Since the 4th Century, the Church has ended the year by praying the Te Deum, a great prayer of joy and thanksgiving. It’s only fitting that, on this New Year’s Eve, we take a moment to thank God for all He has done for us this past year, with eager anticipation of what lies ahead in 2012.
O God, we praise You, and acknowledge You to be the supreme Lord.
Everlasting Father, all the earth worships You.
All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,
All the Cherubim and Seraphim, continuously cry to You:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Your glory.
The glorious choir of the Apostles,
The wonderful company of Prophets,
The white-robed army of Martyrs, praise You.
Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges You:
The Father of infinite Majesty;
Your adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
O Christ, You are the King of glory!
You are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When You took it upon Yourself to deliver man,
You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.
Having overcome the sting of death, You opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that You will come to be our Judge.
We, therefore, beg You to help Your servants whom You have redeemed with Your Precious Blood.
Let them be numbered with Your Saints in everlasting glory.V. Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance!
R. Govern them, and raise them up forever.V. Every day we thank You.
R. And we praise Your Name forever, yes, forever and ever.V. Keep us today, O Lord, from all sin.
R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.V. Lord, show us Your love and mercy on us;
R. for we put our trust in You.V. In You, Lord, is our hope;
R. and we shall never hope in vain.
Have a great night tonight, and be safe. 🙂
If you didn’t notice, this is my 499th post on Making All Things New. It’s somewhat by chance that this has come about, but you might have noticed that I’ve been posting just about every day for the last few weeks, in order to mark this milestone with the year changeover.
So, the first post in 2012 will be my 500th! Another reason to celebrate!!!
