for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation,
he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity,
like a bride adorned in her jewels.
Short Responsory
The Lord chose her. He chose her before she was born. Alleluia, alleluia.
– The Lord chose her. He chose her before she was born. Alleluia, alleluia.
He made her live in his own dwelling-place.
– The Lord chose her. He chose her before she was born. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord chose her. He chose her before she was born. Alleluia, alleluia.
Canticle
Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
The door of Paradise was closed to all men because of the sin of Eve; it has been opened again by the Virgin Mary, alleluia.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation
in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,
his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies
and all who hate us,
to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant
and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us,
that we could serve him without fear
– freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him,
for all of our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation,
so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God,
one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness,
who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of peace.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
The door of Paradise was closed to all men because of the sin of Eve; it has been opened again by the Virgin Mary, alleluia.
Prayers and intercessions
Let us proclaim the greatness of our Saviour who chose to be born of the Virgin Mary. Confident that he will hear us, we ask:
– Lord, may your mother pray for us.
Sun of justice, you showed your day was dawning in the immaculate Virgin Mary;
help us to walk in the daylight of your presence.
– Lord, may your mother pray for us.
Eternal Word, in the living flesh of Mary you found a dwelling place on earth;
remain with us for ever in hearts free from sin.
– Lord, may your mother pray for us.
Christ, our Saviour, you willed that your mother should be there when you died;
through her intercession may we rejoice to share your suffering.
– Lord, may your mother pray for us.
Loving Saviour, while hanging on the cross, you gave your mother Mary to be the mother of John;
let us be known as her children by our way of living.
– Lord, may your mother pray for us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Lord God,
as you brought joy to the world through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
grant that through his Virgin Mother
we may come to the joys of eternal life.
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.
Amen.
The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation from the Latin. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps and programs do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 28 April
Saint Joseph the Worker. The mysterious 7th Hour in the Liturgy of the Hours. (16 minutes) Episode notes.