Masses of the BVM: 03 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Luke 1: 68-69a, 70
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
as his holy prophets promised of old.
COLLECT
Lord our God, Savior of the human family,
you brought salvation and joy
to the home of Elizabeth
through the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the ark of the New Covenant.
We ask that, in obedience
to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
we too may bring Christ to others
and proclaim your greatness
by the praise of our lips and the holiness of our lives.
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
Zep 3:14-18a
The Lord, the King of Israel, is among you.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
and turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
the LORD will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
the LORD will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
The word of the Lord.
Or:
Sg 2:8-14
See, my lover comes leaping across the mountains.
A reading from the Song of Songs
Hark! my lover—here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
“Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
“For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.”
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Or:
Zec 9:9-10
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
The LORD says:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior’s bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
℟. (7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, give your judgment to the king;
your justice to the son of kings;
that he may govern your people with justice,
your oppressed with right judgment.
℟. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
That abundance may flourish in his days,
great bounty, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
from the river to the ends of the earth.
℟. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
For he rescues the poor when they cry out,
the oppressed who have no one to help.
He shows pity to the needy and the poor
and saves the lives of the poor.
℟. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun, may his name endure.
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name;
may all the nations regard him as favored.
℟. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Verse Before the Gospel
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
℟. (6b) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
℟. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
℟. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD, for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!
℟. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
See Lk 1:45
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, for firmly believing
that the promises of the Lord would be fulfilled.
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Lk 1:39-56
Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord?
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God ,my savior.”
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
The Lord’s mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
The Lord has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
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
Lord,
may our gifts be sanctified by the Holy Spirit,
who formed the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be a new creation,
and bathed her with the dew of heavenly grace,
so that she might bear the fruit of salvation.
Through Christ our Lord.
PREFACE: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Holy Mary, Blessed for Her Belief in the Promise of Salvation.
℣. 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, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
For by your Holy Spirit
you inspired Elizabeth
to reveal the surpassing honor
you have given to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mary is rightly hailed as blessed
because she believed in your promise of salvation;
in her act of loving service
she is greeted as Mother of the Lord
by the Mother of Christ’s herald.
We make our own the canticle of joy
on the lips of God’s Virgin Mother,
and in our lowliness we too proclaim your greatness
in the never-ending hymn
of the whole company of Angels and Saints
as they cry out:
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
Luke 1: 48
The Lord has looked on his lowly handmaid;
behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord our God,
you have nourished the Church with your sacramental gifts
and poured out on it your Holy Spirit;
may it hasten to bring your message of joy to the whole world,
so that all peoples who receive your saving word
may rejoice in your redeeming love
and acknowledge Christ as their Savior.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
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
May you be filled with the grace of God the Father,
whose Word was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin
to become the Savior of the human race.
℟. Amen.
May your hearts never lose the peace of Christ,
whose coming the Blessed Virgin, daughter of Zion,
so joyously awaited.
℟. Amen.
May the light and grace of the Holy Spirit remain with you,
that you may await the Second Coming of Christ
vigilant in prayer and with songs of praise on your lips.
℟. 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.