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,
Which wert and art —
and evermore shall be

Holy, Holy, Holy!
Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin
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. Truly, you are a hidden God, O God of Israel, our Savior.

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. Truly, you are a hidden God, O God of Israel, our Savior.

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. All things are yours, for you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

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. All things are yours, for you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Psalm 149

Ant. With gratitude in your hearts, sing spiritual songs to 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. With gratitude in your hearts, sing spiritual songs to God.

Reading

A Reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
(2 Cor. 3:17-18)

The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord ,who is the Spirit.

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
The Benedictus (2)

Ant. While you have the light, believe in the light, and you will be children of the light.

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. While you have the light, believe in the light, and you will be children of the light.

Intercessions

Jesus Christ, the head and bridegroom of his Church, makes us joyful today on this feast of John of the Cross, his servant. Let us sing to him:
Come, O Lord, and set us free! Maranatha.

Only Word of the Father uttered eternally in the eternal silence and in the fullness of time received in the Virgin's womb; may we hear your words today in the depths of our hearts and put them into practice.
Come, O Lord, and set us free! Maranatha.

Wisdom of the Father, you showed your great love for us by emptying yourself in the Incarnation and on the Cross; may we, who have been redeemed by your blood, remain always in closest communion with you.
Come, O Lord, and set us free! Maranatha.

Perfect Image of God, in whom all the mysteries of eternal love are revealed and given to us, by the work of your Holy Spirit, may we ascend from brightness to brightness into your inaccessible light.
Come, O Lord, and set us free! Maranatha.

Supreme Delight of the Father, in whom God looks mercifully on all men; make us perfect in compassion as our heavenly Father is perfect.
Come, O Lord, and set us free! Maranatha.

First-born of all creation, through you, the Father in his goodness, created and re-created all things. May our thoughts and our hearts today rise up from what we can see to contemplate your unseen beauty so that through our voices, all creatures may give praise to your name.
Come, O Lord, and set us free! Maranatha.

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.

Come, O Lord, and set us free! Maranatha.(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,
You endowed St John of the Cross with a spirit of self-denial and love of the cross. By following his example, may we come to the eternal vision of your glory. 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.
St. Joseph,
Pray for us.
St. John of the Cross,
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.
   Tune: NICAEA, John B. Dykes, 1820.
   Arrangement: Howard Hughes, SM, 2009.
   Vocals: The Carmelites and Anna May Rudolph

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 Text: James A, Wilde © 1996.
   Music: Michael Joncas, b. 1951, © 1996, Michael Joncas.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.

4. Traditional.
   Vocals: The Carmelites.