_V._ Make us worthy to praise thee, O Blessed Virgin, Mother of my God.
_R._ That I may have power against my enemies.
_Let Us Pray._
O God, Who, after the announcement of the angel, didst create a body for
Thy divine Son in the bosom of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant us the grace
that we, who acknowledge her great privilege, may be assisted by her
intercession. We pray Thee, O God almighty, that Thou mayest purify our
hearts and consciences by Thy heavenly visitation, that Thy divine Son
Jesus Christ, when He shall come with all the saints, may find a fitting
habitation prepared for Him. Who livest and reignest, one God, world
without end. Amen.
Mass for Advent.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Introibo.
O Jesus, the true and infinite sacrifice, I adore Thee in the Blessed
Sacrament, and I make an offering of Thy sacred body, which Thou didst
deliver for us unto death on the cross, and Thy sacred blood, which Thou
didst shed for our sins, in union with the priest who is about to say
Mass. Eternal and merciful Father, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as
well as Our Father! With the priest I offer Thee a pure, holy, immaculate
sacrifice, the sacred bread of eternal life, the chalice of salvation, the
body and blood of Jesus Christ, Thy Son. Deign to accept it, and be
merciful to me a sinner. In the spirit of humility and with a contrite
heart, I acknowledge, O my God, that I have sinned often and grievously in
thought, word, and deed, through my most grievous fault. I know I have
been guilty, and I beg pardon of Thee, O heavenly Father, through Thy
infinite mercy, through the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, and through
the intercession of all the saints. Amen.
The Priest Ascends The Altar.
O ye saints whose relics are kept on the altar, and all ye saints and
servants of God in heaven, let me unite with thee in praising, loving and
adoring Our God in the Sacrament of the Altar! Pray for all those who are
assembled here; pray that we may be heard and that we ourselves cry out,
“Lord, have mercy on us! Christ, have mercy on us! Lord, have mercy on
us!” Amen.
Gloria.
Glory to God in the highest! Glory, praise, and adoration to the Most
High, the one true God, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall
be for all eternity. Lord God, upon Thee I place all my trust. Save me
from every danger, and keep me from every evil. The eyes of all are upon
Thee, O Lord, and Thou givest them food; Thou fillest all that there is
with Thy benediction. I praise thee, also, O Mary, Mother of God, and
thank thee for all that I owe thee. Who is it Whom we adore in the Blessed
Sacrament but Jesus, thy Son, Who took flesh and blood from thee! What a
joy must not thy heart experience when thou seest so many devout
worshippers surrounding the throne of the majesty of Jesus, hidden in the
consecrated bread on our altars! Do thou also, O dear Mother, sing with us
the praises of that Jesus, for Whose coming we are preparing during
Advent. Amen.
Collects.
Give us, O God, the grace daily to feel the advent of Our Lord upon our
altars, as we expect Him to be born in our hearts at Christmas‐time. Grant
that we may also be prepared to meet Him, the Judge, at the end of time,
and may find Him propitious; through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord. O
God, Who didst leave with us, under the consecrated species, a memory of
Thy sufferings, give us the grace that by our ardent faith we may adore
Thee in this Holy Sacrament, and become worthy fruits of Thy holy Passion
and death. Amen.
Epistle.
Accept, O God, this holy sacrifice in thanksgiving for the institution of
the Blessed Sacrament. For in possessing the Blessed Sacrament we possess
heaven and earth, our cares are taken away, and we have Jesus, Who cries
continually to us: “Come to Me, all you who are heavily laden, and I will
refresh you.” My dear Jesus, make me worthy to praise Thee with all the
angels and elect in Thy kingdom. Let me serve Thee worthily here on this
earth, so that I may one day share Thy glory in heaven. Amen.
Gospel.
Jesus, divine Physician of our souls! how can we sufficiently thank Thee
for having become man, and for having dwelt among men? To perpetuate Thy
coming, Thou hast remained on our altars in the Holy Sacrament. Thou hast
preached the Gospel to us poor creatures, and hast made us acquainted with
the secrets of heaven. Oh, that we would always listen to Thy Word, and
apply it to our life, regulating all our actions on the principles of
divine wisdom manifested therein! Let Thy holy Gospel and Thy holy
teaching be a light to our lives in the darkness in which we walk, on
account of our prejudices, passions, and evil inclinations, and when we
take this light for our guide, we are sure that we will come happily to
the end for which we were created. Amen.
Credo.
I believe in one God, and in three divine persons in that Godhead. I
believe in one God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of
all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only‐
begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God of God, Light
of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made; consubstantial with
the Father by Whom all things were made, Who for us men, and for our
salvation, came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of
the Virgin Mary and was made man! He was crucified also for us, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. The third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven and sitteth at the
right hand of the Father: and He is to come again with glory to judge both
the living and the dead: of His kingdom there shall be no end. And I
believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceedeth from
the Father and the Son: Who together with the Father and the Son is adored
and glorified: Who spoke by the prophets. And one holy Catholic and
Apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I
expect the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Offertory.
I adore Thee, O my God, and in union with the priest, offer Thee this
sacrifice for Thy honor and glory, in thanksgiving for all the benefits
conferred upon myself and upon the world; and in satisfaction for my many
sins, and the sins of other men. Accept, O Lord, of this holocaust, which
is no other than Thy divine Son, at once made Priest and Victim, offering
and offered, and apply His saving merits to my needy soul. Be comforted, O
my heart, Jesus sacrifices Himself for thee. Amen.
Lavabo.
O my Jesus, would that I could take Thee to witness of the holiness of my
life and the innocence of my heart! But it is in Thy mercy only that I
place all my hope; my consolation is in meditating on Thy promises to the
penitent heart, and Thy faithfulness in performing them. Confounded at all
that I have committed to this day, and encouraged by the favors Thou hast
bestowed upon me, I can but promise to correspond better with Thy graces
than I have hitherto done. I will purify myself more and more with the
tears of penance; I will bless Thee as I do this day, and I will sing of
the wonders of Thy power and of Thy mercy. Amen.
Orate Fratres.
The creature can offer nothing to the Creator that can be worthy of His
acceptance. I unite myself, therefore, to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
Who alone can merit anything in my behalf. I desire nothing but through
Him and with Him. I have no wish beyond Him. O God of mercy, I seek
nothing but Thy love! Graciously accept of the sacrifice of my heart and
my whole self and may it, like the sacrifice of Jesus, be pleasing to Thee
and unite us to Him. Amen.
Preface.
Lift up, O Lord, do Thou Thyself lift up my heart to Thee! Take from it
all unholy thoughts, all earthly affections! Lift it wholly up to heaven,
where Thou art worthily adored, and to the altar, where Thou art about to
manifest Thyself to me. My life is but one continual succession of Thy
mercies; let it be one continual succession of thanksgivings. And as Thou
art now about to renew the greatest of all sacrifices, is it not meet that
I should burst forth into expressions of heartfelt gratitude? Suffer me,
then, to join my feeble voice with the voices of all the heavenly spirits,
and in union with them, say, in a transport of joy and admiration: Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest! Amen.
Consecration.
Bow down your body and soul in solemn adoration; make an act of faith in
the real presence of your Saviour’s body and blood, soul and divinity,
under the sacramental veils. Offer your whole self to Him, and through Him
to His Father; beg that your heart and soul may be happily changed into
Him.
Elevation Of The Host.
(_Here the bell is rung thrice._)
Hail, true body, born of the Virgin Mary, which didst truly suffer and was
immolated on the cross for man, Whose side was pierced, and from which
flowed water and blood; may we have a foretaste of Thee in the last agony
of death. O kind, O loving One, Jesus, Son of Mary, have mercy on me!
Amen.
Elevation Of The Chalice.
Saviour of the world, save us, for by Thy cross and by Thy blood Thou hast
redeemed us! Help us, we beseech Thee, O Our God! Amen. Have mercy on me,
dear Jesus, and grant that Thy blood may not be shed in vain for me, I
humbly beseech Thee. Amen.
Pater Noster.
Our Father, Who reignest in heaven, come and reign in my soul; come and
sanctify it by Thy presence; come and subject it to Thy holy will, and
render it obedient to the inspirations of Thy grace. Extinguish in my
heart every feeling of hatred and revenge; forgive me, as I forgive. Grant
me such wisdom and such strength that I may triumph over all temptations.
Deliver me from all those evils which oppress me, and under which I groan,
being burdened. I come to Thee as a child to his father to be fed; as a
subject to his prince to be protected; as one afflicted to his only
succor, to be consoled and comforted. Amen.
Agnus Dei.
In saying to Thy apostles, “Peace I leave to you, My peace I give to you,”
Thou hast promised, O Lord, to all Thy Church, that peace which the world
cannot give—peace with Thee, and peace with ourselves. Let nothing, O
Lord, ever interrupt this holy peace; let nothing separate us from Thee,
to Whom we heartily desire to be united, through the Blessed Sacrament of
peace and reconciliation. Let this food of angels strengthen us in every
Christian duty, so that we nevermore yield under temptations, or fall into
common weaknesses.
Domine, Non Sum Dignus.
God can only be worthy of receiving God; how, then, can a soul so sinful
as mine merit so great a happiness! But Thou, O Lord, regardest not Thy
greatness, but Thy mercy. Thou willest that I come to Thee, as one sick to
a physician who can heal him; as one poor to his rich lord who can assist.
O God of love, behold at Thy feet the poorest, the most infirm of Thy
creatures. Unite me to Thyself, and I shall become rich and whole in Thy
sight. Work, I beseech Thee, this miracle, worthy of Thy omnipotence and
charity.
Act Of Spiritual Communion.
_For Those Who do not Intend to Communicate._
O my most loving Saviour, since I cannot have the happiness of receiving
Thee this day, suffer me to gather up the precious crumbs that fall from
Thy table, and to unite myself to Thy divine Heart by faith, hope, and
charity. I confess I do not deserve the children’s bread; but I venture
humbly to declare that, away from Thee, my soul is dried up with thirst,
and my heart cast down with faintness. Come, then, into me, O my divine
Jesus! come into my mind, to illuminate it with Thy light; come into my
heart, to enkindle in it the fire of Thy love, and to unite it so
intimately with Thine own, that it may be no more I that live, but Thou
that livest in me and reignest in me forever.
Last Gospel.
O eternal Word, speak to my soul, which adores Thee in profound silence!
Thou Who art the great Creator of all things, abandon not, I beseech Thee,
Thine own creature! be Thou my life, my light, and my all! O Light
eternal! enlighten me as to this present life, and in the life to come.
Reign in me as in Thine own inheritance; for Thou, O Lord, hast made me;
Thou hast redeemed me. May I ever be Thine!
After Mass.
Accept, O most gracious God, this, our service; whatever, by Thy grace, we
may have performed with diligence, in Thy clemency regard; and what we
have done with negligence, mercifully pardon, through Jesus Christ Our
Lord. Amen. May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
descend upon us now, and remain with us forever. Amen.
To Be Said Throughout Advent.
Ant. The Holy Ghost shall come down upon thee, O Mary: fear not: thou
shalt bear within thy womb the Son of God. Alleluia.
_V._ O Lord, hear my prayer.
_R._ And let my cry come unto Thee.
_Let Us Pray._
O God, Who wast pleased that Thy Word should take flesh in the womb of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, and didst make it known unto her by the message of an
angel; grant that we, Thy suppliants, who truly believe her to be the
Mother of God, may through her intercession find help with Thee. Through
the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Litany for Christmas.
(_For Private Devotion Only._)
Glory be to God on high.
_And peace on earth to men of good will._
We praise Thee.
_We bless Thee._
We adore Thee.
_We glorify Thee; we give Thee thanks for Thy great glory._
Lord God, heavenly King, Father almighty.
_Lord Jesus Christ, the only‐begotten Son._
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who takest away the sins of the
world,
_Have mercy on us._
Who takest away the sins of the world,
_Hear our prayers._
Who sitteth at the right hand of the Father,
_Have mercy on us._
For Thou only art holy,
_Thou only art Our Lord._
Thou only, O Jesus Christ, art most high, together with the Holy Ghost, in
the glory of God the Father.
_Amen._
Blessed Jesus, true God and man, born in the form of a helpless infant.
_Praise and glory be to Thee forever._
Blessed Jesus, Who, having the heavens for Thy throne, didst yet choose a
poor stable for Thine abode.
_Praise and glory be to Thee forever._
Blessed Jesus, Who, being God incomprehensible, wast pleased, in love to
us, to be wrapped up in swaddling‐clothes and laid in a
manger.
_Praise and glory be to Thee forever._
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because He hath visited and wrought the
redemption of His people.
_And hath raised up a horn of salvation to us in the house of David His
servant._
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who are from the beginning.
_Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us._
To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember His holy testament.
_The oath, which He swore to Abraham our father, that He would grant to
us._
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve Him
without fear.
_In holiness and justice before Him all our days._
Through the bowels of the mercy of Our God, in which the Orient from on
high hath visited us.
_To enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death; to
direct our feet into the way of peace._
Glory be to the Father, etc.
_Let Us Pray._
O eternal God, Father almighty, Who in compassion to lost man didst send
Thine only Son to become His Redeemer from that unhappy state; grant, we
beseech Thee, that we, who are here assembled to acknowledge the mercy of
this time, may find the benefit of it in our souls, in the pardon of all
our sins. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, etc.
Crown of the Twelve Stars, Or Rosary of the Immaculate Conception.
Let us praise and bless the most Holy Trinity, for having shown to us the
Virgin Mary clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and with
a mysterious crown of twelve stars upon her head.
_R._ Forever and forever. Amen.
Let us praise and bless the divine Father, for having chosen her as His
daughter.
_R._ Amen. Our Father, etc.
Praised be the divine Father, for having predestined her to be the Mother
of His divine Son.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the divine Father, for having preserved her from all sin in her
conception.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the divine Father, for having adorned her with the highest
gifts in her nativity.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the divine Father, for having given her St. Joseph as a most
pure spouse and companion.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.
Let us praise and bless the divine Son, for having chosen her for His
Mother.
_R._ Amen. Our Father, etc.
Praised be the divine Son, for having become incarnate in her womb, and
for having remained there nine months.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the divine Son, for having been born of her, and for having
given her the milk wherewith to nourish Him.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the divine Son, for having been pleased in His childhood to be
educated by her.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the divine Son, for having revealed to her the mysteries of the
redemption of the world.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.
Let us praise and bless the Holy Ghost, for having taken her for His
spouse.
_R._ Amen. Our Father, etc.
Praised be the Holy Ghost, for having revealed to her for the first time
His name of Holy Ghost.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the Holy Ghost, through Whose operation she was at once Virgin
and Mother.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the Holy Ghost, through Whose power she became the living
temple of the most Holy Trinity.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, etc.
Praised be the Holy Ghost, by Whom she was exalted in heaven above all
creatures.
_R._ Amen. Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.
For the holy Catholic Church, for the propagation of the faith, for peace
among Christian princes, and for the extirpation of heresies, let us say
The Salve Regina.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up
our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most
gracious advocate, thine eye of mercy towards us, and after this our
exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus; O clement, O
pious, O sweet Virgin Mary.
_V._ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
_R._ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.