Prayers

Masses of the BVM: 39 Holy Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

Hail, Queen of mercy,
Mother of Christ in your glory,
solace of the repentant,
hope of the distressed.

COLLECT

God, whose mercy is without measure,
through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of mercy,
grant that we may know your loving kindness on earth
and come at last to the glory of heaven.
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:

All-holy Father,
hear the prayers of your children,
weighed down by our sinfulness,
as we turn to you and call upon the merciful love
that moved you to send your Son as Savior of the world
and to enthrone holy Mary as the Queen of mercy.
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.

Schema II


Schema I

FIRST READING
Est C:12, 14-15, 25, 30

Queen Esther prays for her people.

A reading from the Book of Esther

Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD.
Then she prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, saying:
“My LORD, our King, you alone are God.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
   for I am taking my life in my hand.

“Save us by your power, and help me, who am alone
   and have no one but you, O LORD.

“O God, more powerful than all,
   hear the voice of those in despair.
Save us from the power of the wicked,
   and deliver me from my fear.”

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Lk 1:46-48a, 48b-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

℟. (See 50) The Lord has mercy in every generation.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
   my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;

℟. The Lord has mercy in every generation.

Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.

℟. The Lord has mercy in every generation.

The Lord’s mercy is from age to age
   to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
   dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

℟. The Lord has mercy in every generation.

He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
   but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
   the rich he has sent away empty.

℟. The Lord has mercy in every generation.

The Lord has helped Israel his servant,
   remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

℟. The Lord has mercy in every generation.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Mary, Virgin for ever,
most worthy queen of the world,
pray for our peace and salvation,
for you are the mother of Christ,
the Lord and Savior of all.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

Jn 2:1-11
The mother of Jesus was at the wedding feast with him.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

There was a wedding in Cana in Galilee,
   and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
   the mother of Jesus said to him,
   “They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
   “Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servers,
   “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
   each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told the servers,
   “Fill the jars with water.”
So they filled them to the brim.
Then Jesus told them,
   “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”
So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
   without knowing where it came from
   (although the servers who had drawn the water knew),
   the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
   “Everyone serves good wine first,
   and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
   but you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee
   and so revealed his glory,
   and his disciples began to believe in him.

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


Schema II

FIRST READING
Eph 2:4-10

God is rich in mercy.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians

Brothers and sisters:
   God, who is rich in mercy,
   because of the great love he had for us,
   even when we were dead in our transgressions,
   brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
   raised us up with him,
   and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
   that in the ages to come God might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
   in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
   and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
   it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
   that God has prepared in advance,
   that we should live in them.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 6 and 8, 13 and 17

℟. (See 17a) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting.

Bless the LORD, my soul;
   all my being, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, my soul;
   do not forget all the gifts of God.

℟. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting.

Who pardons all your sins,
   heals all your ills,
delivers your life from the pit,
   surrounds you with love and compassion.

℟. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting.

The LORD does righteous deeds,
   brings justice to all the oppressed.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
   slow to anger, abounding in kindness.

℟. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting.

As a father has compassion on his children,
   so the LORD has compassion on the faithful.
But the LORD’S kindness is forever
   toward the faithful from age to age.

℟. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Hail, Mother of the Lord, queen of mercy,
you are comfort for the world and hope for the downcast.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL

Lk 1:39-55
The Lord has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Mary set out
   and traveled to the hill country in haste
   to a town of Judah,
   where she entered the house of Zechariah
   and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
   the infant leaped in her womb,
   and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit,
   cried out in a loud voice and said,
   “Most blessed are you among women,
   and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
   that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
   the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
   that what was spoken to you by the Lord
   would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:
   “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
      my spirit rejoices in God, my savior.”
   For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
      behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
   The Mighty One has done great things for me,
      and holy is his name.
   The Lord’s mercy is from age to age
      to those who fear him.
   The Lord has shown might with his arm,
      dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
   The Lord has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
      but lifted up the lowly.
   The hungry he has filled with good things;
      the rich he has sent away empty.
   The Lord has helped Israel his servant,
      remembering his mercy,
   according to his promise to our ancestors,
      to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

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

Lord, receive the gifts of your people,
and grant that as we look up
to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of mercy,
we may show ourselves merciful to others
and receive your pardon toward us.
Through Christ our Lord.

PREFACE: Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy
The Blessed Virgin Is Queen of Pity and Mother of Mercy.

℣.
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, and, as we celebrate the memory
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
to proclaim with fitting praise the greatness of your name.

She is the gracious queen
who has herself uniquely known your loving kindness
and stretches out her arms
to embrace all who take refuge in her
and call upon her help in their distress.

She is the Mother of mercy,
always attentive to the voice of her children,
seeking to win your compassion for them,
and asking your forgiveness for their sins.

She is the handmaid of your love,
never ceasing to pray for us to your Son,
that he may enrich our poverty with his grace
and strengthen our weakness with his power.

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

Luke 6: 36


Be merciful as your Father is merciful.

Or: Luke 1: 49-50

The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Lord God,
you have given us food and drink from heaven;
grant that we may always praise your mercy
in company with the Blessed Virgin
and rejoice in her protection,
for we acknowledge her as our queen,
compassionate to sinners
and merciful to the poor.
Through Christ our Lord.

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

Ordinary Time I

May the Father of all mercy,
through the love with which he cherished
the Mother of his Son,
bless you with health of mind and body.
℟. Amen.

May Jesus Christ, the blessed fruit of Mary’s womb,
adorn you with the virtues
that will make you more pleasing to him.
℟. Amen.

May the Holy Spirit,
whose power overshadowed the Blessed Virgin,
give you serenity and peace,
that you may live as one in mind and heart
in the household of the Church.
℟. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
℟. Amen.

Ordinary Time II

May God, who through the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary
willed in his great kindness to redeem the human race,
be pleased to enrich you with his blessing.
℟. Amen.

May you know always and everywhere the protection of her,
through whom you have been found worthy to receive the author of life.
℟. Amen.

May you, who have devoutly gathered to celebrate this memorial of our Lady,
carry away with you the gifts of spiritual joys and heavenly rewards.
℟. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
℟. Amen.

Ordinary Time III

May the Father of mercies bless you
through the intercession of Blessed Mary ever-Virgin
through whom he chose to remedy the fall of our first parents.
℟. Amen.

May Jesus Christ, who in the womb of the Blessed Virgin
became our brother and our Savior,
free your hearts from every trace of sin.
℟. Amen.

May the Holy Spirit
increase in you the grace of true faith and of hope for heaven,
that you may walk in the ways of the Gospel
and so reach your eternal home.
℟. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
℟. 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.

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