Thursday of the Fourth Week in Advent

The Ferial Office

COLLECT OF THE DAY

The Suffrage of All Saints is omitted through Advent, even on Feasts.

CLOSING VERSICLES AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWETH

Matins

Lauds 2

Matins

De Isaía Prophéta

The Lesson is taken from
Isaiah the Prophet

Utinam dirúmperes cælos, et descénderes : a fácie tua montes deflúerent.  Sicut exústio ignis tabéscerent, aquæ ardérent igni, ut notum fíeret nomen tuum inimícis tuis : a fácie tua Gentes turbaréntur.  Cum féceris mirabília, non sustinébimus : descendísti, et a fácie tua montes defluxérunt.  A sæculo non audiérunt, neque áuribus percepérunt : óculus non vidit, Deus absque te, quæ præparásti expectántibus te.

Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!  When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.  For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.

V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

R.  Cánite tuba in Sion, vocáte Gentes, annuntiáte pópulis, et dícite : * Ecce Deus Salvátor noster advéniet.
V.  Annuntiáte, et audítum fácite : loquímini, et clamáte.
R.  Ecce Deus Salvátor noster advéniet.

R.  Blow ye the trumpet in Sion, call together the nations, tell it out among the people, and say : * Behold, God our Saviour cometh.
V.  Tell it out and make it to be heard ; lift up your voice and cry aloud.
R.  Behold, God our Saviour cometh.

Occurrísti lætánti, et faciénti justítiam : in viis tuis recordabúntur tui : ecce tu irátus es, et peccávimus : in ipsis fúimus semper, et salvábimur.  Et facti sumus ut immúndus omnes nos, quasi pannus menstruátæ univérsæ justítiæ nostræ : et cecídimus quasi fólium univérsi, et iniquitátes nostræ quasi ventus abstulérunt nos.  Non est qui ínvocet nomen tuum : qui consúrgat, et téneat te : abscondísti fáciem tuam a nobis, et allisísti nos in manu iniquitátis nostræ.

Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.

V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

R.  Non auferétur sceptrum de Juda, et dux de fémore ejus, donec véniat qui mitténdus est : * Et ipse erit exspectátio Géntium.
V.  Pulchrióres sunt óculi ejus vino, et dentes ejus lacte candidióres.
R.  Et ipse erit exspectátio Géntium.

R.  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the law-giver from his loins, until he cometh that shall be sent * And unto him shall be the longing of the Gentiles.
V.  His eyes shall be brighter than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
R.  And unto him shall be the longing of the Gentiles.

Et nunc, Dómine, pater noster es tu, nos vero lutum : et fictor noster tu, et ópera mánuum tuárum omnes nos.  Ne irascáris, Dómine, satis, et ne ultra memíneris iniquitátis nostræ : ecce réspice, pópulus tuus omnes nos.  Cívitas sancti tui facta est desérta, Sion desérta facta est, Jerúsalem desoláta est.  Domus sanctificatiónis nostræ, et glóriæ nostræ, ubi laudavérunt te patres nostri, facta est in exustiónem ignis, et ómnia desiderabília nostra versa sunt in ruínas.

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.  Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.  Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.  Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.

V.  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére nobis.
R.  Deo grátias.

V.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
R.  Thanks be to God.

R.  Me opórtet mínui, illum autem créscere : qui autem post me venit, ante me factus est : * Cujus non sum dignus corrígiam calceamentórum sólvere.
V.  Ego baptizávi vos aqua : ille autem baptizábit vos Spíritu Sancto.
R.  Cujus non sum dignus corrígiam calceamentórum sólvere.
V.  Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R.  Cujus non sum dignus corrígiam calceamentórum sólvere.

R.  I must decrease, but he must increase : he it is who, coming after me is preferred before me : * The latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.
V.  I have baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
R.  The latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.
V.  Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R.  The latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.

The Office of Matins ends after the Third Respond.  The Te Deum is not said, and Lauds normally follows immediately, beginning with the Opening Versicles.  Otherwise, the Conclusion of Matins is read, according to the Rubrics.

Conclusion of Matins
 

After the conclusion of the First Nocturn, the Second Nocturn is begun according to the current weekday.

Second Nocturn
 

Lauds 2

The first part of Lauds is in the Ordinary

All as in
Office of Thursday in Sapientiatide

Hymn and Chapter from Ordinary of Advent

Ad Bened. Ant:  Consolámini, consolámini, * pópule meus, dicit Dóminus Deus vester.

Ant. on Bened:  Comfort ye, comfort ye, * my people, saith the Lord your God.

If this day falls on December 23, ie. the last day before Christmas Eve, the following Antiphon is said:

Ad Bened. Ant:  Ecce compléta sunt * ómnia, quæ dicta sunt per Angelum de Vírgine María.

Ant. on Bened:  Behold, all things are fulfilled, * which were spoken by the Angel of the Virgin Mary.

Oremus.
Excita, quæsumus, Dómine, poténtiam tuam, et veni : et magna nobis virtúte succúrre; ut per auxílium grátiæ tuæ, quod nostra peccáta præpédiunt, indulgéntia tuæ propitiatiónis accéleret : Qui vivis.

Let us pray.
Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power, and come; make haste to our aid with thy great might ; that, by the help of thy grace, that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by thy merciful forgiveness.  Who livest.

COMMEMORATIONS, if there be any

CLOSING VERSICLES AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWETH