December 18th, 2004, Wednesday of the third week of Advent.

A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David.

As king, he shall reign and govern wisely. He shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days,

Judah shall be saved. Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him. The Lord

are justice. Therefore, the days will come, says the Lord, when they shall no longer say,

as the Lord lives who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt,

but rather, as the Lord lives who brought the descendants of the house of Israel up from the

land of the north.

And from all the lands to which he banished them, they shall again live on their own land.

The word of the Lord.

The responsorial psalm, the response is, justice shall flourish in his time and fullness of peace forever.

O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice the king's son,

He shall govern your people with justice, and your afflicted ones with judgment.

Justice shall flourish in his time and fullness of peace forever.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to

help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor, and the lives of the poor he shall save.

Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

who alone does wondrous deeds,

and blessed forever be his glorious name.

May the whole earth be filled with his glory.

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