Liturgy Alive Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
The Beginning of the Fulfillment
Greeting (See Second Reading)
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.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading: 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.
Second Reading: 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.
Gospel Reading: 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.
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.
