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Prayers for all Occasions, Needs, and Intentions
PRAYERS - THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS
The Church's full cycle of daily Prayer
Christmas is provided with a Morning and Evening Prayer and may be prayed from Christmas Day to the Baptism of the Lord.
CHRISTMAS MORNING PRAYER
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Morning
Prayer |
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Introduction |
| Doxology |
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Psalmody |
| Antiphon 1 |
| Antiphon 3 |
| Antiphon 4 |
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Conclusion |
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CHRISTMAS
Morning Prayer
Introduction
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 forever. Amen. Alleluia.
Psalmody
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, alleluia.
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 you have been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice. My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast.
O
come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O
come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come
and behold him, born the King of Angels;
Refrain:
O
come, let us adore him,
O
come, let us adore him,
O
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
O
come, let us adore him,
O
come, let us adore him,
O
come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
Savior, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus,
to thee be all glory giv’n;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
Refrain
O
come, let us adore him,
O
come, let us adore him,
O
come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.
The angel said to the shepherds: I proclaim to you a great joy; today the Savior of the world is born for you, alleluia.
OT Testament Canticle
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.
A little child is born for us today; little and yet called the mighty God, alleluia.
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.
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. This Son is the reflection of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of the Father’s being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
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: as it was in the
beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Lord has made known, alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth, alleluia.
Zechariah's Canticle
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 forever. Amen.
The Word of God existed before the creation of the universe yet was born among us in time.
We
praise and worship him as we cry out in joy: Let the earth ring out with
joy for you have come.
You
are the eternal Word of God who flooded the world with joy at your birth,
fill us with joy by the continuous gift of your life.
You saved us and by your birth revealed to us the covenant faithfulness of the Lord, help us to be faithful to the promises of our baptism.
You are the King of heaven and earth who sent messengers to announce peace to all, let our lives be filled with your peace.
You are the true vine that brings forth the fruit of life, make us branches of the vine, bearing much fruit.
The Lord's Prayer
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. Amen.
Final Prayer
Father, we are filled with the new light by the coming of your Word among us. May the light of faith shine in our words and actions.
We
ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
Trinitarian Ending
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Conclusion