Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Solemnity
Introduction
Paradise Restored in Mary
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 only person 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
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.
After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man 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.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
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.
Brothers and sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The Beginning of the Fulfilment: As the “Favored One of God,” Mary is the prophetic model of those who overcome evil. With her begins the fulfilment of God’s promises. With her, those who are one with Christ will learn to say Yes to God’s plan.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent
to a virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel came to her and said:
“Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”
Mary was confused by these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.
But the angel said:
“Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you.
You will conceive and give birth to a son; and you shall call him Jesus.
He will be great, and he will rightly be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever;
and his reign will have no end.”
Then Mary asked the angel:
“How can this be since I am a virgin?”
And the angel said to her:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born of you will be called Son of God.
Even your relative, Elizabeth, is expecting a son in her old age, though she was unable to have children, and she is now in her sixth month.
With God, nothing is impossible.”
Then Mary said:
“I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me as you have said.”
And the angel left her.
Prayers of the Faithful
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.
REFLECTIONS
Mary’s Amen
The totally unexpected and unheard-of news that angel Gabriel brought to young Mary evoked several reactions in her. Mary was troubled at heart; she wondered what was in store for her. She had honest doubts. In all probability, she would not have fully grasped the explanation given by the angel. Yet, at the end of it all, she trusted God. She surrendered. Unlike Adam and Eve who hid their nakedness from God, she bared her soul before God and then said, “so let it be.” One may argue that the grace of the immaculate conception that she was gifted with enabled her to respond the way she did. But the truth is, we are no very different: the grace given to her at the conception was given to us at our baptism. The same grace can empower us to say ‘yes’ to God’s will, unless we choose otherwise. May Mother Mary help us say amento God’s will.
9 December 2024
Solemnity - Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The God Who Speaks to the Humble
Today, the Gospel reminds us that God unveils Himself not in majesty or positions of authority but among the humble—those who earnestly seek Him with faith and a pure heart. Luke’s Gospel, deeply anchored in Jewish tradition, illustrates this through the stories of Mary, Zechariah, and Elizabeth, who, despite their modest backgrounds, were chosen toreceive God’s remarkable promises.
Mary is the epitome of humility and faith. The angel's announcement was made not in a temple or palace but in the obscure town of Nazareth. Despite her initial fear, Mary embraced God's plan, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Her response is a model of openness to God’s transformative power, even in the face of impossibility.
Luke contrasts this with the scepticism of Zechariah in the Temple. Where one expected faith—the centre of religious life—there was doubt. Yet, God’s word is not confined by human disbelief. The birth of John to the barren Elizabeth demonstrates that “nothing is impossible with God.”
This Advent, we are invited to emulate Mary’s attitude: to trust in God’s promises even amid a world that feels hostile to His revelation. Look around—who are the poor and lowly who live with unshakable faith in God’s providence? They are the marginalised in our communities, the forgotten, or even those in our midst who quietly serve in faith.
Let us rejoice, for the Lord is near! May our souls magnify the Lord, and like Mary, may we say, “Yes,” to His will, trusting that He fulfills His promises in His perfect time. Amen.