Dominica III AdventusThe Third Sunday of Advent

℣ O Lord, ✠ open my lips.

℟ And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

℣ O God, ✠ come to my assistance.

℟ Lord, make haste to help me.

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.

Ant. The Lord is now near, * come, let us adore.

Ant. The Lord is now near, * come, let us adore.

Come, let us exult in the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to God, our Savior. Let us anticipate his presence with confession, and let us sing joyfully to him with psalms.

Ant. The Lord is now near, * come, let us adore.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King over all gods. For the Lord will not drive away his people. For in his hand are all the limits of the earth, and he beholds the heights of the mountains.

Ant. come, let us adore.

For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands established the dry land. (kneel) Come, let us adore and fall prostrate before God, and let us weep before the Lord who made us. For he is the Lord our God, and we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Ant. The Lord is now near, * come, let us adore.

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted me; they tested and saw my works.

Ant. come, let us adore.

For forty years, I was near to that generation, and I said: These have always strayed in heart. But they have not known my ways. To them I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest.

Ant. The Lord is now near, * come, let us adore.

℣ 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.

Ant. come, let us adore.

Ant. The Lord is now near, * come, let us adore.

Celestial Word, proceeding forth

From the eternal Father’s breast,

By birth thou comest to the world’s aid,

As time runs on its passing course:

Enlighten our hearts; vain hopes destroy;

And in thy love's consuming fire

Fill all the soul with heavenly joy,

And melt the dross of low desire.

So when the Judge’s mighty throne

Condemns the guilty to the fire,

And his kind voice calls faithful souls

To heaven, their appointed home;

May we not feed the flames of fire,

Nor whirl amid their darkness deep,

But share the vision of our God,

And heaven’s joys forever reap.

To Father, and to Son likewise,

And unto thee, O Holy Spirit,

As was of old, be glory still,

Through every age eternally.

Amen.

At the Nocturn

Ant. Behold, the King most high shall come * with great power to save the nations, alleluia.

Psalm 1 [1]

1:1 Blessed is the man who has not followed the counsel of the impious, † and has not remained in the way of sinners, * and has not sat in the chair of pestilence.

1:2 But his will is with the law of the Lord, * and he will meditate on his law, day and night.

1:3a And he will be like a tree that has been planted beside running waters, * which will provide its fruit in its time,

1:3b and its leaf will not fall away, * and all things whatsoever that he does will prosper.

1:4 Not so the impious, not so. * For they are like the dust that the wind casts away from the face of the earth.

1:5 Therefore, the impious will not rise again in judgment, * nor sinners in the council of the just.

1:6 For the Lord knows the way of the just. * And the path of the impious will pass away.

℣ 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.

Ant. Behold, the King most high shall come with great power to save the nations, alleluia.

Ant. Strengthen * the drooping hands: take courage, say: Behold, our God shall come, and will save us, alleluia.

Psalm 2 [2]

2:1 Why have the Gentiles been seething, * and why have the people been pondering nonsense?

2:2 The kings of the earth have stood up, and the leaders have joined together as one, * against the Lord and against his Christ:

2:3 “Let us shatter their chains * and cast their yoke away from us.”

2:4 He who dwells in heaven will ridicule them, * and the Lord will mock them.

2:5 Then will he speak to them in his anger * and trouble them with his fury.

2:6 Yet I have been appointed king by him over Zion, his holy mountain, * preaching his decree.

2:7 The Lord has said to me: * You are my son, this day have I begotten you.

2:8 Ask of me and I will give to you: the Gentiles for your inheritance, * and the ends of the earth for your possession.

2:9 You will rule them with an iron rod, * and you will shatter them like a potter’s vessel.

2:10 And now, O kings, understand. * Receive instruction, you who judge the earth.

2:11 Serve the Lord in fear, * and exult in him with trembling.

2:12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord might become angry, * and you would perish from the right way.

2:13 When his wrath soon flares up, * blessed are all those who trust in 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.

Ant. Strengthen the drooping hands: take courage, say: Behold, our God shall come, and will save us, alleluia.

Ant. Rejoice, all, * and be glad: behold, for the Lord of vengeance shall come, he shall bring retribution: he himself shall come, and will save us.

Psalm 3 [3]

3:2 Lord, why have those who trouble me been multiplied? * Many rise up against me.

3:3 Many say to my soul, * “There is no salvation for him in his God.”

3:4 But you, Lord, are my supporter, * my glory, and the one who raises up my head.

3:5 I have cried out to the Lord with my voice, * and he has heard me from his holy mountain.

3:6 I have slept, and I have fallen asleep. * But I awakened because the Lord has sustained me.

3:7 I will not fear the thousands of people surrounding me. * Rise up, Lord. Save me, my God.

3:8 For you have struck all those who oppose me without cause. * You have broken the teeth of sinners.

3:9 Salvation is of the Lord, * and your blessing is upon your people.

℣ 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.

Ant. Rejoice, all, and be glad: behold, for the Lord of vengeance shall come, he shall bring retribution: he himself shall come, and will save us.

Ant. Rejoice and be glad, * O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King shall come to you: O Sion, fear not, for your salvation shall come quickly.

Psalm 8 [4]

8:2a O Lord, our Lord, * how admirable is your name throughout all the earth!

8:2b For your magnificence is elevated * above the heavens.

8:3 Out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have perfected praise, because of your enemies, * so that you may destroy the enemy and the revenger.

8:4 For I will behold your heavens, the works of your fingers: * the moon and the stars, which you have founded.

8:5 What is man, that you are mindful of him, * or the son of man, that you visit him?

8:6 You reduced him to a little less than the Angels; † you have crowned him with glory and honor, * (7) and you have set him over the works of your hands.

8:8 You have subjected all things under his feet, * all sheep and oxen, and in addition: the beasts of the field,

8:9 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, * which pass through the paths of the sea.

8:10 O Lord, our Lord, * how admirable is your name throughout all the earth!

℣ 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.

Ant. Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King shall come to you: O Sion, fear not, for your salvation shall come quickly.

Ant. Our King * Christ shall come, whom John proclaimed to be the Lamb who was to come.

Psalm 9(2-11) [5]

9:2 I will confess to you, Lord, with my whole heart. * I will recount all your wonders.

9:3 I will rejoice and exult in you. * I will sing a psalm to your name, O Most High.

9:4 For my enemy will be turned back. * They will be weakened and perish before your face.

9:5 For you have accomplished my judgment and my cause. * You have sat upon the throne, you who judge justly.

9:6 You have rebuked the Gentiles, and the impious one has perished. * You have deleted their name in eternity and for all generations.

9:7a The spears of the enemy have failed in the end, * and their cities, you have destroyed.

9:7b Their memory has perished with a loud noise. * (8a) But the Lord remains in eternity.

9:8b He has prepared his throne in judgment. * (9) And he will judge the whole world in equity. He will judge the people in justice.

9:10 And the Lord has become a refuge for the poor, * a timely helper in tribulation.

9:11 And may they hope in you, who know your name. * For you have not abandoned those seeking you, 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.

Ant. Our King Christ shall come, whom John proclaimed to be the Lamb who was to come.

Ant. Behold, I come * quickly and my reward is with me, says the Lord: to give to each one according to his works.

Psalm 9(12-21) [6]

9:12 Sing a psalm to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. * Announce his deeds among the Gentiles.

9:13 For he who seeks their blood has remembered them. * He has not forgotten the cry of the poor.

9:14 Have mercy on me, Lord. * See my humiliation from my enemies.

9:15 You lift me up from the gates of death, * so that I may announce all your praises at the gates of the daughter of Zion.

9:16a I will exult in your salvation. * The Gentiles have become trapped in the ruin that they made.

9:16b In the snare that they themselves had hidden, * their foot has been caught.

9:17 The Lord will be recognized when making judgments. * The sinner has been caught in the works of his own hands.

9:18 The sinners will be turned into Hell: * all the Gentiles who have forgotten God.

9:19 For the poor will not be forgotten in the end. * The patience of the poor will not perish in the end.

9:20 Rise up, Lord: do not let man be strengthened. * Let the Gentiles be judged in your sight.

9:21 O Lord, establish a lawgiver over them, * so that the Gentiles may know that they are only men.

℣ 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.

Ant. Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, says the Lord: to give to each one according to his works.

Ant. The Angel Gabriel * spoke to Mary, saying: Hail, full of grace: the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.

Psalm 9(22-32) [7]

9:22 So then, why, O Lord, have you withdrawn far away? * Why have you overlooked us in times of need, in tribulation?

9:23 While the impious is arrogant, the poor is enflamed. * They are held by the counsels that they devise.

9:24 For the sinner is praised for the desires of his soul, * and the iniquitous is blessed.

9:25 The sinner has provoked the Lord; * according to the multitude of his wrath, he will not seek him.

9:26a God is not before his sight. * His ways are stained at all times.

9:26b Your judgments are removed from his face. * He will be master of all his enemies.

9:27 For he has said in his heart, * “I will not be disturbed: from generation to generation without evil.”

9:28 His mouth is full of curses, and bitterness, and deceit. * Under his tongue are hardship and sorrow.

9:29 He sits in ambush, with the rich in hidden places, * so that he may execute the innocent.

9:30a His eyes catch sight of the poor. * He lies in ambush, in hiding like a lion in his den.

9:30b He lies in ambush, so that he may seize the poor, * to seize the poor as he draws him in.

9:31 With his snare, he will bring him down. * He will bend down and fall, when he has power over the poor.

9:32 For he has said in his heart, “God has forgotten, * he has turned away his face, lest he see to the end.”

℣ 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.

Ant. The Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, saying: Hail, full of grace: the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.

Ant. Mary said: * I wonder what manner of greeting this is, for my soul is troubled, and because I shall bring forth a King who shall not violate the enclosure of my virginity?

Psalm 9(33-39) [8]

9:33 O Lord God, rise up. Let your hand be exalted. * Do not forget the poor.

9:34 Why has the impious one provoked God? * For he has said in his heart, “He will not inquire.”

9:35a You do see, for you examine hardship and sorrow, * so that you may deliver them into your hands.

9:35b The poor one has been abandoned to you. * You will be a helper to the orphan.

9:36 Break the arm of the sinner and the malicious. * His sin will be sought, and it will not be found.

9:37 The Lord shall reign in eternity, even forever and ever. * You Gentiles will perish from his land.

9:38 The Lord has heeded the desire of the poor. * Your ear has listened to the preparation of their heart,

9:39 so as to judge for the orphan and the humble, * so that man may no longer presume to magnify himself upon the earth.

℣ 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.

Ant. Mary said: I wonder what manner of greeting this is, for my soul is troubled, and because I shall bring forth a King who shall not violate the enclosure of my virginity?

Ant. In the advent * of the most high King, let the hearts of men be cleansed, that we may walk worthily to meet him: for behold, he shall come and shall not delay.

Psalm 10 [9]

10:2 I trust in the Lord. † How can you say to my soul, * “Flee to the mountain, like a sparrow”?

10:3 For behold, the sinners have bent their bow. † They have prepared their arrows in the quiver, * so as to shoot arrows in the dark at the upright of heart.

10:4 For they have destroyed the things that you have completed. * But what has the just one done?

10:5a The Lord is in his holy temple. * The Lord’s throne is in heaven.

10:5b His eyes look upon the poor. * His eyelids question the sons of men.

10:6 The Lord questions the just and the impious. * Yet he who loves iniquity, hates his own soul.

10:7 He will rain down snares upon sinners. * Fire and brimstone and windstorms will be the portion of their cup.

10:8 For the Lord is just, and he has loved justice. * His countenance has beheld equity.

℣ 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.

Ant. In the advent of the most high King, let the hearts of men be cleansed, that we may walk worthily to meet him: for behold, he shall come and shall not delay.

℣ Out of Zion, the splendor of his beauty.

℟ Our God shall come manifestly.

The Our Father is said silently as far as And lead us not into temptation:

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 also forgive those who trespass against us:

℣ And lead us not into temptation:

℟ But deliver us from evil.

Absolution. Hear the prayers of your servants, Lord Jesus Christ, and have mercy on us: You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

From the Prophet Isaiah

Isa 26:1-6

1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: Zion is the city of our strength; a Savior shall be set within it as a wall and a bulwark.

2 Open the gates, and let the just people who guard the truth enter.

3 The old error has gone away. You will preserve peace: peace, for we have hoped in you.

4 You have trusted in the Lord for all eternity, in the Lord God almighty forever.

5 For he will bend down those living in the heights. He will bring low the lofty city. He will lower it, even to the ground. He will tear it down, even to the dust.

6 The foot will tread it down: the feet of the poor, the steps of the indigent.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Behold, the Lord will appear upon a white cloud,

* And with him thousands of the Saints; and he will have written on his garment and on his thigh: King of kings, and Lord of lords.

℣ He will appear at the end, and will not lie; if he delays, wait for him, for he will surely come.

℟ And with him thousands of the Saints; and he will have written on his garment and on his thigh: King of kings, and Lord of lords.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the divine assistance remain always with us.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

Isa 26:7-10

7 The path of the just is upright; the way of the just is straight to walk in.

8 And in the path of your judgments, O Lord, we have endured for you. Your name and your remembrance are the desire of the soul.

9 My soul has desired you in the night. But I will also watch for you with my spirit, in my inmost heart, from the morning. When you accomplish your judgments upon the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn justice.

10 Let us take pity on the impious one, but he will not learn justice. In the land of the holy ones, he has done iniquity, and so he will not see the glory of the Lord.

Isa 26:11-14

11 Lord, let your hand be exalted, and let them not see it. May the envious people see and be confounded. And may fire devour your enemies.

12 Lord, you will give us peace. For all our works have been wrought for us by you.

13 O Lord our God, other lords have possessed us apart from you, but in you alone let us remember your name.

14 Let not the dead live; let not the giants rise up again. For this reason, you have visited and destroyed them, and you have perished all remembrance of them.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ He who is to come will come, and will not delay: and there will be no more fear within our borders:

* For he himself is our Savior.

℣ He will cast down all our iniquities, and will hurl all our sins into the depth of the sea.

℟ For he himself is our Savior.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. Through the words of the Gospel may our offenses be blotted out.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

A Reading from the holy Gospel according to John

John 1:19-28

At that time: The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to John, to ask him: Who are you? And so forth.

A Homily of Saint Gregory the Pope

Homily 7 on the Gospels

From the words of this reading, dearest brothers, the humility of John is commended to us: who, though he was of such great virtue that he could have been believed to be the Christ, chose to stand firmly in himself, lest he be carried beyond himself in vain by human opinion. For he confessed and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ. But he who said I am not denied plainly what he was not, yet he did not deny what he was: so that by speaking the truth he might become a member of him whose name he would not fraudulently usurp for himself. When, therefore, he refused to claim the name of Christ, he became a member of Christ: because, while he strove humbly to acknowledge his own weakness, he merited truly to obtain that one's exaltedness.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ The Lord will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths:

* For out of Zion the law will go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

℣ Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob.

℟ For out of Zion the law will go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ For out of Zion the law will go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

The rest is omitted unless Lauds is said separately.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

Let us pray.

Incline your ear, we pray, O Lord, to our prayers, and illumine the darkness of our minds with the grace of your visitation.

Who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

℣ Let us bless the Lord.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℣ May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

℟ Amen.