Seven Week in Ordinary Time
Mary, Mother of the Church
Opening Prayer
God, Father of mercy
whose only-begotten Son, nailed to the cross,
proclaimed as our Mother
his own Mother, Mary Most Holy
grant us, through her loving cooperation,
that your Church, becoming more fruitful each day,
may she rejoice in the holiness of her children
and draw to her bosom all the families of peoples.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit
and is God for ever and ever.
First Reading: Genesis 3:9-15.20: The mother of all living
After Adam had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
OR: Acts 1:12-14
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (3) Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
R. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
And of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
R. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
“This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
R. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O joyful Virgin, who gave birth to the Lord;
O blessed Mother of the Church,
who nurture in us the Spirit
of your Son Jesus Christ!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: John 19:25=34
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
Intercessions
With the help of Mary, our Mother, let us pray united to our Father in heaven that he will look kindly upon us, his servants, and do great things in us. Let us say in response R/ Lord, listen to your people.
* That the Lord may show his love and mercy to all who strive to serve him faithfully and forgive those who have failed, both to him and to the brethren, let us pray to the Lord.
* That the Lord may show his power and defend the humble people, so often humiliated and trampled underfoot, and dispose us all to respect and love him, let us pray to the Lord.
* That the Lord may give us the will and the strength to carry out his Word in our lives, day by day, with decision and joy, let us pray to the Lord.
* That the Lord may make us aware of the poverty of our heart, filling it with his goodness, his welcome to people and his care and concern for the poorest and neediest, let us pray to the Lord.
* That the Lord may help us to see to it that the hungry receive nourishment and that he may inwardly dispose all people and the powerful of this world to share justly with each one the goods of the earth, let us pray to the Lord.
* May the Lord welcome all our departed loved ones into the house of eternal joy, we pray to the Lord.
Lord, our God: In memory of Mary, Mother of the Church, we pray to you: fill us with your good things, so that, with Mary, we may bless your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Receive, Lord, our offerings
and turn them into a sacrament of salvation,
by whose efficacy and by your loving intervention
and by the loving intervention
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church,
fill us with holy fervor and make us worthy of being more intimately associated with her
more closely associated with her in the work of redemption.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Having received this pledge of redemption and of life
we beseech you, O Lord, that your Church,
through the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin,
instruct all nations, proclaiming the Gospel to them.
and fill the whole world with the effusion of your Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
We, as Church, are called to be what Mary was and did on earth: to believe in God’s ways and inspiration, even without knowing what the future holds, and to be open to the needs of others, serving everyone wholeheartedly. May Almighty God give you this strength and bless you abundantly: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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20 May 2024 – Bl. V. Mary, Mother of the Church
John 19: 25-34
This is your Mother!
On 3 March 2018, Pope Francis instituted the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to be celebrated the day after Pentecost. This feastday testifies to Mary’s pivotal role in our faith. She was present with the disciples, praying with the first Christian community, eagerly awaiting the gift of the Holy Spirit. And Mary, our dear Mother, continues to intercede for us in prayer.
This celebration will help us remember the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is both “Mother of the Redeemer” and “Mother of the Redeemed.”
The Gospel presents the image of the Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross, to whom Jesus entrusted the task of being the mother of his disciples – “Mother of all those who believe in him.” If we are willing to stand by the Cross together with our Blessed Mother, then we will also have the privilege of listening to the words of Jesus, “Behold, your Mother.” When we find ourselves in difficult or painful moments of life, remember that we are not left alone. We have a Mother who watches over us with maternal care and protection. She draws us closer to her Son each day and helps us navigate through the challenges we face.
Explaining this Gospel passage, Pope Francis said, “In these times in the world, when there is a deep sense of being an orphaned world, today’s Gospel has great importance, as Jesus promises us: ‘I am not leaving you as orphans, I’m giving you a mother.’ And this is also a (source of) pride for us: we have a mother who protects us, accompanies us, and helps us in difficult or terrible times.”