A Vigil For The Annunciation
Grant that I may praise thee O Sacred Virgin! Give me strength against thine Enemies!
Glory to God, The Source of all being, The Incarnate Word, and The Spirit of Life:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Let us pray
WE beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that, as we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Incense is lit)
+Incense we offer unto thee, O Lady full of Grace, receive it favorably before thy heavenly throne and send down upon us in return the grace of the Holy Spirit, thy well beloved spouse.
Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice!
Today is the prelude of universal joy; let us keep the forefeast in gladness. For, behold, Gabriel cometh with fear and wonder unto the Virgin, bringing her the good tidings: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace; the Lord is with thee.
Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice!
At the great Archangel's voice, O Theotokos, the All-holy Spirit came upon thee and thou didst conceive Him that is one in essence and throne with God the Father, O Adam's recovery.
Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice!
Glory to God, The Source of all being, The Incarnate Word, and The Spirit of Life:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice!
(Ring bell… marian hymn is sung)
Let us pray
O Mary, O sweet Mother of my Jesus, I beg you, deign to open to your poor servant both your maternal compassion and your love, laden with sweetness.
Pour into my heart one drop of your tenderness so that I may love you with a pure heart, you, O Mother, the sweetest of all mothers, so that I may imitate you and Jesus.
Listen to me, Mother, listen to me, Mary, kneeling I salute you: Ave Maria.
The sky rejoices and the earth smiles when the heart says: Ave Maria.
Satan flies afar and all hell shudders when the heart says : Ave Maria .
The world seems small and the flesh trembles when the heart says: Ave Maria.
Sadness flees and happiness reigns
when the heart says: Ave Maria.
Lukewarmness disappears and love reappears when the heart says: Ave Maria.
Devotion grows and compunction is born
when the heart says: Ave Maria.
Hope gushes forth and consolation increases
when the heart says: Ave Maria.
The whole soul rekindles and love grows tender
when the heart says: Ave Maria.
So rich and so great is the sweetness of this prayer, that it
could not be expressed in words.
Thus, again I kneel before you, O Mary, O Virgin, O Mother
filled with goodness, and I say to you, over and over, with
reverence and devotion:
Hail, Mary, Hail! Receive this pious salutation, and with it receive me, O Mother, within your bosom.
Amen!
PSALM 49
The God of gods hath spoken to Mary: by Gabriel, his messenger, saying:
Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: by thee the salvation of the world is repaired.
The Son of the Most High hath greatly desired thy beauty and thy comeliness.
Adorn thy bridal chamber, O Daughter of Sion: prepare to meet thy God.
Thou shalt conceive by the Holy Ghost: who will make thy delivery virginal and joyful.
PSALM 45
O Lady, thou art our refuge in all our needs: and a most powerful force bruising and crushing our enemy.
The world is full of thy benefits: they surpass the heavens and penetrate the depths.
By the fullness of thy grace those who were in the abyss rejoice to find themselves liberated.
By the power of thy virginal fecundity, those who were above this world: rejoice to find themselves freed.
By the glorious Son of thy most holy virginity: men are made companions and fellow-citizens of the angels.
Glory to God, The Source of all being, The Incarnate Word, and The Spirit of Life:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Reading is From The Book of The Prophet Isaiah, Let us be attentive!
So Isaiah told him, “Then listen to this, government of David! It’s bad enough that you make people tired with your pious, timid hypocrisies, but now you’re making God tired. So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us). By the time the child is twelve years old, able to make moral decisions, the threat of war will be over. Relax, those two kings that have you so worried will be out of the picture.
The Word of The Lord, Thanks be to God!
(Ring bell… marian hymn is sung)
Canon: First Ode
I shall open my mouth and it will be filled with the Spirit, and I shall sing a hymn to the Queen and Mother and I shall celebrate with splendor and sing with joy of her wonders.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
As the Archangel beheld you, immaculate one a living scroll of Christ which the Spirit had sealed, he cried out to you: "Hail, vessel of joy, in whom the curse of Eve is lifted!"
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O Virgin, bride of God, restoration of Adam and destruction of Hades! Hail, all-blameless one, unique palace of our King! Hail, fiery throne of the Almighty!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O you who alone gave rise to the unfading Rose! Hail, O you who bore the fragrant Apple in such perfume as to be pleasing to the King of All! Hail, salvation of the world, O you, the ever-Virgin!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, treasury of purity who raised us from our fall! Hail, O Lady, fragrant lily perfuming all the faithful sweet- scented incense and ointment of great price!
Third Ode
O Theotokos, living and overflowing fountain, strengthen those who applaud you in this spiritual gathering; and in your holy feast make them worthy of crowns of glory.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, mystical earth, who without plowing have given forth a Wheat divine! Hail living table who support the Bread of life! Hail, O Lady, unfailing fountain of the living Water!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O Maiden who have borne a Child unto the faithful and yet remained immaculate! Hail, O You who have borne unto the world the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world! Hail, O fervent intercessor for the remission of sins!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, radiant dawn who alone have borne Christ the Sun, Source of Light! Hail, O dwelling place of Light! Hail, dispeller of darkness and terror of the demons of gloom!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O Lady, unique gateway through whom the Lord alone has passed! Hail, O you who, through your maternity, have shattered the locks of Hades! Hail, divine access towards salvation for the saved, O you so perfectly worthy of our praise!
Fourth Ode
He who sits in glory upon the throne of the divinity: Jesus the Supreme God. came down on an ethereal cloud and with his pure hand redeemed those who cry out to him: Glory to your power, O Christ.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
With faith, we raise our voices in melodious hymns to you who are worthy of all praise: Hail, fertile mountain raised aloft by the Spirit! Hail, lighthouse! Hail vessel containing the Manna, O you so sweet to the taste of pious men!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, immaculate Lady who have brought pardon to the world! Hail, O ladder who through grace have lifted us from the earth! Hail, O bridge who in truth do lead from death to life all those who sing your praise!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O pure one, more lofty than the heavens! Hail, for without pain you have borne within your womb the Foundation of the earth! Hail, O sacred shell, who with your blood have dyed a robe of purple for the King of Hosts!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O Lady, true Mother of the Lawgiver who granted pardon to those who broke his Law! Hail, O Lady unfathomable depth, inaccessible summit, O ever-Virgin through whom we have been made divine!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
We sing a hymn of thanksgiving to you who have plaited for the world a crown no other hand can fashion and we cry out to you O Virgin, hail! O fortress and protection, shelter and blessed haven unto all!
Fifth Ode
The universe was amazed at your divine glory, for you, O Virgin who knew not wedlock, have borne in your womb the God of all and have given birth to an eternal Son, who grants salvation to those who praise you.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, all-blameless one who have borne the Way of Life, and have saved the world from the flood of sin! Hail, immaculate one! Hail, betrothed of God to whom was spoken an awesome mystery! Hail, O dwelling-place of the Master of creation!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, Immaculate one, strength and fortress of mankind! Hail, temple of glory and destruction of Hades, light of every bride and joy of every angel! Hail, assistance of those who pray to you with faith!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O Lady, fiery chariot of the Word, living paradise holding in your midst the Tree of Life, the Lord Himself! The Lord whose sweetness revives the sinners who partake of Him with faith!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Strengthened through your power, we cry out to you with faith: Hail, city of the King of the Universe, of whom songs of praise and glory have been sung and are worth hearing! Hail, O mountain unhewn and depth never fathomed!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, Immaculate Mother of God, spacious tent of the Word! Hail, O wondrous shell from whom came forth the Pearl divine! Hail, O you who are all-magnificent, and who have reconciled with God all those who bless your name, O Mother of God!
Sixth Ode
Come, divinely inspired, let us clap our hands and celebrate this and most honorable feast of the Mother of God and glorify God who was born of her.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O perfect purity, immaculate bridal chamber of the Word, cause of the deification of us all, sweet-sounding echo of the voice of the prophets! Hail, O glory of the apostles!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
From you, O Virgin, came forth the dew through which the flame of paganism was made to die and so we cry out to you: Hail, O Virgin, dewy fleece who Gideon in olden times had seen.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Behold, we cry out Hail to you! Be unto us a shaven and a shelter, for we are tossed by heavy seas, be a refuge in the ocean of our troubles, save us from the snares of our enemy!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
O cause of our joy, be gracious to us: enlighten our minds, so that we may cry out to you: Hail, O burning and unconsumed bush, all-brilliant cloud spread out above the faithful!
Seventh Ode
The three Young Men, divinely inspired, refused to worship creatures instead of the Creator. But with courage they trampled upon the threatening fire and sang joyfully: Blessed are you, O all praised Lord, the God of our Fathers and Mothers!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
We praise you and cry out to you: Hail, mystical chariot of the living Sun! True vine who have given forth a full- grown Cluster, dripping with spiritual wine to fill with joy those who faithfully sing your praise!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, O spouse of God who have borne the Healer of mankind! O mystical rod on whom there came to blossom a Flower that never fades! Hail, O our Lady: in you we find the fullness of Joy; through you, we inherit eternal Life!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
O Lady, the most brilliant speakers fall short when they sing your praise, for you are set above the Seraphim for having given birth to Christ the King! Oh, beg Him to deliver from every snare all those who come with faith to bow before you.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
The extremities of the earth bless you and sing your praise: in their love, they cry out to you: Hail, immaculate one, holy book in whom the Word is written by the hand of the Father. O Mother of God, pray him to write the names of your servants in the Book of Life!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
We your servants implore you, O immaculate one: we bow before you and surrender our hearts to you. Be kind to us, and save us who are drowning in countless sorrows: protect your flock against the snares of the enemy.
Eighth Ode
The maternity of the Theotokos preserved the Three young Men in the furnace. Then it was prefigured but that it is accomplished, it brings the whole world together to sing: O works of the Lord, praise and exalt him for ever.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Immaculate one, you have received in your womb the Word Himself, and have borne the Sustainer of the universe; you have fed with your milk the Nourisher of creation! To Him therefore we sing: "O works of the Lord, praise Him and exalt Him forever!"
O holy and all-immaculate Virgin, Moses foresaw in the burning bush the mystery of your tremendous maternity and the three young men foretold it and described it in clear words as they stood unscathed in the midst of the flames. Therefore we praise you forevermore.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Through you, the dead are returned to life, for you have given birth to the Author of life! Through you, the dumb are made eloquent, the lepers whole, sicknesses are driven away, and the multitude of evil spirits that roam around the world are vanquished, O Virgin, salvation of mankind!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
O you who have given to the world the salvation through whom we have been lifted from the earth: Hail! blessed and immaculate one, our protection and our strength, refuge and shelter of those who cry out: "O works of the Lord, praise the Lord and bless Him forever!"
Ninth Ode
Let every human being take up a torch and let him dance in spirit, and let the immaterial sprite celebrate this holy feast of the Mother of God and cry out: Rejoice, O all blessed and pure and ever virgin Theotokos.
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
O Maiden, deliver us who through you have become partakers of the eternal joy, so that we may be worthy to hail you: deliver us from all temptations, from cruel assaults, and from all the miseries that threaten us because of our many sins!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
The reader: You are for us an illumination and a safeguard, and so we. cry out to you: Hail, unwaning star, heralding the great Sun unto the world! Hail, immaculate one who have opened the gates of Eden! Hail, heavenly pillar guiding mankind towards the life of heaven!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Let us reverently stand in the house of God, and let us sing: Hail, Queen of the universe! Hail, Mary, the Lady of us all! Hail, only immaculate one, most beautiful among women! Hail, vessel who have contained the everlasting perfume that was poured into you!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
Hail, eternal Virgin, dove in whom Mercy was born! Hail, pride of every saint, and crown of every martyr! Hail, divine beauty of the just, salvation unto all of us the faithful!
R. O Most holy Theotokos, save us!
O Lord, spare your inheritance and dismiss our sins; O Christ, accept the supplication of the Woman who without seed, conceived You in her womb, when in your great mercy you deigned to assume a human form.
Let us pray
O Mary, Virgin ever blessed! Who can worthily praise thee or give thanks to thee, who, by that wondrous assent of thy will, didst rescue a fallen world? What honors can the weakness of our human nature pay to thee, which by thy intervention alone has found the way to restoration? Accept, then, such poor thanks as we crave here to offer, though they are unequal to thy merits; and, receiving our vows, obtain by thy prayers the remission of our offenses. Carry thou our prayers within the sanctuary of the heavenly audience, and bring forth from it the medicine of our reconciliation. Through thee may those sins become pardonable the release from which through thee we ask of God, and that be granted which we demand with confidence.
Accept what we offer, grant us what we seek, spare us what we fear, for thou art the sole hope of sinners. Through thee we hope for the forgiveness of our faults, and in thee, most blessed Virgin, is the hope of our reward. Holy Mary, succor the wretched, help the faint-hearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray for the people, shield the clergy, intercede for all monastics consecrated to God, let all feel thy aid who keep thy holy commemoration. Be thou at hand, ready to aid our prayers, when we pray; and bring back to us the answers we desire. Make it thy care to intercede ever for the people of God thou who, blessed of God, didst merit to bear the Redeemer of the world, who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen!
(Ring bell… marian hymn is sung)
(Ring bell…) From the beginning and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before Him. Then the Creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and He that made me rested in my tabernacle.
V. In the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be Blessed.
R. My soul doth magnify the Lord. My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. All generations shall call me Blessed.
Mary, Mother of God, tell us of thy joy. Mary Immaculate, teach us perfect joy
Through thy joyous conception of Jesus by the Holy Ghost at the Incarnation, Teach us perfect joy.
Through thy joyous carrying of Jesus in the Visitation to Elizabeth, Teach us perfect joy.
Through thy joyous bringing forth into the world of Jesus, God and Man, Teach us perfect joy.
Through thy joyous Epiphany of Jesus at the adoration of the Magi, Teach us perfect joy.
Through thy joyous finding of Jesus preaching in the temple, Teach us perfect joy.
Through thy joyous beholding of Jesus after His Resurrection, Teach us perfect joy.
Through thy joyous Assumption by Jesus into Heaven, and thy Coronation as Queen of the Universe,
Teach us perfect joy.
V. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive.
R. O Queen of Heaven, rejoice. Alleluia.
Because in Heaven the Most Holy Trinity honors thee above all other creatures,
Pray that we may rejoice in God our Savior.
Because thy virginity has placed thee above all angels and saints, Pray that we may rejoice in God our Savior.
Because the light of thy glory illuminates the heavens, Pray that we may rejoice in God our Savior.
Because the blessed in Heaven worship thee as truly the Mother of God,
Pray that we may rejoice in God our Savior.
Because thy Son grants thee whatever thou as our mediatrix dost ask of Him.
Pray that we may rejoice in God our Savior.
Because of the joyous honors prepared in Heaven for thy servants, Pray that we may rejoice in God our Savior.
Because thy accidental glory goes on increasing to the end of time,
Pray that we may rejoice in God our Savior.
Pray for us, O joyous Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
O Emmanuel, God with us! Who, as Thy Church says in her Hymn, "being to take upon thee to deliver man, didst not disdain the Virgin's womb," the whole human race gives thanks to Thee, on this day, for Thy merciful coming. O Eternal Word of the Father! it was not enough for thee to have drawn man out of nothing, by Thy power; Thine exhaustless love would follow him even to the abyss of misery, into which he had fallen. By sin, man had forfeited the dignity Thou hadst given him; that he might regain it, Thou didst come in person and assume his nature, so to raise him up again to Thyself. In Thee, from this day forward unto all eternity, God is made man, and man is made God. Thy Incarnation is the fulfillment of the promises made in the Canticle; Thou unitest Thyself to human nature, and it is in the virginal womb of a daughter of David that Thou celebratest these ineffable espousals. O incomprehensible humiliation! O ineffable glory! The humiliation is for the Son of God, the glory is for the son of man. Thus hast Thou loved us, O Divine Word! thus hast Thou removed from us the degradation of our fall! The rebel angels fell, and thou didst leave them in the abyss; we fell, and thou hadst mercy on us. A single look of Thy pity would have sufficed to save us; but it would not satisfy Thy love: therefore didst Thou descend into this world of sin, take upon Thyself the form of a slave (Philipp. ii. 7.), and lead a life of humiliation and suffering. O Word made Flesh! Who comest not to judge, but to save (St. John, xii. 47.)! we adore Thee, we praise Thee, we love Thee. Make us worthy of all that Thy love has led Thee to do for us.
We salute thee, O Mary, full of grace, on this the day whereon thou didst receive thy sublime dignity of Mother of God. Thy incomparable purity drew down upon thee the love of the great Creator, and thy humility drew Him into thy womb; His presence within thee increased the holiness of thy spirit and the purity of thy body. What must have been thy happiness in knowing that this Son of God was living by thy life, and was taking from thine own substance the new being, which His love for us induced Him to assume! Between thee and Him is formed that ineffable union which is granted to none else but to thee: He is thy Creator, and thou art His Mother; He is thy Son, and thou art his Creature. Every knee bows down before Him, O Mary! for He is the great God of heaven and earth;
but every creature reveres thee, also, for thou hast carried Him in thy womb, thou hast fed him at thy breast; thou alone canst say to him, as does His heavenly Father: Thou art my Son! O Mother of Jesus! thou art the greatest of God's works: receive the humble homage of mankind, for thou art most dear to us, seeing that thou art of the same flesh and blood as ourselves. Thou art a Daughter of Eve, but without her sin. By thy obedience to the divine decrees, thou savest thy mother and her race; thou restorest Adam and his children to the innocence they had lost. Jesus, Whom thou bearest in thy womb, is our pledge that all these blessings are to be ours; and it is by thee that He comes to us. Without Jesus, we should abide in death; without thee, we should not have had Him to redeem us. It is from thy virginal womb that He receives the precious Blood which is to be our ransom, that Blood whose purity He protected in thy Immaculate Conception, and which becomes the Blood of God by the union, that is consummated in thee, of the Divine with the Human Nature.
Today, O Mary! is fulfilled in thee the promise made by God after Adam's sin, that he would put enmity between the Woman and the Serpent. Up to this time, the human race had not the courage to resist the enemy; it was subservient to him, and everywhere were altars raised up in his honor; but, on this day, his head is crushed beneath thy foot. Thy humility, thy purity, thy obedience, have conquered him; his tyranny is checked. By thee we are delivered from his sway; and nothing but our own perversity and ingratitude could again give him the mastery. Let not this be, O Mary! Come to our assistance. During this Season of repentance, we humbly acknowledge that we have abused the grace of God; we beseech thee, on this the Feast of thy Annunciation, intercede for us with Him, Who, on this day, became thy Son. Holy Mother of God! by the salutation addressed to thee by the Angel Gabriel, by thy virginal fear, by thy fidelity to God, by thy prudent humility, by thy consent, obtain for us conversion of heart, and sincere repentance; prepare us for the great Mysteries we are about to celebrate. These Mysteries are so full of sorrow to thy maternal heart; and yet thou wouldst have us rejoice on this day, as we think on the ineffable happiness which filled thy soul at the solemn moment when the Holy Ghost overshadowed thee, and the Son of God became thine. Yes, Blessed Mother of Jesus! we will spend the whole of this day near thee, in thy humble dwelling at Nazareth. Nine months hence, we will follow thee to Bethlehem, and there, in company with the Shepherds and the Angels, we will prostrate ourselves in adoration before the Infant God, our Savior: we will join our voices with those of the heavenly host, and we will thus express our gladness: Glory be to God in the highest! and peace on earth to men of good will! AMEN!
(Ring bell… marian hymn is sung)
Let us bless the Lord, Thanks be to God!
Defend us, we beseech thee, O Lord, through the intercession of the blessed Mary, ever virgin, from all infirmity; and mercifully deign to guard us, prostrate in the sincerity of our hearts before Thee, against the snares of the enemy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(The vigil concludes with the recitation of the rosary)
