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

Holy, Holy, Holy! (1)

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning, our song shall rise to thee:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
With songs of praise for all eternity.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinners, thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity.

PSALMODY

Psalm 63

Ant. As he was walking along, Jesus saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, and he called them.

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. As he was walking along, Jesus saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, and he called them.

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 3:57-88, 56

Ant. Immediately, they left their nets and their father and followed him.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt God above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt God above all for ever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
All you human beings, bless the Lord.

O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt God above all for ever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy ones of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt God above all for ever.

Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt God above all for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all for ever.

Ant. Immediately, they left their nets and their father and followed him.

Psalm 149

Ant. You shall drink from the cup that I shall drink from, and you shall be baptized as I am baptized.

Sing a new song to the Lord,
God’s praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its maker.
Let the people of Zion exult in their king.
Let them praise God’s name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in this people
and crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips
and a two-edged sword in their hand,

to deal out vengeance to the nations
and punishment on all the peoples;
to bind their kings in chains
and their nobles in fetters of iron;
to carry out the sentence pre-ordained;
this honor is for all God’s faithful

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. You shall drink from the cup that I shall drink from, and you shall be baptized as I am baptized.

Reading

A Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians
(Ephesians 2:19-22)

You are strangers and aliens no longer. No, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God. You form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him, the whole structure is fitted together and takes shape as a holy temple in the Lord; in him, you are being built into this temple to become a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Take a few moments to reflect on the reading.

Responsory

They proclaimed the Lord’s praises, told of his power to save.
They proclaimed the Lord’s praises, told of his power to save.
And of the wonders he had worked,
told of his power to save.
Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
They proclaimed the Lord’s praises, told of his power to save.

Gospel Canticle
Canticle of Zechariah

Luke 1:68-79
The Benedictus (3)

Ant. Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone, and he was transfigured before them.

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. Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone, and he was transfigured before them.

Intercessions

Beloved friends, we have inherited heaven along with the apostles. Let us give thanks to God for all his gifts:
O God, hear us, hear our prayer.

Praise be to you, Lord, for the banquet of Christ’s body and blood given us through the apostles, which refreshes us and gives us life.
O God, hear us, hear our prayer.

Praise be to you, Lord, for the feast of your word prepared for us by the apostles, giving us light and joy.
O God, hear us, hear our prayer.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your holy Church, founded on the apostles,
where we are gathered together into your community.
O God, hear us, hear our prayer.

Praise be to you, Lord, for the cleansing power of baptism and penance that you have entrusted to your apostles, through which we are cleansed of our sins.
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. (4)

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

Almighty God,
By the martyrdom of St. James
you bless the work of the early church.
May his profession of faith give us courage,
and his prayers bring us strength.
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.

Flos Carmeli (5)

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.
St. James,
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. Lyrics: Reginald Heber, 1826.
   Music: Timothy R. Smith, copyright 1999.
   Lead Vocals: Alondra Garza
   Descant: Alondra Garza; Carl Markelz, O.Carm., Matthew Gummess, O.Carm.,
   Michael Aguilar, Jr., and Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Piano: Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Flute: Jeff Delisanti.

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

4. Traditional.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.