Liturgical Information
The First Sunday of Advent (A)

Liturgical Color: Violet [Note: The color blue is not an authorized liturgical color for the Roman Rite in the United States. Its unfortunate occurrence during the season of Advent or for Marian feasts is not legitimate.]

Themes: waiting, trust, charity, hope, promise, light/dark, Second Coming, vigilance, urgency

Entrance Antiphon [Introit]:

To you, I lift up my soul, O my God. In you, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame. Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame. Psalm 25:1-3 [Roman Missal]

Ad te levavi animam meam: Deus meus in te confido, non erubescam: necque irrideant me inimici mei: etenim universi qui te exspectant, non confundentur.
Ps. Vias tuas, Domine, demonstra mihi: et semitas tuas edoce me. [Graduale Romanum, p.15]

Choose one Antiphona ad introitum and Psalmus from either of the two Masses for Advent [Graduale simplex, pp.53-63]

Collect:

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous deeds at his com-ing,

so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heav-en-ly Kingdom.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Ho-ly Spirit,
one God, for ev-er and ev-er. A-men.

Lectionary Readings:

Isaiah 2:1-5 [They will hammer their swords into plowshares. /v.4]
Psalm 122:1-2 / 3-4 / 4-5 / 6-7 / 8-9 [R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. /v.1]
Romans 13:11-14 [It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep. /v.11]
Gospel Verse: Psalm 85:8 [Show us, Lord, your love, and grant us your salvation.]
Matthew 24:37-44 [The Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. /v.44]

Offertory Antiphon:

Unto you, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul; O my God, I trust in you, let me not be put to shame; do not allow my enemies to laugh at me; for nonw of those who are awaiting you will be disappointed. Psalm 25:1-3 **
Verses of Psalm 25 can also be sung between repetitions of the antiphon.

Ad te Domine levavi animam meam: Deus meus, in te confido, non erubescam: necque irrideant me inimici mei: etenim universi qui te exspectant, non confundentur. [Graduale Romanum, p.17]

Ad te Domine levavi animam meam: Deus meus, in te confido, non erubescam: necque irrideant me inimici mei: etenim universi qui te exspectant, non confundentur. [Gregorian Missal, p.167]

Choose one Antiphona ad offertorium and Psalmus from either of the two Masses for Advent [Graduale simplex, pp.53-63]

Prayer over the Offerings:

Ac-cept, we pray, O Lord, these offerings we make,
gathered from among your gifts to us,

and may what you grant us to celebrate devoutly here below,
gain for us the prize of eter-nal re-demption.

Through Christ our Lord. A-men.

Preface I of Advent: [The two comings of Christ]

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

For he assumed at his first coming
the lowliness of human flesh,
and so fulfilled the design you formed long ago,
and opened for us the way to eternal salvation,
that, when he comes again in glory and majesty
and all is at last made manifest,
we who watch for that day
may inherit the great promise
in which now we dare to hope.

And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts…

Communion Antiphon:

The Lord will bestow his bounty, and our earth shall yield its increase. Psalm 85:13 [Roman Missal]

Dominus dabit benignitatem: et terra nostra dabit fructum suum. Psalm 85:13 [Graduale Romanum, p.17]
Psalm 85:2,3,4,5,7,8,10,11,12 can also be sung between repetitions of this antiphon.

Dominus dabit benignitatem: et terra nostra dabit fructum suum. Psalm 85:13 [Gregorian Missal, p.168]

Choose one Antiphona ad communionem and Psalmus from either of the two Masses for Advent [Graduale simplex, pp.53-63]

Prayer after Communion:

May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated,
profit us, we pray,

for even now, as we walk amid passing things,
you teach us by them
to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what en-dures.

Through Christ our Lord. A-men.

Solemn Blessing: [1. Advent]

May the almighty and merciful God,
by whose grace you have placed your faith
in the First Coming of his Only Begotten Son
and yearn for his coming again,
sanctify you by the radiance of Christ's Advent
and enrich you with his blessing. Amen.

As you run the race of this present life,
may he make you firm in faith,
joyful in hope and active in charity. Amen.

So that, rejoicing now with devotion
at the Redeemer's coming in the flesh,
you may be endowed with the rich reward of eternal life
when he comes again in majesty. Amen.

** An official, approved English translation of the Offertory Antiphon has never been published. The offertory antiphon used here is from the New American Bible, a Scripture translation approved for liturgical use in the United States.

The English translation of the Entrance Antiphon [Introit], Collect, Psalm Refrain, Gospel Verse, Prayer over the Offerings, Preface, Communion Antiphon, and Prayer after Communion from The Roman Missal, © Copyright 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corp. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the First Reading, Second Reading and Gospel are taken from the New American Standard Bible ® © Copyright 1973 The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Liturgical InformationThe First Sunday of Advent (A)