First Sunday of Advent: Liturgy of the Hours

Evening Prayer I


As is true of every Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent begins on the Saturday previous when the Church sings Evening Prayer I.

The traditional Advent Vesper Office Hymn is "Conditor alme siderum." An English version of it is recorded on track 4, "Music for Advent," Creator of the Stars of Night. (www.litpress.org)

The psalms from Sunday EP I, Week One of the Four-Week Psalter are used. The antiphons are proper to this service, and all make reference to the second comingof the Lord:

(1) Proclaim the good news among the nations:
our God will come to save us.
(2) Know that the Lord is coming and with him, all his saints;
that day will dawn with a wonderful light, alleluia.
(3) The Lord will come with mighty power;
all mortal eyes shall see him.

[N.B. All the antiphons given here and throughout the Advent season have been set to their traditional Gregorian melodies by J. Michael Thompson. You can obtain a copy (snail-mail only) from chantermt@yahoo.com]

The Reading (I Thess. 5: 19-24) is read each Saturday at Evening Payer until the second part of Advent begins. Its reference, too, is to the second coming.

The Responsory is the one sung on all Saturday evenings in this season.

The antiphons on the Magnificat and Benedictus have been changed in the "Editio Typica Altera" of the Liturgy of the Hours (published 2000). The one now assigned to Year B is:

Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar, and the earth is full of his glory.

The Intercessions and the Prayer are both proper to the Sunday.

Morning Prayer

Unless the Office of Readings has already been celebrated, Morning Prayer begins with the Invitatory, which is used until the Saturday after Advent II, inclusive:

Come, let us worship the Lord,
the King who is to come!

The traditional Advent Morning Office Hymn is Verbum Supernum prodiens, which is recorded in English on "Music for Advent" (www.litpress.org).

The psalms are from Sunday, Week I of the Four-Week Psalter.
The antiphons are proper and are speaking of the end of time:

(1) On that day, sweet wine will flow from the mountains,
milk and honey from the hills, alleluia.
(2) The mountains and hills will sing praise to God;
all the trees of the forest will clap their hands,
for he is coming, the Lord of a kingdom that lasts forever, alleluia.
(3) A great prophet will come to Jerusalem;
of that people he will make a new creation.

The Reading (Rom. 13: 11-14) is read each Advent Sunday at MP until the secnd part of the season begins. Its reference, too, is to the second coming.

The Responsory is the one sung each Advent Sunday at MP.

The Benedictus antiphon (for Year B) is:

Watch, therefore! You do not know when the lordof the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.


The Intercessions and the Prayer are both proper to the Sunday.

Evening Prayer II

The entire Office has been transcribed to the traditional Gregorian melodies, and is available in a pdf file from chantermt@yahoo.com

The traditional Advent Vesper Office Hymn is "Conditor alme siderum." An English version of it is recorded on track 4, "Music for Advent," Creator of the Stars of Night. (www.litpress.org)

The psalms from Sunday EP II, Week One of the Four-Week Psalter are used. The antiphons are proper to this service, and all make reference to the second coming of the Lord:

(1) Rejoice, daughter of Zion;
shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem, alleluia.
(2) Christ our King will come to us,
the Lamb of God foretold by John.
(3) I am coming soon, says the Lord;
I will give to everyone the reward his deeds deserve, alleluia.

The Reading (Phil. 4: 4-7) is read each Sunday at Evening Payer until the second part of Advent begins. Its reference, too, is to the second coming: "The Lord is near!"

The Responsory is the one sung on all Sunday evenings in this season.

The antiphons on the Magnificat and Benedictus have been changed in the "Editio Typica Altera" of the Liturgy of the Hours (published 2000). The one now assigned to Year B is:

Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God;
You will conceive and give birth to a Son, alleluia.

The Intercessions and the Prayer are both proper to the Sunday.