Wednesday 25 December 2019
Christmas Day - Solemnity
Mid-Morning Prayer (Terce)
Introduction (without Invitatory)
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, use the version with the Invitatory Psalm instead.
O God, come to our aid.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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. Alleluia.
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Hymn
Come, Holy Spirit, live in us
With God the Father and the Son,
And grant us your abundant grace
To sanctify and make us one.
May mind and tongue made strong in love
Your praise throughout the world proclaim,
And may that love within our hearts
Set fire to others with its flame.
Most blessèd Trinity of love,
For whom the heart of man was made,
To you be praise in timeless song,
And everlasting homage paid.
Stanbrook Abbey Hymnal
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PSALMS OF THE DAY
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Psalm 18 (19)
Praise of God, the Lord of the law
“Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mt 5:48).
Joseph, and Mary the mother of Jesus, wondered at what was being said about him.
The láw of the Lórd is pérfect, *
it revíves the sóul.
The rúle of the Lórd is to be trústed, *
it gives wísdom to the símple.
The précepts of the Lórd are ríght, *
they gládden the héart.
The commánd of the Lórd is cléar, *
it gives líght to the éyes.
The féar of the Lórd is hóly, *
abíding for éver.
The decrées of the Lórd are trúth *
and áll of them júst.
They are móre to be desíred than góld, *
than the púrest of góld
and swéeter are théy than hóney, *
than hóney from the cómb.
So in thém your sérvant finds instrúction; *
great rewárd is in their kéeping.
But whó can detéct all his érrors? *
From hídden faults acquít me.
From presúmption restráin your sérvant *
and lét it not rúle me.
Thén shall Í be blámeless, *
cléan from grave sín.
May the spóken wórds of my móuth, *
the thóughts of my héart,
win fávour in your síght, O Lórd, *
my réscuer, my róck!
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.
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Psalm 46 (47)
The Lord is King
“He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and his kingdom will have no end.”
All péoples, cláp your hánds, *
cry to Gód with shóuts of jóy!
For the Lórd, the Most Hígh, we must féar, *
great kíng over áll the éarth.
He súbdues péoples únder us *
and nátions únder our féet.
Our inhéritance, our glóry, is from hím, *
gíven to Jácob out of lóve.
God goes úp with shóuts of jóy; *
the Lord goes úp with trúmpet blást.
Sing práise for Gód, sing práise, *
sing práise to our kíng, sing práise.
God is kíng of áll the éarth, *
sing práise with áll your skíll.
God is kíng óver the nátions; *
God réigns on his hóly thróne.
The prínces of the péoples are assémbled *
with the péople of Ábraham’s Gód.
The rúlers of the éarth belong to Gód, *
to Gód who réigns over áll.
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.
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Psalm 47 (48)
Thanksgiving for the safety of the people
“He took me to the top of a great mountain, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem” (Rev 21:10).
The Lord is gréat and wórthy to be práised *
in the cíty of our Gód.
His holy móuntain ríses in béauty, *
the jóy of all the éarth.
Mount Síon, true póle of the éarth, *
the Gréat King’s cíty!
Gód, in the mídst of its cítadels, *
has shówn himself its strónghold.
For the kíngs assémbled togéther, *
togéther they advánced.
They sáw; at ónce they were astóunded; *
dismáyed, they fled in féar.
A trémbling séized them thére, *
like the pángs of bírth.
By the éast wind yóu have destróyed *
the shíps of Társhish.
As we have héard, só we have séen *
in the cíty of our Gód,
in the cíty of the Lórd of hósts *
which Gód upholds for éver.
O Gód, we pónder your lóve *
withín your témple.
Your práise, O Gód, like your náme *
reaches the énds of the éarth.
With jústice your ríght hand is fílled. *
Mount Síon rejóices;
the péople of Júdah rejóice *
at the síght of your júdgements.
Walk through Síon, wálk all róund it; *
count the númber of its tówers.
Revíew áll its rámparts, *
exámine its cástles,
that you may téll the néxt generátion *
that súch is our Gód,
our Gód for éver and álways. *
It is hé who léads us.
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.
Joseph, and Mary the mother of Jesus, wondered at what was being said about him.
Psalm-prayer
Father, the body of your risen Son is the temple not made by human hands and the defending wall of the new Jerusalem. May this holy city, built of living stones, shine with spiritual radiance and witness to your greatness in the sight of all nations.
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Short Reading
Titus 2:11-12
God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world.
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℣. The Lord has remembered his loving mercy, alleluia.
℟. He has kept faith with the house of Israel, alleluia.
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Let us pray.
God, our Father,
our human nature is the wonderful work of your hands,
made still more wonderful by your work of redemption.
Your Son took to himself our manhood:
grant us a share in the godhead of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
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Let us praise the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Copyright © 1996-2019 Universalis Publishing Limited: see www.universalis.com. Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Text of the Psalms: Copyright © 1963, The Grail (England). Used with permission of A.P. Watt Ltd. All rights reserved.