Christmas Daily Prayer
DECEMBER 26TH
Leader: O Lord, open my lips. Response: And my mouth shall declare your praise.
Psalm 110:1-5, 7
The leader and congregation alternate verses of the psalm. All repeat the antiphon in between stanzas.
Antiphon: With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord more
than watchman for daybreak.
Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity.
Glory to the Father...
Antiphon: With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
Reading: 1 John 1:5b, 7
God is light,
in him there is no darkness.
If we walk in the light,
as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
Responsory
Leader: The Word was made man, alleluia, alleluia.
Response: The Word was made man, alleluia, alleluia.
Leader: He lived among us.
Response: Alleluia, alleluia.
Leader: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Response: The Word was made man, alleluia, alleluia.
Antiphon for the Canticle of Zechariah: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth, alleluia.
Antiphon for the Canticle of Mary: Christ the Lord is born today; today, the Savior has appeared. Earth echoes songs of angel choirs, archangels’ joyful praise. Today on earth his friends exult: Glory to God in the highest, alleluia.
Pray either the Canticle of Zechariah (in the morning) or the Canticle of Mary (in the evening). You can find them here.
Intercessions
The leader says the first part of intercession. After the first intercession, the leader says the first part and the congregation says the second part. All say the repeated invocation after each intercession.
At the birth of Jesus, angels proclaimed peace to the world. We worship him now with joy, and we pray with hearts full of faith:
May your birth bring peace to all.
Lord, fill your holy people with whatever good they need,
— let the mystery of your birth be the source of our peace.
May your birth bring peace to all.
You came as chief shepherd and guardian of our lives,
— let the pope and bishops be faithful channels of your many gifts of grace.
May your birth bring peace to all.
King from all eternity, you desired to be born within time and to experience the day-to-day life of men and women,
— share your gift of unending life with us, weak people, doomed to death.
May your birth bring peace to all.
Awaited from the beginning of the world, you came only in the fullness of time,
— now reveal your presence to those who are still expecting you.
May your birth bring peace to all.
You became man and gave new life to our human condition in the grip of death,
— now give the fullness of life to all who have died.
May your birth bring peace to all.
Te Deum
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.
Dear Jesus,
As we remember your birth, may we learn to forgive everyone through the intercession of your servant, St. Stephan. We ask the Father for this in your name in union with the Holy Spirit. Amen.