Dec 24
Excerpts from the Royal Hours
Mary was of David’s seed,
so she went with Joseph to register in Bethlehem.
She bore in her womb the Fruit not sown by man.
The time for the birth was at hand.
Since there was no room at the inn,
the cave became a beautiful palace for the Queen.
Christ is born, raising up the image that fell of old.
What shall we call thee, O full of grace;
Heaven, for from thou shone forth the Sun of Righteousness;
Paradise, for thou hast budded forth the flower of immortality;
Virgin, for thou hast remained undefiled;
Pure Mother, for thou hast held in thine arms the Son, Who is God of all?
Beseech Him to save our souls!
Make ready, O Bethlehem!
Let the manger be prepared!
Let the cave show its welcome!
The Truth comes, and the shadow flees.
God is born of a Virgin and is revealed to men.
He is clothed in our flesh and makes it divine.
Therefore Adam is renewed and cries out with Eve:
“Thy favor has appeared on earth, O Lord,
for the salvation of the human race.”
Now the prophecy approaches its fulfillment,
for it had mystically proclaimed:
“Thou, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
art by no means the least among Judah’s rulers.
Prepare thy cave!
From thee the Ruler of the nations comes to me in the flesh:
Christ our God, born of a young Virgin.
He will feed His flock, the new Israel.”
Let us all give Him glory!
He is our God;
there is no other to compare with Him.
Born of a Virgin, He comes to live with men.
The only-begotten Son appears as a mortal man.
He rests in a lowly manger.
The Lord of Glory is wrapped in swaddling clothes.
A star leads the Wise men to worship Him,
and with them we sing:
O Holy Trinity, save our souls!
Before Thy birth, O Lord,
the hosts of Angels already perceived the mystery.
They were struck with wonder and trembled,
for Thou, Who didst adorn the heavens with stars,
art now well-pleased to be born as a babe.
Thou holdest the ends of the earth in Thy hands;
but now Thou art laid in a manger of dumb beasts.
Yet all these things fulfilled Thy saving plan,
by which Thy compassion was revealed to us.
O Christ of great mercy, glory to Thee!
Come, O God-inspired faithful,
arise and behold the descent of God from on high!
He manifests Himself to us in Bethlehem.
Let us cleanse our minds and offer Him a life of virtue instead of myrrh.
Let us prepare with faith to celebrate His nativity,
storing up spiritual treasure and crying out:
Glory in the highest to God in Trinity!
His good pleasure is now revealed to men.
In His love for mankind He sets Adam free from the ancestral curse.
Hearken, O heaven! Give ear, O earth!
Let the foundations of the earth be shaken!
Let trembling seize the regions beneath the earth,
for our God and Creator has clothed Himself in created flesh;
He fashioned all creation, yet reveals Himself in the womb of her that He formed.
O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How incomprehensible are His judgments,
and how unsearchable His ways!
Come, O Christ-bearing people,
let us behold wonders that will amaze every mind!
As we worship in faith, let us sing praises!
Today a Maiden great with child goes up to Bethlehem.
There she will give birth to the Lord.
Choirs of Angels go before her.
Joseph, her husband, cried out when he saw these things:
“What is this strange mystery in thee, O Virgin?
How wilt thou bear a child,
O calf, who hast never borne the yoke of man!”
When Joseph went up to Bethlehem,
his heart was filled with sadness.
But thou didst cry out to Him, O Virgin:
“Why art thou so troubled?
Why art thou in misery seeing me with child?
Dost thou not understand at all?
I bear a fearful mystery.
Cast thy fears away, and learn a strange wonder:
God, in His mercy, descends from heaven to earth.
Within my womb He has taken flesh.
When He is pleased to be born, thou shalt see Him.
Thou shalt rejoice, and worship Him, thy Creator.
The Angels ceaselessly praise Him in song,
glorifying Him with the Father and the Holy Spirit.”
Today He Who holds the whole creation in His hand is born of a Virgin.
He Whose essence none can touch is bound in swaddling-clothes as a mortal man.
God, Who in the beginning fashioned the heavens, lies in a manger.
He who rained manna on His people in the wilderness is fed on milk from His mother’s breast.
The Bridegroom of the Church summons the wise men;
the Son of the Virgin accepts their gifts.
We worship Thy birth, O Christ.
We worship Thy birth, O Christ.
We worship Thy birth, O Christ.
Show us also Thy Holy Theophany!
Vespers
“Thou, my Son, art the all-perfect God,
yet Thou acceptest the form of Adam.
In my hands I hold Thee, yet Thou holdest all creation!
How shall I wrap Thee in swaddling clothes?
How shall I nourish Thee, O Food of life?
How shall I wonder at Thine ineffable poverty?
How shall I name Thee, since I am Thy servant?”
Thy Mother cried: “I can only bless and praise Thee in song,
for Thou grantest the world great mercy.”
The Virgin Mother beheld the pre-eternal God,
the Infant who was born of her flesh.
She held Him tenderly, overfilled with joy.
She cried: “How can I see Thee, yet not understand the mystery?
Though the cave is small and lowly,
it is able to find room for Thee, O my God.
Born of me, yet preserving my virginity,
Thou grantest the world great mercy.”
The pure Handmaid became afraid
when she saw the Wise Men come.
She asked them: “Whom are you seeking?
I see that you have come from afar.
You resemble Persians in wisdom and appearance.
You have made a strange and wonderful journey.
Now come and worship God, Who journeyed from on high
to come and take His abode in me,
and Who grants the world great mercy!”
The Kings of the East have come
to see Thee, the King, being born.
They have brought Thee gifts from afar
and are standing outside the doors bearing frankincense, gold, and myrrh.
“Command them to enter and see
the Infant Whom I hold in my arms,
Who is older than Adam!”
The Virgin said to the Wise Men:
“Come and enter with haste!
Behold the invisible God, visible now as a man!”
They entered with zeal and worshipped Him,
thus fulfilling the divine prophecy.
“I support Thee in my arms as a babe;
yet Thou supportest all creation.
How can I provide for Thee,
for Thou providest for the whole world?
I glorify Thy bondless condescension
by which Thou art saving the perishing world."
Triumph, O Zion!
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, city of Christ our God!
Receive the Creator contained within a cave and a manger!
Open the gates to me;
I will enter to see a child wrapped in swaddling clothes,
Who upholds the creation in the palm of His hand,
Whose praises the Angels sing with unceasing voice:
the Lord and Giver of life Who saves the human race.