Saint Cyril of Alexandria; Blessed Virgin Mary
Prayer for the Morning
With the Holy Name of Mary always on our lips,
we put our trust in you, O Lord!
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
(Meter: 87 87
This hymn can be sung to the tune used for
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus)
Daily, daily sing to Mary,
Sing, my soul, her praises due:
All her feasts, her actions honor
With the heart’s devotion true.
Lost in wondering contemplation,
Be her majesty confessed:
Call her Mother, call her Virgin,
Happy Mother, Virgin blest.
She is mighty in her pleading,
Tender in her loving care;
Ever watchful, understanding,
All our sorrows she will share.
Advocate and loving mother,
Mediatrix of all grace:
Heaven’s blessings she dispenses
On our sinful human race.
All our graces flow through Mary;
All then join her praise to sing:
Fairest work of all creation,
Mother of creation’s King.
Sing in songs of peace unending,
Call upon her lovingly:
Seat of wisdom, Gate of heaven,
Morning star upon the sea.
PSALM 71:14-17, 22-24a
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. (cf. Lk 1:28)
The Holy Name of Mary is powerful. The tradition of the Church and the teaching of the Magisterium urge us to frequent recitation of the Hail Mary and the rosary. By keeping the name of Mary on our lips, we show our devotion to her. Mary’s mantle is always present to protect those who are her own. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the jewel of God’s creation, the holiest woman ever to live. When we repeat her name, we greatly honor God her Creator. Mary never keeps any glory for herself. Her soul magnifies the Lord (cf. Lk 1:46).
As for me, I will always hope
and praise you more and more.
My lips will tell of your justice
and day by day of your help
though I can never tell it all.
I will declare the Lord’s mighty deeds
proclaiming your justice, yours alone.
O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.
So I will give you thanks on the lyre
for your faithful love, my God.
To you will I sing with the harp,
to you, the Holy One of Israel.
When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice
and my soul, which you have redeemed.
And all the day long my tongue
shall tell the tale of your justice.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Luke 1:30b-33)
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.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Your name spoken is a spreading perfume. (Sg 1:3)
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,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet
of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father…
INTERCESSIONS
We bring all our cares and place them before our heavenly Father, saying:
R/Hear us and answer our prayer.
That, when we are tempted to vainglory,
– we may gain the Blessed Virgin Mary’s humility. R/
That, when our efforts seem fruitless,
– we may remember to call upon the names of Jesus and Mary for strength. R/
That, when we feel lonely or discouraged,
– the name of Mary may give us comfort and encouragement. R/
That our relationship to the Mother of God
– may bring us ever closer to her Son, Jesus. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
Almighty Father, you greatly bless the names of those who do your will. Keep us close to the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose name is blessed among all generations. May we, by calling on her name, gain some share of her blessing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
