+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentences:
The Lord is close at hand: come let us worship him.
O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power!
I look to you, Lord, for help: come and save me, Lord, for I seek refuge in you.
A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT)
Angel Appears to Joseph in a Dream Gaetano Gandolfi, c. 1790
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
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Canticle
I look to you, Lord, for help: come and save me, Lord, for I seek refuge in you.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Teach me, dear Lord, to number my days; that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. Oh, satisfy me early with Thy mercy, that I may rejoice and be glad all of my days.
Blessing:
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentences:
The Lord is close at hand: come let us worship him.
O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love; come to teach us the path of knowledge!
A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 1:1-17 (NLT)
Bible des Capucins, l’arbre de Jessé The genealogy in Matthew was traditionally illustrated by a “Tree of Jesse” showing the descent of Jesus from Jesse, father of King David
This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. Jehoram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
After the Babylonian exile: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
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Canticle
O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love; come to teach us the path of knowledge!
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Teach me, dear Lord, to number my days; that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. Oh, satisfy me early with Thy mercy, that I may rejoice and be glad all of my days.
Blessing:
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentences:
Come, O Lord, do not delay; forgive the sins of your people.
Show us, LORD, Your love, and grant us Your salvation.
Let Your beauty be upon us.
A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 21:28-32 (NLT)
“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go.
“Which of the two obeyed his father?”
They replied, “The first.”
Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.
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The Lord hears the Cry of the Poor
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Canticle
Teach me, dear Lord, to number my days; that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. Oh, satisfy me early with Thy mercy, that I may rejoice and be glad all of my days.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon me; and establish Thou the work of my hands.
Blessing:
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentences:
Show us, LORD, Your love, and grant us Your salvation.
Let Your beauty be upon us.
Lord, open my lips; and my mouth will proclaim Your praise.
A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 21:23-27 (NLT)
“Jesus teaching in Temple” Marko’s Monastery in the Republic of Macedoinia ca. 1375
When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”
And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.
Canticle
Teach me, dear Lord, to number my days; that I may apply my heart unto wisdom. Oh, satisfy me early with Thy mercy, that I may rejoice and be glad all of my days.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon me; and establish Thou the work of my hands.
Blessing:
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Today is called Gaudete Sunday, which means ‘a day for rejoicing.’ The reason for celebration is that the day of the Lord’s coming is nearer.
O God, most high and most near, You send glad tidings to the lowly, You do not hide Your face from the poor; those who dwell in darkness You call into the light.
Take away our blindness, remove the hardness of our hearts, and form us into a humble people, that, at the advent of Your Son, we may recognise Him in our midst and find joy in His saving presence.
We ask this through Him whose coming is certain, whose day draws near: Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old testament: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 (NLT)
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
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I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels. The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.
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Magnificat: Luke 1:46-55 (NLT)
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A Reading from the Letters: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (NLT)
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 1:6-8, 19-28 (NLT)
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.
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This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”
“No.”
“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”
Then the Pharisees who had been sent asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
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Intercessions:
Generous God, who fills the starving with good things – hear our prayers:
+ For all the world – that the birth of the Redeemer may bring hope to people of good will…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those who follow Christ – that they may have joy as they prepare for His coming…. Lord, hear us.
+ For people whose hearts are broken – that You, the source of joy, may bring them comfort…. Lord, hear us.
+ For the members of the healing professions who care for victims of violence or abuse – that they may show compassion and wisdom…. Lord, hear us.
+ For asylum-seekers, immigrants, homeless and hungry people – that they may learn of God’s care through our friendship…. Lord, hear us.
+ For people suffering because of the Ebola Vrus in West Africa – that the whole world may help them…. Lord, hear us.
+ For those who have died recently, especially John Newton – that they may rejoice in God eternally…. Lord, hear us.
God of generous love, Your mercy continues to embrace the world: hear the prayers of Your people, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Benediction:
Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 