Prayers of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Family
Jesu, the Ransomer of man,
Who, ere created light began,
Didst from the sovereign Father spring,
His power and glory equaling.
The Father's Light and Splendour thou,
Their endless Hope to thee that bow:
Accept the prayers and praise today
That through the world thy servants pay.
Salvation's Author, call to mind
How, taking form of humankind,
Born of a Virgin undefiled
Thou in man's flesh becam'st a Child.
Thus testifies the present day
Through every year in long array,
That thou, salvation's source alone,
Proceedest from the Father's Throne.
Whence sky, and stars, and sea's abyss,
And earth, and all that therein is,
Shall still, with laud and carol meet,
The Author of thine Advent greet.
And we who, by thy precious Blood
From sin redeemed, are marked for God,
On this, the day that saw thy Birth,
Sing the new song of ransomed earth.
All honour, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-Born, to thee;
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Spirit, for evermore. Amen.
Eternal King of Saints, whose Word
Called forth creation from its rest,
Before the ages thou art Lord,
In thine eternal Father's breast.
Thou, when earth's dawning sun began
To chase the chaos shades away,
In thine own Image madest man,
And didst inspire the senseless clay.
But Satan's craft and Satan's wile
Could mar that work so very good:
And Eden's wood must man beguile,
That God may reign from off the Wood.
O born of Mary's virgin womb,
First-fruits of Death's dark womb to be,
Thou bidst us waken from the tomb,
And rise to light and life with thee.
Eternal Shepherd of the sheep,
The stones lie heavy on the well;
The clear baptismal spring lies deep,
Come thou and feed thine Israel!
Redeemer of the sons of men
Thou hungest dying on the Rood,
That thou mightst pay the price again
Of our salvation in thy Blood.
Grant, Lord, in thee each faithful mind
Unceasing Paschal joy may find;
And from the death of sin set free
Souls newly born to life by thee.
All praise be thine, O risen Lord,
From death to endless life restored;
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Spirit, for evermore. Amen.
Eternal Monarch, King most high,
Whose blood hath brought redemption nigh,
By whom the death of Death was wrought,
And conquering grace to man was brought:
Ascending to the throne of might,
And seated at the Father's right,
All power, O Jesu, is thine own
That here thy Manhood had not known.
To thee the whole creation now
Doth in its three-fold order bow,
Of things on earth, and things on high,
And things that underneath do lie.
With awe the Angels contemplate
The wondrous change of man's estate;
Though flesh hath sinned, Flesh purged the stain,
And in that Flesh our God doth reign.
Be thou our joy, O mighty Lord,
As thou wilt be our great reward;
Earth's joys to thee are nothing worth,
Thou joy and crown of heaven and earth.
We therefore beg, dear Lord, of thee
To pardon our iniquity;
Yea, of thine own supernal grace
Uplift our hearts to seek thy face:
That when in clouds, O Judge of doom,
Thy glory shall this earth illume,
Thou mayst remit our debt of pain,
And grant our long-lost crowns again.
All praise from every heart and tongue
To thee, ascended Lord, be sung;
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Spirit, for evermore. Amen.
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
Vouchsafe within our souls to rest;
Come with thy grace and heavenly aid,
And fill the hearts which thou hast made.
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
Vouchsafe within our souls to rest;
Come with thy grace and heavenly aid,
And fill the hearts which thou hast made.
To thee, the Paraclete, we cry,
To thee, the Gift of God most high,
The Fount of life, the Fire of love,
The soul's Anointing from above.
The sevenfold gifts of grace are thine,
O Finger of the Hand Divine;
True Promise of the Father thou,
Who dost the tongue with speech endow.
Thy light to every sense impart,
And shed thy love in every heart;
Thine own unfailing might supply
To strengthen our infirmity.
Drive far away our preternatural foe,
And thine abiding peace bestow;
If thou be our preventing Guide,
No evil can our steps betide.
Make thou to us the Father known,
Teach us the eternal Son to own,
Be this our neverchanging creed,
That thou dost from the Father through the Son proceed.
All praise be thine, O risen Lord,
From death to endless life restored;
Whom with the Father we adore,
And Holy Spirit, for evermore. Amen.
O God of mercy passing thought,
Who hast the world contrived and wrought;
In might, essential Unity,
In Persons, blessed Trinity:
Uplift us with thine arm of might,
And let our hearts rise pure and bright,
And, ardent in God's praises, pay
The thanks we owe him every day.
Glory to thee, O Father, Lord,
And to thy Sole-begotten Word,
Both with the Holy Spirit One
While everlasting ages run. Amen.
The little child Jesus is already here
The Kings and the shepherds adore without fear
There is much to behold for the wise and the fool:
Saint Joseph, the Virgin; the ox and the mule.
Let us adore the little child
With pleasure and happy cheer;
Let us adore as the Magi do
As the Magi adore Him here.
A child is born in Bethlehem;
Rejoice, therefore, Jerusalem.
Low in the manger lieth He,
Whose kingdom without end shall be...
All glory, Lord, to Thee be done,
Now seen in flesh, the Virgin's Son.[35]
Thou camest down, O heaven's King,
From starry sky,
And in a cave so poor and cold
I see Thee lie.
I see Thee tremble, blessed God;
Why should this be?
Thy sacrifice, O love Divine,
Is all for me.
About the field they piped full right,
Even about the midst of the night;
They saw come down from heaven a light:
Tirle, tirle--so merrily
The shepherds began to blow.[37]
Noel, Noel, Noel,
Tidings good I think to tell.
The boar's head that we bring here,
Betokeneth a prince without peer
Is born today to buy us dear.
Noel, Noel, Noel.
In dulci jubilo
Sing ye, and gladness show!
See our bliss reclining
In praesepio,
The very sun outshining
Matris in gremio.
Alpha es et O,
Alpha es et O.
Thy shining eyes, so blue and light,
Thy tender cheeks, so soft and bright;
I will remain forever Thine,
O dearest Son, O child Divine....
Hajej, nynej, Jesus dear,
Sleep in peace, and do not fear.
We shall bundle you to rest,
Keep you close to our breast.
Hajej, nynej, darling Child,
Son of Mary, Saviour mild.
As Joseph was a-walking,
He heard an angel sing:
This night shall be born
Our heavenly king.
He neither shall be born
In housen or in hall,
Nor in the place of Paradise,
But in an ox's stall.
He neither shall be clothed
In purple nor in pall,
But all in fair linen,
As were babies all..
The gates of Heaven's glory did spring open suddenly
So came we running to the crib,
I and also you,
A beeline into Bethlehem, Hopsa, trala loo:
"O, baby dear, take anything
Of all the little gifts we bring:
Have apples or have butter,
Maybe pears or yellow cheese;
Or would you rather have some nuts,
Or plums, or what you please.
Alleluja, alleluja;
Alle-, alle-, Alleluja."[44]
Now Christmas is here again,
And Christmas is here again,
And Christmas we'll have till Easter.
Then Easter is here again,
And Easter is here again,
And Easter we'll have till Christmas.
Now He is with us forever,
And He is with us forever,
For He is here now and comes again.
Joseph, dearest Joseph mine,
Help me rock my baby fine!
What Gabriel foretold
Is now fulfilled,
Eia, Eia,
The Virgin bore a child
As the Father's wisdom willed.
Eia, Eia.
Joseph, dearest Joseph mine,
Help me rock my baby fine!
The blessed light of Saints above,
Sweet hope of mortals here below,
Art thou, O Jesu, who the love
Of human home and hearth didst know.
O Mary, thou art full of grace,
Who careth for Jesus with tender love,
And kissed his blessed, smiling face
Whilst in thine arms he took his rest.
O Joseph, thou of all our race
Elected wast to guard the fame
Of Mary, Virgin full of grace,
And give her Son a father's name.
O Mary! Joseph! holy twain
From Jesse's root and David's seed,
Who ushered in salvation's reign,
Help all who at Christ's altars plead.
The sun declineth towards the west,
And dusk of night is drawing near,
O take to God the heart's behest
Of each and all who linger here.
Sweet home of Nazareth, in thee
All grace and virtue can we see;
Lord, grant each Christian home to be,
Like thine, a holy family.
Praise God, who served, whilst here on earth,
Joseph, and her who gave him birth;
Whom with the Father, we adore,
And Holy Spirit, for evermore. Amen.
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