Shape us in this season of Advent in readiness for the Word made flesh. Through the grace of hope we pledge ourselves to confront injustice.

Entrance antiphon

The Lord will come and he will not delay. He will illumine what is hidden in darknessand reveal himself to all the nations.

Collect

Prepare our hearts, we pray, O Lord our God, by your divine power, so that at the coming of Christ your Son we may be found worthy of the banquet of eternal life and merit to receive heavenly nourishment from his hands. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 25:6-10

On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich

food. On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations,he will destroy Death for ever.The Lord will wipe away the

tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shameeverywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so.That day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we

hoped for salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us.

The Word

of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd;there is nothing I shall want.Fresh and green are the pastureswhere he gives me repose.Near restful waters he leads me,to revive my drooping spirit.

The Psalm

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Psalm

He guides me along the right path;he is true to his name.If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear.You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort. The Psalm

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Psalm

You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.

The Psalm

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Psalm

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life.In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Psalm

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

The Psalm

Alleluia, alleluia!The Lord is our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king and our saviour.Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit. A Reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 15:29-37

Glory to you, O Lord. The Gospel

Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb

and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and

the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days

now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted

place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the

ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as

much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.

The Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer for the earthGod of love, teach us to care for this world, our common home. Inspire government leaders as they gather in Paris:

to listen to and heed the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor; to be united in heart and mind in responding courageously; to seek the common good and protect

the beautiful earthly garden you have created for us, for all our brothers and sisters, for all generations to come. Amen