Prayer for the Evening
On this feast of Mary Immaculate,
let us give thanks and praise to God!
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
Rejoice, all-holy Virgin,
predestined in delight,
In beauty you were chosen
and blameless in his sight.
For in the time of fullness
to bring all things as one
The Lord bestowed his Wisdom
in Jesus Christ your Son.
Rejoice, all-holy Virgin,
humanity’s new Eve,
As Mother of the living,
his grace you did receive.
You bore the mighty Victor
who crushed the serpent’s head,
To him be ev’ry honor,
and ev’ry praise be said.
Rejoice, all-holy Virgin,
and magnify the Lord,
The Father, Son, and Spirit,
the Three in One adored.
We join your song of praises
to him whom you believed
And ever call you blessed,
in holiness conceived.
PSALM 48:2-6, 9-12
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. (Zec 2:14)
Through her Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary, true daughter of Zion, the holy city of God, is made ready to receive Emmanuel, God-with-us, in the temple of her womb.
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.
For the kings assembled together,
together they advanced.
They saw; at once they were astounded;
dismayed, they fled in fear.
As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of our God,
in the city of the Lord of hosts
which God upholds for ever.
O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.
With justice your right hand is filled.
Mount Zion rejoices;
the people of Judah rejoice
at the sight of your judgments.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (1 Kings 8:10-13)
The cloud filled the temple of the Lord so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the Lord’s glory had filled the temple of the Lord. Then Solomon said, “The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud; I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever.”
The glory of Lebanon shall come to you:/ the cypress, the plane and the pine,/ To bring beauty to my sanctuary,/ and glory to the place where I set my feet. (Is 60:13)
CANTICLE OF MARY
You are the glory of Jerusalem,/ the surpassing joy of Israel;/ you are the splendid boast of our people. (Jdt 15:9)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father…
INTERCESSIONS
Through the intercession of Mary, the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, we pray:
R/O God, hear the Virgin’s prayer.
Tower of ivory, pray for us who are immersed in the marketplaces of the world,
– that we may learn to withdraw daily into God’s presence in prayer. R/
Ark of the Covenant, pray for us who have been baptized into Christ,
– that we may live in full fidelity to his covenant of love. R/
Gate of heaven, pray for the dying and the faithful departed,
– that God may bring them to dwell for ever in the heavenly Jerusalem. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
May God’s holy Church be stamped with the seal of perfection,/ of complete wisdom and perfect beauty. Amen. (cf. Ez 28:12)
MARIAN ANTIPHON
Antiphon for the Solemnity of Christmas, December 25
This day a Virgin inviolate
has brought forth God for us,
clothed in tender members,
whom she was found worthy to suckle;
let us all adore him,
who has come to save us.
Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us, poor sinners.
V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
