Call to Worship

While making the sign of the cross:

Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

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

Blessed & Beloved (1)

Blessed and beloved, you, the poor and lowly,
you are blessed and holy in the sight of our God.
Blessed and Beloved, you, who mourn in sorrow,
You shall dance tomorrow in the joy of the Lord.

Rejoice and be glad, for you are not forgotten.
Great will be the treasure that awaits you now in heaven.
Rejoice and be glad, for you are not forgotten.
Blessed and Beloved are you.

Blessed and beloved, you, the lost and hopeless,
Christ will be your solace and your light in the dark.
Walk beside your neighbor, welcome in the stranger,
then you’ll find your brother, Jesus Christ the Lord.

Rejoice and be glad, for you are not forgotten.
Great will be the treasure that awaits you now in heaven.
Rejoice and be glad, for you are not forgotten.
Blessed and Beloved are you.

Blessed and beloved, you, who work for justice,
standing as a witness to the mercy of God.
Shine your light for others, sisters, friends, and brothers,
so your deeds may glorify the Lord, our God.

Rejoice and be glad, for you are not forgotten.
Great will be the treasure that awaits you now in heaven.
Rejoice and be glad, for you are not forgotten.
Blessed and Beloved are you.

PSALMODY

Psalm 63

Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you, my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life;
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life;
in your name, I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet;
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed, I remember you.
On you, I muse through the night,
for you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings, I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

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. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.

Psalm Prayer

Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to you. May our lips praise you, our lives proclaim your goodness, our works give you honor, and our voices celebrate you for ever.

Canticle
Daniel 3:52-57

Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestors,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.

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. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!

Psalm 150

Ant. Let everything that breathes give praise to the Lord, alleluia.

Praise! Praise God in the temple,
in the highest heaven!
Praise! Praise God’s mighty deeds
and noble majesty.

Praise! Praise God with trumpet blasts,
with lute and harp.
Praise! Praise God with timbrel and dance,
with strings and pipes.

Praise! Praise God with crashing cymbals,
with ringing cymbals.
All that is alive praise. Praise the Lord.
Alleluia!

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. Let everything that breathes give praise to the Lord, alleluia.

Reading

A Reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy
(2 Timothy 2:8, 11-13)

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David.
This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Take a few moments to reflect on the reading.

Responsory

We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.
We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.
We cry aloud how marvelous you are,
as we call upon your name.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.

Gospel Canticle
Canticle of Zechariah

Luke 1:68-79
The Benedictus (2)

Ant. Everyone heard with amazement what Jesus taught, for he spoke with such authority.

While making the sign of the cross:

Blest be the Lord, the God of Israel
Who brings the dawn and darkest night dispels,
Who raises up a mighty Savior from the earth,
Of David’s line, a son of royal birth.

The prophets tell a story just begun
Of vanquished foe and glorious vict’ry won,
Of promise made to all who keep the law as guide:
God’s faithful love and mercy will abide.

This is the oath once sworn to Abraham:
All shall be free to dwell upon the land,
Free now to praise, unharmed by the oppressor’s rod,
Holy and righteous in the sight of God.

And you, my child, this day you shall be called
The promised one, the prophet of our God,
For you will go before the Lord to clear the way,
And shepherd all into the light of day.

The tender love God promised from our birth
Is soon to dawn upon this shadowed earth,
To shine on those whose sorrows seem to never cease,
To guide our feet into the path of peace.

All glory be to God, Creator blest,
To Jesus Christ, God’s love made manifest,
And to the Holy Spirit, gentle Comforter,
All glory be, both now and evermore.

Ant. Everyone heard with amazement what Jesus taught, for he spoke with such authority.

Intercessions

Open your hearts to praise the God of power and goodness, for he loves us and knows our needs:
O, God, hear us, hear our prayer!

We bless you, almighty God, King of the universe, because you called us while we were yet sinners to acknowledge your truth and to serve your majesty.
O, God, hear us, hear our prayer!

O God, you opened the gates of mercy for us. Let us never turn aside from the path of life.
O, God, hear us, hear our prayer!

As we celebrate the resurrection of your beloved Son, help us to spend this day in the spirit of joy.
O, God, hear us, hear our prayer!

Give to your faithful, O Lord, a prayerful spirit of gratitude that we may thank you for all your gifts.
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! (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 in heaven,
The loving plan of your wisdom took flesh in Jesus Christ,
and changed mankind’s history by his command of perfect love.
May our fulfillment of his command reflect your wisdom
and bring your salvation to the ends of the earth.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
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.

Flos Carmeli (4)

Flos Carmeli
Vitis florigera
Splendor caeli
Virgo puerpera
—Singularis.

Mater mitis
Sed viri nescia
Carmelitis
Esto propitia
—Stella maris.

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

Let us spend this day 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 M Aguilar produces all videos.

1. Text: Based on Matthew 5:3-12; English tr. by Diane Macalintal, b.1969
   Music: Lourdes C. Montgomery, b.1956. Text & Music copyright 1999, 2000, 2019.
   Vocals: Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm., Alondra Garza, and Br. Héctor Tavárez, O.Carm.
   Piano & Keyboard: Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Guitar & Percussion: Julian Pardo.
   Viola: Briana Bandy.
   Saxophone: Jeff Dellisanti.

2. Lyrics Based on Luke 1:68-79; Owen Alstott, b. 1947, copyright 1993.
   Music: Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957, copyright 1993.
   Vocals: Steven Begert-Clark.
   Piano: Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Bells: Julian Pardo.

3. Text: (Response) Bob Hurd, b. 1950; © 1984.
   Music: Bob Hurd. © 1984.
   Descant: Craig Kingsbury b. 1952.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.

4. Traditional.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.