Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the LORD for ever.
Or:
R. Alleluia.

From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the LORD for ever.
Or:
R. Alleluia.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. Blessed be the name of the LORD for ever.
Or:
R. Alleluia.

He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. Blessed be the name of the LORD for ever.
Or:
R. Alleluia.


ALLELUIA          See Luke 1:28
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.


GOSPEL          Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.


PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Lord,
celebrating the feast of the Virgin Mary
we offer you our gifts and prayers
May Christ, who offered himself as a perfect sacrifice
bring mankind the peace and love of your kingdom.
where he lives and reigns for ever and ever.


PREFACE OF THE VIRGIN MARY I
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks
as we celebrate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit,
she became the virgin mother of your only Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is for ever the light of the world.


Through him the choirs of angels
and all the powers of heaven
praise and worship your glory.
May our voices blend with theirs
as we join in their unending hymn: Holy...

Or:

PREFACE OF THE VIRGIN MARY II
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give You thanks,
and to praise You for Your gifts as we contemplate Your saints in glory.

In celebrating the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
it is our special joy to echo her song of thanksgiving.
What wonders You have worked throughout the world.
All generations have shared the greatness of Your love.
When you looked on Mary your lowly servant,
You raised her to be the mother of Jesus Christ,
Your Son, our Lord, the Saviour of humanity.

Through Him the angels of heaven offer their prayer of adoration
as they rejoice in Your presence for ever.
May our voices be one with their triumphant hymn of praise: Holy...


COMMUNION ANTIPHON          See Luke 1:45

Blessed are you for your firm believing, that the promises of the Lord would be fulfilled.


PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord,
we have eaten the bread of heaven..
May we who honour the memory of the Virgin Mary
share one day in your banquet of eternal life.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Observe how fitting it was that even before her assumption the name of Mary shone forth wondrously throughout the world. Her fame spread everywhere even before she was raised above the heavens in her magnificence. Because of the honour due her Son, it was indeed fitting for the Virgin Mother to have first ruled upon earth and then be raised up to heaven in glory. It was fitting that her fame be spread in this world below, so that she might enter the heights of heaven on overwhelming blessedness. Just as she was borne from virtue to virtue by the Spirit of the Lord, she was transported from earthly renown to heavenly brightness.

So it was that she began to taste the fruits of her future reign while still in the flesh. At one moment she withdrew to God in ecstasy; at the next she would bend down to her neighbours with indescribable love. In heaven angels served her, while here on earth she was venerated by the service of men. Gabriel and the angels waited upon her in heaven. The virgin John, rejoicing that the Virgin Mother was entrusted to him at the cross, cared for her with the other apostles here below. The angels rejoiced to see their queen; the apostles rejoiced to see their lady, and both obeyed her with loving devotion.

Dwelling in the loftiest citadel of virtue, like a sea of divine grace or an unfathomable source of love that has everywhere overflowed its banks, she poured forth her bountiful waters on trusting and thirsting souls. Able to preserve both flesh and spirit from death she bestowed health-giving salve on bodies and souls. Has anyone ever come away from her troubled or saddened or ignorant of the heavenly mysteries? Who has not returned to everyday life gladdened and joyful because his request had been granted by the Mother of God?

She is a bride, so gentle and affectionate, and the mother of the only true bridegroom. In her abundant goodness she has channelled the spring of reason’s garden, the well of living and life-giving waters that pour forth in a rushing stream from divine Lebanon and flow down from Mount Zion until they surround the shores of every far-flung nation. With divine assistance she has redirected these waters and made them into streams of peace and pools of grace. Therefore, when the Virgin of virgins was led forth by God and her Son, the King of kings. amid the company of exulting angels and rejoicing archangels, with the heavens ringing with praise, the prophecy of the psalmist was fulfilled, in which he said to the Lord: At your right hand stands the queen, clothed in gold of Ophir.


RESPONSORY
A great sign appeared in the heavens:
a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
- and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.

The queen, clothed in cloth of gold, stood on your right hand.
- And upon her head a crown of twelve stars.


PRAYER
Father,
you have given us the mother of your Son
to be our queen and mother.
With the support of her prayers
may we come to share the glory of your children
in the kingdom of heaven.
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.