Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. I:
Ordinary: 661
Proper of Seasons: 374
Psalter: Sunday, Week IV, 1057

Midday Prayer for Sunday, December 23, using Current Psalmody

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

Refrain:
Venez divin Messie,
Sauver nos jours infortunés ;
Vous êtes notre vie,
Venez, venez, venez!

Ah ! Descendez, hâtez vos pas!
Sauvez les hommes du trépas;
Secourez-nous, ne tardez pas!
Voyez couler nos larmes;
Grand Dieu, si vous nous pardonnez,
Nous n’aurons plus d’alarmes:
Venez, venez, venez!

Refrain:

Ah ! Désarmez votre courroux :
Nous sommes tous à vos genoux,
N’ayant, Seigneur, d’espoir qu’en Vous.
Pour nous livrer la guerre,
Tous les enfers sont déchaînés :
Venez sauver la terre,
Venez, venez, venez!

Refrain:

Que nos soupirs soient entendus!
Les biens que nous avons perdus
Ne nous seront-ils point rendus?
Seigneur, vos saints oracles
À tous les siècles étonnés
Promirent ces miracles :
Venez, venez, venez!

O come, divine Messiah!
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.

Dear Savior haste;
Come, come to earth,
Dispel the night and show your face,
And bid us hail the dawn of grace.

O come, divine Messiah!
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.
And sadness flee away.

Literal translation of the French lyrics

Refrain:
Come divine Messiah,
Save our ill-fated days;
You are our life,
Come, come, come!

Oh! Come down, hasten your step:
Save men from death;
Help us, don’t be late!
See our tears run;
Great God, if you forgive us,
We will have no more fear:
Come, come, come!

Oh! Let your wrath abate:
We are all at your knees,
Having, Lord, faith only in You.
To bring us war
All the hells were released:
Come save the Earth,
Come, come, come!

May our sighs be heard!
The goods that we have lost
Won’t they be returned to us?
Lord, your sainted oracles
To all of the astonished centuries
They promised these miracles:
Come, come, come!

Venez, Divin Messie (O Come Divine Messiah) by Louis Philippe; Text: Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, Abbot (1663-1745), according to Isaiah 4:14; Lk 2.4 to 14; Jn 3.16-18; Music: traditional French, sixteenth century

PSALMODY

Ant. The angel Gabriel said to Mary in greeting: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.

Psalm 23
The Good Shepherd
The Lamb himself will be their shepherd and will lead them to the springs of living waters (Revelation 7:17).

The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.

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 Jesus Christ, shepherd of your Church, you give us new birth in the waters of baptism, anoint us with saving oil, and call us to salvation at your table. Dispel the terrors of death and the darkness of error. Lead your people along safe paths, that they may rest securely in you and live for ever in your Father’s house.

Psalm 76
Thanksgiving for victory
They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 24:30).

I

God is made known in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.
He set up his tent in Jerusalem
and his dwelling place in Zion.
It was there he broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, the armor.

You, O Lord, are resplendent,
more majestic than the everlasting mountains.
The warriors, despoiled, slept in death;
the hands of the soldiers were powerless.
At your threat, O God of Jacob,
horse and rider lay stunned.

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.

II

You, you alone, strike terror.
Who shall stand when your anger is roused?
You uttered your sentence from the heavens;
the earth in terror was still
when God arose to judge,
to save the humble of the earth.

Men’s anger will serve to praise you;
its survivors surround you in joy.
Make vows to your God and fulfill them.
Let all pay tribute to him who strikes terror,
who cuts short the life of princes,
who strikes terror in the kings of the earth.

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

Your power is awesome, Father, and wonderful is your holiness. In your presence the earth both trembles and stands still, for you shattered death’s power by the cross. Rise to help your people: give your light, and grant salvation to the meek of the earth, that they may praise your name in heaven.

Ant. The angel Gabriel said to Mary in greeting: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.

READING Jeremiah 30:18a

Thus says the Lord:
See! I will restore the tents of Jacob,
His dwellings I will pity.

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.

Remember us, Lord, because of the love you have for your people.
– Come and bring us your salvation.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Pour forth,
we beseech you, O Lord,
your grace into our hearts,
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son
was made known by the message of an Angel,
may by his Passion and Cross
be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.

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