The Most Holy Name of Mary; Blessed Virgin Mary
Prayer for the Morning
In company with the Blessed Virgin Mary,
let us offer our prayers and praises 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
O Queen of heaven and of earth,
Weighed down by sin we cry to you,
The hope of those who refuge seek,
Hear now our lowly prayer for aid.
Dear Mother of our Lord and King,
Implore for us the grace of life,
That we may strive to make amends
For all the faults of bygone years.
Most holy Mary, when you pray
The saints in heaven intercede;
A word from you as suppliant
Will reconcile us with the Lord.
Our Mother and most pow’rful Queen,
Fulfill your children’s chief desire,
And bring us when this life is done
To everlasting joy and peace.
CANTICLE OF SIRACH 39:13-16a
Like cinnamon, or fragrant balm, or precious myrrh,/ I give forth perfume;/ Like galbanum and onycha and sweet spices,/ like the odor of incense in the holy place. (Sir 24:15)
On earth, the Blessed Virgin Mary offered her life in that obedient service that is true worship of God. In heaven, she leads the song of eternal praise that rises like incense before the throne of God.
Listen, my faithful children: open up your petals,
like roses planted near running waters;
send up the sweet odor of incense,
break forth in blossoms like the lily.
Send up the sweet odor of your hymn of praise;
bless the Lord for all he has done!
Proclaim the greatness of his name,
loudly sing his praises,
with music on the harp and all stringed instruments;
sing out with joy as you proclaim:
The works of God are all of them good.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Exodus 40:25-27)
He set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded him. He placed the golden altar in the meeting tent, in front of the veil, and on it he burned fragrant incense, as the Lord had commanded him.
You shall worship the Lord, your God,/
and him alone shall you serve.
(Lk 4:8)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. (Eph 5:1-2)
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
Let us offer the incense of our prayer to God, praying:
R/We praise you, O Lord!
You chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to bear your Son, the Eternal Word:
– instill in us her willingness to take our place in the work of redemption. R/
You inspired the Blessed Virgin Mary to sing a hymn of praise to your name:
– teach us so to live that we might pray without
ceasing. R/
You sustained the Blessed Virgin Mary with the faith and courage to stand beneath the cross:
– grant us the patience to accept our sufferings in service to your glory. R/
You made of the Blessed Virgin Mary a worthy sacrifice of praise for your glory and our good:
– shape our lives into an offering fit to bring before you at the hour of our death. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
O God, worthy of all praise, the Mother of your Word sings for all eternity the hymn of your praise that she began on earth. By her example and intercession, lead all the Church so to live in this world that we may praise you for ever with her in the next. 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.
