December 3rd, 2023 – Fourth Sunday of Advent
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us,
as he promised
by the mouth of his holy prophets.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
And with your spirit.
Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
[All strike their breast]
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
COLLECT
Let us pray.
O God, may the coming of your Word illuminate our minds and cleanse our hearts from every stain of sin. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A reading from the Prophet Isaiah (16:1-5)
In those days, Isaiah spoke:
‘They have sent lambs
to the ruler of the land,
from Sela, by way of the desert,
to the mount of the daughter of Sion.
Like fluttering birds,
like scattered nestlings,
so are the daughters of Moab
at the fords of the Arnon.
Give counsel,
grant justice,
make your shade like night
at the height of noon;
hide the outcasts,
betray not the fugitive;
let the outcasts of Moab
sojourn among you;
be a refuge to them
from the destroyer.
When the oppressor is no more,
and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot
has vanished from the land,
then a throne will be established in steadfast love
and on it will sit in faithfulness
in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
and is swift to do righteousness.’
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM
Psalm 149
R. Let Sion’s sons exult in their King.
Sing to the Lord a new song;
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in his Maker,
let Sion’s sons exult in their King. R.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with timbrel and lyre.
For the Lord take delight in his people,
he crowns the poor with salvation. R.
Le the faithful exult in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips,
for this honour is for all the faithful. R.
EPISTLE
A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians (3:11-4:2)
My brothers, may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you; and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men, as we do to you, so that he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Finally, brethren, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Alleluia.
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you
And with your spirit.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Mark (11:1-11)
Glory to you, O Lord.
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethpage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out in the open street; and they untied it. And those who stood there said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ And they told them what Jesus had said; and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it. And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed cried out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!’ And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
AFTER THE GOSPEL
Fear not, Sion,
let not let your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst;
a mighty warrior who will rejoice over you with gladness.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
Dear brothers and sisters, filled with paschal joy,
let us pray more earnestly to God that he, who graciously listened
to the prayers and supplications of his beloved Son,
may now be pleased to look upon us in our lowliness.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
CONCLUSION OF THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
May your grace, O God almighty, strengthen and sustain those on the path of salvation who wait for the Lord with burning hearts. Bestow upon them your help for this present life and the fulness of the life to come. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have received
the bread we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands,
it will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God forever.
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have received
this wine we offer you:
fruit of the vine and work of human hands,
it will become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God forever.
PROFESSION OF FAITH
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified.
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Sanctify these gifts, O God. As we receive them at the banquet-table of your Son, may we find there the pledge of eternal glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
PREFACE
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.
It is truly right and just
Always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
As we joyfully celebrate the advent of our salvation.
With your promise of redemption you raised the human race after the Fall to a new hope of grace, created as we are in the holiness and righteousness of your divine Word. In the fulness of time you sent that same Word into the world so that, living among us as man, you might reveal to us the mystery of your paternal love; and, with the bonds of death dissolved pour into us anew the eternal life of heaven.
Conscious of this gift, united with the angels and saints, we raise to you our hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
You are indeed Holy, O Lord,
The fount of all holiness.
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
so that they may become for us
the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At the time he was betrayed
And entered willingly into his Passion,
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
For this is my Body,
Which will be given up for you.
In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took the chalice
and, once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal covenant,
Which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.
The mystery of faith.
We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
Therefore, as we celebrate
the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord,
the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation,
giving thanks that you have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.
Humbly we pray
that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Lord, your Church,
spread throughout the world,
and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with Francis our Pope
and Mario our Bishop,
and all the clergy.
Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy:
welcome them into the light of your face.
Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
with blessed Joseph, her Spouse
with the blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
Forever and ever
Amen.
THE COMMUNION RITE
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
O God With Us, our sovereign Lord,
who gave us the law of love:
the One awaited by the nations:
the One who alone can redeem us,
come and save us.
At the Saviour’s command
and formed by divine teaching,
we dare to say:
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.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Lord Jesus Christ,
who said to your Apostles:
Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,
look not on our sins,
but on the faith of Your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will.
Who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.
The peace and communion of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And with your spirit.
Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
AT HOLY COMMUNION
God alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress; I stand firm.
On God rests my deliverance and my honour;
trust in him,
pour our your hearts before him.
The Body of Christ.
Amen.
AFTER HOLY COMMUNION
Let us pray.
O God, who in the divine sacrament has already anticipated for us the abundance of eternal redemption, hear our prayer. As the passing of each day brings us nearer to the precious birth of Christ, so increase our interior resolve to worthily celebrate the mystery of our salvation. Who lives and reigns, world without end,
Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Kyrie, eleison. Kyrie, eleison. Kyrie, eleison.
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Go in peace.
In the name of Christ.
