,

— show in us your power to save.
Come, Lord Jesus!

Help us to keep the precepts of your law with the strength of the Spirit,

— and to look forward in love to your coming.
Come, Lord Jesus!

You are praised throughout the ages; in your mercy help us to live devoutly and temperately in this life,

— as we wait in joyful hope for the revelation of your glory.
Come, Lord Jesus!

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.

Concluding Prayer

Grant,

we pray, almighty God,
that we, who are weighed down from of old
by slavery beneath the yoke of sin,
may be set free by the newness
of the long-awaited Nativity
of your Only Begotten Son.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,

protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
— Amen.

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Divine Office – Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary)By Divine Office (DivineOffice.org)