The father of the family recites the antiphon. The psalm is then
recited alternately with the rest of the family.
Antiphon: Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy, for the
Lord has come.
Psalm 95: Sing to the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all
the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name
Proclaim His salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,
to be feared above all the gods.
For all the gods of the heathen are vain idols;
but the Lord made the heavens.
Majesty and beauty are before Him:
Power and splendor are in His sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and power;
ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name.
Offer sacrifice, and enter His courts.
Worship the Lord in holy attire.
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
Proclaim among the nations "the Lord is king."
He has established the world that is not moved;
He rules the people with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad;
let the sea and all that it contains resound,
let the fields exult and all that is in them.
Then shall the trees of the forest rejoice before the Lord,
for He comes, for He comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the world with justice,
And the peoples according to His faithfulness.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
The antiphon is repeated by all together:
Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy, for the Lord has
come.
FIRST READING
The mother of the family reads:
After the fall of our first parents the earth was bare and
desolate; the world stood in the darkness of sin. But when the
Savior was born our earth shone with a new brightness; the glory
of the Almighty had renewed the world, making it more beautiful
than before. This tree once stood dark and empty in a cold world.
But now resplendent with lights and bright adornments in its new
glory, this Christmas tree reflects the new beauty that God
brought to earth when "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among
us." By a tree the whole world has been redeemed, and therefore,
with great joy we celebrate the glory of this tree.
SECOND READING:
One of the children reads:
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke:
At that time it came to pass that while Mary and Joseph were at
Bethlehem, the days for her to be delivered were fulfilled. And
she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds in the same
district living in the fields and keeping watch over their flock
by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them and the
glory of God shone about them and they feared exceedingly. And
the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring
you news of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there
has been born to you today in the town of David a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
All recite: Glory to God on high, * and on earth peace to men
whom God has chosen. * We praise you. * We bless you. * We adore
you. * We glorify you. * We worship you for your great glory. *
Lord God, heavenly king, * God the Father all-powerful! * Lord
Jesus Christ, only-begotten Son! * Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of
the Father! * You that take away the sins of the world, * have
mercy on us. * You that take away the sins of the world, *
receive our prayer. * You that sit at the right hand of the
Father, * have mercy on us. * For you alone are the Holy One, *
you alone are the Lord. * You alone are the Most High, O Jesus
Christ, * with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. *
Amen.
PRAYER
Father: Christ is the tree of life.
All: In the midst of the paradise of delights.
Father: He is the tree.
All: We are the branches.
Father: In Him was life
All: And the life was the light of men.
Father: The Lord be with you.
All: And with you also.
Father: Let us pray: Bless, we beseech Thee, O Holy God, Father
Almighty, this noble tree which we have adorned in honor of the
new birth of Thy only-begotten Son, and do Thou so adorn our
souls with the manifold beauties of Thy graces that being
internally enlightened by the splendor radiating from this tree,
we like the wisemen may come to adore Him who is eternal Light
and Beauty, the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.
All: Amen.
Imprimatur: + Joannes P. Cody, S.T.D.
Episcopus Diocoesis
Kansanopolitanae-Sancti Josephi
Imprimi potest: + Stephanus Schappler, O.S.B.
Abbas Conceptionis
