V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who has made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
Almighty Lord God,
it was Your will that Your only begotten Son, our Redeemer,
should be born in a stable and rest in a manger between two beasts of burden.
We beg You to bless this stable,
and to protect it from all wickedness
and from the cunning and deceit of the devil,
so that it may be a place of health for the horses,
cattle and other animals,
and safe from every harm.
Now since “the ox knows its owner, and the ass his master’s crib,”
have mercy on us Your servants.
You have fashioned us “according to Your own image,”
and made us “little less than the angels,”
and You have “subjected all things under our feet,
all sheep and oxen, moreover the beasts also of the fields.”
Do not allow us, then, to be “compared to senseless beasts,”
or “become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding.”
May we rather acknowledge You, the One God,
and the source of all good things.
May we faithfully persevere in Your service,
and, giving thanks to You for your many gifts,
may we be worthy to receive even greater blessings,
through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.