(Make the sign of the cross, saying:)

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 will be for ever. Amen

ANT: Blessed are the pure of heart. They will see God.

Psalm 11 (10)
In the Lord I have taken my refuge.
How can you say to my soul:
"Fly like a bird to its mountain.

See the wicked bracing his bow;
he is fixing his arrows on the string
to ambush the upright by stealth.
Foundations once destroyed, what can the just do?"

The Lord is in his holy temple,
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes look down on the world;
his gaze tests the people of the earth.

The Lord tests the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
He sends fire and brimstone on the wicked;
he sends a scorching wind as their lot.

The Lord is just and loves justice;
the upright will see his face.

Glory be 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

ANT: Blessed are the pure of heart. They will see God.

[Pause and reflect on the previous psalm.]

ANT: God is our Savior. He has chosen us in his Son to be his adopted children.

Canticle 21 (Ephesians 1:3-10)
Blest be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
He chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before him.

He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will,
to the praise of his glorious grace
which he freely gave us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace,
which he lavished upon us.

He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight
the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose that he set forth in Christ,
His purpose he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time,
to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Glory be 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

ANT: God is our Savior. He has chosen us in his Son to be his adopted children.

[Pause and reflect on the previous psalm.]

READING (Philippians 3:20b-21)
We eagerly await the coming of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will give a new form to this lowly body of ours and remake it according to the pattern of his glorified body, by his power to subject everything to himself.

[Reflect on the Reading, applying it to your life today.]

ANT: The angel of the Lord brought God's message to Mary, and she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, alleluia.

CANTICLE OF MARY (Lk 1:46-55)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be 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

ANT: The angel of the Lord brought God's message to Mary, and she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, alleluia.

INTERCESSIONS

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Savior of all, come swiftly and save us from our sins. Let us pray for all those men and women who dedicate themselves to protecting our lives - those in our armed forces and our police forces. We pray to the Lord.

You were conceived by the Holy Spirit, by your word renew the same Spirit in our lives. We pray to the Lord.

Lord Jesus and Mary our Mother, protect all children from abuse and keep them in your love. We pray to the Lord.

(Pray for your special intentions.)

OUR FATHER
And now we pray to God the Father in the words that Jesus taught us.

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.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen

PRAYER
Lord our God, help us to prepare for the coming of Christ your Son. May he find us waiting, eager in joyful prayer. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.