Masses of the BVM: 04 Holy Mary, Mother of God
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
O Virgin Mother of God,
he whom the whole world cannot contain
cloistered himself within your womb, made man for us.
Or: Sedulius
Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King
who rules heaven and earth for ever.
COLLECT
Lord our God,
you sent your Son from heaven
into the womb of the Blessed Virgin
to be your saving Word and our Bread of Life.
Grant that like Mary we may welcome Christ
by treasuring his words in our hearts
and celebrating with deep faith
the mysteries of our redemption.
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,
when your Son came down from heaven
Mary conceived him in her heart
before she conceived him in her womb.
Grant that by holy and just deeds we may show forth in our lives
the Christ, whom we have received by faith.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
FIRST READING
Gal 4:4-7 11
God sent his Son, born of a woman.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians
Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption.
As proof that you are children,
God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a child,
and if a child then also an heir, through God.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 22:4-6, 10-11, 23-24
℟. (See 11b) From my mother’s womb, O Lord, you are my God.
LORD, you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the glory of Israel.
In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted and you rescued them.
To you they cried out and they escaped;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
℟. From my mother’s womb, O Lord, you are my God.
Yet you drew me forth from the womb,
made me safe at my mother’s breast.
Upon you I was thrust from the womb;
since birth you are my God.
℟. From my mother’s womb, O Lord, you are my God.
Then I will proclaim your name to the assembly;
in the community I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, give praise!
All descendants of Jacob, give honor;
show reverence, all descendants of Israel!”
℟. From my mother’s womb, O Lord, you are my God.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
Happy are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ the Lord.
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Lk 2:15b-19
The shepherds found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, lying in the manger.
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
The shepherds said to one another,
“Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
that the Lord has made known to us.”
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
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 the offerings your people make
on this memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
be acceptable to you, O Lord,
for by her virginity she pleased you
and in humility conceived your Son, our Lord.
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
PREFACE: Mary, Mother of God
Holy Mary Rejoiced Because as a Virgin She Gave Birth to the Redeemer.
℣. 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.
For by a wonderful and inexpressible mystery
the Blessed Virgin conceived your only Son
and bore in her pure womb the Lord of heaven.
She who knew not man becomes a mother;
she who has given birth remains a virgin.
What joy is hers at your twofold gift:
she is full of wonder at her virgin-motherhood
and full of joy at giving birth to the Redeemer.
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
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary,
which bore the Son of the eternal Father.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Renewed with this heavenly food,
we humbly implore you, Lord,
that having received your Son, born of the tender Virgin,
under sacramental signs,
we may profess him in words
and hold fast to him in deeds.
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 God, who through the motherhood of the Virgin Mary
dispelled the darkness of ages past,
enlighten your minds with the radiance of the sun of justice.
℟. Amen.
May God, who sent his Son as the Redeemer of the world,
refashion your minds and hearts in the image of Christ.
℟. Amen.
Like Mary, Mother of Wisdom,
may you gratefully ponder in your hearts
the wonder of God’s blessings
and may you find in Christ and the Blessed Virgin
the model of your way of life.
℟. 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.