Our Morning Offering – 16 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”
My Most Sweet Lord
Morning Offering
Of St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
My most sweet Lord,
I offer and consecrate to Thee.
this morning
all that I am and have –
my senses,
my thoughts,
my affections,
my desires,
my pleasures,
my inclinations,
my liberty.
In a word,
I place my whole body and soul
in Thy Hands.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 15 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Feast of St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390) Priest, Abbot, Hermit, Desert Father of the Church, Spiritual student of Saint Anthony Abbot, Ascetic, Miracle-worker , known as “The Glowing Lantern.”
Prayer for Mercy and Forgiveness
By St Macarius of Egypt (c300-390)
Lord, be merciful now
that my life is approaching its end
and the evening awaits me.
There is not enough time
for me to cleanse myself of my sins,
for they are so many.
Heal me while I am still on earth
and I shall be truly healthy.
In Thy mercy,
move me to repent,
so that I shall not be ashamed,
when I meet Thee in Heaven.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Second Sunday after the Epiphany and the Feast day of St Hilary (315-368) Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost
By St Hilary (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Father, keep us from vain strife of words.
Grant to us constant profession of the Truth!
Preserve us in a true and undefiled faith
so that we may hold fast to that
which we professed
when we were Baptised
in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
that we may have Thou for our Father,
that we may abide in Thy Son
and in the fellowship of the Holy Ghost.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 13 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Eighth Day, The Octave of the Epiphany
Jesus Refulsit Omnium
Jesus, Light of All the Nations
By St Hilary (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Doctor of the Divinity of Christ
Jesus, the merciful Redeemer of all nations,
shone forth on this day;
let the faithful of every race
celebrate Him in their songs of praise.
A Star, shining in the heavens,
announces His Birth;
it leads the way
and guides them to His Crib.
Prostrating, they adore the Infant
wrapped in swaddling clothes;
they confess Him to be the true God,
offering Him their mystic gifts.
Thirty years of His life had passed
and He, the infinitely pure God,
seeks the laver of baptism.
John, the favoured Baptist
trembles as he bends the head of Jesus
beneath the waters–that Jesus whose Blood
was to purify the whole earth from its sins.
The Divine Voice of the Father is heard from Heaven,
bearing testimony to His Son
and the Holy Ghost, too, is present,
the Giver of holy grace.
We beseech Thee in humble supplication,
O Jesus! protect Thy people;
we ask it of Thee by the power Thou didst show
when Thou didst command
the water to be changed into wine.
May praise, honour and all power
be to the Trinity forever and forever.
Amen
(Verses 4-6 omitted on the image).
I could not find the name of the Translator of this version of this Hymn, often referred to as “the oldest” Christmas Hymn.
Our Morning Offering – 12 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Seventh Day Within the Octave of The Epiphany
Jesu Dulcis Memoria
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee!
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and the Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy Face to see
And in Thy Presence rest.
No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
The Saviour of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart!
O joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find?
Ah! this nor tongue, nor pen, can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our Prize shall be;
In Thee be all our glory now
And through eternity.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 11 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Sixth Day within the Octave of Epiphany
Sweet Jesus, Thy Name is Joy
By St Anthony of Padua OFM (1195-1231)
Doctor of the Church
Sweet Jesus,
is there anything sweeter than Thee?
To remember Thee is more delightful
than everything else.
Thy Name is joy – it is the true
Gate of our Salvation.
What else are Thou, Jesus,
if not our Saviour?
Be our Redeemer.
Give us the virtues of hope and love,
just as Thou hast given us faith,
our primary joy.
Give us the words which we need
to praise Thee always.
With the help and through the prayers
of Thy Mother.
Thou who art blessed throughout the ages.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 10 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Within the Octave of The Epiphany
O Child, So Worthy of Our Love,
I Offer Thee My Heart
(O Grant Me that Gold, Incense and Myrrh
Which I Lack)
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
O Child so worthy of our love,
I see You lying on the straw in this cave,
so poor and despised.
Yet faith teaches me, that You are my God
come down from heaven for my salvation.
I acknowledge You as my Sovereign Lord and Saviour,
as such I proclaim You,
yet, I have nothing at all to offer You.
I am without Love’s Gold,
since I have given my love to the things of this world –
I have only loved my own whim, rather than loving You,
so infinitely worthy of love.
I am without Prayer’s Incense,
since I have lived wretchedly without thinking of You.
I have no Myrrh of Mortification since,
so as not to forsake some paltry pleasures,
I have so often saddened Your infinite goodness.
So what am I to offer You?
O my Jesus, I offer You my heart, soiled and naked as it is.
Take it and change it, for You have come down to us
to wash our guilty hearts with Your Blood
and so transform us from sinners into saints.
O grant me that Gold, Incense and Myrrh which I lack.
Grant me the Gold of Your Holy Love;
grant me the Incense which is the spirit of prayer;
grant me Myrrh,
the willingness and strength to deny myself
in all that displeases You…
O holy Virgin, you welcomed those devout Magi Kings
with keen affection and satisfied them.
Deign to welcome and comfort me also,
I, who come, following their example,
to visit and offer myself to your Son
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 9 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – Within the Octave of The Epiphany
The Love of Your Name
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
The Imitation of Christ
(Book 3 Ch 26:1-4)
My God, Sweetness beyond words,
make bitter all the carnal comfort
which draws me from love of the eternal
and lures me to its evil self,
by the sight of some delightful good in the present.
Let it not overcome me, my God.
Let not flesh and blood conquer me.
Let not the world and its brief glory
deceive me, nor the devil trip me by his craftiness.
Give me courage to resist,
patience to endure
and constancy to persevere.
Give me the soothing unction of Your spirit,
rather than all the consolations of the world
and in place of carnal love,
infuse into me, the love of Your Name.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 8 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – With the Octave of The Epiphany
O Dearest Infant
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
O dearest Infant,
tell me what You came on earth to do.
Tell me whom You are seeking.
Ah, yes, I now understand…
You have come to die for me, a lost sheep,
in order that I may no more
hide from You but love You.
O Jesus, my treasure,
my life, my love, my all,
if I do not love You,
then whom shall I love?
Where can I find a mother or father,
a friend, or a spouse more loving than You?
And who has ever loved me more than You have?
I am sorry that I have lived so many years in this world
and yet still love You so little,
even having offended You
and sometimes forgotten You.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 7 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” and the Feast of the Holy Family
O Gente Felix
O House of Nazareth The Blest
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)
O house of Nazareth the blest,
Fair hostess of the Lord,
The Church was nurtured at thy breast
And shared thy scanty hoard.
In all the spreading lands of earth.
The wandering sun may see
No dearer spot, no ampler worth
Than erst was found in thee!
We know thy humble tenement
Was heaven’s hermitage:
Celestial heralds came and went
In endless embassage.
There, whatsoever Joseph asks
Christ hastens to fulfil;
While Mary loves the household tasks
That wait her joyous will.
There, Joseph toileth at her side
Her joys and griefs to share,
With thousand ties knit to his bride,
Of love and work and prayer.
Yet how their bosoms constant burn
And deeper ardours prove
In love of Christ, whose eyes return
Tokens of mutual love.
O then, in all the homes of earth,
Be Love the bond of life:
May it enthrone at every hearth
The peace that husheth strife.
All praise to thee, O Jesus,
Who parents dost obey;
Praise to the sovereign Father
And Paraclete for aye.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 6 January – The Epiphany of the Lord
Bethlehem! of Noblest Cities
By Prudentius, Aurelius Clemens (c348-c413)
Trans. Fr Edward Caswell c.Orat. (1814–1878)
Bethlehem! of noblest cities
None can once with thee compare;
Thou alone the Lord from Heaven
Didst for us Incarnate bear.
Fairer than the sun at morning
Was the Star that told His Birth;
To the lands their God announcing,
Hid beneath a form of earth.
By its lambent beauty guided,
See, the Eastern Kings appear;
See them bend, their gifts to offer,
Gifts of incense, gold and myrrh.
Offerings of mystic meaning;
Incense doth the God disclose;
Gold a Royal Child proclaimeth;
Myrrh a future Tomb foreshows.
Holy Jesus! in Thy brightness
to the gentile world displayed!
With the Father and the Spirit,
Endless praise to Thee be paid!
Amen! Amen!
Our Morning Offering – 5 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Vigil of the Epiphany of Our Lord
The Eastern Kings the Star Have Seen!
Unknown Author
The Eastern Kings the Star have seen,
They hasten on their way;
Long time they’ve watched and waiting been
The dawning of that Day:
The dawning of the Day of grace,
The gleam of Jacob’s Star,
The Virgin’s Child of Jesse’s race
Whom Prophets saw afar.
Glory give to God on high!
And now they open treasures rare
Which Indian silks enfold,
Of Myrrh which sweetly scents the air,
Of Frankincense and gold.
Their kingly heads they meekly bow
The cradled Babe before,
Their God confess, and kneeling low
In humble faith adore.
Glory give to God on high!
With them I come to greet my King,
Yet not with them to part;
No Gold, no Frankincense I bring,
I offer Him my heart.
With Him to live, with Him to die,
Who by His lowly birth,
Gave glory to our God on high
And peace to men on earth.
Glory give to God on high!
Amen!
Our Morning Offering – 4 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” –
Glory, Honour and Praise,
To Our Lord Jesus Christ!
A devout Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ,
to be said both Morning and Evening
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church
(From His “A Brief Christian Doctrine”)
GLory, Honour and Praise Be,
May all the world adore Thee,
blessed be Thy Holy Name,
Who for us sinners,
vouchsafest to be born of a humble Virgin
and blessed be Thine Infinite Goodness,
Who died upon the Cross for our Redemption.
O Jesus, Son of God
and Saviour of mankind,
have mercy upon us
and so dispose our lives here,
by Thy Grace
that we may, hereafter,
rejoice with Thee forever
in Thy Heavenly Kingdom,
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 3 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”
Jesu Dulcis Memoria
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Mellifluous Doctor
Trans Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)
Jesu, the very thought of Thee
with sweetness fills my breast,
But sweeter far Thy Face to see
and in Thy Presence rest.
Nor voice can sing nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
a sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
O Saviour of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek
to those who fall, how kind Thou art,
how good to those who seek!
But what to those who find?
Ah this nor tongue nor pen can show,
the love of Jesus, what it is, none
but His loved ones know.
Jesus our only joy be Thou
as Thou our prize wilt be.
Jesus, be Thou our glory now
and through eternity.
Amen
Jesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th Century prayer/hymn by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor Mellifluous. The entire Hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas. Parts of this Hymn are used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Our Morning Offering – 2 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” and the Feast of the Most Holy Name and of the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague
Daily Prayer to the Most Holy Name
By St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)
Apostle of the Most Holy Name
Jesus,
Name full of glory, grace, love and strength!
Thou art the Refuge of those who repent,
our Banner of warfare in this life,
the Medicine of souls,
the Comfort of those who mourn,
the Delight of those who believe,
the Light of those who preach the true faith,
the Wages of those who toil,
the Cure of the sick.
To Thou, our devotion aspires;
by Thee, our prayers are received;
we delight in contemplating Thee.
O Name of Jesus,
Thou art the glory
of all the Saints for eternity.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 1 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family”
Jesu, Decus Angelicum!
Jesu, Angelic Glory!
By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor
Trans Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)
O Jesu, Thou the Beauty art
Of Angel worlds above;
Thy Name is music to the heart,
Enchanting it with love.
Celestial Sweetness unalloyed!
Who eat Thee, hunger still;
Who drink of Thee still feel a void,
Which only Thou canst fill.
O my sweet Jesu! hear the sighs
Which unto Thee I send;
To Thee mine inmost spirit cries
My being’s hope and end.
Stay with us. Lord and with Thy Light
Illume the soul’s abyss;
Scatter the darkness of our night,
And fill the world with bliss.
O Jesu, spotless Virgin flower,
Our Life and Joy; to Thee
Be praise, beatitude, and power,
Through all eternity.
Amen.
Jesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th Century prayer/hymn by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluous. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas. Parts of this hymn are used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. Above are the stanzas most commonly used for the Feast of the Holy Name.
Our Morning Offering – 31 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” –Sunday Within the Octave of Christmas
O Jesus, Dear Holy Child
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897)
O Jesus,
dear Holy Child,
my only treasure,
I abandon myself to Thy every whim.
I seek no other joy
than that of calling forth Thy sweet Smile.
Vouchsafe to me, the graces and the virtues
of Thy Holy Childhood,
so that, on the day of my birth into Heaven,
the Angels and Saints
may recognise in Thy Spouse,
Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 30 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” –The Sixth Day Within the Christmas Octave
Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise
A Solis Ortus Cardine
By Coelius Sedulius (Died c 450)
Trans Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)
Afar from where the sun doth rise
To lands beneath the western skies,
Homage to Christ our King we pay,
Born of a Virgin’s womb this day
Blessed Creator, Thou didst take__
A servant’s likeness for our sake,
And didst in flesh our flesh restore
To bid Thy creature live once more.
Chaste was the womb where Thou didst dwell,
Of heavenly grace the hidden cell;
Nor might the blessed Maid proclaim
Whence her dread Guest in secret came.
Down from on high God came to rest__
His glory in a sinless breast;
Obedience at His word believed,
And virgin innocence conceived.
Ere long, that holy child she bore
By Gabriel’s message named before,
Whom yet unborn, with eager pride,
The swift forerunner prophesied.
Fast doth He sleep, where straw doth spread,
A humble manger for His bed.
A Mother’s milk that strength renewed,
Which gives the birds of heaven their food.
Glory to God, the angels cry;
Earth hears the echo from on high;
Mankind’s true Shepherd and it’s Lord
By shepherd hearts is first adored.
Our Morning Offering – 29 December – St Thomas à Becket (1118-1170) Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury
Please Lord, Make me Worthy!
Prayer of Supplication and Repentance
By St Thomas à Becket (1118-1170)
Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury
My Lord,
I find it difficult to talk to Thee.
What can I say?
I, who have turned away from Thee
so often with indifference.
I have been a stranger to prayer,
undeserving of Thy friendship and love.
I have been without honour
and feel unworthy.
I am a weak and shallow creature,
clever only in the second-rate and worldly arts,
seeking my comfort and pleasure.
I gave my love, such as it was, elsewhere,
putting service to my earthly King,
before my duty to Thee.
Please Lord, teach me how to serve Thee
with all my heart, to know at last,
what it really is, to love, to adore.
So that I may worthily minister to
Thine Kingdom, here on earth
and find my true honour,
in observing Thine divine will.
Please Lord, make me worthy!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
Oh Teach Me then, Dear Saint!
An Invocation of St John,
the Apostle and Evangelist
“Saint of the Sacred Heart”,
Unknown Author
Saint of the Sacred Heart,
Sweet teacher of the Word,
Partner of Mary’s woes
And favourite of thy Lord!
Refrain: Oh teach me then, dear Saint!
The Secrets Christ taught thee;
The Beatings of His Heart
And how it beat for me!
We know not all thy gifts
But this, Christ bids us see,
That He Who so loved all,
Found more to love in thee.
Refrain
When the last evening came,
Thy head was on His Breast,
Pillowed on earth, where now
In Heaven the Saints find rest.
Refrain
Dear Saint! I stand far off,
With vilest sins opprest,
Oh may I dare, like thee,
To lean upon His Breast?
Refrain
His Touch could heal the sick,
His Voice could raise the dead,
Oh that my soul might be
Where He allows thy head.
Refrain
The gifts He gave to thee
He gave thee to impart
And I, too, claim with thee
His Mother and His Heart!
Refrain
Our Morning Offering – 25 December – The Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Day!
Adeste Fidelis
O Come, All Ye Faithful!
By John Francis Wade (c1711-1786)
Composer, Hymnist, Professor of Music at the Douay Seminary
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels!
Refrain:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!
God of God, Light of Light,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten, not created.
[Refrain]
Sing, Choirs of Angels; sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest!
[Refrain]
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv’n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
[Refrain]
John Francis Wade (1711 or 1712-1786) is now generally recognised as both Author and Composer of the hymn “Adeste fideles,” originally written in Latin in four stanzas.
The earliest manuscript signed by Wade is dated about 1743. By the early 19th Century, however, four additional stanzas had been added by other writers.
A Roman Catholic, Wade apparently moved to France because of discrimination against Roman Catholics in 18th Century England—especially so. after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.
He taught music at an English college in Douay and hand copied and sold Chant music for use in the Chapels of wealthy families. Wade’s copied manuscripts were published as Cantus Diversi pro Dominicis et Festis per annum (1751)
The Translator is Father Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880), ex Anglican minister, in 1845, he became a Catholic and a Priest and Canon of the Diocese of Westminister.
His publications are numerous, and some of them have considerable value.
Our Morning Offering – 24 December – The Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Veni Redemptor Gentium
Saviour of the Nations, Come!
By St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church
Saviour of the nations, come!
Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home!
Marvel now, O Heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.
Not by human flesh and blood;
By the Spirit of our God
Was the Word of God made flesh,
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.
Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child
Of the Virgin undefiled!
Though by all the world disowned,
Still to be in Heaven enthroned.
From the Father forth He came
And returneth to the same,
Captive leading death and hell
High the song of triumph swell!
Thou, the Father’s only Son,
Hast over sin the victory won.
Boundless shall Thy Kingdom be;
When shall we its glories see?
Brightly doth Thy manger shine,
Glorious is its Light Divine.
Let not sin o’ercloud this Light;
Ever be our faith thus bright.
Praise to God the Father sing,
Praise to God the Son, our King,
Praise to God the Spirit be
Ever and eternally.
Amen!
Our Morning Offering – 23 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ember Saturday
Magnis Prophetæ Vocibus
With Mighty Voice the Prophets Cry
Unknown Author
With mighty voice the prophets cry
that Christ the Lord is drawing nigh;
rejoicing, they foresee the grace
by which He saves us and redeems.
And so our morning sun shines forth,
our hearts ablaze with radiant joy;
we hear the faithful voice resound,
precursor of God’s glorious gift.
At that first Advent, Christ our God
came forth not to condemn the world,
but came to cleanse our gaping wound,
to seek and save what had been lost.
Christ’s Second Coming warns us all
that He is standing at the gates,
to give to saints their glorious crowns
and open wide the heav’nly realm.
Eternal light is now foretold,
the saving star is shining forth,
its radiant splendour summons us
and calls us to the heav’nly court.
Christ Jesus, Thou alone we seek
to see Thee face to face as God;
may this unending vision be
an everlasting hymn of praise.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 22 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Third Week of Advent
Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding
Vox Clare
Unknown Author – 5th or 6th Century
Trans: Fr Edward Caswall C.Orat. (1814-1878)
Hark! A herald voice is sounding!
“Christ is near,” we hear it say.
Cast away the works of darkness,
all you children of the day!”
2 See, the Lamb, so long expected,
comes with pardon down from Heav’n.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
one and all, to be forgiv’n.
3 So, when next He comes in glory
and the world is wrapped in fear,
He will shield us with His mercy
and with words of love draw near.
4 Honour, glory, might, dominion
to the Father and the Son
with the everlasting Spirit
while eternal ages run!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Feast of St Thomas, Apostle
Exsultet Orbis!
Let the World Rejoice!
Unknown Author
Now let the earth with joy resound,
And Heaven the chant re-echo round;
Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise
The great Apostles’ glorious praise.
O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead,
Lights of the world forever more!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
Ye close the Sacred Gates on high.
At your command apart they fly.
O loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break and strive in vain.
Sickness and health your voice obey,
At your command they go or stay.
From sin’s disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.
So when the world is at its end.
And Christ to Judgment shall descend,
May we be called, those joys to see
Prepared from all eternity.
Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen
(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles)
An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.
Our Morning Offering – 20 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Ember Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Let Your Goodness, Lord, Appear to Us
An Advent Prayer
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Mellifluous Doctor
Let Your goodness, Lord,
appear to us,
that we, made in Your image,
conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength
we cannot imitate
Your majesty, power and wonder,
nor is it fitting for us to try.
But Your mercy reaches from the heavens
through the clouds to the earth below.
You have come to us as a small child
but You have brought us
the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love.
Caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms
and pierce our hearts
with Your soft, sweet cries.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 19 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Third Week of Advent
“Christ is Near!”
Vox clara ecce intonas
Hear the Herald Voice Resounding
Unknown Sixth Century
Trans. Fr Edward Caswell C.Orat. (1814-1878)
Hear the herald voice resounding:
“Christ is near!” it seems to say,
“Cast away the dreams of darkness,
Welcome Christ, the Light of day!”
Wakened by this solemn warning,
Let the earthbound soul arise;
Christ her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.
See the Lamb so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from Heav’n;
Hasten now, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiv’n.
So when next He comes with glory,
Shrouding all the earth in fear,
May He then as our Defender
On the clouds of heav’n appear.
Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
To the Father and the Son,
With the co-eternal Spirit,
While eternal ages run.
Amen!
Our Morning Offering – 18 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation
Awaiting Baby Jesus
Traditional Catholic Advent Prayer
My heart is beating,
filled with joy,
awaiting Mary’s Baby Boy.
For with this Child, we embrace
the birth of God’s
most precious grace.
Baby Jesus, soon to come!
For us comes the Promised One.
Baby Jesus, God’s own Son,
Thou will be the Chosen One
to lead Thy flock unto salvation.
Our eternal life awaits.
The birth of Jesus brings us nearer
Heaven’s Holy Gates.
Sing with joy
and count the days,
for soon to come,
the Lord we’ll praise.
Rejoice that Jesus
will soon arrive,
the Messiah and our faith alive.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Gaudete Sunday, The Third Sunday of Advent
Veni Redemptor Gentium
Saviour of the Nations, Come!
By St Ambrose’s Advent Hymn
Saviour of the nations, come!
Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home!
Marvel now, O Heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.
Not by human flesh and blood;
By the Spirit of our God
Was the Word of God made flesh,
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.
Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child
Of the Virgin undefiled!
Though by all the world disowned,
Still to be in Heaven enthroned.
From the Father forth He came
And returneth to the same,
Captive leading death and hell
High the song of triumph swell!
Thou, the Father’s only Son,
Hast over sin the victory won.
Boundless shall Thy kingdom be;
When shall we its glories see?
Brightly doth Thy manger shine,
Glorious is its light divine.
Let not sin o’ercloud this Light;
Ever be our faith thus bright.
Praise to God the Father sing,
Praise to God the Son, our King,
Praise to God the Spirit be
Ever and eternally.
Amen!
Our Morning Offering – 16 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Saturday of the Second Week of Advent and a day to honour our Holy Mother
Most Holy Mary
By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church
Most holy Mary,
Virgin of virgins,
Shrine of the most Holy Trinity,
joy of the Angels,
sure Refuge of sinners,
take pity on our sorrows,
mercifully accept our sighs
and appease the wrath
of your most holy Son.
Amen.
AnaStpaul 
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