Wednesday, December 24
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent, Mass in the Morning – Year A
First Reading – 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies round about, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.’”
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
For your merciful love was established for ever, your faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant.
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.’”
Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.
I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Alleluia
℟ Alleluia!
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shin eon those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.
℟ Alleluia!
Gospel – Luke 1:67-79
And his father Zechari′ah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Vigil Mass – Year A
First Reading – Isaiah 62:1-5
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My delight is in her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Who exult in your name all the day, and extol y your righteousness.
For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
℟ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Second Reading – Acts 13:16-17, 22-25
So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel, and you that fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
Alleluia
℟ Alleluia!
Tomorrow the wickedness of the earth will be destroyed: the Savior of the world will reign over us.
℟ Alleluia!
Gospel – Matthew 1:1-25
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Per′ez and Ze′rah by Ta′mar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Ammin′adab, and Ammin’adab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Sal mon the father of Boaz by Ra′hab, and Boaz the father of O′bed by Ruth, and O’bed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri′ah, and Solomon the father of Rehobo′am, and Re hobo’am the father of Abi′jah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehosh′aphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Jo′ram, and Joram the father of Uzzi′ah, and Uzzi′ah the father of Jo′tham, and Jo’tham the father of A′haz, and Ahaz the father of Hezeki′ah, and Hezeki′ah the father of Manas′seh, and Manas’seh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josi′ah, and Josi′ah the father of Jecho ni′ah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni′ah was the father of She al′ti el, and Shealtiel the father of Zerub′babel, and Zerub′babel the father of Abi′ud, and Abiud the father of Eli′akim, and Elia kim the father of A′zor, and A′zor the father of Za′dok, and Zadok the father of A′chim, and A’chim the father of Eli′ud, and Eli′ud the father of Elea′zar, and Elea’zar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit.
(Alternate) Gospel – Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold a virgin shall conceive an bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, Ignatius Press, Copyright ⓒ 2006.
