Universalis
 
Monday 8 September 2008
The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast
About today
Let us celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary; let us worship her son, Christ the Lord.
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Tomorrow: Tuesday of week 23 of the year
or Saint Peter Claver

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Vespers (Evening Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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. Alleluia.


A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 121 (122)
Jerusalem, the holy city
They filled me with joy when they said, “We will go to the house of the Lord.”
Now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, built as a city, whole and self-contained:
there the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord –
the witness of Israel, to praise the Lord’s name.
For there are the thrones of justice, the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “Safety for those who care for you,
peace inside your walls, security within your ramparts!”

For my brethren and those near to me I will say “Peace be upon you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will call blessings upon you.

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.

Psalm 126 (127)
Without the Lord, we labour in vain
If the Lord does not build the house,
 its builders labour in vain.
If the Lord does not watch over a city,
 its workmen guard it in vain.

It is vain for you to rise before the dawn
 and go late to your rest,
 eating the bread of toil –
 to those he loves, the Lord gives sleep.

The Lord bestows sons as an heirloom,
 the fruit of the womb as a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior –
 so are the sons of one’s youth.
Happy the man who fills his quiver thus:
 when he disputes with his enemies at the gate,
 he will not be the loser.

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.

CanticleEphesians 1
God the Saviour
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven.

In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,
to be holy and spotless in his sight.

He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,
simply because it pleased him to do so.

This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,
of his free gift of us in his Beloved,

in whose blood we have gained redemption,
and the forgiveness of our sins.

This he did according to the riches of his grace,
which he gave us in abundance,

with all wisdom and discernment,
revealing to us the mysteries of his will,
because it pleased him to do so.

In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,
to bring all things together in Christ,
from the heavens and from the earth.

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.

Short readingRomans 9:4 - 5 ©
They are Israelites: they were adopted as sons, they were given the glory and the covenants; the Law and the ritual were drawn up for them, and the promises were made to them. They are descended from the patriarchs and from their flesh and blood came Christ who is above all, God for ever blessed! Amen.

CanticleMagnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
 and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.
For he has shown me such favour –
 me, his lowly handmaiden.
Now all generations will call me blessed,
 because the mighty one has done great things for me.
His name is holy,
 his mercy lasts for generation after generation
 for those who revere him.

He has put forth his strength:
 he has scattered the proud and conceited,
 torn princes from their thrones;
 but lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
 the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
 he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,
 to Abraham and his children for ever.

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.

Prayers and Intercessions?
God the almighty Father willed that all generations should celebrate Mary, the mother of his son. Let us praise him with great praise and humbly bring him our petitions:
May Mary, full of grace, intercede for us.
God, worker of miracles, you lifted up the immaculate Virgin Mary, body and soul, to share the glory of Christ in heaven:
guide the hearts of your children to that same glory.
You gave us Mary to be our mother. Through her intercession give healing to those worn out by sickness, consolation to those who mourn and pardon to those who have done wrong;
and to all of us give salvation and peace.
You filled Mary with grace:
grant everyone your grace in joyful abundance.
Lord, make love keep your Church united, heart and soul:
make Christians persevere in prayer, united with Mary the mother of Jesus.
You crowned Mary as the queen of heaven:
may the dead join your saints and rejoice for ever with them in your kingdom.
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 that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
 but deliver us from evil.

We ask you, Lord, to bestow upon your servants the gift of heavenly grace.
 When the Virgin gave birth it was the beginning of our salvation:
 may the celebration of her own birthday increase our peace.

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.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.
A M E N
September 2008
Sat 6  Saturday of week 22 of the year
Sun 7  23rd Sunday of the year
Mon 8  The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary Feast
Tue 9  Tuesday of week 23 of the year
or Saint Peter Claver
Wed 10   
Thu 11   
Fri 12  Friday of week 23 of the year
or The Most Holy Name of Mary
Sat 13  Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop, Doctor
Sun 14  The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Feast
Calendar used: Europe - England

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. For on-line information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see the Internet web site at http://www.randomhouse.com.  This web site © Copyright 1996-2008 Universalis Publishing Ltd
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