They have sinned against him, they are no children of his –
this filthy generation, wicked and perverse.
Is this how you repay the Lord,
you foolish and witless people?
Is he not your father, who took charge of you,
created you and made you exist?
Remember the days of old: think upon each generation.
Ask your father and he will tell you;
ask your ancestors, and they will let you know.
When the Most High divided the peoples,
when he was separating the children of Adam,
he laid down the boundaries of the people
according to the number of the children of Israel:
the Lord’s own portion was his people,
Jacob the measure of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land, in a place of horror,
in the howling wilderness.
He protected him, looked after him,
guarded him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle teaching its chicks to fly, hovering close above them,
he spread out his wings and lifted him up,
carried him on his back.
The Lord alone led Jacob; no foreign god was with him.
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.
Proclaim the greatness of our God.
Psalm 8 The greatness of God, the dignity of man
How great is your name, Lord, through all the earth.
How wonderful is your name over all the earth,
O Lord, our Lord!
How exalted is your glory
above the sky!
Out of the mouths of children and infants you have brought praise,
to confound your enemies, to destroy your vengeful foes.
When I see the heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars, which you set in their place –
what is man, that you should take thought for him?
what is the son of man, that you should look after him?
You have made him but one step lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honour;
you have set him over the works of your hands.
You have put everything beneath his feet,
cattle and sheep and the beasts of the field,
the birds in the air and the fish in the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the waters.
How wonderful is your name above all the earth,
O Lord, our Lord!
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.
How great is your name, Lord, through all the earth.
Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.
Short Responsory
The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him.
– The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him.
He is my salvation.
– The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord is my strength. I will sing praise to him.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
I am the lowly servant of the Lord, who wished only to offer everything to the living God. Now, since there is nothing left to be offered, I give myself to him.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of peace.
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.
I am the lowly servant of the Lord, who wished only to offer everything to the living God. Now, since there is nothing left to be offered, I give myself to him.
Prayers and intercessions
Through the martyrs who were slain for God’s word, let us give glory to our Saviour, the faithful and true witness.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, who bore witness to your love,
set us free to live for you.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, who proclaimed your saving death,
give us a deep and constant faith.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, who took up your cross,
grant us courage for every trial.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
Through the martyrs, washed in the blood of the Lamb,
give us grace to conquer our weakness.
– You redeemed us by your precious blood.
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.
Let the prayer of the virgin martyr Lucy support us, Lord,
so that with each passing year we may celebrate her entry into life,
and finally see you face to face in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 14 to 20 December
The rose vestments on the 3rd Sunday of Advent. The beginning of the final countdown to Christmas. The ancient O Antiphons. The Latin hymns, and our project to record them. (15 minutes) Episode notes.