Feast of the Visitation: liturgical analysis
(Come, and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for my soul)
Servants of the Lord, come and hear: I will tell you all that He has done for me.Collect Prayer| Omnipotent and eternal God, who inspired the blessed Virgin Mary with the desire to visit Elizabeth, carrying Your Son, grant us, we pray, to be obedient to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may, with her, always magnify You. Through our Lord. | God all-powerful and eternal, who inspired the holy Virgin Mary with the desire to visit Elizabeth, while carrying Your Son, grant us, we pray, to be obedient to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may, with her, always sing Your praises. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who is God and lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. |
Reading from the Prophecy of Zephaniah
Rejoice loudly, daughter of Zion!
Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment,
He has turned away your enemies.
The Lord, God of Israel, is in your midst,
You shall fear no evil.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear, Zion, do not let your hands falter. The Lord your God is with you, a mighty savior. Because of you, he has filled me with joy, he renews your love, he exults in your honor, as on a feast day. I have removed from you the disaster, the shame that used to oppress you, Jerusalem. The word of the Lord.”PSALM RESPONSORIAL Is 12:2-3, 4b-5, 6“Rejoice in joy, for great is the Holy One in your midst.”God is my salvation, I have no fear. The Lord is my strength and my praise; he is my salvation.You shall draw water with joy from the wells of salvation. Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name. Proclaim his greatness among the nations, declare that his name is holy.Sing to the Lord, for he has done marvels; proclaim them throughout the land. Sing with joy, inhabitants of Zion, for great is the Holy One in your midst.”ALLELUIA cf. Lk 1:45“Hail Mary, blessed are you among women, who believed the word of the Lord.”GOSPEL Lk 1:39-56
“Where is it given to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
In those days, Mary set out and hurriedly went into the mountain, to a city in Judah.
(Ἀναστᾶσα δὲ Μαριὰμ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις ἐπορεύθη εἰς τὴν ὀρεινὴν μετὰ σπουδῆς εἰς πόλιν Ἰούδα)
She entered Zacharias’ house and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,
the child leaped in her womb.
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
and exclaimed in a loud voice:
“Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Where is it given to me
that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?
(ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ κυρίου)
Truly, as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting,
the child in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed is she who believed
in the fulfillment of all that was spoken to her
by the Lord.”
Mary then said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.
For he has looked upon the humility of his servant:
from this time on, all generations will call me blessed.
The Almighty has done great things in me,
holy is his name.
His mercy is extended to those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown the might of his arm
and scattered the proud.
He has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has remembered his servant Israel
in his mercy, as he promised to our fathers
to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months
and then returned to her own home.
Word of salvation.
| O Majesty of yours, Lord, let this our grateful sacrifice be acceptable to you as it was with loving kindness received by the Mother of your only Son. Through Christ. |
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