THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thursday August 15, 2024
THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Solemnity)
Office: Proper, Te Deum
Mass prop. Gloria. Creed.
Preface of Assumption
Vestment: White
Today’s Rosary: The Luminous Mystery

Vespers II of the Assumption of the BVM

Theme of the Feast: THE LORD DID GREAT THINGS IN HER LIFE.
The world is a battle field where the forces of death and the forces of life battle each other. It is easy to see that the forces of death appear, in many cases, to have the upper hand: hatred, solitude, betrayals, social and economic injustice, fear, disease: these are all points scored in favour of the forces of death. There is however a particular moment when death manifests its overwhelming power: when it ends our days on earth. What does God, who created us for life, do? Doe she just look on unmoved at our defeat? Mary, who celebrates today the triumph of life over death, gives us the appropriate reply to these distressing questions.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Cf. Rv12:1
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

Or:

Let us all rejoice in the Lord, as we celebrate the feast day in honour of the Virgin Mary, at whose Assumption the Angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.

THE GLORIA
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you. We bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

COLLECT
Almighty ever-living God, who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son, body and soul into heavenly glory, grant, we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory. Through our Lord.

FIRST READING
A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet.
A reading from the Book of Revelation (Revelation 11:19a:12:1-6a.10ab)

God’s temple in heaven was opened. And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. And another sign appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tails wept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come.”

The word of the Lord.

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm45:10.11.12.16 (R.10b)
R/. On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

The daughters of kings are those whom you favour.
On your tight stands the queen in gold of Ophir. R/.

Listen, O daughter; pay heed and give ear;
forget your own people and your father’s house. R/.

R/. On your right stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

So will the king desire your beauty
He is your lord, pay homage to him. R/.

They are escorted amid gladness and joy;
they pass within the palace of the king. R/.

 

SECOND READING
Christ the first fruits, then those who belong to Christ.
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:20-27)

Brethren: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For a sin Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. “For God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”

The word of the Lord.

 

ALLELUIA
Alleluia. Mary has been taken up into heaven; the host of angels rejoices. Alleluia.

 

GOSPEL
He who is mighty has done great things for me, he has exalted those of low degree.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 1:39-56)

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

THE CREED (I Believe)
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.