December 14, 2025
3rd Sunday of Advent
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Prelude: Wait for the Lord (RS 502)
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Entrance Hymn: O Come, Divine Messiah (RS 500)
O come, Divine Messiah,
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.
Dear Savior, haste!
Come, come to earth.
Dispel the night and show your face,
And bid us hail the dawn of grace.
O come, Divine Messiah,
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.
O come Desired of nations,
Whom priest and prophet long foretold,
Will break the captive fetters,
Redeem the long-lost fold.
O come in peace and meekness,
For lowly will your cradle be:
Though clothed in human weakness
We shall your Godhead see.
Text: Venez, divin Messie; Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, 1663-1745; tr. by S. Mary of St. Philip, 1877
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Scripture Readings (external link): 3rd Sunday of Advent
Responsorial: Psalm 146
R: Lord, come and save us.
Preparation Hymn: Comfort, Comfort, O My People (RS 497)
Comfort, comfort, O my people,
Speak of peace, now says our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning ‘neath their sorrows’s load.
Speak unto Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell of all the sins I cover,
And that warfare now is over.
Hark, the voice of one who’s crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all to full repentance
Since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to meet him
And the hills bow down to greet him.
O make straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain.
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits his holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o’er earth is shed abroad;
And all flesh shall see the token
That his word is never broken.
Text: Isaiah 40:1-8; Tröstet, tröstet, meine Lieben;
Johann Olearius, 1611-1684; tr. by Catherine Winkworth, 1827-1878, alt.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE License #A-727305.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE License #A-727305.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE License #A-727305.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE License #A-727305.
Communion Hymn: Drop Down Dew/Rorate Caeli (RS 513)
Drop down dew, heavens from above, let skies rain down the Just One.
Do not be angry within us, Lord; do not remember our iniquities.
Behold, your holy city has become a wasteland.
Zion has become a desert, Jerusalem has become desolate,
Your holy house and your glory where our ancestors praised you.
We have all sinned and have become like those unclean.
We have fallen, like a leaf that is decayed.
Our sins have swept us away like the wind.
You have hidden your face from us; you have consumed us because of our sins.
Lord, see the affliction of your people; send the One who is to come.
Send forth the Lamb who rules all earthly kingdoms,
Who rules from the desert to the height of Mount Zion.
Let him take off the yoke that keeps us captive.
Be consoled and comforted, my people! Your salvation will quickly come.
Why are you filled with sorrow, with grief that overwhelms you?
Do not be afraid, I will save you.
I am the Lord God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel.
Text: Rorate caeli; Latin hymn; tr. composite sources
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Concluding Hymn: People, Look East (RS 501)
People, look East. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year
Make your house fair as you are able.
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People look East and sing today:
Love the Guest is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare.
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flow’r may flourish.
People look East and sing today:
Love the Rose is on the way.
Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
He for fledging time has chosen.
People look East and sing today:
Love the Bird is on the way.
Stars, keep watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People look East and sing today:
Love the Star is on the way.
Angels announce with shouts of mirth
Him who brings new life to earth.
Set ev’ry peak and valley humming
With the word, the Lord is coming.
People look East and sing today:
Love the Lord is on the way.
Text: Eleanor Farjeon, 1881-1965, © David Higham Assoc. Ltd.
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Alternate Hymn: Be Not Afraid (RS 797)
You shall cross the barren desert,
but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety
though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands
and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.
Be not afraid.
I go before you always.
Come, follow me, and I will give you rest.
If you pass through raging waters in the sea,
you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames,
you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow’r of hell
and death is at your side,
know that I am with you through it all.
Blessed are your poor,
for the kingdom shall be theirs.
Blest are you that weep and mourn,
for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked tongues insult and hate you
all because of me,
blessed, blessed are you!
Text: Based on Isaiah 43:2–3; Luke 6:20ff. Text and music © 1975, 1978, Robert J. Dufford, SJ, and OCP. All rights reserved.
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