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Responsorial Psalm 24 Remember your mercies O Lord

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From Psalm 24, this responsorial Psalm for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time is composed by Bro. Michael Herry, FMS in Australia. The Dm key makes the tune solemn and emotive for a prayerful acclamation of God's love and mercy to those you fear Him. 

Lyrics and chords in the video. Cover by yours truly.

You Created Us Free

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1 )In love you created us free
To be loved by you and love to be

The  pure joy of life
Lived among everyone

 2) The world is getting so cold  

New hymn for Advent - Drop Down You Highest Heavens

The hymn text is drawn from the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, specifically the prayers and scriptural selections for the Advent Time Mass of "The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Annunciation of the Lord." The text is not merely about the Annunciation as a private moment in Nazareth. It repeatedly emphasizes Christ's royal identity:

"wear the regal crown"
"a noble Son"
"The Savior, great Emmanuel"
"the high and Holy One"

The opening paraphrase comes from Rorate caeli ("Drop down, you highest heavens"). 

I have set the text to the tune of ST. THEODULPH (All Glory, Laud, and Honor), I am looking at this tune through the lens of Christ's entry into the world through the virginal womb as a parallel to His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Both events reveal the coming King, though one in humility and the other in public acclaim. Yet I wonder whether the tune's strong Palm Sunday associations might lead some congregations to think first of Holy Week rather than the mystery of the Incarnation? 

For that reason, I have also considered AURELIA ("The Church's One Foundation"), I like the processional strength of this tune and because it doesn't carry the seasonal associations like ST.THEODULPH does.

As always your thoughts and comments are appreciated. 

The Annunciation of the Lord
Title: Drop Down, You Highest Heavens
Meter: 76.76 D
Tune: ST. THEODULPH (All Glory, Laud, and Honor) or AURELIA (The Church’s One Foundation)

Verse 1
"Drop down, you highest heavens, 
And rain the Just One down; 
Let earth bring forth the Savior 
To wear the regal crown!" 
The Lord has sent His angel
To Galilee's green land, 
To tell how human nature 
Is shaped by God's own hand.

Verse 2
From David's house a Virgin 
Had found the Lord's high grace; 
Though troubled by the greeting, 
She brought relief to race. 
"Behold, you shall conceive Him, 
And bear a noble Son; 
The Savior, great Emmanuel, 
The high and Holy One."

Verse 3
The Virgin heard with pure faith 
The secret Word decreed, 
That Christ among the peoples 
Should come for human need.
The Spirit's power o'ershadowed 
Her pure and spotless shrine, 
Fulfilling Israel's long hope 
In flesh that is divine.

Verse 4 (Doxology)
To God the Father glory, 
To Christ, the Word made flesh, 
To Holy Spirit praise be, 
Who makes our world afresh. 
O source of our salvation, 
Blest Trinity we raise 
With all the ranks of angels 
An endless hymn of praise.

Canticle of Creation by Dan Schutte in lower key (E)

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This beautiful song from Dan Schutte is just too high for some congregation. A few notes down will really give access to a majority of church singers. So here it is in E. It was originally composed in G. 

 

The handwritten transposed chords are attached in this post. Happy singing.

Help Us Be

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Lord without you nothing can we do 
But with you  we can do what you will us to
Lord with you nothing is impossible
So you make us capable to do
All you will  all.  us do  

Where there is hatred
Help us bring your love
Where there is injury

You Slowly Form Us

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1 )As you slowly form us - in your life and love
we become ever more like you dear Lord
With burning deep desire to share with everyone
The joy  of living in our Father’s will
2 )
We who've  been forgiven and we who've been redeemed

19

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Instrumentation: Mezzo-soprano, orchestra
Duration: 2'30"

(For St. Joan of Arc, 1412?-1431)

No one girl
Nowhere town
Were you on your way to forgotten
Or was there something different even from the start

Violence
All around
When heaven called down to a daughter
To stand before an army and lead them in war

Betrayal
Lost success
Caught in the ugliness of politics
And the course of corruption ended in fire

I never
Saw twenty
But looking back from eternity
I now understand the price, the point of it all
 

Grace Filled Lady

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Grace filled lady you know each our name
All of your children in spirit and truth
Virgin most humble blessed and pure
Overflowing with grace from all holy God

REFRAIN
Dear mama  you teach us the way    
Dear dear dear mama how to love and pray

Vocation Song: I Have Called You Now

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Originally composed in G major, this cover is recorded in D - a lower key for easier access by the congregation during mass. 

A great hymn with the theme of vocation, it accentuates God's call by the person's name. In fact, it explores the notion of vocation as a community's call to dedicate our lives to God: 'no need to fear for He is near'. However, that concept of dedication is mostly attributed to one's commitment for love between one person and God, that, by such answer to the call, they have become one in heart, and that is nourished by the gift of faithful love.

Instead of 6 verses, I only used the first 3 verses. 

 

Message me below the YouTube recording if you want a copy of the handwritten chords.

Psalms 137 Lord your love is eternal do not forsake the work of your hands 21st Sun Ord Time A

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Response
F           C               Dm - C. Bb             Gm          Gm                 F
Lord your love is eternal   Do not forsake the work of your hands

Verse

To The Simple You Reveal

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1) As  we ponder all you’ve done to adopt us as your daughters and sons
Many haven’t heard or know and enmity among them grows
HOW  indifferent so many are  how many worship their own star 
How much sorrow and pain - how many lost in fog and  so  vain        
living off the wealth of the past in a world culture that cannot last
Refrain

YOU SAY  WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
And its light through  our Baptismal birth
And send us to all who are lukewarm
To all who've  been un or misinformed . 

New hymn for Advent - Chosen Daughter of Israel

I thought I would try my hand at composing lyrics for a new Advent hymn.  The hymn is called Chosen Daughter of Israel and I set it to the melody WINCHESTER NEW or On Jordan's Bank. 

This hymn draws its inspiration from the Advent liturgies honoring Mary as the Chosen Daughter of Israel. Rooted in Scripture and the Church's prayer, it reflects Advent's promises of salvation, presenting Mary as the faithful daughter of Israel through whom Christ, the long-awaited Savior, comes into the world.

Your thoughts and suggestions are welcomed.

Chosen Daughter of Israel

Meter: 8.8.8.8 (Long Meter)
Tune: WINCHESTER NEW (On Jordan's Bank)

Verse 1
O God, who planned our saving day,
You chose from David's line the way;
Your ancient covenant is sealed,
As promised truth is now revealed.

Verse 2
The Virgin Mary, chaste and fair,
Is named the child of Adam's care;
By her untainted, sinless grace,
She brings relief to Adam's race.

Verse 3
By faith a child of Abraham,
She bore the long-foretold I AM;
From Jesse's root the branch has grown,
To make the flower of justice known.
 
Verse 4 (Doxology)
To God the Father, source of might,
To Christ the Lord, our saving Light,
And to the Spirit, Lord of love,
Be praise from earth and heaven above.

O Drink This Cup

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1 )
 You are our peace
Calling us to rest in you
Here you renew us and fulfill our deepest desire
Giving us a foretaste  of knowing you in heaven
And know our dear Father  in  divine glory

Listen To Him

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1) Lord, you hold the oceans in your hand     
You numbered every grain of sand                        
Let us be still  and listen to you voice
And live in you and rejoice

2) Behold our God you are love and truth
Now let us adore you
Behold our King, who died for all our sins

Desert

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Instrumentation: Voice, mandolin, cello
Duration: 2’


I saw a woman wand’ring in the desert
Just outside the city line
I called out to her from a distance
To where she walked with a torch as dusk fell


When I got close I saw her skin was blistered
I asked if she needed help
She said she was happy to be there
As she left bloody footprints in the sand


She said the city had been too cruel to her
Time there made her run away
She felt better out in the wild
But her cracked lips were bleeding when she spoke

St Mary MacKillop Song by Erwin Cabucos

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St Mary MacKillop is Australia's first song. This is the composer's acoustic version. Music is available from sheetmusicplus.com. License through OneLicense.

 
 

Overjoyed With Awe

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1 
When we ponder all your works O Lord
We're  overjoyed with awe 
When we ponder your works to come
 A New heaven and  new earth
Our whole being a new birth

2
O to know you as we're known to you
O to see you face to face
And to hear your voice divine
And drink with you your new  wine

REFRAIN     
Now we live and persevere
In your love and  life O Lord
 

Jesus Makes Our World So Beautiful (Christmas song)

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Jesus Makes Our World So Beautiful is a Christmas song co-written by Dan vi Nguyen, Richard Schletty and André van Haren. Dan posted her lyrics here and asked if anyone could make a song out of her words. Richard Schletty rewrote the lyrics to give them a consistent rhyme, line length, metrical pattern and overall poetic structure. Then Richard came up with a melody. Next, André van Haren wrote a beautiful piano arrangement based on an a cappella recording of the melody by Richard. Using Sibelius, André engraved the sheet music not only for piano and voice, but developed the song fully by adding guitar chords and two additional instruments: flute and cello. He also engraved a version of the song with optional SATB harmonies in the refrain.

VERSE 1
A child is born to Mary through the Spirit,
Surrounded by the warmth of sheep and oxen.
In this humble manger, on this joyful night,
Is the promised one for all generations!

CHORUS
Jesus is the way to peace and joy.
He shows us how to be merciful.
He's the bright star we all need in our lives.
Jesus makes our world so...

Sub Tuum Praesidium in F (Low Key)

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This traditional Marian song was believed to have originated with Coptic Christians in 250AD. This rendition of the song was composed by Louis Lambillotte SJ. I sang it in the low key of E. Hope you like it and my guitar accompaniment.

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