Call to Worship

While making the sign of the cross:

God, come to our assistance.
Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

Hymn

O Holy Mary (1)

O holy Dwelling Place of God.
O holy Temple of the Word.
O holy Mary, holy Mother of God.

From heav’n the angel Gabriel
announced the ancient plan,
and humbly you accepted
to bear the God-made man.

O holy Dwelling Place of God.
O holy Temple of the Word.
O holy Mary, holy Mother of God.

All praise and adoration
we sing now to your Son
who reigns in highest heaven
and has the vict’ry won.

O holy Dwelling Place of God.
O holy Temple of the Word.
O holy Mary, holy Mother of God.

PSALMODY

Psalm 141:1-9

Ant. Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.

I have called to you, O Lord; hasten to help me!
Hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer arise before you like incense,
the raising of my hands like an evening oblation.

Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips!
Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong,
to evil deeds with those who are sinners.

Never allow me to share in their feasting.
If the good strike or reprove me, it is kindness;
but let the oil of the wicked not anoint my head.
Let my prayer be ever against their malice.

Their princes were thrown down by the side of the rock:
Then they understood that my words were kind.
As a millstone is shattered to pieces on the ground,
so their bones were strewn at the mouth of the grave.

To you, Lord God, my eyes are turned:
In you, I take refuge; spare my soul!
From the trap they have laid for me, keep me safe:
Keep me from the snares of those who do evil.

Glory to the Father and to the Son
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning
is now and will be forever.
Amen.

Ant. Like burning incense, O Lord, let my prayer rise up to you.

Psalm Prayer

Lord,
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
your name is worthy of all praise.
Let our prayer come like incense before you.
May the lifting up of our hands
be as an evening sacrifice
acceptable to you,
Lord, our God.

Psalm 127

Ant. Today, we commemorate the birth of the Virgin Mary. God saw her beauty and visited her in her lowliness.

If the Lord does not build the house,
in vain do its builders labor;
if the Lord does not watch over the city,
in vain does the watch 'keep vigil.

In vain is your earlier rising,
your going later to rest,
you who toil for the bread you eat:
When the Lord pours gifts on the beloved while they slumber.

Truly, children are a gift from the Lord,
a blessing, the fruit of the womb.
Indeed, the children of youth
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

O, the happiness of those
who have filled their quivers with these arrows!
They will have no cause for shame
when they dispute with their foes in the gateways.

Glory to Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now and will be forever. Amen

Ant. Today, we commemorate the birth of the Virgin Mary. God saw her beauty and visited her in her lowliness.

Canticle
Ephesians 1:3-10

Ant. Blessed and worthy of our praise is the holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. We celebrate her birth, that she might intercede for us before the Lord.

Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

God chose us in Him
before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in God’s sight.

God predestined us to be adopted children
through Jesus Christ,
such was God’s will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
bestowed on us in the Beloved.

In Him and through his blood, we have been
redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.

God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan God was pleased
to decree in Christ.

A plan to be carried out in Christ,
in the fullness of time,
to bring all things into one in Him,
in the heavens and on earth.

Glory to Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now and will be forever. Amen.

Ant. Blessed and worthy of our praise is the holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. We celebrate her birth, that she might intercede for us before the Lord.

Reading

A Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galations
(Galations 4:4-5)

When the designated time had come, God sent forth his Son born of a woman, born under the law, to deliver from the law those who were subjected to it, so that we might receive our status as adopted children.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Take a few moments to reflect on the reading.

Responsory

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
The Lord is with you.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Gospel Canticle
Canticle of Mary

The Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
Holy is His Name (2)

Ant. Blessed are you, Virgin Mary, because you believed that the Lord’s words to you would be fulfilled; now you reign with Christ for ever.

While making the sign of the cross:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit exalts in God, my Savior.
For he has looked with mercy on my lowliness,
and my name will be forever exalted.
For the mighty God has done great things for me,
and his mercy will reach from age to age.

And holy, holy,
holy is his name.

He has mercy in ev’ry generation.
He has revealed his power and his glory.
He has cast down the mighty in their arrogance,
and has lifted up the meek and the lowly.
He has come to help his servant Israel;
he remembers his promise to our ancestors.

And holy, holy,
holy is his name.

And holy, holy,
holy is his name.

Ant. Blessed are you, Virgin Mary, because you believed that the Lord’s words to you would be fulfilled; now you reign with Christ for ever.

Intercessions

Let us praise God, our almighty Father, who wished that Mary, his Son’s mother, be celebrated by each generation. Now in need, we ask:
O God, hear us; hear our prayer.

O God, worker of miracles, you made the immaculate Virgin Mary share, body and soul, in your Son’s glory in heaven. Direct the hearts of your children to that same glory.
O God, hear us; hear our prayer.

You made Mary our mother. Through her intercession, grant strength to the weak, comfort to the sorrowing, pardon to sinners, salvation and peace to all.
O God, hear us; hear our prayer.

You made Mary full of grace. Grant all people the joyful abundance of your grace.
O God, hear us; hear our prayer.

Make your Church of one mind and one heart in love, and help all those who believe to be one in prayer with Mary, the mother of Jesus.
O God, hear us; hear our prayer.

For the sick who have asked us to accompany them with our prayers, that they may experience your merciful and healing touch today.

Please pray aloud the names of those who are sick or in need of healing.

O God, hear us; hear our prayer.

You crowned Mary queen of heaven. May all the dead rejoice in your kingdom with the saints for ever.
O God, hear us; hear our prayer. (3)

The Lord’s Prayer

And now let us pray with confidence as Christ our Lord asked:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.

Closing Prayer

Father,
You have given us the Mother of your Son
to be our Queen and Mother.
With the support of her prayers,
may we come to share the glory of her children
in the Kingdom of Heaven.
We ask this through
our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God , for ever and ever.
Amen.

Blessing

While making the sign of the cross:

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and
bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

Salve Regina (4)

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Pray for us.
Sant’Angelo,
Pray for us.

Let us spend this evening in peace.
Thanks be to God.

Credits and Permissions
All text and music are in the public domain
or used with permission:
OneLicense A-726188. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, all music
is published by OCP or a division of OCP.
Julian Pardo produces all audio.
Michael Aguilar, Jr. produces all videos.

1. Text: Owen Alstott, b. 1947.
   Music: Owen Alstott. Text and music
   copyright 1982, 1989,
   Viola: arr. by Craig S. Kingsbury, b. 1952, copyright 1985, 1986.
   Vocals: Anna May Rudolph.
   Piano: Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Viola: Briana Bandy.

2. Lyrics: Based on Luke 1:46-55; John Michael Talbot, b. 1954.
   Music: John Michael Talbot, arr. by Phil Perkins, b. 1948, and Rock Modlin, b. 1966.
   Text and music copyrights: 1980,1995, Birdwing Music/BMG Songs. Administered by EMI CMG Publishing.
   Vocals: Nick Ritacco
   Additional Vocal Harmony: Steven Begert-Clark.
   Piano: Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.

3. Text and Music: Response from: “O, God Hear Us.” Bob Hurd, b. 1950; Copyright: 1984, Bob Hurd.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.

4. Text: Latin, attr. to Hermannus Contractus, 1013-1054; English, Paul F. Ford, b. 1947, © 1995, Paul F. Ford.
   Music: Chant, Mode V; guitar acc.© 1993, OCP.
   Vocals: The Carmelites, including Matthew Gummess, O.Carm., Carl Markelz, O.Carm., Ryan J. Resurreccion, O. Carm., Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.