Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
Let it be to me according to thy word.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
And the Word was made flesh
And dwelt among us.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Lord, pour your grace into our hearts
that as we have known the Incarnation of your Son, Jesus Christ,
by the message of an angel,
so by His Cross(+) and Passion
we may be brought to the glory of His Resurrection,
through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The holy Mother of God is exalted in glory,
- above the choirs of angels in the kingdom of heaven.
Antiphon: We acclaim you Mary, as Queen of Heaven; the Sun of Justice came forth from your bridal chamber.
Psalm
123
Ad te levavi oculos meos
to you enthroned in the heavens.
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
until he show us his mercy.
for we have had more than enough of contempt,
and of the derision of the proud.
Psalm
124
Nisi quia Dominus
let Israel now say;
when enemies rose up against us;
in their fierce anger toward us;
and the torrent gone over us;
have gone right over us.
he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
the maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm
125
Qui confidunt
Antiphon: We acclaim you Mary, as Queen of Heaven; the Sun of Justice came forth from your bridal chamber.
which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
so does the LORD stand round about his people,
from this time forth for evermore.
the just, *
so that the just shall not put their hands to evil.
and to those who are true of heart.
the LORD will lead them away with the evildoers; *
but peace be upon Israel.
READING Revelation 12:1
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
RESPONSORY
How lovely and beautiful are you, O Virgin Mary.
You have left this world to be joined with Christ.
- Adorned with heavenly power you shine forth like the sun among the saints.
The Angels rejoice and the archangels sing your praises, O Virgin Mary.
- Adorned with heavenly power you shine forth like the sun among the saints.
A Reading From The Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Your body is holy and glorious
In their sermons and speeches on the feast day of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the holy fathers and the great doctors of the church were speaking of something that the faithful already knew and accepted: all they did was to bring it out into the open, to explain its meaning and substance in other terms. Above all, they made it most clear that this feast commemorated not merely the fact that the blessed Virgin Mary did not experience bodily decay, but also her triumph over death and her heavenly glory, following the example of her only Son, Jesus Christ.
Thus St John Damascene, who is the greatest exponent of this tradition, compares the bodily Assumption of the revered Mother of God with her other gifts and privileges: "It was right that she who had kept her virginity unimpaired through the process of giving birth should have kept her body without decay through death. It was right that she who had given her Creator, as a child, a place at her breast should be given a place in the dwelling-place of her God. It was right that the bride espoused by the Father should dwell in the heavenly bridal chamber. It was right that she who had gazed on her Son on the cross, her heart pierced at that moment by the sword of sorrow that she had escaped at his birth, should now gaze on him seated with his Father. It was right that the Mother of God should possess what belongs to her Son and to be honoured by every creature as the God's Mother and handmaid."
St Germanus of Constantinople considered that the preservation from decay of the body of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, and its elevation to heaven as being not only appropriate to her Motherhood but also to the peculiar sanctity of its virgin state: "It is written, that you appear in beauty, and your virginal body is altogether holy, altogether chaste, altogether the dwelling-place of God; from which it follows that it is not in its nature to decay into dust, but that it is transformed, being human, into a glorious and incorruptible life, the same body, living and glorious, unharmed, sharing in perfect life."
Another very ancient author asserts: "Being the most glorious Mother of Christ our saviour and our God, the giver of life and immortality, she is given life by him and shares bodily incorruptibility for all eternity with him who raised her from the grave and drew her up to him in a way that only he can understand."
All that the holy fathers say refers ultimately to Scripture as a foundation, which gives us the vivid image of the great Mother of God as being closely attached to her divine Son and always sharing his lot.
It is important to remember that from the second century onwards the holy fathers have been talking of the Virgin Mary as the new Eve for the new Adam: not equal to him, of course, but closely joined with him in the battle against the enemy, which ended in the triumph over sin and death that had been promised even in Paradise. The glorious resurrection of Christ is essential to this victory and its final prize, but the blessed Virgin's share in that fight must also have ended in the glorification of her body. For as the Apostle says: "When this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the scripture will be fulfilled that says "Death is swallowed up in victory"."
So then, the great Mother of God, so mysteriously united to Jesus Christ from all eternity by the same decree of predestination, immaculately conceived, an intact virgin throughout her divine motherhood, a noble associate of our Redeemer as he defeated sin and its consequences, received, as it were, the final crowning privilege of being preserved from the corruption of the grave and, following her Son in his victory over death, was brought, body and soul, to the highest glory of heaven, to shine as Queen at the right hand of that same Son, the immortal King of Ages.
RESPONSORY
This is the glorious day on which the Virgin Mother of God was taken up to heaven;
let us sing these words in her praise:
- Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Happy are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise;
from your womb, Christ, the Sun of Justice, has risen.
- Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
PRAYER
All-powerful and ever-living God,
you raised the sinless Virgin Mary,
mother of your Son,
body and soul to the glory of heaven.
May we see heaven as our final goal
and come to share her glory.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Let us praise the Lord.
- And give him thanks.
Deus in adjutorium meum intende,
Domine ad adjuvandum me festina.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One.
Have mercy on us
Hagios o Theos, Hagios Ischyros, Hagios Athanatos,
Eleison imas.
Sanctus Deus, Sanctus Fortis, Sanctus Immortalis
Miserere nobis.
We pray for the Church, our true Mother on earth,
And beg you to watch o'er the land of our birth.
Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!
Antiphon: The holy Mother of God is exalted in glory, above the choirs of angels in the kingdom of heaven.
Psalm
126
In convertendo
then were we like those who dream.
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
"The LORD has done great things for them."
and we are glad indeed.
like the watercourses of the Negev.
will reap with songs of joy.
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
Psalm
127
Nisi Dominus
their labor is in vain who build it.
in vain the watchman keeps his vigil.
vain, too, to eat the bread of toil,
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
and the fruit of the womb is a gift.
are the children of one's youth.
he shall not be put to shame
when he contends with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm
128
Beati omnes
and who follow in his ways!
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
shall thus indeed be blessed.
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of
your life.
may peace be upon Israel.
Antiphon: The holy Mother of God is exalted in glory, above the choirs of angels in the kingdom of heaven.
READING 2 Corinthians 5:1
We know that when the earthly tent in which we dwell is destroyed we have a dwelling provided for us by God, a dwelling in the heavens, not made by hands but to last for ever.
The Virgin Mary was taken up to the heavenly bridal chamber.
- Where the King of kings is seated on a heavenly throne.
PRAYER
All-powerful and ever-living God,
you raised the sinless Virgin Mary,
mother of your Son,
body and soul to the glory of heaven.
May we see heaven as our final goal
and come to share her glory.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Let us praise the Lord.
- And give him thanks.
Saints