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.

Hymn

Hearts Renewed (1)

Lord, by the light of day
You send us your kindness
Through the night I sing to You,
my God, Lord of my life.

Hearts renewed by your love,
lives made full, by your Spirit;
Give us the faith to trust in your ways;
Open our eyes to see You in all.

I will walk with the Lord,
His hand in mine
never wander away from Him,
never on my own.

Hearts renewed by your love,
lives made full, by your Spirit;
Give us the faith to trust in your ways;
Open our eyes to see You in all.

Hearts renewed by your love,
lives made full, by your Spirit;
Give us the faith to trust in your ways;
Open our eyes to see You in all.

Open our eyes to see You in all,
to see You in all,
to see You in all.

PSALMODY

Psalm 100

Ant. Let us go into God’s presence, singing for joy.

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before God, singing for joy.

Know that the Lord is God,
who made us, to whom we belong,
we are God’s people, the sheep of his flock.

Go within God’s gates giving thanks.
Enter God’s courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to God and bless that name.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal God’s merciful love.
God is faithful from age to age.

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 us go into God’s presence, singing for joy.

Psalm Prayer

With joy and gladness we cry out to you, Lord, and ask you: Open our hearts to sing your praises and announce your goodness and truth.

Canticle
Jeremiah 14:17-21

Ant. Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you.

Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.

If I walk out into the field,
look!—those slain by the sword;
if I enter the city,
look!—those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.

Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?

We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness,
the guilt of our ancestors;

that we have sinned against you.
For your name’s sake spurn us not;
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us,
and break it not.

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. Truly we know our offenses, Lord, for we have sinned against you.

Psalm 51

Ant.  A humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.

My offenses truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done?

That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge.
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.

Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may revive.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.

A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.

O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.

For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

In your goodness, show favor to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
holocausts offered on your altar.

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. A humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

Reading

A Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (7:6, 8-9)

You are a people sacred to the Lord, your God;
he has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth to be a people peculiarly his own. It was because the Lord loved you and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn to your ancestors that he brought you out with his strong hand from the place of slavery and ransomed you from the hand of the Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Understand, then, that the Lord, your God, is God indeed, the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant down to the thousandth generation toward those who love him and keep his commandments.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Take a few moments to reflect on the reading.

Responsory

God will set me free, from the hunter’s snare.
God will set me free, from the hunter’s snare.
From those who would trap me with lying words
and from the hunter’s snare.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
God will set me free, from the hunter’s snare.

Gospel Canticle
Canticle of Zechariah

Luke 1:68-79

Ant. When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face, like the hypocrites.

While making the sign of the cross:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel
who has come to this people and set them free;
who has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through the holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.

God promised to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember God's holy covenant.

This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship God without fear,
holy and righteous in God’s sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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. When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face,
like the hypocrites.

Intercessions

Today, God our Father brings us to the beginning of Lent. We pray that in this time of salvation, he will fill us with the holy spirit, purify our hearts, and strengthen us in love. Let us humbly ask:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

May we be filled and satisfied, by the word which you give us.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

Teach us to be loving not only in great and exceptional moments, but above all in the ordinary events of daily life.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

May we abstain from what we do not really need and help our brothers and sisters in distress.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

May we bear the wounds of your Son in our bodies, for through his body, he gave us life.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

For the sick who have asked us to accompany them with our prayers that they may experience the healing presence of Christ.

Please pray aloud the names of those who are sick or in need of healing.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer. (2)

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

Lord,
protect us in our struggle against evil.
As we begin the discipline of Lent,
make this day holy by our self-denial.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and 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.

Flos Carmeli (3)

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 J. Aguilar produces all videos.

1. Text and lyrics: Tom Kendzia; copyright 1983, North American Liturgy Resources (NALR), a division of Epoch Universal Publications, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona.
   Lead Vocals: Steven Begert-Clark.
   Other vocals: NickRitacco, Benjamin Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Guitar and Bass: Julian Pardo.
   Piano: Benjamin Aguilar, O.Carm.

2. Text: (Response) Bob Hurd, b. 1950; copyright 1996.
   Music: Missa Ubi Caritas, BobHurd; copyright 1996;
   keyboard arr. by Craig Kingsbury. b. 1951, copyright 1996.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.

3. Traditional Carmelite Hymn.
   Vocals: The Carmelites, including Matthew Gummess, O.Carm.,
   Carl Markelz, O.Carm., Ryan J. Resurreccion, O. Carm.,
   Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.