← Prayer Book
Office of Readings
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 • Saint Raymond of Penafort, Priest
Opening
O God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Invitatory
Ant. Christ the Savior is born. Come, let us adore him.
Come, let us exult in the Lord; let us shout with joy to God our salvation.
Let us come before his face with praise and exult in him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods.
For the Lord does not cast off his people; for in his hand are all the ends of the earth.
And the heights of the mountains belong to him.
For the sea is his, and he made it; and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us adore and fall down before God; let us weep before the Lord who made us.
For he is the Lord our God; and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness,
where your fathers tempted me; they tried me and saw my works.
For forty years I was close to this generation, and I said: "They always err in heart."
And these people have not known my ways, so I swore in my wrath that they will not enter into my rest.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Christ the Savior is born. Come, let us adore him.
Hymn
What Child Is This
What child is this, who, laid to rest,
on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?
on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?
Psalmody
Psalm 31The Blessedness of Forgiveness
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Blessed are those whose iniquities have been forgiven and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not imputed sin, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Because I was silent, my bones grew old, while I was crying out all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; I was turned in my misery while the thorn was being driven in.
I have acknowledged my sin to you and I have not concealed my injustice.
I said: "I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord," and you forgave the impiety of my sin.
For this, every holy one will pray to you in an acceptable time.
Yet truly in a flood of many waters, they will not approach him.
You are my refuge from tribulation which surrounds me; O my joy, rescue me from those who encircle me.
I will give you understanding and I will instruct you in this way in which you will proceed; I will fix my eyes upon you.
Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding.
With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, those who do not draw near to you.
Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy will surround those who hope in the Lord.
Rejoice in the Lord and exult, you just, and glory, all you upright 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 forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Psalm 32Praise to the Creator
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Rejoice in the Lord, O just ones; praise is proper to the upright.
Confess to the Lord with harp; sing to him with a psaltery of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully with jubilation.
For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are in good faith.
He loves mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
The heavens were established by the word of the Lord, and all their power by the spirit of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as if in a vessel; he places the depths in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be moved before him.
For he spoke and it was done; he commanded and it was created.
The Lord scatters the counsel of the nations; but he rejects the intentions of peoples and repudiates the counsel of leaders.
But the counsel of the Lord remains forever; the thoughts of his heart endure from generation to generation.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his inheritance.
The Lord has looked down from heaven; he has seen all the sons of men.
From his prepared habitation, he has gazed upon all who dwell upon the earth.
He who fashioned their hearts individually, who understands all their works.
A king is not saved by a great army, and a giant will not be saved by his own great power.
A horse is a vain means of safety, and he will not be saved by the abundance of his strength.
Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him and upon those who hope in his mercy,
to rescue their souls from death and to nourish them in famine.
Our soul is patient with the Lord, for he is our helper and our protector.
For in him our heart will be joyful, and in his holy name we have trusted.
Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we have hoped in you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
Psalm 33Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be in my mouth.
My soul will be praised in the Lord; let the meek hear and rejoice.
Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord and he heard me, and he rescued me from all my troubles.
Approach him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be confounded.
This poor man cried out and the Lord heard him, and he saved him from all his troubles.
The Angel of the Lord will encompass those who fear him and will rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is sweet; blessed is the man who hopes in him.
Fear the Lord, all you his saints, for there is no indigence for those who fear him.
The rich have been in need and have been hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good thing.
Come, sons, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life? Who loves to see good days?
Restrain your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears attend to their prayers.
But the countenance of the Lord is upon those who do evil, to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The just cried out, and the Lord heard them and rescued them from all their tribulations.
The Lord is near to those who are troubled in heart, and he will save the humble of spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the just, and from all of them the Lord will rescue them.
The Lord keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken.
The death of sinners is terrible, and those who hate the just will be guilty.
The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants, and none of those who hope in him will be guilty.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. Today Christ is born for us; glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
First Reading: Scripture
Micah 5:4-5
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
Second Reading: Patristic or Hagiographic
Share in the Divine Nature
Dearly beloved, today our Savior is born. Let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings us joy with the promise of eternity. No one is shut out from this joy; all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our Lord, victor over sin and death, finding no man free from sin, came to free us all. Let the saint rejoice as he sees the palm of victory at hand. Let the sinner be glad as he receives the offer of forgiveness. Let the gentile take courage as he is summoned to life. For the Son of God in the fullness of time has united himself to a human nature in order to reconcile it to its maker. You then, dearly beloved, should recognize your dignity. Since you have been made partakers of the divine nature, do not return by evil deeds to the former base condition. Bear in mind of what head and of what body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the kingdom of God.
Responsory
V. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
R. and we have seen his glory.
V. Full of grace and truth,
R. we have seen his glory.
Concluding Prayer
Father, the saints and fathers of the church proclaimed the mystery of the incarnation with joy. May their words renew our joy in the Word made flesh; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dismissal
Let us praise the Lord.
And give him thanks.