The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (weekday)
Mass of the Feast, Preface of the Blessed Virgin Mary II
Readings:
Zeph 3:14-18: The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.
(or Rom 12:9-16: Contribute to the needs of God's people, and practise hospitality).
"Psalm:" Is 12:2-6: R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, for your firm believing, that the promises of the Lord would be fulfilled. Alleluia! (Cf Lk 1:45)
Lk 1:39-56: Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?
Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. By clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-feast-of-the-visitation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-master/s-eVPXxkyUmqu
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
{{Kindness and grace to you all}}
On this special (feast of) the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth.
As one family in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by calling to mind our sins.
· Lord Jesus, you humble the proud and exalt the humble. Lord have mercy.
· You fill the hungry with good things. The self-sufficient you send away empty. Christ have mercy.
· Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who revere you. Lord have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
GLORIA
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE: Preface II of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Euch.Prayer: II
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Dismissal:
Go, AND ANNOUNCE THE Gospel of the lord. .
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Prologue:
This feast celebrates the Virgin Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth, as told in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:39-56), and her example of faith in God's word and sensitivity to the Spirit. It was introduced into the Franciscan calendar by Saint Bonaventure (15 July) in the thirteenth century and was extended in 1389 to the entire Latin Church to heal the divisions in the Western Church of the time.
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"Yes, truly blessed is she who believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled" – And blessed are we when we hope and trust and believe that the lord will be faithful to us and fulfil the promises made to us.
"Mary and Elizabeth meet and an unspoken bond is formed,
Born of their shared condition – they each are expecting a baby.
They know that they cannot face this alone,
and they also know that God has no intention of letting them face this alone.
God is with them.
This "yes" from these ladies, will need an ongoing commitment, care, time, and the grace of God!
They KNOW that they are God's partners in bringing to birth, hope and life !! "(A)
This truly beautiful gospel passage today illustrates the importance of giving thanks and of explicitly naming our blessings.
The Blessed Virgin Mary, and Saint Elizabeth are both wonderful examples of faithful discipleship. They notice the graciousness of God happening all around them and within them. They both delight inpraising God, and in thanksgiving, and make a deliberate decision (and choice) to name the blessings of God and to give voice to the presence of God - It is a truly inspiring moment. A moment of true and abiding praise and thanksgiving.
The other thing that strikes me about this well-known passage of Scripture is the importance of family, including extended family (our family of faith, our parish, our friends, our colleagues, our neighbours, and our wider community).
The Virgin Mary must have been daunted and filled with awe, by what she knew was happening to her. Not everyone would understand what God was doing in her life // and not everyone would be happy. Certainly, not everyone would have goodwill towards her and assume that the Holy Spirit was at work in this extraordinary event.
Mary went to visit Elizabeth. Together, they meet in great joy and affection, and gain enormous support from each other. How very important is the support and encouragement we give to one another in times of joy and also times of trial.
Who are some of the people we need to give thanks for?
Let us recall in our hearts the acts of kindness and love. Neighbourliness and fraternity….. that so many people have shown us daily.
Who are the people through whom we have experienced Christ's graced presence, love, compassion, mercy and grace? Let us remember and give thanks for these people and these blessings in our hearts, minds, and show this gratitude in all our words and actions.
Let us seek out people like Elizabeth, who have grateful, remembering hearts; and who focus on the positives and show us the world in its goodness for us to build our lives upon. people who do not dwell on negatives, and who do not get us more and more upset and downcast by focusing on all that is wrong. .
Let us be attentive to the ways in which God is present to us, especially God's abiding presence and action, in the people with whom we socialize, work and live.
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HOMILY:
The arduous journey to visit and care for her cousin Elizabeth
Blessed Virgin Mary, and Saint Elizabeth. Pray for us.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
(A) Alice Camille, 2009: A Book of Grace-filled Days).
Image Credit:
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
Hymn – "Rainfall – Mother of Mercy." Music by Paul W. Kelly. 1994, 2021. Words adapted by Paul W. Kelly, based on the Traditional Salve Regina Hymn. Arranged & with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2021. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk
Marian Hymn - "Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae." (Traditional 11th Century). Melody: Mainz (1712), Hymn #783 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/
Magnificat (Praise and sing to God)- (July 2021) -Music by Paul W. Kelly. (1985, 2010, 2021), Lyrics inspired by Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55). Music arranged, with adapted lyrics by Stefan de Freyne Kelk. [https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk ] July 1, 2021.
[ Production - KER - 2023]
May God bless and keep you.
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