December 23, 2004, Monday of the fourth week of Advent.

A reading from the book of the prophet Malachi.

Thus says the Lord God,

Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me.

And suddenly, there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek,

and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.

Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

But who will endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like the refiners' fire, or like the fuller's lie. He will sit refining and purifying silver,

and he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer

due sacrifice to the Lord. Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord, as in the

days of old, as in years gone by. Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the day of the Lord

comes, the great and terrible day, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,

and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with doom.

The word of the Lord. The Responsorial Psalm. The response is, lift up your heads and see, your redemption is near at hand.

Your ways, O Lord, make known to me. Teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my Savior.

Lift up your heads and see, Your redemption is near at hand. Good and upright is the Lord. Thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to

justice. He teaches the humble his way. Lift up your heads and see. Your redemption is near at hand.

All the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear him and his covenant and his decrees. The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear him

and his covenant for their instruction. Lift up your heads and see, your redemption is near at hand.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have

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