The following version of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is from the Liturgy of the Hours. It has a Nihil Obstat from Daniel V. Flynn, J.C.D., Censor Librarian; and an Imprimatur from Patrick J. Sheridan, Vicar General, Archdiocese of New York. For those who wish to use the older form of the Office, it is available here.
God, come to my assistance.
- Lord, make haste to help me
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.
HYMN
O Mary of all women,
You are the chosen one,
Who, ancient prophets promised,
Would bear God’s only Son;
All Hebrew generations
Prepared the way to thee,
That in your womb the God-man
Might come to set us free.
O Mary, you embody
all God taught to our race,
For you are first and foremost
In fullness of His grace;
We praise this wondrous honor
That you gave birth to Him
Who from you took humanity
And saved us from our sin.
Melody: Au fort detresse 76.76D
Music: 17th century Flemish Melody
Text: Michael Gannon
Or:
Truly, "you are blessed among women."
For you have changed Eve's curse into a blessing;
and Adam, who hitherto lay under a curse,
has been blessed because of you.
Truly, you are blessed among women.
Through you the Father's blessing has shone forth on mankind,
setting them free of their ancient curse.
Truly, you are blessed among women,
because through you
your forebears have found salvation.
For you were to give birth to the Savior
who was to win them salvation.
Truly, you are blessed among women,
for without seed you have borne, as your fruit,
him who bestows blessings on the whole world
and redeems it from that curse
that made it sprout thorns.
Truly, you are blessed among women,
because, though a woman by nature,
you will become, in reality, God's mother.
If he whom you are to bear is truly God made flesh,
then rightly do we call you God's mother.
For you have truly given birth to God.
Sophronius (c. 560-638)
PSALMODY
Ant.1 The Virgin has given birth to the Savior: a flower has sprung from Jesse's stock and a star has risen from Jacob. O God, we praise you.
or: You are all beautiful, O Mary; in you there is no trace of original sin.
Psalm 118
Song of joy for salvation This Jesus is the stone which, rejected by you builders, has become the chief stone supporting all the rest. (Acts 4:11)
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love endures forever.
Let the sons of Israel say:
"His love endures for ever."
Let the sons of Aaron say:
"His love endures for ever."
Let those who fear the Lord say:
"His love endures for ever."
I called to the Lord in my distress;
he answered and freed me.
The Lord is at my side; I do not fear.
what can man do against me?
The Lord is at my side as my helper;
I shall look down on my foes.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men;
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
The nations all encompassed me;
in the Lord's name I crushed them.
They compassed me, compassed me about;
in the Lord's name I crushed them.
They compassed me about like bees;
they blazed like a fire among thorns.
In the Lord's name I crushed them.
I was thrust down, thrust down and falling,
but the Lord was my helper.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he is my savior.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
The Lord's right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me.
The Lord's right hand has triumphed;
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was punished by the Lord,
but not doomed to die.
Open to me the gates of holiness:
I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord's own gate
where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
and you are my savior.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.
O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
Go forward in procession with branches
even to the altar.
You are my God, I thank you.
My God, I praise you.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.
Ant. 2 Mary has given birth to our Savior. John the Baptist saw him and cried out: This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Or: You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel; you are the fairest honor of our race.
Canticle Daniel 3:52-57
Let all creatures praise the Lord. The Creator...is blessed for ever (Romans 1:25)
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.
Ant. 3: Mary has given birth to a King whose name is everlasting; hers the joy of motherhood, hers the virgin's glory. Never was the like seen before, never shall it be seen again.
Or: The robe you wear is white as spotless snow; your face is radiant like the sun.
Psalm 150
Praise the Lord Let mind and heart be in your song: this is to glorify God with your whole self (Hesychius)
Praise God in his holy place,
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his powerful deeds,
praise his surpassing greatness.
O praise him with sound of trumpet,
praise him with lute and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
O praise him with resounding cymbals,
praise him with clashing of cymbals.
Let everything that lives and that breathes
give praise to the Lord.
FIRST READING Micah 5:2,3a,4a
The ruler in Israel will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the Lord,
in the majestic name of the Lord, his God;
He shall be peace.
Or Zephaniah 3:14,15b
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The King of Israel, the Lord,
is in your midst.
Or Sirach 24:17-21
I bud forth delights like the vine,
my blossoms become fruit fair and rich.
Come to me, all you that yearn for me,
and be filled with my fruits;
You will remember me as sweeter than honey,
better to have than the honeycomb.
He who eats of me will hunger still,
he who drinks of me will thirst for more;
He who obeys me will not be put to shame,
he who serves me will never fail.
SECOND READING
From a letter by Saint Athanasius, bishop
(Epist. Ad Epictetum,5-9; PG 26,1058,1062-1066)
The Word took our nature from Mary
What was born of Mary was therefore human by nature, in accordance with the inspired Scriptures, and the body of the Lord was a true body: It was a true body because it was the same as ours. Mary, you see, is our sister, for we are all born from Adam.
The words of St John, the Word was made flesh, bear the same meaning, as we may see from a similar turn of phrase in St Paul: Christ was made a curse for our sake. Mary's body has acquired something great through its communion and union with the Word. From being mortal it has been made immortal; though it was a living body it has become a spiritual one; though it was made from the earth it has passed through the gates of heaven.
Even when the Word takes a body from Mary, the Trinity remains a Trinity, with neither increase nor decrease. It is for ever perfect. In the Trinity we acknowledge one Godhead, and thus one God, the Father of the Word, is proclaimed in the Church.
Or:
From a sermon by Saint Aelred, abbot
(Sermo 20, in Nativitate beatiae Mariae: PL 195, 322-324)
Mary our mother
She is our mother — the mother of our life, the mother of our incarnation, the mother of our light. As the apostle says of our Lord: He became for us by God's power our wisdom and justice, and holiness and redemption.
She then, as mother of Christ, is the mother of our wisdom and justice, of our holiness and redemption. She is more our mother than the mother of our flesh. Our birth from her is better, for from her is born our holiness, our wisdom, our justice, our sanctification, our redemption
Praise the Lord in his holy ones, say the Scriptures. If our Lord is to be praised in those holy ones through whom he brings to being deeds of power and miracles, how much more is he to be praised in her in whom he fashioned himself, who is wonderful beyond all wonders.
Or:
From the dogmatic constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council
(Lumen gentium, nn. 63-65)
Mary as type of the Church
Mary, because she has entered intimately into the history of salvation, in a certain sense gathers up in her own person the great truths of the faith and awakens their resonance when she is the object of preaching and veneration; she summons the faithful to her Son, to his sacrifice and to the Father’s love. In seeking to further the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more and more like Mary, its exalted type, as it continues its progress in faith, hope and charity, seeking and fulfilling the divine will in all things.
So also in its apostolic task the Church rightly looks to the one who bore Christ, Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin in order that he might also be born and grow in the hearts of the faithful. In her whole life this virgin mother showed herself as an example of that motherly love that must animate all who share in the apostolic mission of the Church for the regeneration of mankind.
RESPONSORY
O Virgin Mary, no other daughter of Jerusalem is your equal,
for you are the mother of the King of kings,
you are the Queen of heaven and of angels.
- Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with you.
- Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Or:
The Word was made flesh and lived among us.
- The Word was made flesh and lived among us.
He was in the beginning with God
- and he lived among us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
- The Word was made flesh and lived among us.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Luke 1:68-79
Ant. Marvelous is the mystery proclaimed today, human nature is made new as God becomes man; he remains what he was and becomes what he was not. Yet each nature stays distinct and becomes for ever undivided.
The Messiah and his forerunner
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his 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 for ever. Amen.
INTERCESSIONS
Let us give glory to Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
and let us pray to him: Son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us.
Christ born of the Virgin Mary,
you are the Wonder-Counselor and Prince of Peace,
- give your peace to the world.
Our King and our God, you have raised us up by your coming,
- help us to honor you all the days of our lives,
by our faith and our deeds.
You made yourself like us,
- in your mercy, grant that we may become more like you.
You made yourself a citizen of our earthly city,
- grant that we may become citizens of our true homeland,
your Kingdom in Heaven.
Our Father...
CONCLUDING PRAYER
God our Father,
may we always profit by the prayers
of the Virgin Mother Mary,
for You bring us life and salvation
through Jesus Christ her Son
Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.
Alternative Prayer
Father,
source of light in every age,
the virgin conceived and bore your Son
Who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace.
May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love,
be your people's joy through all ages.
May her response, born of a humble heart,
draw your Spirit to rest on your people.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
- Amen.
God, come to my assistance.
- Lord, make haste to help me
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.
HYMN
Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread;
Mary the stem, Christ the Rose blood-red!
Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven's Rest;
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
Mary the mother, Christ the Mother's Son
By all things blest while endless ages run. Amen.
Melody: Mary the Dawn Irregular
Music: Anon
Or:
Your name is Our Lady.
You alone are Mother of God
and raised high over all the earth.
O Spouse of God, we celebrate you with faith,
we honor you with longing,
we venerate you with awe;
at every moment we exalt you
and reverently proclaim you blessed.
St. Germanus of Constantinople (c. 638-730)
PSALMODY
Ant 1: O marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity.
Or: Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Christ.
Psalm 110:1-5,7
The Messiah, king and priest
Christ's reign will last until all his enemies are made subject to him (1 Cor 15:25).
The Lord's revelation to my Master:
"Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet."
The Lord will yield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.
A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.
The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
"You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old."
The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.
Ant. 2 By your miraculous birth from the virgin you have fulfilled the Scriptures: like a gentle rain falling upon the earth you have come down to save your people. O God, we praise you.
Or: With the Lord is unfailing love; great is his power to save.
Psalm 112
The happiness of the just man
Live as children born of the light. Light produces every kind of goodness and justice and truth. (Ephesians 5:8-9).
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons shall be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Riches and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm for ever.
He is a light in the darkness for the upright:
he is generous, merciful and just.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honor.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he will see the downfall of his foes.
Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
The wicked man sees and is angry,
grinds his teeth and fades away;
the desire of the wicked leads to doom.
Ant 3 Your blessing and fruitful virginity is like the bush, flaming yet unburned, which Moses saw on Sinai. Pray for us, Mother of God.
Or: In the beginning, before time began, the Word was God; today he is born, the Savior of the world.
OUTSIDE LENT
Canticle See Revelation 19:1-7
The wedding of the lamb
Alleluia.
Salvation, glory, and power to our God:
(R. Alleluia)
his judgments are honest and true.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).
Alleluia.
Sing praise to our God, all you his servants,
(R. Alleluia)
all you who worship him, great and small.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).
The Lord our all-powerful God is King;
(R. Alleluia)
let us rejoice, sing praise, and give him glory.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).
The wedding feast of the Lamb has begun,
(R. Alleluia)
and his bride is prepared to welcome him.
R. Alleluia, (alleluia).
LENT
Canticle 1 Peter 2:21-24
The willing acceptance of his passion by Christ, the servant of God
Ant. For our sakes God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the holiness of God.
Christ suffered for you,
and left you an example
to have you follow in His footsteps.
He did no wrong;
no deceit was found in His mouth.
When He was insulted,
He returned no insult.
When He was made to suffer,
He did not counter with threats.
Instead He delivered Himself up
to the One who judges justly.
In His own body
He brought your sins to the Cross,
so that all of us, dead to sin,
could live in accord with God's will.
By His wounds you were healed.
FIRST READING Galatians 4:4-5
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.
OR Zechariah 9:9a
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he.
OR Revelation 12:1-6
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.
SECOND READING
From a sermon by Saint Sophronius, bishop
(Oratio 2, in sanctissimae Deiparae Annuntiatione, 21-22, 26, PG 87, 3, 3242, 3250)
Through Mary the Father's blessing has shone forth on humankind
Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. What joy could surpass this, O Virgin Mother? What grace can excel that which God has granted to you alone? What could be imagined more dazzling or more delightful? Before the miracle we witness in you, all else pales; all else is inferior when compared with the grace you have been given. All else, even what is most desirable, must take second place and enjoy a lesser importance.
The Lord is with you. Who would dare challenge you? You are God's mother; who would not immediately defer to you and be glad to accord you a greater primacy and honor? For this reason, when I look upon the privilege you have above all creatures, I extol you with the highest praise: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. On your account joy has not only graced men, but is also granted to the powers of heaven.
RESPONSORY
The God of power has given me his strength.
- The God of power has given me his strength.
He has kept me in the way of holiness.
- and has given me his strength.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
- The God of power has given me his strength.
Or:
Through you we drink from the wellsprings of salvation, O Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Through you we drink from the wellsprings of salvation, O Blessed Virgin Mary.
From the sacred wounds of Christ,
- O Blessed Virgin Mary.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
- Through you we drink from the wellsprings of salvation, O Blessed Virgin Mary.
CANTICLE OF MARY Luke 1:46-55
Ant: Blessed is the womb which bore you, O Christ, and the breast that nursed you, Lord and Savior of the world.
My soul rejoices in the Lord.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
INTERCESSIONS
To Christ, Emmanuel, whom the Virgin conceived and brought forth, let us give praise and pray to him: Son of the Virgin Mary, hear us.
You gave Mary the joy of motherhood,
-- give all parents true joy in their children.
King of peace, your kingdom is one of justice and peace,
-- help us to seek the paths of peace.
You came to make the human race the holy people of God,
-- bring all nations to acknowledge the unifying bond of your love.
By your birth you strengthened family ties,
-- help families to come to a greater love for one another.
You desired to be born into the days of time,
-- grant that our departed brothers and sisters may be born into the day of eternity.
Our Father ...
God our Father,
may we always profit by the prayers of the Virgin Mother Mary,
for you bring us life and salvation through Jesus Christ her Son
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Alternative Prayer
Father,
source of light in every age,
the virgin conceived and bore your Son
Who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace.
May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love,
be your people's joy through all ages.
May her response, born of a humble heart,
draw your Spirit to rest on your people.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
- Amen.
God, come to my assistance.
- Lord, make haste to help me
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.
HYMN
Mary immaculate, star of the morning,
Chosen before the creation began,
Chosen to bring, for thy bridal adorning,
Woe to the serpent and rescue to man.
Here, in an orbit of shadow and sadness,
Veiling thy splendor, thy course thou hast run;
Now thou art throned in all glory and gladness,
Crowned by the hand of the savior and Son.
Sinners, we worship thy sinless perfection;
Fallen and weak for thy pity we plead;
Grant us the shield of thy sovereign protection,
Measure thine aid by the depth of our need.
Bend from thy throne at the voice of our crying,
Bend to this earth which thy footsteps have trod;
Stretch out thine arms to us, living and dying,
Mary immaculate, Mother of God.
Melody: Liebster Immanuel 11.10.11.10
Music: Melody from Himmels-Lust 1675, adapted and
harmonized by J.S. Bach, 1685-1750
Text: F.W. Weatherell
Or:
Virgin of virgins,
you were untouched by that stain of sin,
that first of all evils,
the sad inheritance of the human race.
From my earliest years
I have placed my hope in you.
Where the power of evil overcomes me
and makes my life too sinful for your gaze,
all the more will your unbounded compassion
show me your generous love,
because my suffering is so deep,
my sinfulness so unworthy of your aid.
Luis de Leon (1527/1528-1591)
PSALMODY
Ant.1 Oh Mother, how pure you are, you are untouched by sin; yours was the privilege to carry God within you.
or: Blessed are you, O Mary, for the world's salvation came forth from you; now in glory, you rejoice forever with the Lord. Intercede for us with your Son.
Psalm 90
May we live in the radiance of God There is no time with God: a thousand years, a single day: it is all one (2 Peter 3:8)
O Lord, you have been our refuge
from one generation to the next.
Before the mountains were born
or the earth or the world brought forth,
you are God, without beginning or end.
You turn men back to dust
and say: “go back, sons of men.”
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.
You sweep men away like a dream,
like grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.
So we are destroyed in your anger,
struck with terror in your fury.
Our guilt lies open before you;
our secrets in the light of your face.
All our days pass away in your anger.
Our life is over like a sigh.
Our span is seventy years
or eighty for those who are strong.
And most of these are emptiness and pain.
They pass swiftly and we are gone.
Who understands the power of your anger
and fears the strength of your fury?
Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Give us joy to balance our affliction
for the years when we knew misfortune.
Show forth your work to your servants;
let your glory shine on their children.
Let the favor of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands,
give success to the work of our hands.
Ant. 2 The Lord God most high has blessed you, Virgin Mary, above all the women on the earth.
Or: You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel; you are the fairest of our race.
Canticle Isaiah 42:10-16
God victor and savior They were singing a new hymn before the throne of God (Revelation 14:3)
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth:
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the coastlands, and those who dwell in them.
Let the steppe and its cities cry out,
the villages where Kedar dwells;
Let the inhabitants of Sela exult,
and shout from the top of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and utter his praise in the coastlands.
The LORD goes forth like a hero,
like a warrior he stirs up his ardor;
He shouts out his battle cry,
against his enemies he shows his might:
I have looked away, and kept silence,
I have said nothing, holding myself in;
But now, I cry out as a woman in labor,
gasping and panting.
I will lay waste mountains and hills,
all their herbage I will dry up;
I will turn the rivers into marshes,
and the marshes I will dry up.
I will lead the blind on their journey;
by paths unknown I will guide them.
I will turn darkness into light before them,
and make crooked ways straight.
Ant. 3: Sinless virgin, let us follow joyfully in your footsteps; draw us after you in the fragrance of your holiness.
Or: O Virgin Mary, how great your cause for joy; God found you worthy to bear Christ our Savior.
Psalm 146
Those who trust in God know what it is to be happy To praise God in our lives means all we do must be for his glory (Arnobius)
My soul, give praise to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.
Put no trust in princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob's God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
It is he who keeps faith for ever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,
the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan.
It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign for ever,
Zion's God, from age to age.
FIRST READING Isaiah 43:1
But now, thus says the LORD,
who created you, O Jacob,
and formed you, O Israel:
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name: you are mine.
Or Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.
Or Proverbs 8:22-31
Mary in the mind of God
"The LORD begot me, the first-born of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
From of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
Before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
While as yet the earth and the fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.
"When he established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
When he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
When he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
Then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
Playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the sons of men.
SECOND READING
From a sermon by St. Anselm, bishop
(Oratio 52:PL 158, 955-956)
Virgin Mary, all nature is blessed in you.
Blessed Lady, sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and night – everything that is subject to the power or use of man – rejoice that through you they are in some sense restored to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new grace. All creatures were dead, as it were, useless for men or for the praise of God, who made them. The world, contrary to its true destiny, was corrupted and tainted by the acts of men who served idols. Now all creation has been restored to life and rejoices that it is controlled and given splendor by men who believe in God.
The universe rejoices with new and indefinable loveliness. Not only does it feel the unseen presence of God himself, its Creator, it sees him openly, working and making it holy. These great blessings spring from the blessed fruit of Mary’s womb.
Through the fullness of the grace that was given you, dead things rejoice in their freedom, and those in heaven are glad to be made new. Through the Son who was the glorious fruit of your virgin womb, just souls who died before his life-giving death rejoice as they are freed from captivity, and the angels are glad at the restoration of their shattered domain.
Lady, full and overflowing with grace, all creation receives new life from your abundance. Virgin, blessed above all creatures, through your blessing all creation is blessed, not only creation from its Creator, but the Creator himself has been blessed by creation.
To Mary God gave his only-begotten Son, whom he loved as himself. Through Mary God made himself a Son, not different but the same, by nature Son of God and Son of Mary. The whole universe was created by God, and God was born of Mary. God created all things, and Mary gave birth to God. The God who made all things gave himself form through Mary, and thus he made his own creation. He who could create all things from nothing would not remake his ruined creation without Mary.
God, then, is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father by whom all things were given life, and Mary the mother through whom all things were given new life. For God begot the Son, through whom all things were made, and Mary gave birth to him as the Savior of the world. Without God’s Son, nothing could exist; without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed.
Truly the Lord is with you, to whom the Lord granted that all nature should owe as much to you as to himself.
RESPONSORY
The God of power has given me his strength.
- The God of power has given me his strength.
He has kept me in the way of holiness.
- And has given me his strength.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
- The God of power has given me his strength.
Or:
O Virgin Mary, no other daughter of Jerusalem is your equal,
for you are the mother of the King of kings,
you are the Queen of heaven and of angels.
- Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with you.
- Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH Luke 1:68-79
Ant. The Lord God said to the serpent: I will make you enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring; she will crush your head, alleluia.
Or: Holy Mary, ever-virgin, Mother of God, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
The Messiah and his forerunner
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham,
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his 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 for ever. Amen.
INTERCESSIONS
Let us glorify our Savior, who chose the Virgin Mary for his mother. Let us ask him: May your mother intercede for us, Lord.
Sun of Justice, the Immaculate Virgin was the white dawn announcing your rising,
- grant that we may always live in the light of your coming.
Savior of the world, by your redeeming might you preserved your mother beforehand from all stain of sin,
- keep watch over us lest we sin.
You are our redeemer, who made the Immaculate Virgin Mary your purest home and a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit:
- make us temples of your Spirit forever.
King of kings, you lifted up your mother, body and soul, into heaven:
- help us fix our thoughts on things above.
Our Father...
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Father,
you prepared the Virgin Mary
to be the worthy mother of your Son.
You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death,
and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.
Help us by her prayers
to live in your presence without sin.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Alternative Prayer
Father,
the image of the Virgin is found in the Church.
Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared
and a love that never knew sin,
for you kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.
Trace in our actions the lines of her love,
in our hearts her readiness of faith.
Prepare once again a world for your Son
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
- Amen.
(Chanted by the Monastic Choir of the Abbey of Notre-Dame Fontgombault)
Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos
ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.
Melody: Salve Regina
Music: Paris, 1634
Text: 11th Century
PSALMODY
Ant 1: You are all beautiful, O Mary; in you there is no trace of original sin.
Or: Mary received a blessing from the Lord and loving kindness from God her savior.
Psalm 136
Easter Hymn
We praise God by recalling his marvelous deeds (Cassiodorus).
I
O give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love endures for ever;
who alone has wrought marvellous works,
for his love endures for ever;
whose wisdom it was made the skies,
for his love endures for ever;
who fixed the earth firmly on the seas,
for his love endures for ever.
It was he who made the great lights,
for his love endures for ever.
the sun to rule the day,
for his love endures for ever.
the moon and stars in the night;
for his love endures for ever.
Ant. 2 You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel; you are the fairest of our race.
Or: The Most High has made his dwelling place a holy temple.
II
The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
for his love endures for ever.
He brought Israel out from their midst,
for his love endures for ever;
arm outstretched, with power in his hand,
for his love endures for ever.
He divided the Red Sea in two,
for his love endures for ever;
he made Israel pass through the midst,
for his love endures for ever;
he flung Pharaoh and his force in the sea,
for his love endures for ever.
Through the desert his people he led,
for his love endures for ever.
Nations in their greatness he struck,
for his love endures for ever.
Kings in their splendor he slew,
for his love endures for ever.
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his love endures for ever;
and Og, the king of Bashan,
for his love endures for ever.
He let Israel inherit their land,
for his love endures for ever.
On his servant their land he bestowed,
for his love endures for ever.
He remembered us in our distress,
for his love endures for ever.
And he snatched us away from our foes,
for his love endures for ever;
He give food to all living things
for his love endures for ever;
To the God of heaven give thanks,
for his love endures for ever.
Ant 3: The robe you wear is white as spotless snow; your face is radiant like the sun.
Or: Glorious things are said of you. O Virgin Mary.
Canticle Ephesians 1:3-10
God our Savior
Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
God chose us in him
before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in his sight,
to be full of love.
He predestined us
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.
In him and through his blood,we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.
God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased
to decree in Christ.
A plan to be carried out
in Christ, in the fulness of time,
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on earth.
FIRST READING Romans 5:20-21
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
OR Ephesians 5:25-27
Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
OR James 3:13-18
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.
SECOND READING
From a homily delivered at the Council of Ephesus by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop
(Hom. 4: PG 77,991,995-996)
Mary, Mother of God, we salute you. Precious vessel, worthy of the whole world’s reverence, you are an ever-shining light, the crown of virginity, the symbol of orthodoxy, an indestructible temple, the place that held him whom no place can contain, mother and virgin. Because of you the holy gospels could say: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
We salute you, for in your holy womb was confined him who is beyond all limitation. Because of you the holy Trinity is glorified and adored; the cross is called precious and is venerated throughout the world; the heavens exult; the angels and archangels make merry; demons are put to flight; the devil, that tempter, is thrust down from heaven; the fallen race of man is taken up on high; all creatures possessed by the madness of idolatry have attained knowledge of the truth; believers receive holy baptism; the oil of gladness is poured out; the Church is established throughout the world; pagans are brought to repentance.
What more is there to say? Because of you the light of the only-begotten Son of God has shone upon those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; prophets pronounced the word of God; the apostles preached salvation to the Gentiles; the dead are raised to life, and kings rule by the power of the holy Trinity.
RESPONSORY
By this I know you have chosen me.
- By this I know you have chosen me.
You have not let my enemy triumph over me.
- You have chosen me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
- By this I know you have chosen me.
Or:
I shall glorify you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
- I shall glorify you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
You have not let my enemies rejoice over me
- for you have rescued me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
- I shall glorify you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
CANTICLE OF MARY Luke 1:46-55
Ant: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, alleluia
Or: All generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me.
My soul rejoices in the Lord.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
INTERCESSIONS
Let us praise God our almighty Father, who wished that Mary, his Son's mother, be celebrated by each generation. Now in need, we ask:
Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.
O God, worker of miracles, you made the immaculate Virgin Mary share, body and soul, in your Son's glory in heaven,
- direct the hearts of your children to that same glory.
You made Mary our mother. Through her intercession grant strength to the weak, comfort to the sorrowing, pardon to sinners,
- salvation and peace to all.
You made Mary the mother of mercy,
- may all who are faced with trials feel her motherly love.
You wished Mary to be the mother of the family in the home of Jesus and Joseph,
- may all mothers of families foster love and holiness through her intercession.
You crowned Mary queen of heaven,
- may all the dead rejoice in your kingdom with the saints for ever.
Our Father...
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Father,
you prepared the Virgin Mary
to be the worthy mother of your Son.
You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death,
and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.
Help us by her prayers
to live in your presence without sin.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Alternative Prayer
Father,
the image of the Virgin is found in the Church.
Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared
and a love that never knew sin,
for you kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.
Trace in our actions the lines of her love,
in our hearts her readiness of faith.
Prepare once again a world for your Son
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
- Amen.