O Holy Night

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Chorus
Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born.
O night, O holy night, O night divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming;
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand:
So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land,
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;

Chorus
He knows our need, To our weakness no stranger!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! your King! before him bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease,
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his Holy name!

Chorus
Christ is the Lord, then ever! ever praise we!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

It was almost a decade after the song’s composition that the lyrics were translated into English. Minister John Sullivan Dwight translated the French original into the lyrics we sing today in 1855.

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Charles Wesley, published 1745

The Great Joy of Our Blessed Mother

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.”  Luke 1:46-49

Our Blessed Mother and Her Perfect Faith

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.  And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”  Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.  Luke 1:34-38

Lord, I desire to trust You with my whole mind, heart, soul, and strength.  Help me to always hear You speak and to respond with complete faith and generosity.  Lord, may I imitate the perfect faith of Your Mother by praying always with her, ‘let it be done to me according to Your word.’  Mother Mary, pray for us.  Jesus, I trust in You.

https://mycatholic.life/books/catholic-daily-reflections-series/advent-and-christmas-reflections/advent-week-four/

During the fourth week of Advent, we focus on Mary’s open heart as she prepares to receive the gift of Emmanuel – God with us.

We Gather

(Lighting of the fourth purple candle of the Advent Wreath – the love candle)

Leader: We light the fourth candle as a sign of our faith in God’s redeeming love. God’s
promised Messiah is coming. He brings good news for the poor and oppressed. He will bind up
broken hearts. He will proclaim release to those who are held captive.

All: Loving God, we thank you for your gift of love – shown to us perfectly in Jesus Christ our
Lord. Help us prepare our hearts to receive Him. Bless us in our prayer. Help us to hear and do
your word. We ask it in the name of the one born in Bethlehem, Jesus our Lord. Amen

We Listen
Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to
a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name
was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But
she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The
angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you
will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of
his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there
will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said
to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your
relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her
who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here
am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel
departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord

All: Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ.

https://www.bne.catholic.edu.au/formationandleadership/prayer/Documents/Advent%20-%20Week%204.pdf

Joy is prayer – 

Joy is strength – Joy is love –

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

~Mother Teresa

O come, O come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel 

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, o Israel 

O come, Thou Day-Spring
Come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, o Israel 

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, o Israel 

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height
In ancient times did’st give the Law
In cloud, and majesty and awe
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, o Israel

John Mason Neale (1818-1866)

Listen:https://youtu.be/iO7ySn-Swwc

Advent Prayer

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your
Father and ours.
Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord
who enlists me in God’s own work for justice.

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me a hunger for peace: peace in the world,
peace in my home, peace in myself.

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me a joy responsive to the Father’s joy.
I seek His will so I can serve with gladness, singing and
love.

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me the joy and love and peace
it is right to bring to the manger of my Lord.
Raise in me, too,
sober reverence for the God who acted there,
hearty gratitude for the life begun there,
and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
whose advent I hail. Amen.

https://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=1090