Lost Prayers #11

The Joy of Advent

May the sun, and stars, and land, and sea sound forth the coming of the most high God.

May the rich and the poor unite their songs of praise to the Son of the supreme Creator.

He is the Savior promised to our fathers; the glorious offspring of the Virgin; the Son of the mighty God, born of Him before the morning star.

He is the King of glory and is coming to rule as God over kings; to trample our wicked enemy beneath His feet, and heal this sick world of ours.

Let the Angels rejoice; let all nations exult. He that is high is coming in lowliness, to save what had been lost.

A God-Man is born. The Son, co-eternal with the Father, our Lord descends upon earth.

Let the prophets cry out and prophesy: “Emmanuel is nigh unto us.” Let the tongues of the dumb speak, and ye, poor lame ones, run to meet Him.

Let the lamb and the wild beasts feed with each other; let the ox and the ass know Him that lies in the manger.

Oh, the blessed message sent to the Virgin Mary! By believing she conceives; she is a Mother and Virgin knowing not man.

All ye nations and peoples applaud this grand triumph.

Let the eyes of the blind who have been sitting in darkness now learn to throw off the night, and open to the true light.

Let Galilee and Greece, Persia and Judea, receive the faith. A God deigns to become man and remains the Word with the Father.

Praise, honor, power, and glory be to the Word made man, and ever since living amongst us in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.

(From Manual of Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 1897)