Advent Prayer (Traditional)

This prayer is the traditional collect of the Vigil of Christmas, prayed on December 24 in the classic Roman Missal. It captures the spirit of Advent perfectly: we rejoice each year as we await the celebration of our Redemption, and we ask that we who welcome Christ joyfully as Redeemer may also meet Him without fear when He comes again as Judge. Advent looks both ways, back to Bethlehem and forward to the Second Coming.

Pray it during the four weeks of Advent, at the lighting of the Advent wreath, and especially on Christmas Eve. It pairs well with the O Antiphons of December 17 to 23 and with a daily Rosary focused on the Joyful Mysteries. A few quiet minutes each day with this prayer can keep the season from being swallowed by the rush toward Christmas.

The Prayer

O God, Who dost gladden us with the yearly expectation of our Redemption, grant that we, who now joyfully receive Thine only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, may also, without fear, behold Him coming as our Judge: even the same Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Traditional Advent collect-style prayer; classic manuals, public domain.

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