We
are called in Christ
to be holy and spotless.
and, like Mary, to live in God's presence.
May we respond to God's call
and may our Lord be always with you. R/
And also with you.
Introduction
by the Celebrant
Mary
leads the way for all the people who journey toward the Lord.
Today the Church applies to Mary, the virgin conceived without
sin, the words of the prophet: "I exult for joy in the Lord,
my soul rejoices in my God." Why this joy? Because Mary is
like the garden of humankind in which God lets the good seed sprout.
Because she is the servant of the Lord and the image of what the
Church ought to be. God is faithful to his promises and through
her he gave us our Savior. Mary is the first and the only one
of all people who was kept from sin. She is paradise restored,
where God and people encounter one another.
Penitential
Act
We
are not free from sin,
and we share in the responsibility for sin in the world.
Let us seek God's forgiveness
and pray that we may also share
in God's grace and goodness.
(PAUSE)
God loves us with so much love
that he was generous with his mercy:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
When
we were dead through sin,
he brought us to life with Christ:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
It
is through grace that we have been saved
and raised up with Christ:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have
mercy on us, Lord,
destroy the power of evil in us
and keep your promises.
Make us your children of light
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening
Prayer
Let
us pray
that with Mary we may overcome evil
(PAUSE)
God our Father,
we thank you for choosing Mary
as the Mother of your Son
and for preserving her from all sin
from the first moment of her life.
Let
this sign of your boundless love
give us hope and strength
to overcome evil in all its forms.
May we respond to your loving goodness
with the eagerness of Mary,
by the power of the grace won for us
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Scripture
Readings
First
Reading Introduction: The Promise of Victory
Over Evil
God condemns the power
of evil symbolized by the serpent. He promises that the forces of
good in humankind and the world will overcome sin.
First
Reading: Gen 3:9-15, 20
Yahweh
God called the man saying to him, "Where are you?" He
said, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid
because I was naked, so I hid." God said, "Who told
you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree I ordered
you not to eat?" The man answered, "The woman you put
with me gave me fruit from the tree and I ate it." God said
to the woman, "What have you done?" The woman said,
"The serpent deceived me and I ate."
Yahweh
God said to the serpent, "Since you have done that, be cursed
among all the cattle and wild beasts! You will crawl on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life. I will make you enemies,
you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. He will crush
your head and you will strike his heel."
The
man called his wife by the name of Eve, because she was the mother
of all the living.
Responsorial
Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
R.
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing
to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R.
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The
LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous
deeds.
All
the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous
deeds.
Second
Reading Introduction: Called
To Be God's Children
Before all ages, we have been
destined to become God's daughters and sons, his holy people, through
Christ's salvation.
Second
Reading: Eph 1:3-6, 11-12
Blessed
be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord,
who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual
blessing.
God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world
to be holy and without sin in his presence.
From
eternity he destined us in love
to be his adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus,
thus fulfilling his free and generous will.
This goal suited him:
that his loving-kindness which he granted us in his Beloved
might finally receive all glory and praise.
By
a decree of Him who disposes all things
according to his own plan and decision
we, the Jews, have been chosen and called
and we were awaiting the Messiah,
for the praise of his glory
Gospel
Reading
Introduction: The
Beginning of the Fulfillment
As
the "Favored One of God," Mary is the prophetic model
of those who overcome evil. With her begins the fulfillment of God's
promises. With her, those who are one with Christ will learn to
say Yes to God's plan.
Gospel
Reading: Lk 1:26-38
The
angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth.
He was sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named
Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
The
angel came to her and said, "Rejoice, full of grace, the
Lord is with you." Mary was troubled at these words, wondering
what this greeting could mean.
But
the angel said, "Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly
on you. You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him
Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the
Most High. The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his
ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever and his
reign shall have no end."
Then
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be if I am a virgin?"
And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore,
the holy child to be born shall be called Son of God. Even your
relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although
she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month.
With God nothing is impossible."
Then
Mary said, "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done
to me as you have said." And the angel left her.
(Commentary)
General
Intercessions
Let
us thank God our Father for giving us his beloved Son Jesus through
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us ask that the work of salvation begun
in Jesus and very visible in Mary may continue in us, as we pray:
R/ Lord, be with us through your Son.
-
For the Church of Jesus Christ, that it may be the sign to all
the world that God wants to be near to his people, let us pray:
R/ Lord, be with us through your Son.
- For our world in dire need of peace, that people may understand
and love one another and that we may be spared from wars and all
violence, from natural calamities, hunger and sin, let us pray:
R/ Lord, be with us through your Son.
- For our Christian families, that they may be united in the Lord;
for our young people, that we may give them a future to believe
in; for orphans and abandoned children, that we may give them
love and security, let us pray:
R/ Lord, be with us through your Son.
-
For our Christian communities, that they may be centers of hope
and joy and protectors of all life; that their faith and spirit
of service may bear witness to the presence of Christ, let us
pray:
R/ Lord, be with us through your Son.
God
our Father, Mary did not keep her child, your Son, for herself
alone but gave him to the world. Make our faith and love so deep
and wide that we too may share Jesus with all people far and near,
for he is the Lord of all, now and for ever. R/
Amen.
Prayer
over the Gifts
God
our Father,
when Mary, the Virgin without sin,
said her YES to your plans,
the world was given its Savior.
Accept
our YES in this eucharist
to bring the life and hope of your Son
to all our brothers and sisters.
Let
this be the sacrifice that pleases you,
and that makes us grow day after day
in your justice and freedom.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/
Amen.
Introduction
to the Eucharistic Prayer
With
joy and hope we thank the Father for giving us Mary, and for giving
us Jesus through her, to make an ever-new beginning with us.
Introduction to the Lord's Prayer
With Mary we want to do God's will,
that his kingdom may come.
Let us say so to our Father in heaven
in the words of Jesus himself: R/ Our
Father...
Deliver
Us
Deliver
us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us peace in our day,
for we are powerless to break the chain
of violence and evil.
Make us messengers and instruments
of reconciliation and love
rather than agents of strife and injustice,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the full coming of your Son,
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/
For the kingdom...
Invitation
to Communion
This
is Jesus our Lord,
the Son of the Virgin Mother;
in him, we have been chosen
to be holy and spotless.
Happy are we to be invited
to share his table. R/ Lord, I am not
worthy...
Prayer
after Communion
God
our Father,
Mary heard the Word spoken to her,
in your name by your messenger,
and she put herself at your service.
We have heard here the Word of your Son.
Let this Word stir us
to break the chain of evil
in us and in the world around us
and to replace it with a stream
of goodness and mercy
that wells up to everlasting life.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
To
a waiting world Mary gave a Savior,
because she said her YES to God's plan.
To a world waiting in our day
for meaning and hope,
we can give the peace and justice of Christ,
if we too are willing to say our YES
to God's intentions with us and the world.
For he called us to continue the work
he began in Jesus with the cooperation of Mary.
May we respond to this call
with the blessing of almighty God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/
Amen.
Go
in peace
and give Christ to the world. R/ Thanks
be to God.
TOP
Gospel
Commentary
(Monday)
Christ's
birth shows that a human being is a potentially God-like being.
Mary of Nazareth was human. She experienced temptation, anger,
fear and confusion, as well as moments of immense joy. We can
focus too much on the difference between Mary and ourselves, placing
her on a pedestal, making her into a plaster doll. Better, we
can see her as our sister, an image of what everyone can become.
"God has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven,
in Christ." (second reading) "Before the world was made,
God chose us, chose us in Christ to be holy and spotless and to
live through love in God's presence." Like Mary, we were
chosen before we were born. She stands before us as a sign of
encouragement: "The God who did great things for me is the
same God who lives in you."
TOP
Taken
from Liturgy
Alive for Weekdays
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