This prayer can be used at Liturgy or in a domestic setting. Greetings to all who are celebrating this solemnity, with the customary joyful exchange of the Byzantine Churches: Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Almighty God, in days of old, you promised to send your prince of peace to our fathers and mothers, to rule for eternity and establish peace and righteousness. Born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem, he received baptism from the hand of the Forerunner and Baptist John, prefiguring our human renewal in the waters of the Jordan. Refusing worldly power and fasting from temptation, he put death to death by the power of his cross. As we gather in joyful remembrance of his birth, grant us the courage to renounce the pride, service, and pomp of the evil one, so that we may bear witness to the good news that Christ is in our midst and ever shall be. By the descent of your all-Holy Spirit, grant that we would become worthy heralds of your kingdom and ambassadors of the prince of peace, forgiving sins up to seventy times seven, reconciling with our estranged brothers and sisters, and sharing all we have with the sick and suffering, the unemployed and hungry, immigrants, and visitors of our communities. For unto You are due all glory, honor, and worship: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
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