Blessing of your Christmas Tree

This blessing may be made by any family, led by one of the parents or one of the children.

Verse. Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Response. Who hath made heaven and earth.

All say the antiphon:

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He is come.

PSALM 95

Sing unto the Lord a new song; * Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Sing unto the Lord, bless His name, * Proclaim His salvation from day to day.

Declare His glory among the Gentiles, * His marvelous works among all the peoples.

For great is the Lord, and highly to be praised; * He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols, * But the Lord made the heavens.

Honor and majesty are before Him: * Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Give to the Lord, ye kindreds of the peoples, * Give to the Lord glory and strength. * Give to the Lord the glory due unto His name.

Offer sacrifice, and come into His courts. * O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Tremble before Him, all the earth. * Say among the heathen: ‘The Lord Reigneth.’

The world also is established that it cannot be moved; * He will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice; * Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; * Let the field exult, and all that is therein.

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy; *

Before the Lord, for He is come; * For He is come to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness, * And the peoples in His truth.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be; * world without end. Amen

The antiphon is repeated:

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He is come.

A member of the family reads the following Lesson from the Prophet Ezechiel (xvii, 22-24):

Thus saith the Lord God: I Myself will take the top of the high cedar, and will set it: I will crop off a tender twig from the top of the branches thereof, and I will plant it on a mountain high and eminent. On the high mountains of Israel will I plant it, and it shall shoot forth into branches, and shall bear fruit, and it shall become a great cedar; and all birds shall dwell under it, and every fowl shall make its nest under the shadow of the branches thereof. And all the trees of the country shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree; and have dried up the green tree, and have caused the dry tree to flourish. I the Lord have spoken and have done it.

Thanks be to God.
And there shall come forth a shoot.
Out of the root of Jesse.
In Him was life.
And the life was the light of men.
O Lord hear my prayer.
And let my cry come unto Thee.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray:

Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, who hast caused Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be planted like a tree of life in Thy Church by being born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, bless, we beseech Thee, this tree that all who see it may be filled with a holy desire to be ingrafted as living branches into the same Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

Amen.