Masses of the BVM: 36 The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Fairest Love
Go forth, daughters of Zion, and see your queen;
the morning stars sing her praises,
sun and moon bow before her beauty,
and all God’s children rejoice in her presence.
Or: Cf. Song of Songs 6: 10; Luke 1: 42
Daughter of Zion, full of loveliness and grace,
you are fair as the moon,
glorious as the sun,
most favored of all women.
COLLECT
Lord our God, by the wonder of your wisdom
Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church
and fairest of all your children on earth,
came forth from a virgin’s womb;
through the intercession of his Mother in her glory
give joy and peace to all peoples
and fill our hearts with the light of your holiness.
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.
Or:
Lord God,
your lowly handmaid, the Virgin Mary,
is resplendent in your presence
with the glory of her Son and the beauty of holiness;
grant that like her
we may seek only what is true and just
and so come before you, the origin of all beauty
and the author of purest love.
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.
Or:
Lord,
let the Virgin Mary in her glory intercede for us;
adorned with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
she won your favor
and brought forth for us your only Son,
fair beyond all your children on earth.
Grant that we may turn away from the ugliness of sin
and love only the beauty that comes from your Spirit.
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.
FIRST READING
Sir 24:17-21
I am the mother of fairest love.
A reading from the Book of Sirach
I bud forth delights like the vine,
my blossoms become fruit fair and rich.
Come to me, all you that yearn for me,
and be filled with my fruits.
You will remember me as sweeter than honey,
better to have than the honeycomb.
Whoever eats of me will hunger still,
whoever drinks of me will thirst for more;
whoever obeys me will not be put to shame,
whoever serves me will never fail.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Sg 2:10bc and 14ef; 4:8a and 9a, 11cd and 12, 15
℟. (See 4:7) O Mary, you are all fair; there is no blemish in you.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.
℟. O Mary, you are all fair; there is no blemish in you.
Come from Lebanon, my bride,
you have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride.
℟. O Mary, you are all fair; there is no blemish in you.
And the fragrance of your garments
is the fragrance of Lebanon.
You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride,
an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed.
℟. O Mary, you are all fair; there is no blemish in you.
You are a garden fountain, a well of water
flowing fresh from Lebanon.
℟. O Mary, you are all fair; there is no blemish in you.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
See Luke 1:28
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Luke 1:26-38
Hail, full of grace.
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to Mary, the angel said,
“Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But Mary was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall 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 David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“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, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:
The Gospel of the Lord.
All reply:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Then he kisses the book, saying quietly:
Through the words of the Gospel
may our sins be wiped away.
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
May we receive, O Lord, we pray,
the effects of this offering dedicated to you,
so that, walking with the Blessed Virgin Mary in the way of beauty,
we may be renewed by growth in heavenly life
and come at last to the vision of your glory.
Through Christ our Lord.
PREFACE: Mary, Mother of Fairest Love
Mary is All-beautiful.
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with your spirit.
℣. Lift up your hearts.
℟. We lift them up to the Lord.
℣. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
℟. It is truly right and just.
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, and, as we celebrate the memory
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
to proclaim with fitting praise
the greatness of your name.
Beauty was hers at her conception:
free from all stain of sin,
she is resplendent in the glory of grace.
Beauty was hers in her virginal motherhood:
she brought forth her Son, the radiance of your glory,
as the Savior and brother of us all.
Beauty was hers in the Passion of her Son:
marked by his Blood,
in her meekness she shared the suffering
of the Lamb of God, her Son, silent before his executioners,
and won for herself a new title of motherhood.
Beauty was hers in the Resurrection of Christ:
she reigns with him in glory,
the sharer now in his triumph.
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 theirs
in their triumphant hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Cf. Judith 11:21
No other woman can compare with her,
in the beauty of her face, in the wisdom of her words.
Or: Psalm 45: 3
Graciousness is poured out upon your lips,
for God has blessed you for ever more.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord God,
continue to bless with your unending favor
those whom you renew in strength by this holy Sacrament;
and let those to whom you have presented the Blessed Virgin Mary
in all the beauty of her virtue
walk always in the ways of your justice.
Through Christ our Lord.
SOLEMN BLESSING
The following Solemn Blessing may be used:
The Lord be with you.
The people reply:
And with your spirit.
The Deacon or, in his absence, the Priest himself, says the invitation:
Bow down for the blessing.
Then the Priest, with hands outstretched over the people, says
Ordinary Time I
May the Father of all mercy,
through the love with which he cherished
the Mother of his Son,
bless you with health of mind and body.
℟. Amen.
May Jesus Christ, the blessed fruit of Mary’s womb,
adorn you with the virtues
that will make you more pleasing to him.
℟. Amen.
May the Holy Spirit,
whose power overshadowed the Blessed Virgin,
give you serenity and peace,
that you may live as one in mind and heart
in the household of the Church.
℟. Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
℟. Amen.
Ordinary Time II
May God, who through the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary
willed in his great kindness to redeem the human race,
be pleased to enrich you with his blessing.
℟. Amen.
May you know always and everywhere the protection of her,
through whom you have been found worthy to receive the author of life.
℟. Amen.
May you, who have devoutly gathered to celebrate this memorial of our Lady,
carry away with you the gifts of spiritual joys and heavenly rewards.
℟. Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
℟. Amen.
Ordinary Time III
May the Father of mercies bless you
through the intercession of Blessed Mary ever-Virgin
through whom he chose to remedy the fall of our first parents.
℟. Amen.
May Jesus Christ, who in the womb of the Blessed Virgin
became our brother and our Savior,
free your hearts from every trace of sin.
℟. Amen.
May the Holy Spirit
increase in you the grace of true faith and of hope for heaven,
that you may walk in the ways of the Gospel
and so reach your eternal home.
℟. Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
℟. Amen.
Then the Deacon, or the Priest himself, with hands joined and facing the people, says:
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Or:
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
Or:
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
Or:
Go in peace.
The people reply:
Thanks be to God.