Divine Office Office of Readings

Dec 23, Office of Readings for Tuesday of the 4th week of Advent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I: Ordinary: 649 Proper of Seasons: 368 Psalter: Tuesday, Week IV, 1082 Office of Readings for December 23, Tuesday in the Season 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 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, your salvation is very near. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and clothe yourselves in light. Christ Jesus our Wisdom. Christ Jesus our Holiness. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and clothe yourselves in light. 𝄞"Put On the Lord Jesus Christ" by Briege O'Hare And Marie Cox • Available on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lord-teach-us-to-pray/id444178914] • Available for Purchase [https://www.poorclaresireland.org/Hermitage_Arts.html] • Title: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ; Composed and arranged by: Briege O'Hare, OSC; Sung by: Marie Cox,RSM; (c) 1966 Briege O'Hare; Used by permission • Albums that contain this Hymn: Lord, Teach Us To Pray PSALMODY Ant. 1 Lord, let my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me. Psalm 102 The longings and prayers of an exile. God comforts us in all our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:4). I O Lord, listen to my prayer and let my cry for help reach you. Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Turn your ear towards me and answer me quickly when I call. For my days are vanishing like smoke, my bones burn away like a fire. My heart is withered like the grass. I forget to eat my bread. I cry with all my strength and my skin clings to my bones. I have become like a pelican in the wilderness like an owl in desolate places. I lie awake and I moan like some lonely bird on a roof. All day long my foes revile me; those who hate me use my name as a curse. The bread I eat is ashes; my drink is mingled with tears. In your anger, Lord, and your fury you have lifted me up and thrown me down. My days are like a passing shadow and I wither away like the grass. 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. Lord, let my cry come to you; do not hide your face from me. Ant. 2 Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless. II But you, O Lord, will endure for ever and your name from age to age. You will arise and have mercy on Zion: for this is the time to have mercy, yes, the time appointed has come for your servants love her very stones, are moved with pity even for her dust. The nations shall fear the name of the Lord and all the earth’s kings your glory, when the Lord shall build up Zion again and appear in all his glory. Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless; he will not despise their prayers. Let this be written for ages to come that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord; for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high. He looked down from heaven to the earth that he might hear the groans of the prisoners and free those condemned to die. The sons of your servants shall dwell untroubled and their race shall endure before you that the name of the Lord may be proclaimed in Zion and his praise in the heart of Jerusalem, when peoples and kingdoms are gathered together to pay their homage to 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. Be attentive, Lord, to the prayer of the helpless. Ant. 3 You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. III He has broken my strength in mid-course; he has shortened the days of my life. I say to God: “Do not take me away before my days are complete, you, whose days last from age to age. Long ago you founded the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish but you will remain. They will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like clothes that are changed. But you neither change, nor have an end.” 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 live in the hearts of your saints, and so have built up Zion. May you always show your greatness through their good works. Ant. You, O Lord, established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 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. Let your compassion come upon me, Lord — Your salvation, true to your promise. READINGS First reading From the book of the prophet Isaiah 51:1-11 The salvation promised to the children of Abraham Listen to me, you who pursue justice, who seek the Lord; Look to the rock from which you were hewn, to the pit from which you were quarried; Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth; When he was but one I called him, I blessed him and made him many. Yes, the Lord shall comfort Zion and have pity on all her ruins; Her deserts he shall make like Eden, her wasteland like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness shall be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of song. Be attentive to me, my people; my folk, give ear to me. For law shall go forth from my presence, and my judgment, as the light of the peoples. I will make my justice come speedily; my salvation shall go forth and my arm shall judge the nations; In me shall the coastlands hope, and my arm they shall await. Raise your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; Though the heavens grow thin like smoke, the earth wears out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies, My salvation shall remain forever and my justice shall never be dismayed. Hear me, you who know justice, you people who have my teaching at heart: Fear not the reproach of men, be not dismayed at their revilings. They shall be like a garment eaten by moths, like wool consumed by grubs; But my justice shall remain forever and my salvation, for all generations. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the days of old, in ages long ago! Was it not you who crushed Rahab, you who pierced the dragon? Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, Who made the depths of the sea into a way for the redeemed to pass over? Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; They will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee. RESPONSORY See Isaiah 51:4, 5; 35:10 My people, listen to me; hear me, all you who belong to my race; — close at hand is my Just One, my Savior draws near. Now those redeemed by the Lord will come back and enter Zion with songs of praise. — Close at hand is my Just One, my Savior draws near. Second reading From a treatise against the heresy of Noetus by Saint Hippolytus, priest The manifestation of the hidden mystery There is only one God, brethren, and we learn about him only from sacred Scripture. It is therefore our duty to become acquainted with what Scripture proclaims and to investigate its teachings thoroughly. We should believe them in the sense that the Father wills, thinking of the Son in the way the Father wills, and accepting the teaching he wills to give us with regard to the Holy Spirit. Sacred Scripture is God’s gift to us and it should be understood in the way that he intends: we should not do violence to it by interpreting it according to our own preconceived ideas. God was all alone and nothing existed but himself when he determined to create the world. He thought of it, willed it, spoke the word and so made it. It came into being instantaneously, exactly as he had willed. It is enough then for us to be aware of a single fact: nothing is coeternal with God. Apart from God there was simply nothing else. Yet although he was alone, he was manifold because he lacked neither reason, wisdom, power, nor counsel. All things were in him and he himself was all. At a moment of his own choosing and in a manner determined by himself, God manifested his Word, and through him he made the whole universe. When the Word was hidden within God himself he was invisible to the created world, but God made him visible. First God gave utterance to his voice, engendering light from light, and then he sent his own mind into the world as its Lord. Visible before to God alone and not to the world, God made him visible so that the world could be saved by seeing him. This mind that entered our world was made known as the Son of God. All things came into being through him; but he alone is begotten by the Father. The Son gave us the law and the prophets, and he filled the prophets with the Holy Spirit to compel them to speak out. Inspired by the Father’s power, they were to proclaim the Father’s purpose and his will. So the Word was made manifest, as Saint John declares when, summing up all the sayings of the prophets, he announces that this is the Word through whom the whole universe was made. He says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things came into being; not one thing was created without him. And further on he adds: The world was made through him, and yet the world did not know him. He entered his own creation, and his own did not receive him. RESPONSORY Isaiah 9:6; John 1:4 A little child is born to us, and he shall be called the mighty God. — He himself will sit upon the throne of David his father to rule; the authority of David rests on his shoulders. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. — He himself will sit upon the throne of David his father to rule; the authority of David rests on his shoulders. CONCLUDING PRAYER Almighty ever-living God, as we see how the Nativity of your Son according to the flesh draws near, we pray that to us, your unworthy servants, mercy may flow from your Word, who chose to become flesh of the Virgin Mary and establish among us his dwelling, Jesus Christ our Lord. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Dec 22, Office of Readings for Monday of the 4th week of Advent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I: Ordinary: 649 Proper of Seasons: 359 Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1065 Office of Readings for December 22, Monday of the 4th 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 My soul is thirsting for You my God My soul is thirsting for You, My soul is thirsting for You my God For God the living God. My soul is thirsting for You my God My soul is thirsting for You, My soul is thirsting for You my God For God the living God. My soul is thirsting for You my God My soul is thirsting for You, My soul is thirsting for You my God For God the living God. My soul is thirsting for You my God My soul is thirsting for You, My soul is thirsting for You my God For God the living God. Living God, holy One Fill my soul with love with Your holy love. Living God, holy One Fill my soul with love Fill my soul Fill my soul with love Fill my soul Fill my soul. 𝄞"My Soul Is Thirsting for God" by Briege O'Hare And Marie Cox • Available on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lord-teach-us-to-pray/id444178914] • Available for Purchase [https://www.poorclaresireland.org/Hermitage_Arts.html] • Title: My Soul Is Thirsting for God; Text: adapted from Psalm 63; Artists: Briege O’Hare And Marie Cox; Used with permission. • Albums that contain this Hymn: Lord, Teach Us To Pray PSALMODY Ant. 1 How good is the God of Israel to the pure of heart! Psalm 73 Why is it that the good have many troubles? Blessed is the man who does not lose faith in me (Matthew 11:6). I How good God is to Israel, to those who are pure of heart. Yet my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped for I was filled with envy of the proud when I saw how the wicked prosper. For them there are no pains; their bodies are sound and sleek. They do not share in men’s sorrows; they are not stricken like others. So they wear their pride like a necklace, they clothe themselves with violence. Their hearts overflow with malice, their minds seethe with plots. They scoff; they speak with malice; from on high they plan oppression. They have set their mouths in the heavens and their tongues dictate to the earth. So the people turn to follow them and drink in all their words. They say: “How can God know? Does the Most High take any notice?” Look at them, such are the wicked, but untroubled, they grow in wealth. 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. How good is the God of Israel to the pure of heart! Ant. 2 Their laughter will turn to weeping, their merriment to grief. II How useless to keep my heart pure and wash my hands in innocence, when I was stricken all day long, suffered punishment day after day. Then I said: “If I should speak like that, I should betray the race of your sons.” I strove to fathom this problem, too hard for my mind to understand, until I pierced the mysteries of God and understood what becomes of the wicked. How slippery the paths on which you set them; you make them slide to destruction. How suddenly they come to their ruin, wiped out, destroyed by terrors. Like a dream one wakes from, O Lord, when you wake you dismiss them as phantoms. 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. Their laughter will turn to weeping, their merriment to grief. Ant. 3 Those who depart from you will perish; my joy is to remain with you, my God. III And so when my heart grew embittered and when I was cut to the quick, I was stupid and did not understand, no better than a beast in your sight. Yet I was always in your presence; you were holding me by my right hand. You will guide me by your counsel and so you will lead me to glory. What else have I in heaven but you? Apart from you I want nothing on earth. My body and my heart faint for joy; God is my possession for ever. All those who abandon you shall perish; you will destroy all those who are faithless. To be near God is my happiness. I have made the Lord God my refuge. I will tell of your works at the gates of the city of Zion. 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 It is good to be with you, Father; in you is fullness of life for your faithful people; in you all hope resides. May you lead us to everlasting happiness. Ant. Those who depart from you will perish; my joy is to remain with you, my God. 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. Hear the word of the Lord, all you nations. — Proclaim it to the ends of the earth. READINGS First reading From the book of the prophet Isaiah 49:14-50:1 The restoration of Zion Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name; your walls are ever before me. Your rebuilders make haste, as those who tore you down and laid you waste go forth from you; Look about and see, they are all gathering and coming to you. As I live, says the Lord, you shall be arrayed with them all as with adornments, like a bride you shall fasten them on you. Though you were waste and desolate, a land of ruins, Now you shall be too small for your inhabitants, while those who swallowed you up will be far away. The children whom you had lost shall yet say to you, “This place is too small for me, make room for me to live in.” You shall ask yourself: “Who has borne me these? I was bereft and barren exiled and repudiated; who has reared them? I was left all alone; where then do these come from?” Thus says the Lord God: See, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; They shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. Kings shall be your foster fathers, their princesses your nurses; Bowing to the ground, they shall worship you and lick the dust at your feet. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, and those who hope in me shall never be disappointed. Thus says the Lord: Can booty be taken from a warrior? or captives be rescued from a tyrant? Yes, captives can be taken from a warrior, and booty be rescued from a tyrant; Those who oppose you I will oppose, and your sons I will save. I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with the juice of the grape. All mankind shall know that I, the Lord, am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Thus says the Lord: Where is the bill of divorce with which I dismissed your mother? Or to which of my creditors have I sold you? It was for your sins that you were sold, for your crimes that your mother was dismissed. RESPONSORY Isaiah 49:15; see Psalm 27:10 Could a mother ever forget her infant, and not take compassion on the child of her womb? — Even if a mother should forget, I would never forget you, says the Lord. My father and my mother have neglected me, but you, Lord, have lifted me up. — Even if a mother should forget, I would never forget you, says the Lord. Second reading From a commentary of Luke by Venerable Bede, priest The Magnificat Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. The Lord has exalted me by a gift so great, so unheard of, that language is useless to describe it, and the depths of love in my heart can scarcely grasp it. I offer then all the powers of my soul in praise and thanksgiving. As I contemplate his greatness, which knows no limits, I joyfully surrender my whole life, my senses, my judgment, for my spirit rejoices in the eternal Godhead of that Jesus, that Savior, whom I have conceived in this world of time. The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Mary looks back to the beginning of her song, where she said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Only that soul for whom the Lord in his love does great things can proclaim his greatness with fitting praise and encourage those who share her desire and purpose, saying: Join with me in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord; let us extol his name together. Those who know the Lord, yet refuse to proclaim his greatness and sanctify his name to the limit of their power, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. His name is called holy because in the sublimity of his unique power he surpasses every creature and is far removed from all that he had made. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy. In a beautiful phrase Mary calls Israel the servant of the Lord. The Lord came to his aid to save him. Israel is an obedient and humble servant, in the words of Hosea: Israel was a servant, and I loved him. Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved. They cannot say with the prophet: See, God comes to my aid; the Lord is the helper of my soul. But anyone who makes himself humble like a little child is greater in the kingdom of heaven. The promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. This does not refer to the physical descendants of Abraham, but to his spiritual children. These are his descendants, sprung not from the flesh only, but who, whether circumcised or not, have followed him in faith. Circumcised as he was, Abraham believed, and this was credited to him as an act of righteousness. The coming of the Savior was promised to Abraham and to his descendants for ever. These are the children of promise, to whom it is said: If you belong to Christ, then you are descendants of Abraham, heirs in accordance with the promise. RESPONSORY Luke 1:48-50 From this day, all generations will call me blessed. — The almighty has done great things for me, holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. — The almighty has done great things for me, holy is his Name. CONCLUDING PRAYER O God, who, seeing the human race fallen into death, willed to redeem it by the coming of your Only Begotten Son, grant, we pray, that those who confess his Incarnation with humble fervor may merit his company as their Redeemer. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.

Dec 24, Office of Readings for Wednesday of the 4th week of Advent

Ribbon Placement: Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I: Ordinary: 649 Proper of Seasons: 377 Psalter: Wednesday, Week IV, 1099 Office of Readings for December 24, Wednesday in the Season 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 O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel. Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem From every foe deliver them That trust your mighty power to save; Bring them in victory through the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel. O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Oh, bid our sad divisions cease And be yourself our King of Peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel. 𝄞"O come, O come, Emmanuel" by Melinda Kirigin-Voss [https://divineoffice.org/melinda-kirigin-voss/], Vince Clark • Title: O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Text: Unknown, 12th c.; Tr. John Mason (1851); Artist: Melinda Kirigin-Voss and Vince Clark; Copyright 2016 Surgeworks • Albums that contain this Hymn: Divine Office PSALMODY Ant. 1 Bless the Lord, my soul; never forget all he has done for you. Psalm 103 Praise for God’s tender compassion In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us (see Luke 1:78). I My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings. It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion, who fills your life with good things, renewing your youth like an eagle’s. The Lord does deeds of justice, gives judgment for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses and his deeds to Israel’s sons. 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. Bless the Lord, my soul; never forget all he has done for you. Ant. 2 As a father is gentle with his children, so is the Lord with those who revere him. II The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for ever. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins. As a father has compassion on his sons, the Lord has pity on those who fear him; for he knows of what we are made, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flowers like the flower of the field; the wind blows and he is gone and his place never sees him again. 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. As a father is gentle with his children, so is the Lord with those who revere him. Ant. 3 Bless the Lord, all you his works! III But the love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear; his justice reaches out to children’s children when they keep his covenant in truth, when they keep his will in their mind. The Lord has set his sway in heaven and his kingdom is ruling over all. Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels, mighty in power, fulfilling his word, who heed the voice of his word. Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts, his servants who do his will. Give thanks to the Lord, all his works, in every place where he rules. My soul, give thanks to 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. Psalm-prayer You have compassion for the sinner, Lord, as a Father has compassion for his children. Heal the weakness of your people and save us from lasting death that we may praise and glorify you forever. Ant. Bless the Lord, all you his works! 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. The Lord proclaims his word to Jacob. — His laws and decrees to Israel. READINGS First reading From the book of the prophet Isaiah 51:17-52:2, 7-10 The good news is brought to Jerusalem Awake, awake! Arise, O Jerusalem, You who drank at the Lord’s hand the cup of his wrath; Who drained to the dregs the bowl of staggering! She has no one to guide her of all the sons she bore; She has no one to grasp her by the hand, of all the sons she reared!– Your misfortunes are double; who is there to condole with you? Desolation and destruction, famine and sword! Who is there to comfort you? Your sons lie helpless at every street corner like antelopes in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, the rebuke of your God. But now, hear this, O afflicted one, drunk, but not with wine, Thus says the Lord, your Master, your God, who defends his people: See, I am taking from your hand the cup of staggering; The bowl of my wrath you shall no longer drink. I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, those who ordered you to bow down, that they might walk over you, While you offered your back like the ground, like the street for them to walk on. Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your glorious garments, O Jerusalem, holy city. No longer shall the uncircumcised or the unclean enter you. Shake off the dust, ascend to the throne, Jerusalem; Loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter Zion! How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, Announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!” Hark! Your watchmen raise a cry, together they shout for joy, For they see directly, before their eyes, the Lord restoring Zion. Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; All the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God. RESPONSORY See Ex. 19:10, 11; Dt. 7:15; see Dn, 9:24 Cleanse yourselves, sons of Israel, says the Lord; for tomorrow your Lord will come down, — and he will take away from you all weaknesses. Tomorrow the wickedness of the earth will be destroyed, and the Savior of the world will rule over us. — And he will take away from you all weaknesses. Second reading From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop Truth has arisen from the earth, and justice looked down from heaven Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man. You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for this mercy. You would never have returned to life, had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had not hastened to your aid. You would have perished, had he not come. Let us then joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption. Let us celebrate the festive day on which he who is the great and eternal day came from the great and endless day of eternity into our own short day of time. He has become our justice, our sanctification, our redemption, so that, as it is written: Let him who glories glory in the Lord. Truth, then, has arisen from the earth: Christ who said, I am the Truth, was born of a virgin. And justice looked down from heaven: because believing in this new-born child, man is justified not by himself but by God. Truth has arisen from the earth: because the Word was made flesh. And justice looked down from heaven: because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. Truth has arisen from the earth: flesh from Mary. And justice looked down from heaven: for man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. Justified by faith, let us be at peace with God: for justice and peace have embraced one another. Through our Lord Jesus Christ: for Truth has arisen from the earth. Through whom we have access to that grace in which we stand, and our boast is in our hope of God’s glory. He does not say: “of our glory,” but of God’s glory: for justice has not proceeded from us but has looked down from heaven. Therefore he who glories, let him glory, not in himself, but in the Lord. For this reason, when our Lord was born of the Virgin, the message of the angelic voices was: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. For how could there be peace on earth unless Truth has arisen from the earth, that is, unless Christ, were born of our flesh? And he is our peace who made the two into one: that we might be men of good will, sweetly linked by the bond of unity. Let us then rejoice in this grace, so that our glorying may bear witness to our good conscience by which we glory, not in ourselves, but in the Lord. That is why Scripture says: He is my glory, the one who lifts up my head. For what greater grace could God have made to dawn on us than to make his only Son become the son of man, so that a son of man might in his turn become the son of God? Ask if this were merited; ask for its reason, for its justification, and see whether you will find any other answer but sheer grace. RESPONSORY Isaiah 11:1, 5, 2 A shoot shall grow from the root of Jesse, and there a flower shall blossom. — Justice will be the girdle around his loins, and faithfulness the belt around his waist. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and fortitude. — Justice will be the girdle around his loins, and faithfulness the belt around his waist. CONCLUDING PRAYER Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus, and do not delay, that those who trust in your compassion may find solace and relief in your coming. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. — Amen. ACCLAMATION (at least in the communal celebration) Let us praise the Lord. — And give him thanks.