Saint Januarius; Blessed Virgin Mary
Prayer for the Morning
In honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
let us praise God from age to age.
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 Lady, Queen of glory bright,
Set high above the stars in light,
You fed from your most holy breast
Your own Creator, ever blest.
The loss unhappy Eve has earned,
By this kind shoot you have returned,
That those who dwelt in dark dismay
Might rise and walk your starry way.
O doorway to the King of might,
And gateway to the gleaming light,
Let us who are redeemed applaud,
And through the Virgin live for God.
PSALM 45:11-18
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Rv 12:1)
Mary, Queen of heaven and earth, is the figure of the Church, Spouse and Mother, brought to fulfillment in Christ.
Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words:
forget your own people and your father’s house.
So will the king desire your beauty:
He is your lord, pay homage to him.
And the people of Tyre shall come with gifts,
the richest of the people shall seek your favor.
The daughter of the king is clothed with splendor,
her robes embroidered with pearls set in gold.
She is led to the king with her maiden companions.
They are escorted amid gladness and joy;
they pass within the palace of the king.
Sons shall be yours in place of your fathers:
you will make them princes over all the earth.
May this song make your name for ever remembered.
May the peoples praise you from age to age.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Hosea 2:21-22)
I will espouse you to me forever:/ I will espouse you in right and in justice,/ in love and in mercy;/ I will espouse you in fidelity,/ and you shall know the Lord.
Behold, your mother. (Jn 19:27)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb/ be blessing and honor, glory and might,/ forever and ever. (Rv 5:13)
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
God has desired that the Church grow in beauty as we mirror the fidelity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in paying to him the homage of our obedience and praise. Through her, let us pray:
R/Hear our prayer.
You have given Mary to your people as queen:
– through her intercession, teach us to live according to the rule of your Kingdom. R/
You have given Mary to your people as the sign of our hope:
– through her intercession, grant us perseverance in growing toward the life to come. R/
You have given Mary to your people as Mother:
– through her intercession, bring us to eternal life. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
O God, by the fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary, you have given to the human race the reward of eternal life. Grant, we beseech you, that through the intercession of the Mother of the Author of Life, the Church may become the mother of many children who will take their place before your throne to sing your praises for all eternity, 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.
