'The Blessed Virgin Mary was eternally predestined, in the context of the

Incarnation of the divine Word, to be the Mother of God.  As decreed by

divine Providence, she served on earth as the loving Mother of the divine

Redeemer, His associate, uniquely generous, and the Lord's humble servant.

She conceived, bore, and nourished Christ; presented Him to the Father in

the Temple; and was united with Him in His suffering as He died on the

cross.  In a completely unparalleled way she cooperated, by her obedience,

faith, hope and burning charity, with our Savior's work of restoring

supernatural life to souls.  For this reason she is Mother to us all in the

order of grace' (Lumen Gentium, the Constitution on the Church, 61).

 

>From the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

 

 

Office of Readings

 

Second Reading

>From the homily of St. Cyril of Alexandria preached at the

Council of Ephesus

 

Hail Mary, Mother of God, august treasury of the whole world, unquenchable

torch, crown of virginity, scepter of orthodoxy, temple indestructible, and

place of the uncontainable, mother and virgin.  Through you is named blessed

in the holy gospel He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hail Mary!  You contained the uncontainable in your holy virginal womb.

Through you the Trinity is glorified; through you is the cross named

precious, and adored throughout the whole world; through you heaven exults;

through you angels and archangels rejoice; through you demons are put to

flight; through you the devil, the tempter, fell from heaven; through you

the fallen creature is taken up to heaven; through you the whole created

world, gripped in the madness of idolatry, come to a recognition of the

truth; through you comes about holy baptism for believers; through you the

oil of gladness; through you churches have been founded through the whole

world; through you nations are led to repentance.

 

What need is there to speak at length?  Through you the only Son of God

shone His light for those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death;

through you prophets foretold what was to come; through you apostles preach

salvation to the nations; through you the dead are raised to life; through

you kings reign, through the Holy Trinity.

 

What man can sing adequately the praise of Mary?  She is both virgin and

mother!  The wonder astounds me.  Shall the Builder be forbidden to inhabit

the temple He has built?

Shall He be despised who chose His handmaid for His mother?

 

See then, all things rejoice.  May it be ours to fear and bow before the

unity of the Trinity, to worship and tremble in awe before the indivisible

Trinity, as we sing praises of the ever-virgin Mary, that is the holy

Church, and of her Son and immaculate spouse; for to Him is glory for ever

and ever.  Amen.

 

Responsory

R/.  With confidence let us draw near to the throne of grace, * so that we

may receive mercy, and find grace when we are in need of help.

V/.  To you do we cry, blessed Virgin, mourning and weeping in this vale of

tears, * so that we may receive mercy, and find grace when we are in need of

help.

 

Canticle of Zechariah

It is I who give birth to all noble loving and the holy gift of hope.  From

me comes every grace of faithful observance; from me all promise of life and

vigor.

 

Prayer

God of eternal wisdom,

in Your providence You willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should bring

forth the Author of Grace, and take part with Him in the mystery of man's

redemption.

May she obtain for us grace in abundance and bring us to the haven of

everlasting salvation.

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.

 

Canticle of Mary

Our salvation is in your hands, O Mother; smile upon us, and we shall be

happy in our service of the Lord our King.

 

************

for Mass

 

Entrance Antiphon

With confidence let us draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive

mercy, and find grace when we are in need of help.

 

Prayer

(see above)

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Almighty Father,

accept our offerings of atonement and praise, and through the working of the

Holy Spirit effect the sacrament of man's redemption.

May that which Christ our Mediator

instituted for our reconciliation with You be for us, through the prayers of

the Blessed Virgin Mary, a well-spring of grace and an unfailing stream of

salvation.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

 

Communion Antiphon

The Spirit and the Bride say:  "Come!".  And let him who hears say:  "Come!"

Let all who thirst come, and let him who desires it accept the gift of life-

giving water.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord God,

we have been refreshed at the fountain of salvation.

Through the power of this Sacrament

and the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary may a closer union with Christ

our Mediator fit us to collaborate ever more faithfully in the mystery of

redemption.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

 

First Reading

Esther 8: 3-8, 16-17

Then Esther spoke again to the king; she fell at his feet and besought him

with tears to avert the evil design of Haman the Ag'agite and the plot which

he had devised against the Jews.  And the king held out the golden scepter

to Esther,  and Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, "If it

please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing

seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let an order be

written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Ag'agite, the son of

Hammeda'tha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces

of the king.  For how can I endure to see the calamity that is coming to my

people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?" Then King

Ahasu-e'rus said to Queen Esther and to Mor'decai the Jew, "Behold, I have

given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows,

because he would lay hands on the Jews.

And you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the

king, and seal it with the king's ring; for an edict written in the name of

the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked."  The Jews had

light and gladness and joy and honor. And in every province and in every

city, wherever the king's command and his edict came, there was gladness and

joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the

country declared themselves Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon

them

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 66: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R/.  Let Your face shed its light upon us, O Lord.

 

Gospel

John 2: 1-11

On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of

Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.

When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."

And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has

not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of

purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to

the brim.  He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward

of the feast." So they took it.  When the steward of the feast tasted the

water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the

servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the

bridegroom  and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when

men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine

until now."  This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and

manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.