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INTRODUCTORY REFLECTION (either read quietly before prayer begins, or read by one member of the community aloud)
Today we celebrate the birth of Mary. Her birth was probably unremarkable, a girl born to parents in the unremarkable town of Nazareth. Her birth may even have been attended with some disappointment, for at that time and in that culture it was preferable to have a boy.
No one who had heard about the birth of this girl would have thought that this birth was the quiet beginning of events, indeed The Event, which would change human destiny for ever. No one would have been aware that this child was the first human being untouched by sin since the fall of our first parents. No one would have imagined that the new baby in their town would be lovingly extolled in song and poem and painting for thousands of years to come.
No one
could ever have imagined that this birth would one day be celebrated around the
world. It would have been impossible for them to conceive of the fact that God
would become flesh; much less that this baby's frail human flesh was the flesh
in which he would clothe himself in his humanity. It would be inconceivable
until it would be conceived on the day when baby Mary became a young woman and
would utter the words, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me
according to your word."
She came into the world as any other unremarkable baby girl in Nazareth. No one expected anything great from her. Perhaps some were no longer expecting anything great from God. But here, in these unremarkable circumstances God makes himself present. The very existence of Mary magnifies his greatness. His inconceivable love has its first pale reflection in the conception and birth of Mary of Nazareth, the young lady who would later be recognized as the morning-star, the dawn.
Today we celebrate the birth of Mary; yes - a young woman without stature in her culture and time, who by saying yes to a heavenly visitor signalled the beginning of our redemption in Christ. Because she unconditionally accepted God’s invitation despite her questions, Mary is the singular model for what it means to be a faithful disciple of Christ: open to God’s word, human enough to question and wrestle with God’s will, graced enough to surrender and trust.
Reader 1
At the beginning of this day, we remember the life and witness of Mary, the
mother of Jesus, who gave flesh to the incarnate Word of God in her heart and in
her womb. Called like Mary to give flesh to the presence of Christ in our life,
we pray that we may be faithful witnesses of the gift of salvation in our every
word and deed.
Praise (ALL)
Be praised above the heavens, O gracious God, for the dawning of your sun of justice upon a people who walked in darkness. Each day we set our face toward the fullness of your peace. We rejoice for the memory and witness of the Mother whom you consecrated from the first moment of her life to give birth to the Word as the dawn of our salvation.
Opening Hymn: Ave Maria, Ave (Liam Lawton from the CD, In the Quiet)
Reader 2
The Mother of Jesus is the image of your
church and the leaven of our discipleship. She who bore the Promise of the Ages
is the living reminder that all who profess Jesus as the Christ must bring to
birth the Gospel to all the nations of the earth for all time.
Let us hear the names of those of God’s disciples that we know, his people who need the peace of God this very day. By saying these names out loud, we ask God to bless them, to hold them, and to grant them peace. (Pause to allow names to be called aloud.)
The psalmist knew people like the ones we named. The Psalms are filled with pleas for those in need of peace, of the calm sense of purpose lived by Mary, our model of discipleship. Let us use these same words for those we’ve named, and for all, so that we may live in a world made peaceful through God’s presence.
L O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; for God's steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those God redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, . . .
R From the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, some wandered in desert wastes . . .hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
All Let us thank the Lord . . .For God satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry God fills with good things.
L Some sat in darkness and gloom, some were sick and cried to the Lord.
R Some went down to the depths, their courage melted away in their calamity. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.
All Let us thank the Lord . . .The upright see and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth. Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Leader: As we begin this new day let us give one another a sign of peace. (Pause.)
Leader: Now, filled with the spirit of peace, we are ready to begin our listening to the WORD,
GOSPEL READING: Matthew 1: 18-23
The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in
the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's
pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will
bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus--"God
saves'--because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the
prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this--a virgin will get
pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Emmanuel (Hebrew for "God is with
us").
SHARING AND REFLECTION A Scripture Search for Mary
We marvellous Mary with so many titles. Some of them are: Mother of Our Saviour, Immaculate Conception, and the Blessed Virgin. Is there a title for Mary that no one has ever used to honour her? What do the words of scripture tell me about Mary? Create your own title for Mary, and pray it as a prayer of intercession at the end of the intercessions below.
INTERCESSIONS
By her example and her prayer, Mary leads us on the way to Christ, her Son, the Word of God made flesh for salvation. In the name of all those for whom God sent his Son into the world, we pray:
R/ Lord, hear your mother's prayer!
In the name of all mothers: - Holy Mother of God, pray for us. R/
In the name of all virgins and committed celibates: - Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us. R/
In the name of all expectant women: - Mother of Christ, pray for us. R/
In the name of all unable to make or keep a commitment: - Virgin most faithful, pray for us. R/
CLOSING PRAYER
O God, in the incarnation of the Word, you have wrought a marvellous exchange: as he humbled himself to share in our humanity, so did he enable us to have a share in his divinity. Transform us, O God, according to your word, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.