(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: Today the Son humbled himself to be born for us.

Psalm 99 (98)
The Lord is king, the peoples tremble.
He is throned on the cherubim, the earth quakes.
The Lord is great in Zion.

He is supreme over all the peoples.
Let them praise his name, so terrible and great,
he is holy, full of power.

You are a king who loves what is right;
you have established equity, justice, and right;
you have established them in Jacob.

Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before Zion, his footstool.
He the Lord is holy.

Among his priests were Aaron and Moses,
among those who invoked his name was Samuel.
They invoked the Lord and he answered.

To them he spoke in the pillar of cloud.
They did his will, they kept the law,
which he, the Lord, had given.

O Lord our God, you answered them.
For them you were a God who forgives;
yet you punished all their offenses.

Exalt the Lord our God;
bow down before his holy mountain
for the Lord our God is holy.

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: Today the Son humbled himself to be born for us.

[Pause and reflect on the previous psalm.]

ANT: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of our God.

Psalm 125 (124)
Those who put their trust in the Lord
are like Mount Zion, that cannot be shaken,
that stands for ever.

Jerusalem! The mountains surround her,
so the Lord surrounds his people both now and for ever.

For the scepter of the wicked shall not rest over the land of the just
for fear that the hands of the just should turn to evil.

Do good, Lord, to those who are good,
to the upright of heart;
but the crooked and those who do evil,
drive them away!

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: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of our God.

[Pause and reflect on the previous psalm.]

READING (Tobit 14:6-7)
All the nations shall abandon their idols and come to Jerusalem to dwell, and all the kings of the earth shall rejoice in her, worshiping the king of Israel.

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

ANT: Blest is the womb that bore Jesus.

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: Blest is the womb that bore Jesus.

INTERCESSIONS

Lord Jesus, help those who are suffering from the cold weather, let them feel the warmth of the love and help of others. We pray to the Lord.

Lord Jesus, draw to yourself those who do not know of your birth and give them faith. We pray to the Lord.

King of kings, direct the hearts and minds of civic leaders to seek justice, peace and freedom for all nations. We pray to the Lord.

Lord Jesus, you were born in simplicity, help us to be simple in our life style. 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
Father, source of light in every age, the virgin conceived and bore your Son who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace. May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love, be your people's joy through all ages. May her response, born of a humble heart, draw your Spirit to rest on your people. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen