A Book of Marian Prayers

A Book of Marian Prayers

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Other Loyola Press books

by William G. Storey The Complete Rosary A Guide to Praying the Mysteries

from

Novenas Prayers of Intercession and Devotion A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions Praying the Seasons and Feasts of the Church Year A Catholic Book of Hours and Other Devotions Prayers of Christian Consolation A Beginner’s Book of Prayer An Introduction to Traditional Catholic Prayers A Prayer Book for Eucharistic Adoration

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A Book of Marian Prayers A Compilation of Marian Devotions from the Second to the Twenty-First Century

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Composed, edited and translated by William G. Storey Professor Emeritus of Liturgy University of Notre Dame

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© 2011 William G. Storey All rights reserved

In accordance with c. 827, permission to publish is granted on July 7, 2011 by Very Reverend John F. Canary, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Permission to publish is an official declaration of ecclesiastical authority that the material is free from doctrinal and moral error. No legal responsibility is assumed by the grant of this permission.

Copyright acknowledgments appear on pages 369–371 and constitute a continuation of this copyright page.

Virgin and Child, engraved by Luigi Schiavonetti (1765-1810) 1793 (engraving) by Bartolozzi, Francesco (1727-1815) Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, USA/ The Bridgeman Art Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Storey, William George, 1923A book of Marian prayers / composed, edited, and translated by William G. Storey. p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references ISBN-13: 978-0-8294-3574-0 ISBN-10: 0-8294-3574-3 1. Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint--Prayers and devotions. 2. Church year--Prayers and devotions. 3. Catholic Church--Prayers and devotions. I. Title.

BX2160.23.S76 2011 242'.74--dc23 2011018482 Printed in China 11 12 13 14 15 RRD/China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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To Notre Dame du Lac and to all its professors and students past and present

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Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv To the Great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy

Part 1: A Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Season of Advent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Advent Morning Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 2 3

House of Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Advent Evening Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Season of Christmas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Christmas Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Mary Theotokos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Christmas Evening Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 The Season of Lent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Lenten Morning Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Mary at the Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Lenten Evening Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 The Season of Easter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Easter Morning Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Eve and Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 vii

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Easter Evening Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 The Season of Assumptiontide. . . . . . . . . . . 90 Morning Prayer in Assumptiontide . . . . . . 91 Seven Psalms for the Week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 A Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . . . . . 111

Evening Prayer in Assumptiontide. . . . . . . 112 Seven Psalms for the Week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Part 2: Marian Feasts throughout the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 The Common of Marian Feasts . . . . . . . . . . 132 Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Evening Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 The Propers of Solemnities and Feasts . . . 142 January 1: The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 February 2: The Presentation of the Lord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 March 19: Saint Joseph, the Husband of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 March 25: Gabriel Brings the Good News to Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 May 31: Mary Visits Elizabeth . . . . . . . . . . . 150 viii  Contents

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July 26: Joachim and Anna, the Parents of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 August 15: The Assumption of Our Lady.153 August 22: The Queenship of Mary . . . . . . 155 September 8: Mary’s Birthday. . . . . . . . . . . . 156 December 8: Mary’s Immaculate Conception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe. . . 159

Part 3: Exaltation of the Mother of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Part 4: The Twenty Mysteries of the Rosary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 The Basic Vocal Prayers of the Rosary. . . . 179 The Sign of the Cross. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 The Apostles’ Creed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 The Lord’s Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 The Hail Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Doxology: The Gloria Patri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 The Holy Mysteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 The Joyful Mysteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Contents ix

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1. Gabriel Announces the Good News to Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 2. Mary Visits Her Cousin Elizabeth . . . . 188 3. Jesus Is Born in Bethlehem of Judea . . . 190 4. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 5. Mary and Joseph Find Jesus in the Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 The Mysteries of Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 1. Jesus Is Baptized by John in the Jordan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 2. The Wedding Feast of Cana . . . . . . . . . . . 199 3. Jesus Preaches and Inaugurates the Reign of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 4. Jesus Is Transfigured on Mount Tabor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 5. Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper. . . . . 206 The Sorrowful Mysteries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 1. The Agony of Jesus in the Garden in Gethsemane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 2. Jesus is Tried, Condemned, and Flogged by Pilate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 3. Jesus Is Crowned with Thorns. . . . . . . . . 213 4. Jesus Walks the Way of the Cross. . . . . . 215 x  Contents

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5. Jesus is Crucified, Dies on the Cross, and is Buried. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 The Glorious Mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 1. God Raises Christ from the Grave . . . . 220 2. Jesus Ascends into Heaven. . . . . . . . . . . . 223 3. Pentecost: The Gift of the Holy Spirit. 225 4. Mary Is Assumed Body and Soul into Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 5. The Coronation of Mary and the Glory of All the Saints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Litany of Loreto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Part 5: Marian Devotional Prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 A Tribute to Mary from the Byzantine Liturgy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 We Turn to You (Sub tuum praesidium) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 From the Anaphora of St. Basil the Great . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 A Byzantine Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 To Our Lady of the Celts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 A Marian Antiphon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Contents  xi

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St. Hildegard of Bingen: A Song to Holy Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Domina Nostra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Mechtild of Magdeburg: The Greeting to Our Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 St. Hadewijch: The Humility of Mary . . . . 243 St. Thomas Aquinas: O Blessed and Sweet Virgin Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Margaret Porette: Our Lady at the Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Dante, Paradise, Canto XXXIII. . . . . . . . . . 249 Angela of Foligno: A Vision of Our Lady. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Angela of Foligno: On Mary’s Prayer. . . . . 251 The Seven Sorrows of Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 The Angelus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Regina Coeli: Marian Anthem for Eastertide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 St. Anthony of Padua: To the Mother of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Geoffrey Chaucer to Our Lady. . . . . . . . . . . 270 xii Contents

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Obsecro Te . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 A Prayer of Margery Kempe . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 O Intemerata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Memorare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 The Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Jesus, Living in Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 A Marian Hymn of Father Faber. . . . . . . . 290 To Mary for Safekeeping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Thomas Merton: to the Mother of My Savior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 A Devotion to the Mother of God . . . . . . . . 292 Pope John Paul II: A Prayer Entrusting the World to Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 The Seven Sayings of the Virgin Mary . . . 302

Part 6: Novenas to Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 A Saturday Devotion in Honor of Mary. . 312 A Novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . . 318 A Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe. . . . . 323 A Novena to Our Mother of Sorrows. . . . . 329 Contents  xiii

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A Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 A Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary. . . . 340 A Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 A Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 A Novena to Mary, Queen of Heaven. . . . . 355 To God Be the Glory!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372

xiv  Contents

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Introduction To the Great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy [The Lord] is truly descended from David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3, 4), and the Son of God by the will and power of God; he was truly born of a virgin and baptized by John in order to fulfill every command (Matthew 3:15).

St. Ignatius of Antioch (+ ca. 107)1 After the Lord Jesus himself, the Blessed Virgin Mary ranks number one in our celestial homeland. She was essential to the divine plan for the salvation of the world; God waited for her free and conscious assent to the angel Gabriel’s request. Out of infinite love God intervened in our history and Mary freely surrendered to his plans. With that everything changed in an instant.

Before taking to himself a human nature, he consulted with the woman, to ask her if she would give him a man. The manhood of Jesus was not stolen from humanity, as Prometheus stole fire from heaven; it was given as a gift.

Fulton J. Sheen2

xv

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But the Annunciation was only the beginning for this pious young girl from a tiny village in Galilee. In saying yes to God she then had to bear all the consequences.

She and her dear Joseph had to patiently see how the Lord would work out his will through them and their child. The angel that had said marvelous things about the child and his destiny had not filled in any of the details of the story.

Gabriel had made great promises but just how would they find fulfillment, and when and where and how? Thirty years later they found their initial fulfillment, but they are still finding their completion in and through history. Jesus solemnly promised that he would be with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20) and sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). He also left us his mother and, step by step, mystics and theologians have found what a treasure she is in every age.

Not only was she the Mother of Jesus, she is now and forever the Mother of the Church.

A Marian Anaphora O Mary, immensity of heaven, foundation of the earth, depth of the sea, light of the sun, beauty of the moon, splendor of the stars in the heavens.

You are greater than the cherubim, more eminent that the seraphim, more glorious than the chariots of fire.

Your womb bore God, before whose majesty mortals stand in awe.

Your lap held the glowing coal. xvi  Introduction

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Your knees supported the lion, whose majesty is fearful.

Your hands touch the One who is untouchable, and the fire of Divinity which is in him.

Your fingers resemble the glowing tongs with which the prophet received the coals of the heavenly oblation.

You are the basket for this bread of ardent flame and the chalice for this wine.

O Mary, who nurtured in your womb the fruit of oblation, we children of this sanctuary pray to you with perseverance to guard us from the adversary which ensnares us; and as the measure of water cannot be parted from the wine, so let us not be separated from you and your Son, the Lamb of salvation.3 Even before the great Fathers of the first ecumenical councils of the fourth and fifth centuries, the primitive Fathers of the second century laid the foundations of Marian theology as they visualized Mary as the new Eve who prepared the damage done by the old Eve and saw her as the perpetual virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus.

Mary and Eve

“Just as it was through a virgin who disobeyed that humanity was stricken and fell and died, so too it was through the Virgin, who obeyed the word of God, that we, resuscitated by life, received life. For the Lord Introduction  xvii

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came to seek back the lost sheep, and it was we who were lost and therefore he did not become some other formation, but he likewise, of her that was descended of Adam, preserved the likeness of formation; for Adam had necessarily to be restored in Christ, that mortality be absorbed in immortality, and Eve in Mary, that a virgin, become the advocate of a virgin, should undo and destroy virginal disobedience by virginal obedience.” St. Irenaeus of Lyons ((ca. 130–ca. 200).4

Feasts of the Virgin Mary In the undivided Church of the first centuries, the great feasts of Mary were gradually established in the liturgies of East and West until the universal church enjoyed the meaning and festivity of a Marian cycle: the Birthday of Mary (September 8), the Presentation of Mary in the Temple (November 21), the Solemnity of the Mother of God on the octave day of Christmas (January 1) but on December 26 in the Byzantine Church, the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin (March 25), and the Dormition and Assumption of Mary (August 15).

In addition, the Latin church has continued to multiply feasts of the Virgin until now: her Immaculate Conception (December 8), Our Lady of Lourdes (February 11), Joseph, the Husband of Mary (March 19), the Visitation of Mary to her Cousin Elizabeth (May 31), the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16), Joachim and Anna, the Parents of Mary (July 26), the Queenship of Mary (August 22), Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15), Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7), and Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12). xviii Introduction

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There are also many patronal feasts of various religious orders and of local shrines of the Virgin.

Besides the many major and minor festivals of Mary that express her role in salvation history and in the ongoing life of the Church, almost every age of Church life has produced popular devotions to the Mother of God. This prayer book dedicated to Mary contains many such devotions that enjoy popularity in our Catholic culture. The four most outstanding ones are the Little Office of Mary, the Akathistos Hymn of the Theotokos, and the Rosary of twenty mysteries, and the many Marian novenas.

Introduction  xix

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I A Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary For nearly a thousand years this principal devotion to the Mother of God has inspired Catholics of the Western Church to address Mary each day in prayer. In its classic form it had seven “hours” each day composed of hymns, psalms, readings, canticles, and prayers that expressed the role of Mary in the Incarnation and in her present role as Queen of Heaven. It was much briefer than the Divine Office, almost invariable from day to day and season to season, easily carried about in a booklet, and in either Latin or some vernacular language.

In the High Middle Ages this Marian Office was the key element in the popular Books of Hours and continued to be the primary devotion to Mary down through the twentieth century. Just after Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of the Catholic religion in 1950, he asked the noted Scripture scholar, Father Augustine Bea, SJ, to revise and enhance this popular Office and bring it more in line with the liturgical year and its main Marian feasts.

1

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The present form of this devotion contains only two “hours,” Morning and Evening Prayer, but has five types of these daily hours: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Assumptiontide.

The first four seasons are coterminous with the four seasons of the Roman Missal, but since Assumptiontide lasts some thirty-five weeks (patterned on the Regular Time of the Missal), it is furnished with more variety.

See pages 90-129.

In addition to the five seasons, this Office contains the principal Marian feasts of the Roman calendar. See pages 131-161.

These hours are prayed either privately or in a family or other group.

Private recitation means that a person says all the elements provided here with attention and devotion, with suitable pauses for quiet prayer and reflection.

Groups demand a bit of organization to pray the hours with a good tempo and without confusion or haste. A leader alternates the versicles, hymns, psalms, canticles, and litanies with the rest of the group while another person reads the lesson. Pauses are indicated after the psalms and readings, and other helpful indications are printed out only in the Office of Advent but are meant to be used throughout all the seasons and feasts.

We begin each hour with a few moments of silent prayer, and we might finish each hour with a sign of peace.

The Season of Advent This season in preparation for Christmas/Epiphany is one of some four weeks beginning on the Sunday on 2 Part I

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or nearest to the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, November 30, and ending on December 24. It is a season of joy, longing, and expectation for the first coming of Jesus on earth and for his second coming as Judge of the world at the end of time. Mary has a primary role in the first coming and, as the Mother of the Church, a crucial role in the second one too. In this Office we pray with her and through her to be able to experience the incarnation in all its depth.

Advent Morning Prayer As we begin Morning Prayer, we sign our lips with the cross.

Leader: O Lord, z open my lips, All: ~And my mouth shall declare your praise.

Leader: Hail, Mary, full of grace.

All: ~The Lord is with you.

Leader: Blessed are you among women, Mary, All: ~And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Psalm 67

A Call to Prayer

The leader of prayer begins the Antiphon to the asterisk and all continue it.

The leader prays the stanzas of the psalm and all repeat the Antiphon.

Antiphon  Come, * let us adore the Lord, the Son of Mary.

A Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary   3

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O God, be gracious to us and bless us and make your face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Antiphon Come, let us adore the Lord, the Son of Mary.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you!

Antiphon Come, let us adore the Lord, the Son of Mary.

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.

May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you!

Antiphon Come, let us adore the Lord, the Son of Mary.

All make a deep bow at this doxology.

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.

4 Part I

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Antiphon Come, let us adore the Lord, the Son of Mary.

The leader alternates the stanzas of the hymn with the group.

Advent Hymn Praise we the Lord this day, This day so long foretold, Whose promise shone with cheering ray On waiting saints of old.

The prophet gave the sign That those with faith might read; A virgin, born of David’s line Shall bear the promised seed.

Blessed shall be her name In all the Church on earth, Through whom that wondrous mercy came, The incarnate Savior’s birth.

Jesus, the Virgin’s Son, We praise you and adore, Who are with God the Father And Spirit evermore. Amen.5 We pray one or more of the following three items.

Psalm 97:1-6, 9-12

Joy to the World

The leader begins the Antiphon and all continue it after the asterisk.

Antiphon The light of Christ * dawns on the whole world, alleluia!

A Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary 5

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The Lord is king! let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!

Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side.

His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens proclaim his righteousness and all peoples behold his glory.

For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

The Lord loves those who hate evil, he guards the lives of the faithful, and rescues them from the hand of the wicked.

Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

All repeat the Antiphon in unison.

Antiphon The light of Christ dawns on the whole world, alleluia!

Psalm Prayer Leader: Let us pray (pause for quiet prayer): 6 Part I

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Lord Jesus, you are the light and life of the world.

May your dawn rise in our hearts by the help of the prayers of your dear mother.

Your reign is a reign for all ages.

All: ~Amen.

A Canticle of Zephaniah the Prophet

3:14–17

Antiphon Your name shall be called Emmanuel, * God-is-with-us.

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!

The Lord has taken away the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.

On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.

The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory.

Antiphon Your name shall be called Emmanuel, God-is-with-us.

Prayer Let us pray (pause for quiet prayer): A Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary 7

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Rescuing God, you are in our midst in our incarnate Lord, Jesus, the Son of Mary.

Take away our fears and strengthen our hands to war against Satan and all his minions.

Christ’s reign is a reign for all ages. ~Amen.

Psalm 121 Help from on High Antiphon Nothing * will be impossible with God. I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.

Antiphon Nothing will be impossible with God. 8 Part I

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Psalm Prayer Let us pray (pause for quiet prayer): Holy Mother of God, your help came from the Maker of heaven and earth.

By your merits and intercession, lift my eyes to the everlasting hills where God dwells for ever and ever. ~Amen.

A Reading from Isaiah the Prophet 7:10–14 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign from the Lord your God; let it be as deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you as sign. Look, the young woman is with child, and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”

Pause for quiet prayer.

Then the leader alternates the Responsory with the group.

Responsory Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. ~Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

Heaven and earth is full of God’s glory. ~Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

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Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. ~Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

Or this reading: Reading from St. Matthew the Evangelist 1:20–24 An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” . . . When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife.

Pause for quiet prayer.

Responsory Drop down dew you heavens from above. ~Drop down dew you heavens from above.

Let the earth bud forth a Savior. ~Drop down dew you heavens from above.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. ~Drop down dew you heavens from above.

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The Canticle of Zachary Luke 1:68–79 The leader begins the Antiphon and all continue it after the asterisk.

Antiphon A Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son * and she shall call his name Emmanuel, alleluia!

We make the full sign of the cross to begin the canticle.

The leader and the group alternate reading stanzas.

Blessed z be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

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And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

All make a deep bow at this doxology.

Glory to the Holy and Undivided Trinity: now and always and for ever and ever. Amen.

All repeat the Antiphon in unison.

Antiphon A Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and she shall call his name Emmanuel, alleluia!

The Lord’s Prayer Lord, have mercy. ~Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Our Father in heaven. ~hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. forgive us our sins 12 Part I

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as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

Closing Prayer The leader recites the prayer and everyone answers “Amen.”

O God, eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word the immaculate Virgin received through the message of an Angel and so became the dwelling-place of divinity, filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, grant, we pray, that by her example we may in humility hold fast to your will.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. ~Amen.6 Blessing All make the full sign of the cross to conclude our prayer.

May the Virgin Mary mild z bless us with her holy Child. ~Amen.

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These directions (rubrics) serve for all the hours of Morning and Evening Prayer throughout the year.

House of Gold Mary is the house and palace of the Great King, of God himself. Our Lord, the co-equal Son of God, once dwelt in her. He was her guest; nay, more than a guest, for a guest comes into a house as well as leaves it. But our Lord was actually born in this holy house. He took his flesh and blood from this house, from the flesh, from the veins of Mary. Rightly then she was made to be of pure gold, because she was to give of that gold to form the body of the Son of God. She was golden in her conception, golden in her birth. She went through the fire of suffering like gold in the furnace, and when she ascended on high, she was, in the words of our hymn, “Above all angels in glory untold, Standing next to the King in a vesture of gold.”

John Henry Newman (1801–1990)7

Advent Evening Prayer Light and peace z in Jesus Christ our Lord. ~Thanks be to God. Hail, Mary, full of grace.

~The Lord is with you.

Blessed are you among women, Mary,

~And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

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Hymn O Myriam, prepare the day when God takes shelter at your breast; the Word, creation’s source and end, now with our features will take flesh.

The wedding chamber of your womb— expectant, hallowed, fenced around— grows full, so heavy now with child whose name, “God heals,” through earth will sound.

This Word, though birthless, comes to birth, whose day the prophets strained to see.

Compassion, justice now embrace and bare God’s great fidelity.

You angel choirs, now mark the day: prepare a new song for our earth.

God comes, self-stripped of majesty to die; but dying, gives us birth! Amen.

Aelred-Seton Shanley8

We pray one or more of the following three items.

Psalm 24:7–10

Jesus, the Lord of Glory

Antiphon The Lord is a warrior, * the Lord is his name!

Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.

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Who is the King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty.

The Lord, mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The Lord of hosts, the Lord is the King of glory!

Antiphon The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is his name!

Psalm Prayer Let us pray (pause for quiet prayer): Ruler of glory, Lord of hosts, you entered the world as a warrior against the powers of evil.

Come into our hearts and minds and rid them of sinful tendencies that impede our growth in holiness.

Your reign is a reign for all ages. ~Amen.

God Cares Psalm 113 for the Poor

nab

Antiphon God sent Jesus in the fullness of time, * born of a woman, born under the law.

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Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever.

From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised.

High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens God’s glory.

Who is like the Lord our God enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth?

The Lord raises the needy from the dust, lifts the poor from the ash heap, Seats them with princes, the princes of the people, Gives the childless wife a home, the joyful mother of children.

Antiphon God sent Jesus in the fullness of time, born of a woman, born under the law.

Psalm Prayer Let us pray (pause for quiet prayer): Immaculate Virgin Mary, God raised you from your humble estate to become the mother of the Messiah.

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In God’s providence may you become the mother of many children in the mystical body of Christ.

Blest be the name of Jesus and Mary. ~Amen.

The Preeminence of Christ

Colossians 1:15–20 nab

Antiphon Jesus is the Father’s only Son, * full of grace and truth.

Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

For in him were created all things in heaven and earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent.

For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him making peace by the blood of the cross, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Antiphon Jesus is the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

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Prayer Let us pray (pause for quiet prayer): Lord Christ, firstborn of all creation, and firstborn from the dead, stand preeminent in the Church and in the world by the generous and powerful prayers of the Virgin Mother of God. Your reign is a reign for all ages. ~Amen.

A Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah 23:5–6 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Pause for quiet prayer.

Responsory Blessed is the womb that bore you, O Christ. ~Blessed is the womb that bore you, O Christ.

And the breasts that nursed you. ~Blessed is the womb that bore you, O Christ.

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Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit. ~Blessed is the womb that bore you, O Christ.

Or this reading: A Reading from Luke 1:26–28, the Holy Gospel 30–32, 38 The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. . . . Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

Pause for quiet prayer.

Responsory The Holy Spirit of the Lord will come upon you. ~The Holy Spirit of the Lord will come upon you.

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The power of the Most High will overshadow you. ~The Holy Spirit of the Lord will come upon you.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. ~The Holy Spirit of the Lord will come upon you.

The Canticle of the Virgin Mary Luke 1:46–55 Antiphon You have looked with favor, Lord, * on your lowly servant, alleluia!

My soul z magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; A Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary 21

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he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

Glory to the Holy and Undivided Trinity: now and always and for ever and ever. Amen.

Antiphon You have looked with favor, Lord, on your lowly servant, alleluia!

Litany Father in heaven, you have sent your only Son to be our Savior: ~Hear us and help us, we pray.

Only Begotten of the Father, you came to do the Father’s will: ~Hear us and help us, we pray.

Holy Spirit, you overshadowed the Virgin Mary to bring forth the Word incarnate: ~Hear us and help us, we pray.

Virgin Mary, you embraced the message of the Angel Gabriel: ~Hear us and help us, we pray.

Joseph of Nazareth, you accepted your vocation as husband of the Virgin and foster father of the Son of God: ~Hear us and help us, we pray.

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Pause for our special intentions.

By the intercession of Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus: ~Hear us and help us, we pray.

The Lord’s Prayer Lord, have mercy. ~Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Our Father in heaven. ~hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

Closing Prayer Confirm in our minds the mysteries of the true faith, we pray, O Lord, so that, confessing that he who was conceived of the Virgin Mary is true God and true man, A Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary   23

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we may, through the saving power of his Resurrection, merit to attain eternal joy.

Through Christ our Lord. ~Amen.9

Blessing May the Virgin Mary mild z bless us with her holy Child. ~Amen.

The Season of Christmas The Christmas/Epiphany season begins with the Evening Prayer of Christmas Eve (December 24) and closes with the Baptism of the Lord (the first Sunday after Epiphany) or, more traditionally, with the feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2.

This season presents the key mysteries that surround the birth and early childhood of Jesus: his birth in Bethlehem, circumcision and naming on the eighth day after his birth, his presentation in the temple on the fortieth day after his birth, the coming of the Magi from the East, his flight into Egypt and his exile there, his return after the death of Herod, and his finding in the temple when he was twelve years old.

All these events are epiphanies, revelations of Jesus’ twofold nature and his mission on earth. Once again Mary is central to this story.

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