Devotion for Saturday/Sunday: Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!

The season of Advent begins Sunday. To live in anticipation of Christ’s coming, both at His birth and at the end of time, let us take a look at the readings and prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours for the First Sunday in Advent.

Saturday Evening Prayer1

Reading:  1 Thessalonians 5:19-24

Do not stifle the Spirit. Do not despise prophesies. Test everything: retain what is good. Avoid any semblance of evil. May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May He preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls us is trustworthy, therefore He will do it.

Prayer:  Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoicing in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Sunday Morning Prayer

Romans 13-11-14

It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep, for our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the faith. The night is far spent; the day draws near. Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us live honorably as in daylight; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Prayer: Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of our Word. Increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoining in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Evening Prayer II

Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of Prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.

Prayer: All-powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at His coming and call us to His side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.