Responsorial Psalm

℟. (37) The son of David will live for ever.

The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
   through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever;”
   in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

℟. The son of David will live for ever.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
   I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
   and establish your throne for all generations.”

℟. The son of David will live for ever.

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
   my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
   and my covenant with him stands firm.”

℟. The son of David will live for ever.

2nd Reading

Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans

Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
   that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
   that he would inherit the world,
   but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
   so that it may be a gift,
   and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
   not to those who only adhere to the law
   but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
   who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
   I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
   in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
   and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
   that he would become the father of many nations,
   according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Glory to You,
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord;
they never cease to praise you.

Glory to You,
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God.

Gospel

Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
   but before they lived together,
   she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
   yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
   decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
   the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
   “Joseph, son of David,
   do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
   that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
   because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
   he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
   and took his wife into his home.

Or:

Luke 2:41-51a

Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
   and when he was twelve years old,
   they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
   the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
   but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
   they journeyed for a day
   and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
   but not finding him,
   they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
   sitting in the midst of the teachers,
   listening to them and asking them questions,
   and all who heard him were astounded
   at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
   they were astonished,
   and his mother said to him,
   “Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
   “Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
   and was obedient to them.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Then he kisses the book, saying quietly:

Through the words of the Gospel
may our sins be wiped away.

The Creed is said.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of
the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the
Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to
the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

Gospel Canticle

Ant. Joseph lived in the town of Nazareth to fulfill what the prophets had foretold of Christ: He will be called a Nazarean.

Canticle of Zechariah
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed + be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old †
  that he would save us from our enemies, *
  from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
   all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way 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.


Ant. Joseph lived in the town of Nazareth to fulfill what the prophets had foretold of Christ: He will be called a Nazarean.