Liturgical Leaflet for an Active Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist

17 December 2022 CHRISTMAS NOVENA ă Second Day Year A

GOD’S FAITHFULNESS IS UNSHAKABLE

O
n this second day of our Christmas Novena we are reminded
that the Messiah comes as the fulfillment of God’s plan to
redeem mankind from sin and offer eternal life to all human
beings. The Lord revealed and implemented His plan by stages with
a faithfulness that has its roots in his tender and strong love for each
human being. This plan was carried out at the proper time, in spite of
the many failings and betrayals on the part of the human “partners.”
Today we are invited to reflect on God’s faithful love. The challenge
for us is to be grateful to Him for His faithfulness and to reciprocate
it by being faithful to our Baptismal commitments, both as individuals
and as a community of believers.

ham, forgive our lack of praise you, we bless you, we

respect and sins of omis- adore you, we glorify you, we
sion against our relatives. give you thanks for your great
Lord, have mercy! glory, Lord God, heavenly
Entrance Antiphon All – Lord, have mercy!
(To be recited only when no Entrance King, O God, almighty
Hymn is sung.) P –Lord Jesus, eternal Son Father.
Rejoice, O heavens, and
of the Father, forgive our Lord Jesus Christ, Only
exult, O earth, for our Lord
failure to live according Begotten Son, Lord God,
will come to show mercy to his
to your teaching. Christ, Lamb of God, Son of the Fa-
poor.
have mercy! ther, you take away the sins
All – Christ, have mercy! of the world, have mercy on
Greeting P –Lord Jesus, Son of Mary us; you take away the sins
P –Grace and peace from God Most Holy, forgive our of the world, receive our
our Savior, the Faithful One. lack of concern and care prayer; you are seated at the
May His grace and peace be for our fellow human be- right hand of the Father, have
with you all! ings. Lord, have mercy! mercy on us. For you alone
All –And with your spirit! All –Lord, have mercy! are the Holy One, you alone
P –May almighty God have are the Lord, you alone are
Penitential Act mercy on us, forgive us our the Most High, Jesus Christ,
P –Coming together as sins and bring us to everlast- with the Holy Spirit, in the
God’s family on this second ing life. glory of God the Father.
day of our Novena, with con- All – Amen! Amen!
fidence let us ask the Lord’s
forgiveness and strength. Gloria Collect (Opening Prayer)
(Pause) All–Glory to God in the P –O God, Creator and Re-
P –Lord Jesus, Son of Da- highest, and on earth peace deemer of human nature, who
vid and Son of Abra- to people of good will. We willed that your Word should

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take flesh in an ever-virgin Bb Gm C F Judah and his brothers. Ju-
  
womb, look with favor on
    dah became the father of Perez
our prayers, that your Only and Zerah, whose mother was
Begotten Son, having taken and fullness of peace for-ever! Tamar. Perez became the fa-
to himself our humanity, may * O God, with your judg-
ther of Hezron, Hezron the
be pleased to grant us a share ment endow the king, and
father of Ram, Ram the father
in his divinity. with your justice, the king’s
of Amminadab. Amminadab
Who lives and reigns with son. He shall govern your became the father of Nah-
you in the unity of the Holy people with justice and your shon, Nahshon the father of
Spirit, God, for ever and ever. afflicted ones with judgment. Salmon, Salmon the father of
All – Amen! R. Boaz, whose mother was Ra-
hab. Boaz became the father
* The mountains shall yield of Obed, whose mother was
peace for the people, and the Ruth. Obed became the father
hills justice. He shall defend of Jesse, Jesse the father of Da-
the afflicted among the peo-
ple, save the children of the vid the king.
1st Reading Gn 49:2.8-10 poor. R. David became the father
As old Jacob is about to of Solomon, whose mother
* Justice shall flower in his had been the wife of Uriah.
die, he gives his son Judah, the days, and profound peace, till
ancestor of David and Jesus, Solomon became the father of
the moon be no more. May he Rehoboam, Rehoboam the fa-
a special blessing which is rule from sea to sea, and from ther of Abijah, Abijah the fa-
a prophecy about his tribe’s the River to the ends of the ther of Asaph. Asaph became
outstanding position among earth. R.
the father of Jehoshaphat,
the other tribes of Israel. This * May his name be blessed Jehoshaphat the father of Jo-
prophecy has found its perfect forever; as long as the sun his ram, Joram the father of Uz-
fulfillment in Jesus Christ, “The name shall remain. In him ziah. Uzziah became the father
Son of David,” “The Son of shall all the tribes of the earth of Jotham, Jotham the father
Abraham.” be blessed; all the nations shall of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of He-
proclaim his happiness. R. zekiah. Hezekiah became the
R –A proclamation from the
Book of Genesis father of Manasseh, Manasseh
Gospel Acclamation the father of Amos, Amos the
Jacob called his sons and
All –Alleluia! Alleluia! father of Josiah. Josiah be-
said to them: “Assemble and
O, Wisdom of our God came the father of Jechoniah
listen, sons of Jacob, listen to
Most High, guiding cre- and his brothers at the time of
Israel, your father.
ation with power and the Babylonian exile.
You, Judah, shall your
love: come to teach us the After the Babylonian exile,
brothers praise – your hand on
path of knowledge! Jechoniah became the father
the neck of your enemies; the Alleluia! Alleluia! of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the fa-
sons of your father shall bow ther of Zerubbabel, Zerubba-
down to you. Judah, like a li- Gospel Mt 1:1-17 bel the father of Abiud. Abiud
on’s whelp, you have grown up God had promised Abra- became the father of Eliakim,
on prey, my son. He crouches ham that in his progeny all Eliakim the father of Azor,
like a lion recumbent, the king the peoples of the earth would Azor the father of Zadok.
of beasts – who would dare find a blessing. He also prom- Zadok became the father of
rouse him? The scepter shall ised David that his dynasty Achim, Achim the father of
never depart from Judah, or would last for ever. The long Eliud, Eliud the father of El-
the mace from between his genealogy that follows proves eazar. Eleazar became the fa-
legs, while tribute is brought that Jesus Christ is the one in ther of Matthan, Matthan the
to him, and he receives the whom those two promises were father of Jacob, Jacob the fa-
peoples’ homage.” fulfilled. ther of Joseph, the husband of
P –The Lord be with you! Mary. Of her was born Jesus
The Word of the Lord! who is called the Christ.
All – Thanks be to God! All – And with your spirit!
Thus the total number of
P –A proclamation from the generations from Abraham to
Responsorial Psalm Ps 72 holy Gospel according to David is fourteen generations;
R – Justice shall flourish in his Matthew from David to the Babylonian
time, and fullness of peace All – Glory to you, O Lord! exile, fourteen generations;
for ever! The book of the genealogy from the Babylonian exile to
R. M. Velez
of Jesus Christ, the son of Da- the Christ, fourteen genera-
F C/E Dm Dm/C vid, the son of Abraham. tions.
          Abraham became the fa- The Gospel of the Lord!
ther of Isaac, Isaac the father All – Praise to you, Lord Jesus
Justice shall flourish in his time of Jacob, Jacob the father of Christ!
17 December 2022
 Homily All –May the Lord accept the
sacrifice at your hands, for the
Prayer of the Faithful praise and glory of his name,
P –Encouraged by God’s for our good and the good of
faithfulness to His promises, all his holy Church. All – Our Father . . .
let us humbly submit to Him P –Deliver us, Lord . . .
our petitions for the needs of Prayer over the Offerings All – For the kingdom, the
the Church and all mankind. P –Sanctify these gifts of power, and the glory are
Let our response be: your Church, O Lord, and yours, now and for ever.
grant that through these ven-
All –Lord, make us faithful to erable mysteries, we may be Sign of Peace
You!
nourished with the bread of Breaking of the Bread
C –For the Catholic Church heaven. All – Lamb of God, you take
and all other Christian denomi- Through Christ our Lord. away the sins of the world:
nations: May the Gospel we All – Amen! have mercy on us. (2×)
share bring ever closer to one Lamb of God, you take
another all those who believe in Preface of Advent II away the sins of the world:
Christ. Let us pray! R. P –The Lord be with you! grant us peace.
C –For all those who have been All –And with your spirit!
enslaved by the devil through P –Lift up your hearts! Communion
a life of sin: May the power of All –We lift them up to the P –Behold the Lamb of God,
God’s grace lead them to start a Lord! behold him who takes away the
life of faithfulness to the Gospel. P –Let us give thanks to the sins of the world. Blessed are
Let us pray! R. Lord our God! those called to the supper of
All –It is right and just! the Lamb.
C –For all those who have
P –It is truly right and just, All – Lord, I am not worthy
been victims of injustice and op- that you should enter under
pression: May the spirit of this our duty and our salvation, al-
ways and everywhere to give my roof, but only say the
Christmas Novena instill in their word and my soul shall be
hearts thoughts of forgiveness you thanks, Lord, holy Father,
almighty and eternal God, healed.
and peace. Let us pray! R.
through Christ our Lord.
C –For all Filipino families, For all the oracles of the Communion Antiphon
particularly those victimized by prophets foretold him, the Vir- (To be recited only when no Com-
forced separation and economic munion Hymn is sung.)
gin Mother longed for him
hardships: May they find in their with love beyond all telling, Behold, the Desired of all
Christian faith and in the solidar- John the Baptist sang of his com- the nations will come, and the
ity of their brothers and sisters ing and proclaimed his presence house of the Lord will be filled
the strength they need to over- when he came. with glory.
come the present difficulties. Let It is by his gift that already
us pray! R. we rejoice at the mystery of his Prayer after Communion
C –For all of us and those en- Nativity, so that he may find us P –Nourished by these divine
trusted to our prayers: May the watchful in prayer and exultant gifts, almighty God, we ask you
light of God’s grace brighten our in his praise. to grant our desire: that, aflame
hearts and make us instruments And so, with Angels and with your Spirit, we may shine
of his saving love. Let us pray! R. Archangels, with Thrones and like bright torches before your
C –Let us pray in silence for Dominions, and with all the Christ when he comes.
our personal intentions. (Pause) hosts and Powers of heaven, we Who lives and reigns for ever
Let us pray! R. sing the hymn of your glory, as and ever.
without end we acclaim: All – Amen!
P –Lord God, You are the All – Holy, holy, holy Lord,
Faithful One and the source of God of hosts. Heaven and
all grace. Give us the strength earth are full of your glory.
that we need to honor our baptis- Hosanna in the highest!
mal promises, especially during Blessed is he who comes in P –The Lord be with you.
this Christmas Novena. We ask the name of the Lord. Hosan- All – And with your spirit!
this through Christ our Lord. na in the highest!
All –Amen! P – May almighty God bless
Memorial Acclamation you: the Father, and the
P –The mystery of faith! Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All – Amen!
All – When we eat this Bread
and drink this Cup, we P –Go in peace to love and
proclaim your Death, serve the Lord in your
Preparation of the Gifts O Lord, until you come neighbor.
P –Pray, brethren . . . again! All – Thanks be to God!
Christmas Novena – Second Day
 GOD Carries Out His Plan
in spite of Man’s Unfaithfulness
G od is inexhaustible creativity, but He does not
improvise. Everything that He carries out in
In the family line of Jesus, there is a series of
three sets of 14 generations each, whose representa-
time is the actualization of a well thought-out plan tives include both great heroes and great sinners,
that has its roots in His eternal love. especially among the descendants of David in the period
This important principle is applied and verified in of the monarchy. The prevarications and moral aber-
the overall plan of our salvation which has its “center” rations of certain kings, such as Ahaz and Manasseh,
in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became a human would have been more than enough reason for God to
being at the appointed time in the divine plan. withdraw the promise made to Abraham and reiterated
This event of exceptional importance for the to David. But God did not give up on Israel. He remained
whole of mankind (and for God Himself!) took place faithful to the promise of a descendant of Abraham who
at the time of Emperor Augustus, some 2,000 years would “bring a blessing” to all nations, both Jews and
ago. The unfolding of this plan, however, started with non-Jews alike, i.e., salvation to the whole of mankind.
the call of Abraham, about 18 centuries before Jesus This means that God’s faithfulness was not
Christ’s birth. thwarted by man’s unfaithfulness. That is why, “in the
To the pagan, childless Abraham, God revealed fullness of time” (i.e., at the designated time in God’s
Himself, and promised him a prosperous homeland plan), the promised Messiah was conceived and
and a descent in whom all peoples of the earth would born and given the prophetic name JESUS – Savior.
find a blessing (See Gn 12:1-4). From that moment We have a lot to learn from God’s persevering
onward, as he left his native land, Abraham’s life was love and unshakable faithfulness to His great promise.
characterized by a seemingly endless quest for the Land We have to learn to be grateful for the absolutely
of the Promise and a heart-rending waiting for the gift undeserved gift of the Messiah/Christ. We have to
of a son who would carry the torch of God’s promise learn to derive inspiration from God’s faithfulness and
to the generations to come. to make it our guiding paradigm in this world character-
Abraham’s faith in God’s promise was rewarded ized by so many forms of unfaithfulness and betrayal.
with the birth of Isaac and, from him, of Jacob and In a special manner, we have to learn to be faith-
Esau. Today’s Gospel leads us in a “trip in time” over an ful to God by honoring our commitments to Him. A
arch of about 18 centuries, which starts with Abraham faithful God deserves a faithful service. Let this Christmas
and ends with Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary and the Novena re-awaken in us the awareness of such a duty
legal son of Joseph, a distant descendant of David and and instill in us the grace we need to fulfill it.
Abraham.
Jess P. Balon

Advent/Christmas Trivia

WHAT IS ADVENT? Year,” sees the beginning of an advent season in the

Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which Fourth Canon of the Council of Saragosa in 380. In 567,
means “arrival” or “coming.” It is a period of preparation for the Synod of Tours established a December fast. And
the birth of our Lord. It is the first “season” in the liturgical in 581 the Council of Macon ordered an advent fast for
year of the Church. It lasts 4 weeks and is divided into the laity from the Feast of St. Martin (November 11) to
two parts. The first is meant to remind us of the second Christmas. This took the name of St. Martin’s Lent.
coming of the Lord. The second part is meant to prepare In the seventh and eighth centuries, lectionaries (books
us for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus in Beth- containing the scriptural readings for the Liturgy of the
lehem (his first coming). The first Sunday of Advent also Word) provided for six Sundays in Advent.
marks the beginning of the liturgical year, the Church’s According to the Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Ca-
“New Year’s Day,” at which time we change the cycle of tholicism, Gregory the Great, who died in 604, was the
readings we are using at Mass. real architect of the Roman Advent. Gregory fixed the
Advent is a time of joyous anticipation, but also of season at four weeks and composed seasonal prayers
penance and preparation for the great Christmas feast. and antiphons.
The liturgical color of the season is purple, a sign of pen- Gaul (France) enriched the season with eschato-
ance, which is also used during Lent. logical elements. The fusion of the Roman and Gallican
observances returned to Rome by the 12th century and
WHO ESTABLISHED ADVENT? the liturgy of Advent has remained unaltered since then.
Thomas J. Talley, in “The Origins of the Liturgical Source: www.americancatholic.org

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