(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: With the Lord there is unfailing love; great is his power to save.

Psalm 110 (109)
The Lord's revelation to my Master:
"Sit on my right;
your foes I will put beneath your feet."

The Lord will wield from Zion
your scepter of power;
rule in the midst of all your foes.

A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change:
"You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old."

The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter rulers in the day of his wrath.

He, the judge of the nations,
will heap high the bodies;
heads shall be scattered far and wide.

He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.

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: With the Lord there is unfailing love; great is his power to save.

[Pause and reflect on the previous psalm.]

ANT: In the beginning and before time began, the Word was God. Today he is born the Savior of the world.

Canticle 23 (Colossians 1:12-20)
Let us give thanks to the Father,
who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation,
for in him all things were created,
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.
All things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.

He is the head of the body, the Church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross.

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: In the beginning and before time began, the Word was God. Today he is born the Savior of the world.

[Pause and reflect on the previous psalm.]

READING (1 John 1:1-3)
This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have touched - we speak of the word of life. (This life became visible; we have seen and bear witness to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was present to the Father and became visible to us.) What we have seen and heard we proclaim in turn to you so that you may share life with us. This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

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

ANT: Christ the Lord is born today; today, the Savior has appeared. "Glory to God in the highest, 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: Christ the Lord is born today; today, the Savior has appeared. "Glory to God in the highest, alleluia."

INTERCESSIONS

At your birth angels proclaimed peace to the world, may your birth bring peace to all. We pray to the Lord.

You came as chief shepherd and guardian of our lives, let leaders in the Church be faithful channels of your many gifts of grace. We pray to the Lord.

Lord bring your faith and peace to all who do not believe in you. We pray to the Lord.

You bring new life into the world, give the fullness of life to all who have died. 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 God, we praise you for creating man and woman, and still more for restoring us in Christ. Your Son shared our weakness: may we share his glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen