PRAYER OF THE DAY

To Our Lady, Mother of Advent

To Our Lady,

Mother of Advent O Mother of our Advent,

be with us and see to it that he will remain with us

in this difficult Advent of the struggles for truth and hope,

for justice and peace:

He, alone, Emmanuel.

DAILY MASS READINGS

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Reading 1

IS 7:10-14

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:

Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;

let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!

But Ahaz answered,

“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”

Then Isaiah said:

Listen, O house of David!

Is it not enough for you to weary people,

must you also weary my God?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:

the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,

and shall name him Emmanuel.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;

the world and those who dwell in it.

For he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?

or who may stand in his holy place?

One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,

who desires not what is vain.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,

a reward from God his savior.

Such is the race that seeks for him,

that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

Reading 2

ROM 1:1-7

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,

called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,

which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,

but established as Son of God in power

according to the Spirit of holiness

through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,

to bring about the obedience of faith,

for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,

among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;

to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel

MT 1:18-24

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

SAINT OF THE DAY

December 22

Blessed Jacopone da Todi (d. 1306)

Jacomo, or James, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family in the northern Italian city of Todi. 

He became a successful lawyer and married a pious, generous lady named Vanna.

His young wife took it upon herself to do penance for the worldly excesses of her husband. One day Vanna, at the insistence of Jacomo, attended a public tournament. She was sitting in the stands with the other noble ladies when the stands collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband was even more disturbed when he realized that the penitential girdle she wore was for his sinfulness. On the spot, he vowed to radically change his life.

He divided his possessions among the poor and entered the Secular Franciscan Order (once known as the Third Order). Often dressed in penitential rags, he was mocked as a fool and called Jacopone, or "Crazy Jim," by his former associates. The name became dear to him.

After 10 years of such humiliation, Jacopone asked to be a member of the Order of Friars Minor(First Order). Because of his reputation, his request was initially refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the vanities of the world, an act that eventually led to his admission into the Order in 1278. He continued to lead a life of strict penance, 

declining to be ordained a priest. Meanwhile he was writing popular hymns in the vernacular.

Jacopone suddenly found himself a leader in a disturbing religious movement among the Franciscans. The Spirituals, as they were called, wanted a return to the strict poverty of Francis. They had on their side two cardinals of the Church and Pope Celestine V. These two cardinals, though, opposed Celestine’s successor, Boniface VIII. At the age of 68, Jacopone was excommunicated and imprisoned. Although he acknowledged his mistake, Jacopone was not absolved and released until Benedict XI became pope five years later. He had accepted his imprisonment as penance. He spent the final three years of his life more spiritual than ever, weeping "because Love is not loved." 

During this time he wrote the famous Latin hymn, Stabat Mater.

On Christmas Eve in 1306 Jacopone felt that his end was near. He was in a convent of the Poor Clares with his friend, Blessed John of La Verna. Like Francis, Jacopone welcomed "Sister Death" with one of his favorite songs. It is said that he finished the song and died as the priest intoned the Gloria from the midnight Mass at Christmas. 

From the time of his death, Brother Jacopone has been venerated as a saint.

OFFICE OF READINGS

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will proclaim Your Praise!

Invitatory Psalm

Psalm 94 (95)

The Lord is at hand:

come, let us adore him.

Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,

let us acclaim God our salvation.

Let us come before him proclaiming our thanks,

let us acclaim him with songs.

The Lord is at hand:

come, let us adore him.

For the Lord is a great God,

a king above all gods.

For he holds the depths of the earth in his hands,

and the peaks of the mountains are his.

For the sea is his: he made it;

and his hands formed the dry land.

The Lord is at hand:

come, let us adore him.

Come, let us worship and bow down,

bend the knee before the Lord who made us;

for he himself is our God and we are his flock,

the sheep that follow his hand.

The Lord is at hand:

come, let us adore him.

If only, today, you would listen to his voice:

“Do not harden your hearts

as you did at Meribah,

on the day of Massah in the desert,

when your fathers tested me –

they put me to the test,

although they had seen my works.”

The Lord is at hand:

come, let us adore him.

“For forty years they wearied me,

that generation.

I said: their hearts are wandering,

they do not know my paths.

I swore in my anger:

they will never enter my place of rest.”

The Lord is at hand:

come, let us adore him.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

The Lord is at hand:

come, let us adore him.

Hymn

The Advent of our God

With eager prayers we greet

And singing haste up on the road

His glorious gift to meet.

The everlasting Son

Scorns not a Virgin’s womb;

That we from bondage may be won

He bears a bondsman’s doom.

Daughter of Zion, rise

To meet thy lowly King;

Let not thy stubborn heart despise

The peace he deigns to bring.

In clouds of awful light,

As Judge he comes again,

His scattered people to unite,

With them in heaven to reign.

Let evil flee away

Ere that dread hour shall dawn.

Let this old Adam day by day

God’s image still put on.

Praise to the Incarnate Son,

Who comes to set us free,

With God the Father, ever One,

To all eternity.

Psalm 23 (24)

The Lord comes to his temple

Behold,

the heavenly king will come with power and great glory to save the nations.

Alleluia.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

the world and all who live in it.

He himself founded it upon the seas

and set it firm over the waters.

Who will climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who will stand in his holy place?

The one who is innocent of wrongdoing and pure of heart,

who has not given himself to vanities or sworn falsely.

He will receive the blessing of the Lord

and be justified by God his savior.

This is the way of those who seek him,

seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of might and power.

The Lord, strong in battle.

Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors,

and let the king of glory enter.

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord of hosts

– he is the king of glory.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Behold,

the heavenly king will come with power and great glory to save the nations.

Alleluia.

Psalm 65 (66)

Hymn for a sacrifice of thanksgiving

Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Jerusalem:

behold, your king is coming to you.

Sion, do not be afraid: your salvation is at hand.

Cry out to God, all the earth,

sing psalms to the glory of his name,

give him all glory and praise.

Say to God, “How tremendous your works!

Faced with the greatness of your power

your enemies dwindle away.

Let all the earth worship you and sing your praises,

sing psalms to your name.”

Come and see the works of God,

be awed by what he has done for the children of men.

He turned the sea into dry land,

and they crossed the waters on foot:

therefore will we rejoice in him.

In his might he will rule for all time,

his eyes keep watch on the nations:

no rebellion will ever succeed.

Bless our God, you nations,

and let the sound of your praises be heard.

Praise him who brought us to life,

and saved us from stumbling.

For you have tested us, O Lord,

you have tried us by fire, as silver is tried.

You led us into the trap,

heaped tribulations upon us.

You set other men to rule over us –

but we passed through fire and water,

and you led us out to our rest.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Jerusalem:

behold, your king is coming to you.

Sion, do not be afraid: your salvation is at hand.

Psalm 65 (66)

When the great King comes,

the hearts of men will be made pure 

and we shall be made worthy to meet him.

Behold, he is coming:

he will not delay.

I shall enter your house with burnt-offerings.

I shall fulfill my vows to you,

the vows that I made with my lips,

the vows that I uttered in my troubles.

I shall offer you rich burnt-offerings,

the smoke of the flesh of rams;

I shall offer you cattle and goats.

Draw near and listen, you who fear the Lord,

and I will tell all that he has done for me.

I cried out aloud to him,

and his praise was on my tongue.

If I looked upon sin in the depths of my heart,

the Lord would not hear me –

but the Lord has listened,

he has heard the cry of my appeal.

Blessed be God, who has not spurned my prayer,

who has not kept his mercy from me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

When the great King comes,

the hearts of men will be made pure 

and we shall be made worthy to meet him.

Behold, he is coming:

he will not delay.

The word of God is a living and active thing.

– It is sharper than a double-edged sword.

First Reading

Isaiah 49:14-50:1

For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,

the Lord has forgotten me.’

Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,

or fail to cherish the son of her womb?

Yet even if these forget,

I will never forget you.

See, I have branded you on the palms of my hands,

Your ramparts are always under my eye.

Your rebuilders make haste,

and your destroyers and despoilers depart.

Look round about you, look,

all are assembling, coming to you.

By my life – it is the Lord who speaks –

you will wear these as your jewels,

they will adorn you as brides are adorned;

for your desolate places and your ruins

and your devastated country

will now be too small for all your inhabitants,

now that your devourers are far away.

Once more they will speak in your hearing,

those sons you thought were lost,

‘This place is too small for me,

give me more space to live in.’

You will then say in your heart,

‘Who has borne me these?

I was childless and barren,

who has brought these up?

I was left all alone,

and now, where do these come from?’

Thus speaks the Lord:

I beckon to the nations

and hoist my signal for the peoples.

They will bring back your sons in the cloak,

they will take your daughters on their shoulders.

Kings will be your foster-fathers,

their queens your nursing mothers.

They will fall prostrate before you, faces to the ground,

and lick the dust at your feet.

You shall then know that I am the Lord;

and that those who hope in me will not be put to shame.

Can spoil be snatched from heroes,

or captives escape from a soldier?

Yes, thus says the Lord:

The hero’s captive will be snatched away,

the soldier’s spoil escape.

I myself will fight with those who fight you,

and I myself will save your children.

I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,

they shall get as drunk on their own blood as on new wine.

Then all mankind shall know

that I, the Lord, am your savior

and that your redeemer is the Mighty One of Jacob.

Thus says the Lord:

Where is your mother’s writ of divorce

by which I dismissed her?

Or to which of my creditors

have I sold you?

You were sold for your own crimes,

for your own faults your mother was dismissed.

Responsory

Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,

or fail to cherish the son of her womb?

Yet even if a mother forget,

I will never forget you, says the Lord.

Father and mother have forsaken me,

but you, Lord, care for me still.

Yet even if a mother forget,

I will never forget you, says the Lord.

Second Reading

A commentary on Luke

by the Venerable Bede

The Magnificat

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

The Lord has exalted me by a gift so great, so unheard of, that language is useless to describe it; and the depths of love in my heart can scarcely grasp it. I offer then all the powers of my soul in praise and thanksgiving. As I contemplate his greatness, which knows no limits, I joyfully surrender my whole life, my senses, my judgement, for my spirit rejoices in the eternal Godhead of that Jesus, that Savior, whom I have conceived in this world of time.

The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Mary looks back to the beginning of her song, where she said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Only that soul for whom the Lord in his love does great things can proclaim his greatness with fitting praise and encourage those who share her desire and purpose, saying: Join with me in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord; 

let us extol his name together.

Those who know the Lord, yet refuse to proclaim his greatness and sanctify his name to the limit of their power, will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven. His name is called holy because in the sublimity of his unique power he surpasses every creature and is far removed from all that he has made.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy.

In a beautiful phrase Mary calls Israel the servant of the Lord. The Lord came to his aid to save him. Israel is an obedient and humble servant, in the words of Hosea: Israel was a servant, and I loved him.

Those who refuse to be humble cannot be saved. They cannot say with the prophet: See, God comes to my aid; the Lord is the helper of my soul. But anyone who makes himself humble like a little child is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

The promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.

This does not refer to the physical descendants of Abraham, but to his spiritual children. These are his descendants, sprung not from the flesh only, but who, whether circumcised or not, have followed him in faith. Circumcised as he was, Abraham believed, and this was credited to him as an act of righteousness.

The coming of the Savior was promised to Abraham and to his descendants for ever. These are the children of promise, to whom it is said: If you belong to Christ, then you are descendants of Abraham, heirs in accordance with the promise.

But it is right that before the birth of the Lord or of John, their mothers should utter prophecies; for just as sin began with a woman, so too does redemption. Through the deceit of one woman, grace perished; 

the prophecies of two women announce its return to life.

Responsory

All generations will call me blessed,

for the Almighty has done great things for me.

Holy is his name.

His mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.

Holy is his name.

Canticle

Te Deum

God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you!

You, the Father, the eternal –

all the earth venerates you.

All the angels, all the heavens, every power –

The cherubim, the seraphim –

unceasingly, they cry:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts:

heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!”

The glorious choir of Apostles –

The noble ranks of prophets –

The shining army of martyrs –

all praise you.

Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you.

– Father of immeasurable majesty,

– True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship,

– Holy Spirit, our Advocate.

You, Christ:

– You are the king of glory.

– You are the Father’s eternal Son.

– You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb.

– You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you.

– You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father.

– You will come, so we believe, as our Judge.

And so we ask of you: give help to your servants,

whom you set free at the price of your precious blood.

Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory.

Bring your people to safety, Lord,

and bless those who are your inheritance.

Rule them and lift them high for ever.

Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever.

Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us.

Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you.

In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame.

Let us pray.

Lord, open our hearts to your grace.

Through the angel’s message to Mary

we have learned to believe in the incarnation of Christ your Son:

lead us by his passion and cross

to the glory of his resurrection.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.