Planning - First Sunday of Advent through Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Music Planning Pages
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1st Sunday of Advent (C) – 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
1st Sunday of Advent (December 1, 2024)
2nd Sunday of Advent (December 8, 2024)
Immaculate Conception (December 9, 2024)
3rd Sunday of Advent (December 15, 2024)
4th Sunday of Advent (December 22, 2024)
Nativity of the Lord - Christmas (December 25, 2024)
Feast of the Holy Family (December 29, 2024)
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1, 2025)
Epiphany of the Lord (January 5, 2025)
Baptism of the Lord (January 12, 2025)
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 19, 2024)
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (January 26, 2024)
Presentation of the Lord (February 2, 2024)
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 9, 2024)
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 16, 2024)
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 23, 2024)
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (March 2, 2024)
December 1 /First Sunday of
AS SHE LOADED HER GROCERY BAGS into her car, my friend heard a street preacher make an odd comment as he tried to evangelize the shoppers in the busy parking lot. The preacher declared that if he bought the exact same items that were on their grocery lists, he would “pay less because he was blessed!”
It’s clever, but I’m pretty sure that Jesus does not save us in that way, and the Gospel isn’t a coupon for our ticket to heaven. But of this I am certain. The difference between those with faith in Christ and those without is not the absence of hardship but the presence of hope in every circumstance. That is the good
Hymnals
Come, Lord, and Tarry Not!
news of Advent. Jesus has already come into the world to save us and will come again to gather all creation to himself as a gift to the Father. Because of Christ’s Incarnation, we are already living into God’s promise of salvation. This is the source of our joyful hope, and we desire that everyone know that hope as well. No wonder the Advent Gospel begins at the world’s end. For when everything is falling apart, that is our call. Therefore, stand with heads raised high, not in arrogance but with assurance that there will always be hope in Christ. It’s the best deal we’ll ever hope to find. —DM
Missal
WS
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let
Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let
Missal
Contemporary Music Resources
IN STARK CONTRAST TO LAST SUNDAY, today’s set of readings are some of the most hope-filled and consoling poetry in our lectionary. From the lavish imagery of Baruch, to the tender affection of Paul for the Philippians, and culminating with Luke’s lineage of leaders situating the lowly John the Baptist in history, we get a kind of “overview” effect from God’s perspective. To Jerusalem mourning her exile, the prophet offers comforts by declaring what God sees—a return home and a sure way forward in joy.
When we are wrapped up in our own misery and see only conflict and turmoil all around us, it is easy to close in on ourselves
Hymnals
December 8 /Second Sunday of Advent W4
and give up. Our efforts can feel futile against such a bleak future, and we stop feeling any kind of hope for ourselves or for others. However, from God’s viewpoint, the world and all its creatures are destined for the joy of salvation. The call to “prepare the way of the Lord” is not an ultimatum. There is no “or else.” There is simply the truth that with faith, “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Paul says it plainly: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6). —DM
CCH2
los Corazones
Behold, O Zion, God Will Come
Creator of the Stars of Night (Bolduc)
Maranatha, Come
Muéstranos, Señor/Lord, Show Us Your Mercy: Sal 85 (84)*
¡Oh Ven! ¡Oh Ven, Emanuel! (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel)*
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let
Missal
Music
Resources
Las Posadas 16–24 de diciembre / December 16–24 ¡Celebremos! / Let Us Celebrate! Hymnal & Missal Alegría, Alegría, Alegría H-473 / M-326
THE ANNUAL SINGING OF THE EASTER Exsultet proclaims, “O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!” Today’s solemnity memorializes the church’s teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin, that “happy fault” we inherited from Adam and Eve.
From Mary’s first moments of life in her mother’s womb, she is freed from the effects of the original lie given by the Father of Lies: “You certainly will not die! God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil” (Gen 3:4–5). To be like God, knowing
Hymnals
Buenos Dias, Paloma Blanca / Fairest Dove, Most Lovely Maiden
I Am for You
I Say Yes, Lord / Digo Si, Señor
I Sing a Maid
Litany of Mary /
Praise
what is right and just—this is not the sin. It is precisely what God originally desired for us when we were made in God’s image. It is what God promises us in Jesus, whose paschal mystery sanctifies the whole human race.
The sin from which Mary is safeguarded is the false belief that we can become what God made us to be by ourselves. By accepting the angel’s invitation on our behalf, saying, “May it be done to me according to your word,” Mary co-labors with the Creator, recognizing that only with God and with one another may we through Christ bring holiness to birth in the world. —DM
The Angel Gabriel
We Sing with Holy Mary
Virgen María
¡Celebremos! (Let
Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let
Missal
Contemporary Music Resources
December 15 /Third Sunday of Advent
TODAY WE GET THE GREAT OPENING line from the second reading: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again: rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Why is joy so important that Paul has to command the Philippians (twice!) to rejoice? Papal encyclicals, numerous biblical passages, and Jesus himself counsel people of faith to strive for a life of joy. Rejoice! Be glad! That’s an order! French philosopher Léon Bloy wrote, “Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.” Joy is a sacramental sign revealing the invisible God. As such, spiritual joy, unlike happiness, is not the result of external factors like good fortune but is a gift of the Spirit. We recognize this gift only if we have made space for
Hymnals
Awake, and Greet the New Morn
Christ Is Coming: Prepare the Way
(Colson)
Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord (Louis)
Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord (Moore)
Rejoice, Be Glad
Rejoice,
When John Baptized by Jordan’s River
Wild and Lone the Prophet’s Voice
it. But if we are filled with anxiety and fear, God’s presence is less visible to us and to others. Lack of joy keeps us and others from God.
As we approach the memorial of the Lord’s Nativity, let us use these latter weeks of Advent to make room for Christ’s joy. If you have more than you need, share with those who go without. Let go of control and greed. Give up fear of not having enough or missing out. Only then can your kindness be known to all and God’s peace and joy dwell in you.
So I say it again, rejoice! —DM
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let
Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let
Missal
“DO NOT FORGET THAT CLOSENESS, PROXIMITY, was God’s most authentic language,” said Pope Francis. “That style of God, of closeness, went farther, farther and farther until it reached that great, essential closeness: the Word made flesh, God who became one with us” (address, February 6, 2021).
Today’s reunion between Mary and Elizabeth shows us God’s style. Carrying the Word of God in her womb and on her tongue, Mary desired to be within earshot of Elizabeth’s voice and close enough to feel her cousin’s baby kick for joy. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, desired to speak God’s most authentic language and embrace Mary with words of blessing.
Technology and the trauma of a global pandemic make us
Hymnals
December 22 /Fourth Sunday of Advent W4
Who Claim the Faith of Jesus
All
As a Star on Cloudless Evenings / Como Estrella en Clara Cielo
Mary: Gentle Woman
I Say “Yes,” Lord / Digo “Sí,” Señor
Lo, How a Rose E'er
My Soul in Stillness Waits / En el Silencio Te Aguardo
O Lord of Light
Prepare the Way of the Lord
Salve, Regína/Hail, Queen of Heaven
Savior of the Nations, Come
believe we can be connected while staying apart. Yet Pope Francis remarked:
Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we will stop looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other people’s lives and know the power of tenderness. (Joy of the Gospel, 270)
Advent and Christmas remind us of the irreplaceable power of God’s intimacy. It is a nearness we see with our eyes, hear in our ears, speak with our mouths, and feel in our very bodies.—DM
3rd Edition
LM2 Lead Me, Guide Me
2nd Edition
RS2
Ritual Song
Second Edition
OC Oramos Cantando OIF One in Faith
CCH2
Catholic Community Hymnal 2nd Edition
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let
Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Missal
Contemporary Music Resources
December 25 /The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Hymnals
VIGIL [13]
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 89:4–5, 16–17, 27, 29 (Rx 2a)
Acts of the Apostles 13:16-17, 22-25
Matthew 1:1-25 or 1:18-25 (13)
(14)
Isaiah 9:1-6
Psalm 96:1–2, 2–3, 11–12, 13 (Rx Luke 2:11)
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-14 DAWN(15)
Isaiah 62:11-12
Psalm 97:1, 6, 11–12
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:15-20 DAY (16)
Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98:1, 2–3, 3–4, 5–6 (Rx 3c)
Hebrews 1:1-6
John 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14
Hymnals
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Al Mundo, Paz (Joy to the World)*
Ángeles Cantando Están (Angels We Have Heard on
Canticle of Simeon
Donde Hay Cardidad y Amor* (Aranda)
Hoy a la Tierra (Angels We
Oh, Pueblecito de Belén (O Little Town of Bethlehem)*
Paz en la Tierra (Joy to the
WS
Word and Song
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Missal
READINGS [17]
Psalm 128:1–2, 3, 4–5 (Rx see 1) or
84:2–3, 5–6, 9–10 (Rx see 5a)
Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17 or 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Luke 2:41-52
Contemporary Music Resources
January 1 /Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Hymnals
Ángeles Cantando Están
(Angels We Have Heard on High)*
Ave de Lourdes (Del Cielo Ha Bajado ) / Immaculate Mary*
¿Qué
Contemporary Music Resources
January 5 /The Epiphany of the Lord
Hymnals
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Missal
Contemporary Music Resources
January 12 /The Baptism of the Lord
Hymnals
We Celebrate Hymnal Missal
WS
Word and Song
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Missal
Contemporary Music Resources
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED AT THE banquet if Mary had not paid attention to the kitchen staff and spoken up when she saw their urgent need? It was her intervention and concern that set Jesus’s first miracle into motion. Even Jesus was not ready for his debut, protesting that his hour had not yet come. But Mary would not wait, even if he was the savior of the world.
The prophet cries out, “For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch” (Is 62:1). The reign of God will not remain in the background, behind the scenes at the margins of life. Its urgency will break
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forth into our most ordinary and public moments, those settings we think too mundane or too human for God to be found, much less to engage with—among raucous partygoers drinking more than their hosts could provide; in our embarrassment over our mistakes and poor planning; in the woman unabashedly demanding more and fearlessly taking action when no one else would.
As we count the weeks toward Lent in this time called “ordinary,” let us look for and announce God’s insistent reign perched at the edges of our attention, ready to transform our ordinary water into wine. —DM
Contemporary Music Resources
January 26 /Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
“EZRA THE SCRIBE STOOD ON A wooden platform that had been made for the occasion” (Neh 8:4). When Ezra read to the people from the book of the law, he did so from a very specific place dedicated to that very act of proclaiming God’s word. In our churches today, we also have a dedicated place for that kind of ritual action, a place revered as highly as the eucharistic altar itself. Of this dedicated place, called the ambo, the General Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass says: It should reflect the dignity of God’s word and be a clear reminder to the people that in the Mass the table of God’s word and of Christ’s body is placed before them. Great pains must
therefore be taken, in keeping with the design of each church, over the harmonious and close relationship of the ambo with the altar. (32)
This is why the ambo is used only for the proclamation of the readings, the responsorial psalm, the Exsultet, the homily, and the universal prayer (see General Instruction on the Roman Missal, 309). It is also why psalmists and homilists should, as a norm, be at the ambo when they lead the psalm or give the homily. Doing so reminds us that at both ambo and altar, Christ is present, feeding us with love. —DM Hymnals W4 Worship 4th
G3 Gather 3rd Edition
LM2 Lead Me, Guide Me 2nd Edition
RS2
Ritual Song Second Edition
OC Oramos Cantando
OIF One in Faith
CCH2 Catholic Community Hymnal 2nd Edition
We
With
You
WS Word and Song
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Missal
February 2 /The Presentation of the Lord
THIS YEAR, SEVERAL FEASTS AND SOLEMNITIES will interject a specific focus of the paschal mystery into the Sundays of Ordinary Time. Today is one of those feasts. Occurring 40 days after December 25, February 2 for some cultures is the unofficial end of the Christmas season when crèches and Christmas trees can finally be taken down. Historical documents note that this feast was celebrated with the same festivity as Easter, with candlelight processions. Some of that is reflected in the unique introductory rites for this day.
The Roman Missal gives two options for the entrance. In the first option, the assembly gathers outside of the church, where all are given a candle to light (or they bring one from home).
After the Sign of the Cross and greeting, the priest blesses the candles. Then all enter the church singing the Canticle of Simeon. Once inside, the Gloria is sung, followed by the Collect; the Penitential Act is omitted. The blessed candles become those used throughout the year in the church and in parish homes. Ensure all liturgical ministers, especially music ministers, are aware that today will be different in its opening and in the readings. Also let music ministers know if the blessing of throats, which usually happens on February 3, will take place during today’s Masses, so they can prepare music for that procession.
Hymnals
Behold our Lord will come with pow'r (Blessing of Candles)
Subscription Resources
Alaben Todos: Sal 148
Cantemos al Señor
Altísimo Señor
Alzad la Cruz (Lift High the Cross)
Cantemos al Amor de los Amores
CEL/M
El Amor de Dios: Sal 136 (135)*
El Señor Es Mi Luz: Sal 27 (26)
Él Vive, Él Reina
Gusten y Vean / Taste and See: Sal 34 (33)
Nos Reunimos
Señor, Mi Dios (How Great Thou Art)
Reinarás!
Contemporary Music Resources
February 9 /Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
CHRISTIAN MYSTICS HAVE A TERM FOR when human thought and words are insufficient to describe God and God’s love for us: apophasis, Greek for “negation.” Because nothing we can say can fully express who God is, only who God is not, it would be better to say nothing at all and simply let God’s love speak through our lives. There is a related Greek word, kenosis, which means “emptying out.” The Scriptures describe Jesus who emptied himself of all but love to take on our own nothingness so that all might be filled with God.
There are moments when we stand on the brink of complete emptiness, devoured by our human despair or engulfed by overwhelming awe at Divine mystery. How fitting it is then
Hymnals
Be My Hands and Feet
Be Not Afraid (Dufford)
Crux Fidelis
Digo “Sí,” Señor / I Say “Yes,” Lord
Do Not Be Afraid
Done Made My Vow to the Lord
Follow Me
From Shallow Waters Call Us, Lord
God Has Chosen Me
Guide My Feet
Halleluya! We Sing Your Praises / Halleluya! Pelo Tsa Rona
Here I Am, Lord
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
Lead Me, Guide Me
Quiero Decirte Que Sí
Santo, Santo, Santo / Holy, Holy, Holy (Cuéllar)
Take, O Take Me as I Am
The Same Love
Fishermen
When Jesus Came Preaching the
You Walk Along Our
that Jesus’s mission begins with empty boats and fishing nets filled with nothing.
Annie Dillard describes well this sacred nothingness: Seraphs are aflame with love for God. . . . Moving perpetually toward God they perpetually praise him, crying “Holy, Holy, Holy.” . . . But according to some rabbinic writings, they can sing only the first “Holy” before the intensity of their love ignites them and dissolves them again, perpetually, into flames. (Holy the Firm)
Only when we allow God’s all-consuming love to burn away everything in us that is not God can we give a response that will be enough: “Here I am; send me!” —DM
Aleluya, Cantemos al Señor
Aquí Estoy, Señor / Here Am I, Lord: Sal 40 (39)
Missal
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let
Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let
Celebrate!) Missal
Contemporary Music Resources
February 16 /Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
BEFORE THE PASSAGE FROM TODAY’S GOSPEL, we find Jesus choosing his twelve closest partners. Many more had begun following him, compelled by his miraculous healing power and ability to persuade, teach, and debate. Indeed, “everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all” (Lk 6:19).
The first lesson Jesus teaches the Twelve he had hand-picked happens even before he opens his mouth: “Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people . . .” (Lk 6:17). Jesus came down. He didn’t stay up on the mountaintop
Hymnals
All of Me
Bienaventurados / Blessed and Beloved
Be Not Afraid (Dufford)
Christ Has No Body Now But Yours (Warner)
Do Not Be Afraid
God, Your Knowing Eye Can See
Halleluya! We Sing Your Praises / Halleluya! Pelo Tsa Rona
Lead Me, Guide Me
We Know
where he had been praying. He had called his Twelve up to him, singling them out as those who would share in his power and mission. And immediately Jesus brought them down to be where the people were, down on level ground, no higher than anyone else. Down to where his power was meant to be, where it would find its purpose and end.
To be given a share of Jesus’s healing, preaching, and teaching authority does not mean being elevated above others, treated any differently, kept safe from the cares of the lowly. If anything, it gives those chosen even more responsibility to be side by side with those whom Jesus loved. —DM
W4 Worship 4th Edition
G4 Gather 4th Edition
G3 Gather 3rd Edition
LM2 Lead Me, Guide Me 2nd Edition
RS2 Ritual Song Second Edition
OC Oramos Cantando
OIF One in Faith
CCH2 Catholic Community Hymnal 2nd Edition
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let
Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let Us Celebrate!) Missal
Contemporary Music Resources
February 23 /
JESUS’S LESSONS THIS SUNDAY FROM HIS sermon on the plain are especially necessary today in our polarized
When people are entrenched in their own standpoints, unwilling to let go of their long-held beliefs and give up their staunch positions, there is little chance at mercy, much less peace. In their minds, there is only one ground for truth, and they are solidly on it. Anyone seeing the world from another angle is a threat. However, if we all observed the world in the same way from the exact same point of view, we would only get half the picture. In God’s reign, polar opposites become necessary partners to
Hymnals
Bendigamos al Señor / Let Us Bless Our Saving Lord
reveal the mystery of God present in the wonderful diversity and complexity of our lives. The essential first step is just that—to take a first step toward the other person and to see things from their perspective. And even if only one partner takes that step across the divide, in God’s mercy, the other is also needed. For they are called to perceive their adversary in a new way, not as “coming at them” to attack, but “moving toward them” in curiosity.
The Indigo Girls sang it well: “Maybe that’s all that we need is to meet in the middle of impossibility. We’re standing at opposite poles, equal partners in a mystery” (“Mystery”). —DM
Oramos Cantando OIF One in Faith CCH2 Catholic Community Hymnal 2nd Edition
WS
CEL/H
¡Celebremos! (Let
Hymnal
CEL/M
¡Celebremos! (Let
Missal
ON THIS LAST SUNDAY BEFORE LENT, parishes are preparing to send their catechumens, whom they discern ready for initiation, to their bishop for election next week. At that rite, the bishop will ask the catechumens’ godparents if they have seen evidence of conversion by the example of the catechumens’ lives. In today’s Gospel, which continues the sermon on the plain, Jesus teaches, “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit” (Lk 6:43–44). To recognize if conversion has taken place in a person’s heart, we look not to the calendar or to some roster of classes attended or checklist of lessons learned. Rather, we
Hymnals
March 2 /Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time W4
As a Fire Is Meant for Burning
Caminemos con Jesus / Let Us Walk with Jesus
Goodness Is Stronger Than
Halleluya! We Sing Your Praises / Halleluya! Pelo Tsa Rona
Help Us Accept Each Other
Lord, Reign in Me
Me, Lord
Nada Te Turbe /
The
They’ll
We
look to the fruit of one’s life, the visible manifestations of the Spirit at work transforming a disciple more and more to be like the teacher, Jesus.
This discernment goes for us, the baptized, as well. As we get ready to enter into the Lenten season of conversion in the annual celebration of Jesus’s paschal mystery, we must discern how we will recognize the fruit of our Lenten disciplines. Let us pray that we will not go into Lent blindly but will look eagerly to bear good fruit by our lives that will give evidence of our true desire to imitate Christ in all things.—DM
