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

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 63

Ant. I will praise you all my life, O Lord; in your name, I will lift up my hands.

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. I will praise you all my life, O Lord; in your name, I will lift up my hands.

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. Sing a hymn of praise to our God; praise God above all for ever.

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 forever.

Ant. Sing a hymn of praise to our God; praise God above all for ever.

Psalm 149

Ant. The Lord delights in his people; God honors the humble with victory.

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

For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He 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 his 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. The Lord delights in his people; God honors the humble with victory.

Reading

A Reading from the Book of Nehemiah
(Nehemiah 8:9-10)

Today is holy to the Lord your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep;
for today is holy to our Lord.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!

The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Take a few moments to reflect on the reading.

Responsory

Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us.
Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us.
You are the one who is to come,
have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us.

Gospel Canticle
Canticle of Zechariah

Luke 1:68-79

Ant. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil, and when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

While making the sign of the cross:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel
who has come to his 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. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil, and when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Intercessions

Let us praise our loving Redeemer, who gained for us this season of grace, and pray to him, singing:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

Christ, our life, through baptism we were buried with you and rose to life with you, may we walk today in newness of life.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord, you have brought blessings to all humankind; bring us to share your concern for the good of all.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

May we work together to build up the earthly city with our eyes fixed on the city that lasts for ever.
Cry out for God’s mercy:
Miserere nobis. Miserere nobis. Lord, hear our prayer.

Healer of body and soul, cure the sickness of our spirit so that we may grow in holiness through your constant care.
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 your merciful and healing touch today.

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

Heavenly God,
through our observance of Lent,
help us to understand the meaning
of your Son’s death and resurrection.
Teach us to reflect it in our lives.
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 (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 M Aguilar produces all videos.

1. Lyrics and Music: 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: Nick Ritacco, Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Piano: Benjamin Aguilar, O.Carm.
   Guitar and Bass: Julian Pardo.

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

3. Traditional.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.