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

Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow (1)

There’s a star in the East
on Christmas morn;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow;
It will lead to the place
where the Son is born;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Leave your sheep,
and leave your lambs;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow;
Leave your ewes and
leave your rams;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Follow, follow;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Follow the star
of Bethlehem;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

If you take good heed
to the angel’s words;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow;
You’ll forget your flocks,
you’ll forget your herds:
Rise up, shepherd and follow.

Leave your sheep,
and leave your lambs;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow;
Leave your ewes and
leave your rams;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

Follow, follow;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Follow the star
of Bethlehem;
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.

PSALMODY

Psalm 63

Ant. My soul has held fast to you, my God; for your sake I suffered death by stoning.

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. My soul has held fast to you, my God; for your sake I suffered death by stoning.

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. Stephen saw the heavens open; he saw and entered in. Happy the man to whom the heavens opened.

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. Stephen saw the heavens open; he saw and entered in. Happy the man to whom the heavens opened.

Psalm 149

Ant.  Behold, I see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of the almighty God.

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 his 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. Behold, I see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of the almighty God.

Reading

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles
(Acts 6:2b-5a)

“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Look around your own number, brothers, for seven men acknowledged to be deeply spiritual and prudent, and we shall appoint them to this task. This will permit us to concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the word.” The proposal was unanimously accepted by the community.

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Take a few moments to reflect on the reading.

Responsory

The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise.
The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise.
The Lord is my savior,
and I shall sing his praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise.

Gospel Canticle
Canticle of Zechariah

Luke 1:68-79
The Benedictus (2)

Ant. The gates of heaven opened out to blessed Stephen, and he was crowned first of martyrs.

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. The gates of heaven opened out to blessed Stephen, and he was crowned first of martyrs.

Intercessions

The Word of God existed before the creation of the universe yet was born among us in time. We praise and worship him as we cry out in joy:
Child of Mary, hear our prayer.

You are the eternal Word of God who flooded the world with joy at your birth, fill us with joy by the continuous gift of your life.
All creation, raise your voices:
Child of Mary, hear our prayer.

You saved us and by your birth revealed to us the covenant faithfulness of the Lord, help us to be faithful to the promises of our baptism.
All creation, raise your voices:
Child of Mary, hear our prayer.

You are the King of heaven and earth who sent messengers to announce peace to all, let our lives be filled with your peace.
All creation, raise your voices:
Child of Mary, hear our prayer.

You are the true vine that brings forth the fruit of life, make us branches of the vine, bearing much fruit.
All creation, raise your voices:
Child of Mary, 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.

All creation, raise your voices:
Child of Mary, 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

Lord,
Today, we celebrate the entrance of Saint Stephen into eternal glory. He died praying for those who killed him. Help us to imitate his goodness and to love our enemies. 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 (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.
St. Joseph,
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 tune: Traditional African American Spiritual; arranged by Robert A. Boyd, Published by Colla Voce Music, copyright 2010.
   Vocals: Anna May Rudolph,

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

3. From ‘General Intercessions-Christmas.’
   Text: Gabe Houck, copyright 2004.
   Music: Based on DIVINUM MYSTERIUM, adapted & arranged by Tony E. Alonzo, copyright 2004.
   Vocals: Nick Ritacco and The Carmelites.

4. Traditional.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.