The Father speaks for all to hear: The mys’try of the Church is here, From The Hymnal for

From The Hymnal for the Hours

“Behold, my own belovèd Son”; Baptized in Christ in course of time.
The Holy Spirit, as a dove,
All glory be to you, O Christ, III. EPIPHANY — BAPTISM
Bears witness to the Holy One.
Who are the Life, the Truth alone; _________________________
The Godhead, One in persons Three, The Father and the Spirit’s light
Attests its Unity to all; On high, revealed you as their own. Amen.
1 At Vespers “What is this wondrous thing,” they say,
“A King who thus commands the stars,
Hostis Herodes impie. Whom pow’rs above adore in fear,
Why, impious Herod, shouldst thou fear Whom light and heaven’s realm obey.”
˘ Christ is come so near?
Because the For we perceive a glory new,
He who doth heav’nly kingdoms grant Transcendent, endless, and divine,
Thine earthly realm can never want. Far older than the skies above,
Lo, Sages from the East are gone Unfathomed by the dark abyss.
To where the star hath newly shone: He is the King of nations all,
Led on by light, to Light they press, Expected by the Jews of old.
And by their gifts their God confess. The promised seed of Abraham,
The Lamb of God is manifest Born of his race in course of time.
Again in Jordan’s water blest, To God the Father, heav’nly Light,
And he who sin had never known To Christ, revealed in earthly might,
By washing had our sins undone. To God the Holy Ghost we raise
Yet he who ruleth ev’rything Our equal and unceasing praise. Amen.
Can change the nature of the spring,
And gives at Cana this for sign: 3 O sola magnarum urbium.
The water reddens into wine.
Bethlehem, of noblest cities
Then glory, Lord, to thee we pay None can once with thee compare;
For thine Epiphany today; Thou alone the Lord from heaven
All glory through eternity Didst for us incarnate bear.
To Father, Son and Spirit be. Amen.
Fairer than the sun at morning
Was the star that told his birth;
2 At Lauds To the lands their God announcing,
Quicumque Christum quæritis. Seen in fleshly form on earth.
All you who seek the gentle Christ, By its lambent beauty guided
To heaven lift your eyes and see See the eastern kings appear;
The sign of glory without end, See them bend, their gifts to offer,
Revealing his descent to earth. Gifts of incense, gold and myrrh.
This gleaming star outshines by far Solemn things of mystic meaning:
The brightness of the sun’s full glow, Incense doth the God disclose,
For it declares that God made Man Gold a royal child proclaimeth,
Has come to bless and save us all. Myrrh a future tomb foreshows.
___________________________________________________________________ Behold, three Sages from the East, Holy Jesus, in thy brightness
Prepared by Fr. Samuel F. Weber, O.S.B. Epiphany 2019 The lands of sunrise and of hope, To the Gentile world displayed,
For information regarding proper chant tones (Roman use), translators and copyright information, see The Perceive the standard of their King, With the Father and the Spirit
Hymnal for the Hours, ed. by Fr. Samuel F. Weber, O.S.B., available on LULU, or contact webersfl@gmail.com And its good tidings read aright. Endless praise to thee be paid. Amen.
4 General And urges them, with force benign, The Baptism of the Lord On you may all your people feed,
To seek the giver of the sign. And know you are the Bread indeed,
5 At Vespers Who give eternal life to those
Quæ stella sole pulchrior. True love can brook no dull delay:
That with you died, and with you rose.
Through toils and dangers lies their way; A Patre Unigenite.
What star is this, with beams so bright, And yet, their home, their friends, their all, To God the Father, God the Son,
More lovely than the noonday light? They leave at once, at God’s high call. O Son of God, you came to earth And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
’Tis sent to announce a new-born King, Through Virgin Mother, full of grace, May ev’ry tongue and nation raise
Glad tidings of our God to bring. O, while the star of heav’nly grace And later deigned to be baptized
Invites us, Lord, to seek thy face, An endless song of thankful praise!
Your Kingdom to inaugurate. Amen.
’Tis now fulfilled what God decreed, May we no more that grace repel,
‘From Jacob shall a star proceed’; Or quench that light which shines so well! Most High, from heaven you came down,
And lo! the eastern sages stand, And chose to share our lowly state,
To God the Father, God the Son, Your own creation to redeem 7 At Lauds
To read in heav’n the Lord’s command.
And Holy Spirit, Three in One, And raise to everlasting joy. Iesus refulsit omnium.
While outward signs the star displays, May ev’ry tongue and nation raise
Most dear Redeemer, we implore, Let ev’ry nation sing for joy,
An inward light the Lord conveys, An endless song of thankful praise! Amen.
In gracious love come now to us, The world’s Redeemer stands revealed;
And flood our hearts with your pure light The Man Christ Jesus, truly God,
And grace that makes us one with you. Begins his public life on earth.
Remain with us, O Lord, we pray, With thirty years of human life,
Remove our heavy cloud of gloom, He humbly comes to Jordan’s stream,
Wash all our sinful stains away, And seeks the cleansing water’s touch,
Bestow the healing that we need. Though essence of all purity.
All glory be to you, O Christ,
The holy Baptist, filled with awe,
Who are the Life, the Truth alone;
Declares his own unworthiness
The Father and the Spirit’s light
To bathe in penitential rite
On high, revealed you as their own.
The Lamb of God who saves the world.
Amen.
6 But lo, the Father’s voice is heard
The sinless One to Jordan came, To claim the Son of perfect Love,
And in the river shared our stain; The Spirit, Giver of all gifts,
God’s righteousness he thus fulfilled, Reveals his presence at this hour.
And chose the path his Father willed. All glory be to you, O Christ,
Uprising from the waters there, Who are the Life, the Truth alone;
The voice from heav’n true witness bare The Father and the Spirit’s light
That Christ, the Son of God, had come On high, revealed you as their own.
To lead his scattered people home. Amen
Above him see the heav’nly Dove,
The sign of God the Father’s love, 8 General
Now by the Holy Spirit shed
Upon the Son’s anointed head. Implete munus debitum.

How blest that mission then begun Saint John baptized in Jordan’s stream,
To heal and save a race undone! At his command, the Lord of all,
Straight to the wilderness he goes Who, by his own baptismal bath,
To wrestle with his people’s foes. Has cleansed the very cleansing stream.
O Christ, your sons baptized from sin, No breath of evil could approach
Go forth with you a world to win: The Son of Mary, Virgin pure,
Grant them the Holy Spirit’s pow’r But by this act he wills to show
To shield them in temptation’s hour. That he has come our sins to bear.
.