Octave Day of the Immaculate Conception; Thursday 3rd Week if Advent; Saint Christiana (Nino) (4th C.)

OCTAVE DAY OF THE 

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

THURSDAY THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

Introit
Phil. 4:4-6
Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice. Let you moderation be known to all men: for the Lord is near. Have no anxiety, but in everything, by prayer let your petitions be made known to God.
Ps 84:2
You have favored, O Lord, Your land; You have restored the well-being of Jacob.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice. Let you moderation be known to all men: for the Lord is near. Have no anxiety, but in everything, by prayer let your petitions be made known to God.

Collect
Lend Your ear to our prayers, O Lord, we beseech You; and brighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Your coming.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
R. Amen

Lesson
Lesson from the letter of St Paul the Apostle to the Philippians
Phil 4:4-7
Brethren: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety, but in every prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Gradual
Ps 79:2-3, 2.
From Your throne, O Lord, upon the Cherubim, rouse Your power, and come.
V. O Shepherd of Israel, hearken, O Guide of the flock of Joseph!

GOSPEL

Continuation ☩ of the Holy Gospel according to John
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
John 1:19-28
At that time, the Jews sent to John from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who are you? And he acknowledged and did not deny; and he acknowledged, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Are you Elias? And he said, I am not. Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No. They therefore said to him, Who are you? that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say of yourself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as said Isaias the prophet. And they who had been sent were from among the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said to him, Why, then, do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the Prophet? John said to them in answer, I baptize with water; but in the midst of you there has stood One Whom you do not know. He it is Who is to come after me, Who has been set above me, the strap of Whose sandal I am not worthy to loose. These things took place at Bethany, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
S. By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out.

Secret
We beseech You, O Lord, that the gift we dedicate to You, may be sacrificed continually, so that the sacramental rite You have ordained may be fully observed, and the work of Your salvation may be wonderfully effective within us.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

Post Communion
We entreat You, merciful Lord, that these divine helps may cleanse us from our sins and prepare us for the coming festal season.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

SAINT CHRISTIANA (NINO) (4th C.)

Virgin (Apostle of Georgia (Asia) 
(Historical)

St. Nino (fl. III/IV Century) was born in Cappadocia. Tradition says she was a relative of St. George who travelled to Iberia (Georgia) to convert the people to Christianity. Scholars believe she was a slave to whom the name Nino (the Georgian form of Nina) was given; she has also been identified as Christiana. The quiet piety of her life and her preaching converted many people, and when she cured Queen Nana of a seemingly incurable disease, Nino converted the queen. When King Mirian also became a Christian, he sent to Constantinople for bishops and priests. Nino continued to preach throughout Georgia until her death at Bodke. A church dedicated to the memory of St. George was built on the site of her grave.