Office of Readings
In those places where this Memorial is observed as a Solemnity or Feast, please use the texts found in the Common of the Blessed Virgin with the proper texts below.
INVITATORY
The Invitatory is said when this is the first ‘hour’ of the day.
Go to the Hymn
Go to the Psalmody
Lord, + open my lips.
— And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The antiphon is repeated. In individual recitation, the antiphon may be said only at the beginning of the psalm; it need not be repeated after each strophe.
Psalm 24
Psalm 67
Psalm 100
Psalm 95
A call to praise God
Encourage each other daily while it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).
Come, let us sing to the Lord *
and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving *
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Lord is God, the mighty God, *
the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hands the depths of the earth *
and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him, *
the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Come, then, let us bow down and worship, *
bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people, *
the flock he shepherds.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: †
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did
in the wilderness, *
when at Meriba and Massah
they challenged me and provoked me, *
Although they had seen all of my works.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Forty years I endured that generation. *
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger, *
“They shall not enter into my rest.”
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
If the Invitatory is not said, then the following is used:
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 for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
HYMN
Hail, O Mother, gracious and merciful,
Mother of hope, Mother of clemency,
Mother of God, Mother of ev’ry grace,
Blessed Mother, filled with all holy joy,
Vale of lilies, virtues in fairest bloom,
fount of gladness, joyous beyond delight:
Holy Mother, help and pray for us,
bend down gently, look on our lowliness,
Unbegotten Father created you,
Sole-begotten Son overshadowed you,
by the Spirit, Jesus took flesh in you:
hearts with wonder praise them, the Three in One. Amen.
Tune: TOTHILL, 10 10 10 10,
Music: ICEL, 2021; adapted
or Mode VIII, melody 122; Liber Hymnarius, Solesmes, 1983
Text: Salve, Mater misericordiæ, 13-14th c., © 2023 ICEL
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him.
Psalm 18:31-51
Hymn of thanksgiving
If God is on our side who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
IV
As for God, his ways are perfect; *
the word of the Lord, purest gold.
He indeed is the shield *
of all who make him their refuge.
For who is God but the Lord? *
Who is a rock but our God?
The God who girds me with strength *
and makes the path safe before me.
My feet you made swift as the deer’s; *
you have made me stand firm on the heights.
You have trained my hands for battle *
and my arms to bend the heavy bow.
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.
Ant. The word of the Lord is a strong shield for all who put their trust in him.
Ant. 2 Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord.
V
You gave me your saving shield; *
you upheld me, trained me with care.
You gave me freedom for my steps; *
my feet have never slipped.
I pursued and overtook my foes, *
never turning back till they were slain.
I smote them so they could not rise; *
they fell beneath my feet.
You girded me with strength for battle; *
you made my enemies fall beneath me,
you made my foes take flight; *
those who hated me I destroyed.
They cried, but there was no one to save them; *
they cried to the Lord, but in vain.
I crushed them fine as dust before the wind; *
trod them down like dirt in the streets.
You saved me from the feuds of the people *
and put me at the head of the nations.
People unknown to me served me: *
when they heard of me they obeyed me.
Foreign nations came to me cringing: †
foreign nations faded away. *
They came trembling out of their strongholds.
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.
Ant. Your strong right hand has upheld me, Lord.
Ant. 3 May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever.
VI
Long life to the Lord, my rock! *
Praised be the God who saves me,
the God who gives me redress *
and subdues people under me.
You saved me from my furious foes. *
You set me above my assailants.
You saved me from violent men, †
so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations: *
I will sing a psalm to your name.
He has given great victories to his king †
and shown his love for his anointed, *
for David and his sons 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.
Psalm Prayer
Lord God, our strength and salvation, put in us the flame of your love and make our love for you grow to a perfect love which reaches to our neighbor.
Ant. May the living God, my Savior, be praised for ever.
Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see.
— The wonders of your law.
READINGS
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Zechariah
11:4—12:8
The parable of the shepherds
Thus said the Lord, my God: Shepherd the flock to be slaughtered. For they who buy them slay them with impunity; while those who sell them say, “Blessed be the Lord, I have become rich!” Even their own shepherds do not feel for them. (Nor shall I spare the inhabitants of the earth any more, says the Lord. Yes, I will deliver each of them into the power of his neighbor, or into the power of his king; they shall crush the earth, and I will not deliver it out of their power.)
So I became the shepherd of the flock to be slaughtered for the sheep merchants. I took two staffs, one of which I called “Favor,” and the other, “Bonds,” and I fed the flock. In a single month I did away with the three shepherds. I wearied of them, and they behaved badly toward me. “I will not feed you,” I said. “What is to die, let it die; what is to perish, let it perish, and let those that are left devour one another’s flesh.”
Then I took my staff “Favor” and snapped it asunder, breaking off the covenant which I had made with all peoples; that day it was broken off. The sheep merchants who were watching me understood that this was the word of the Lord. I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, let it go.” And they counted out my wages, thirty pieces of silver. But the Lord said to me, “Throw it in the treasury, the handsome price at which they valued me.” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the Lord.
Then I snapped asunder my other staff, “Bonds,” breaking off the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. The Lord said to me: This time take the gear of a foolish shepherd. For I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will take no note of those that perish, nor seek the strays, nor heal the injured, nor feed what survives—he will eat the flesh of the fat ones and tear off their hoofs!
Woe to my foolish shepherd
who forsakes the flock!
May the sword fall upon his arm
and upon his right eye;
Let his arm wither away entirely,
and his right eye be blind forever!
An oracle: the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus says the Lord, who spreads out the heavens, lays the foundations of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: See, I will make Jerusalem a bowl to stupefy all peoples round about. [Judah will be besieged, even Jerusalem.]
On that day I will make Jerusalem a weighty stone for all peoples. All who attempt to lift it shall injure themselves badly, and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered against her. On that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with fright, and its rider with madness. I will strike blind all the horses of the peoples, but upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, and the princes of Judah shall say to themselves, “The inhabitants of Jerusalem have their strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.”
On that day I will make the princes of Judah like a brazier of fire in the woodland, and like a burning torch among sheaves, and they shall devour right and left all the surrounding peoples; but Jerusalem shall still abide on its own site. The Lord shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over Judah.
On that day, the Lord will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the weakling among them shall be like David on that day, and the house of David godlike, like an angel of the Lord before them.
RESPONSORY
Zechariah 11:12, 13; Matthew 26:15
They counted out my wages, thirty pieces of silver,
— the noble price at which they valued me.
Judas said: what will you give me if I hand him over to you?
The decided to pay him thirty pieces of silver.
— The noble price at which they valued me.
SECOND READING
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
(Sermo 25, 7-8: PL 46, 937-938)
She who believed by faith, conceived by faith
Stretching out his hand over his disciples, the Lord Christ declared: Here are my mother and my brothers; anyone who does the will of my Father who sent me is my brother and sister and my mother. I would urge you to ponder these words. Did the Virgin Mary, who believed by faith and conceived by faith, who was the chosen one from whom our Savior was born among men, who was created by Christ before Christ was created in her—did she not do the will of the Father? Indeed the blessed Mary certainly did the Father’s will, and so it was for her a greater thing to have been Christ’s disciple than to have been his mother, and she was more blessed in her discipleship than in her motherhood. Hers was the happiness of first bearing in her womb him whom she would obey as her master.
Now listen and see if the words of Scripture do not agree with what I have said. The Lord was passing by and crowds were following him. His miracles gave proof of divine power, and a woman cried out: Happy is the womb that bore you, blessed is that womb! But the Lord, not wishing people to seek happiness in a purely physical relationship, replied: More blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Mary heard God’s word and kept it, and so she is blessed. She kept God’s truth in her mind, a nobler thing than carrying his body in her womb. The truth and the body were both Christ: he was kept in Mary’s mind insofar as he is truth, he was carried in her womb insofar as he is man; but what is kept in the mind is of a higher order than what is carried in the womb.
The Virgin Mary is both holy and blessed, and yet the Church is greater than she. Mary is a part of the Church, a member of the Church, a holy, an eminent—the most eminent—member, but still only a member of the entire body. The body undoubtedly is greater than she, one of its members. This body has the Lord for its head, and head and body together make up the whole Christ. In other words, our head is divine—our head is God.
Now, beloved, give me your whole attention, for you also are members of Christ; you also are the body of Christ. Consider how you yourselves can be among those of whom the Lord said: Here are my mother and my brothers. Do you wonder how you can be the mother of Christ? He himself said: Whoever hears and fulfills the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother. As for our being the brothers and sisters of Christ, we can understand this because although there is only one inheritance and Christ is the only Son, his mercy would not allow him to remain alone. It was his wish that we too should be heirs of the Father, and co-heirs with himself.
Now having said that all of you are brothers of Christ, shall I not dare to call you his mother? Much less would I dare to deny his own words. Tell me how Mary became the mother of Christ, if it was not by giving birth to the members of Christ? You, to whom I am speaking, are the members of Christ. Of whom were you born? “Of Mother Church,” I hear the reply of your hearts. You became sons of this mother at your baptism, you came to birth then as members of Christ. Now you in your turn must draw to the font of baptism as many as you possibly can. You became sons when you were born there yourselves, and now by bringing others to birth in the same way, you have it in your power to become the mothers of Christ.
RESPONSORY
Isaiah 61:10; Luke 1:46-47
I will cry out with joy to the Lord;
my soul will rejoice in my God,
— for he has clothed me with the robe of salvation,
like a bride adorned with her jewels.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
— For he has clothed me with the robe of salvation,
like a bride adorned with her jewels.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Let us pray.
Eternal Father,
we honor the holiness and glory of the Virgin Mary.
May her prayers bring us
the fullness of your life and love.
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.
— Amen.
Or:
As we venerate the glorious memory
of the most holy Virgin Mary,
grant, we pray, O Lord, through her intercession,
that we, too, may merit to receive
from the fullness of your grace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
ACCLAMATION
Let us praise the Lord.
— And give him thanks.
******
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Psalm 24
The Lord’s entry into his temple
Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Irenaeus).
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, *
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas; *
on the waters he made it firm.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? *
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, †
who desires not worthless things, *
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord *
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him, *
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Who is the king of glory? †
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, *
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
O gates, lift high your heads; †
grow higher, ancient doors. *
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Who is he, the king of glory? †
He, the Lord of armies, *
he is the king of glory.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Continue with the Hymn
Psalm 67
People of all nations will worship the Lord
You must know that God is offering his salvation to all the world (Acts 28:28).
O God, be gracious and bless us *
and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth *
and all nations learn your saving help.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Let the nations be glad and exult *
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples, *
you guide the nations on earth.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The earth has yielded its fruit *
for God, our God, has blessed us.
May God still give us his blessing *
till the ends of the earth revere him.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Continue with the Hymn
Psalm 100
The joyful song of those entering God’s temple
The Lord calls his ransomed people to sing songs of victory (Saint Athanasius).
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. †
Serve the Lord with gladness. *
Come before him, singing for joy.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Know that he, the Lord, is God. †
He made us, we belong to him, *
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Go within his gates, giving thanks. †
Enter his courts with songs of praise. *
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, †
eternal his merciful love. *
He is faithful from age to age.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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.
Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
Or: Come, let us sing to the Lord as we celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Continue with the Hymn
