this day:
vigils
lauds
prime
terce
sext
none
vespers
compline
one day back:
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lauds
prime
terce
sext
none
vespers
compline
one day forward:
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lauds
prime
terce
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none
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compline
Today (Wednesday, December 31, 2025):
vigils
lauds
prime
terce
sext
none
vespers
compline
Sunday, December 21, 2025
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Vigils
Invitatory
I call aloud upon the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill;
I lie down and go to sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I do not fear the multitudes of people
who set themselves against me all around.
Rise up, O Lord; set me free, O my God;
surely, you will strike all my enemies across the face,
you will break the teeth of the wicked.
Deliverance belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing be upon your people!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
Now the Lord is near: come, let us adore him.
Antiphon
Now the Lord is near: come, let us adore him.
Conceived not from the seed of man
but by the Spirit’s wondrous breath,
the Word of God comes in the flesh,
as Mary’s womb brings forth its fruit.
The Virgin’s womb grows great with child,
this cloister is for ever pure;
the banners of her virtues gleam,
for in this temple God resides.
From bridal chamber let him come,
from royal Virgin, palace chaste,
with twofold nature God and man,
a champion swift to run his course.
The eternal Father’s equal, come,
bind on the trophy of our flesh;
and strengthen with your lasting power
the weakness of our mortal frame.
Your manger now with splendor shines
and night breaths forth new radiant light,
which no night may corrupt or dim:
so let it shine through constant faith.
To you, O Christ, most loving King,
and to the Father, glory be,
one with the Spirit Paraclete
for endless ages evermore. Amen.
First Nocturn
Antiphon 1
Behold, the king from on high will come with great power to save the nations, alleluia.
For you meet him with blessings of prosperity,
and set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
He asked you for life, and you gave it to him:
length of days, for ever and ever.
His honor is great, because of your victory;
splendor and majesty have you bestowed upon him.
For you will give him everlasting felicity
and will make him glad with the joy of your presence.
For the king puts his trust in the Lord;
because of the loving-kindness of the Most High, he will not fall.
Your hand will lay hold upon all your enemies;
your right hand will seize all those who hate you.
You will make them like a fiery furnace
at the time of your appearing, O Lord;
You will swallow them up in your wrath,
and fire shall consume them.
You will destroy their offspring from the land
and their descendants from among the peoples of the earth.
Though they intend evil against you
and devise wicked schemes,
yet they shall not prevail.
For you will put them to flight
and aim your arrows at them.
Be exalted, O Lord, in your might;
we will sing and praise your power.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Yet you are the Holy One,
enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
Our forefathers put their trust in you;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
They cried out to you and were delivered;
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
But as for me, I am a worm and no man,
scorned by all and despised by the people.
All who see me laugh me to scorn;
they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,
“He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”
Yet you are he who took me out of the womb,
and kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.
I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born;
you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb.
Be not far from me, for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.
Many young bulls encircle me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me.
They open wide their jaws at me,
like a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water;
all my bones are out of joint;
my heart within my breast is melting wax.
My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.
Packs of dogs close me in,
and gangs of evildoers circle around me;
they pierce my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them;
they cast lots for my clothing.
Be not far away, O Lord;
you are my strength; hasten to help me.
Save me from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth,
my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.
I will declare your Name to my brethren;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
Praise the Lord, you that fear him;
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.
For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither does he hide his face from them;
but when they cry to him he hears them.
My praise is of him in the great assembly;
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the Lord shall praise him:
“May your heart live for ever!”
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.
For kingship belongs to the Lord;
he rules over the nations.
To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship;
all who go down to the dust fall before him.
My soul shall live for him;
my descendants shall serve him;
they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.
They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn
the saving deeds that he has done.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
Behold, the king from on high will come with great power to save the nations, alleluia.
Antiphon 2
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter Jerusalem: Lo, your king will come to you; Zion, do not fear, for your salvation will come soon.
He revives my soul
and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me;
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
“Who can ascend the hill of the Lord?
and who can stand in his holy place?”
“Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,
who have not pledged themselves to falsehood,
nor sworn by what is a fraud.
“They shall receive a blessing from the Lord
and a just reward from the God of their salvation.”
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
“Who is this King of glory?”
“The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.”
Lift up your heads, O gates;
lift them high, O everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in.
“Who is he, this King of glory?”
“The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.”
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter Jerusalem: Lo, your king will come to you; Zion, do not fear, for your salvation will come soon.
Antiphon 3
When the High King comes, the hearts of men will be cleansed, that we may go worthily to meet him, for behold, he will come and he will not delay.
Show me your ways, O Lord,
and teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.
Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
Gracious and upright is the Lord;
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.
He guides the humble in doing right
and teaches his way to the lowly.
All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For your Name’s sake, O Lord,
forgive my sin, for it is great.
Who are they who fear the Lord?
he will teach them the way that they should choose.
They shall dwell in prosperity,
and their offspring shall inherit the land.
The Lord is a friend to those who fear him
and will show them his covenant.
My eyes are ever looking to the Lord,
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and have pity on me,
for I am left alone and in misery.
The sorrows of my heart have increased;
bring me out of my troubles.
Look upon my adversity and misery
and forgive me all my sin.
Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
and they bear a violent hatred against me.
Protect my life and deliver me;
let me not be put to shame, for I have trusted in you.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for my hope has been in you.
Deliver Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Test me, O Lord, and try me;
examine my heart and my mind.
For your love is before my eyes;
I have walked faithfully with you.
I have not sat with the worthless,
nor do I consort with the deceitful.
I have hated the company of evildoers;
I will not sit down with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord,
that I may go in procession round your altar,
Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving
and recounting all your wonderful deeds.
Lord, I love the house in which you dwell
and the place where your glory abides.
Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with those who thirst for blood,
Whose hands are full of evil plots,
and their right hand full of bribes.
As for me, I will live with integrity;
redeem me, O Lord, and have pity on me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the full assembly I will bless the Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
When the High King comes, the hearts of men will be cleansed, that we may go worthily to meet him, for behold, he will come and he will not delay.
Absolution
Lord Jesus Christ, hear the prayers of your people and have mercy on us, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessings
May the eternal Father give us an everlasting blessing. Amen.
May the only-begotten Son of God be pleased to bless us and help us. Amen.
May the grace of the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and hearts. Amen.
May the Father and the Son bless us in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Readings
Second Nocturn
Antiphon 1
Strengthen the weak hands; be strong and say: Here is our God, he will come and save us, alleluia.
When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh,
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.
Though an army should encamp against me,
yet my heart shall not be afraid;
And though war should rise up against me,
yet will I put my trust in him.
One thing have I asked of the Lord;
one thing I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life;
To behold the fair beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe in his shelter;
he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling
and set me high upon a rock.
Even now he lifts up my head
above my enemies round about me.
Therefore will I offer in his dwelling an oblation
with sounds of great gladness;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
You speak in my heart and say, “Seek my face.”
Your face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not your face from me,
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
You have been my helper;
cast me not away;
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
Though my father and my mother forsake me,
the Lord will sustain me.
Show me your way, O Lord,
lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.
Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and also those who speak malice.
What if I had not believed
that I should see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
O tarry and await the Lord’s pleasure;
be strong, and he shall comfort your heart;
wait patiently for the Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you,
when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies.
Do not snatch me away with the wicked or with the evildoers,
who speak peaceably with their neighbors,
while strife is in their hearts.
Repay them according to their deeds,
and according to the wickedness of their actions.
According to the work of their hands repay them,
and give them their just deserts.
They have no understanding of the Lord’s doings,
nor of the works of his hands;
therefore he will break them down and not build them up.
Blessed is the Lord!
for he has heard the voice of my prayer.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped.
Therefore my heart dances for joy,
and in my song will I praise him.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
a safe refuge for his anointed.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
shepherd them and carry them for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
Strengthen the weak hands; be strong and say: Here is our God, he will come and save us, alleluia.
Antiphon 2
Rejoice, all of you, and be glad: for behold, the Lord of vengeance will come, he will bring recompense: he will come and save us.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders;
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice;
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe
and strips the forests bare.
And in the temple of the Lord
all are crying, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned above the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.
The Lord shall give strength to his people,
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
O Lord my God, I cried out to you,
and you restored me to health.
You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead;
you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.
Sing to the Lord, you servants of his;
give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.
For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,
his favor for a lifetime.
Weeping may spend the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
While I felt secure, I said,
“I shall never be disturbed.
You, Lord, with your favor, made me as strong as the mountains.”
Then you hid your face,
and I was filled with fear.
I cried to you, O Lord;
I pleaded with the Lord, saying,
“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit?
will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
“Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me;
O Lord, be my helper.”
You have turned my wailing into dancing;
you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.
Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing;
O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
Rejoice, all of you, and be glad: for behold, the Lord of vengeance will come, he will bring recompense: he will come and save us.
Antiphon 3
See, I am coming soon: my reward is with me, says the Lord: to give according to everyone’s work.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold;
for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.
Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,
for you are my tower of strength.
Into your hands I commend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me,
O Lord, O God of truth.
I hate those who cling to worthless idols,
and I put my trust in the Lord.
I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy;
for you have seen my affliction;
you know my distress.
You have not shut me up in the power of the enemy;
you have set my feet in an open place.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
my eye is consumed with sorrow,
and also my throat and my belly.
For my life is wasted with grief,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails me because of affliction,
and my bones are consumed.
I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbors,
a dismay to those of my acquaintance;
when they see me in the street they avoid me.
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am as useless as a broken pot.
For I have heard the whispering of the crowd;
fear is all around;
they put their heads together against me;
they plot to take my life.
But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord.
I have said, “You are my God.
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
“Make your face to shine upon your servant,
and in your loving-kindness save me.”
Lord, let me not be ashamed for having called upon you;
rather, let the wicked be put to shame;
let them be silent in the grave.
Let the lying lips be silenced which speak against the righteous,
haughtily, disdainfully, and with contempt.
How great is your goodness, O Lord!
which you have laid up for those who fear you;
which you have done in the sight of all
for those who put their trust in you.
You hide them in the covert of your presence from those who slander them;
you keep them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord!
for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a besieged city.
Yet I said in my alarm,
“I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes.”
Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my entreaty
when I cried out to you.
Love the Lord, all you who worship him;
the Lord protects the faithful,
but repays to the full those who act haughtily.
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
While I held my tongue, my bones withered away,
because of my groaning all day long.
For your hand was heavy upon me day and night;
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and did not conceal my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble;
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go;
I will guide you with my eye.
“Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding;
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.”
Great are the tribulations of the wicked;
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord;
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
See, I am coming soon: my reward is with me, says the Lord: to give according to everyone’s work.
Absolution
May his loving kindness and mercy help us, who lives and reigns with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessings
May God the Father Almighty be kind and merciful to us. Amen.
May Christ give us the joy of eternal life. Amen.
May God kindle the fire of his love in our hearts. Amen.
May the power of the Holy Trinity free us from all our faults and sins. Amen.
Readings
Third Nocturn
Antiphon
Behold, now the fullness of time has come, in which God sent his Son into the earth, born of a virgin, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,
or as his counselor has instructed him?
Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.
Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the Lord,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.
The Lord goes forth like a soldier,
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out; he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes.
For a long time I have held my peace,
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor,
I will gasp and pant.
I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
“Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;
Saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;
they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
For he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth,
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Antiphon
Behold, now the fullness of time has come, in which God sent his Son into the earth, born of a virgin, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law.
Absolution
May the almighty and merciful Lord free us from the bonds of our sins. Amen.
Blessings
May he bless us, who lives and reigns without end. Amen.
May Jesus Christ bring us to the joy of paradise. Amen.
May the divine assistance remain with us always. Amen.
May the King of the Angels bring us to the assembly of the heavenly city. Amen.
Readings
Gospel Reading
Collect
Let us pray.
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself;
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Conclusion
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.