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Listen to or read a short service of prayer for Monday, 1 June 2020, the Festival of the Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth.
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
You laid the foundation of the earth
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Praise
Mighty God,
by whose grace Elizabeth rejoiced with Mary
and greeted her as the mother of the Lord:
look with favour on your lowly servants
that, with Mary, we may magnify your holy name
and rejoice to acclaim her Son our Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Psalm 113
Alleluia. Give praise, you servants of the Lord,
O praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
let the name of the Lord be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations
and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, that has his throne so high,
yet humbles himself to behold the things of heaven and earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ashes,
To set them with princes,
with the princes of his people
He gives the barren woman a place in the house
and makes her a joyful mother of children. Alleluia.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Reading
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’And Mary remained with her for about three months
Luke 1.39-56
and then returned to her home.
This is the word of the Lord.
Prayers
Let us magnify the Lord in our prayers.
May the Church for ever proclaim your glory and rejoice in the good news of salvation. Draw together into one family all who share the faith of Christ.
Give the grace of humility to all who hold power in the world. Have mercy on all people, open the closed eyes and soften the hard hearts until your name is honoured in every nation.
We pray for our families and give thanks for the love we have in them. Bless all mothers and fill them with gentle care for one another.
Look with compassion on women who are sick and weary with concern for their children. Give relief to the poor. Restore comfort and dignity to all who feel themselves despised and disregarded.
We pray for the departed whose human love has been raised and transformed into the love of heaven. May they share the joy of the blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints.
We offer our prayers through Jesus Christ whose name is for ever holy.
Holy Spirit, sent by the Father,
ignite in us your holy fire;
strengthen your children with the gift of faith,
revive your Church with the breath of love,
and renew the face of the earth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught 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.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Conclusion
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore. Amen.