Introit
Hail, holy Mother, who in childbirth didst bring forth the King, Who ruleth heaven and earth, world without end. Ps. 44, 2. My heart has uttered a good word: I speak my works unto the King. Glory be …
Collect (Prayer)
Impart unto Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace, that to us, for whom the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin was the beginning of our salvation, the votive solemnity of her nativity may give increase of peace. Through our Lord.
Collect (Prayer)
O God, Who dost encompass us and protect us by the glorious testimony of Thy martyrs, processus and Martinian, grant us to profit by imitating them and to rejoice by their intercession. Through our Lord.
Epistle • Cant. 2, 8-1
Lesson from the Book of Wisdom.
Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills. My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart. Behold he standeth behind our wall, looking through the windows, looking through the lattices. Behold my beloved speaketh to me: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.
For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land: The fig tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come: My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.
Gradual
Blessed and venerable art thou, O Virgin Mary, who, preserving thine immaculate virginity, didst become the Mother of the Saviour. O Virgin Mother of God. He Whom the whole world doth not contain, shut Himself in thy womb, being made man.
Alleluia, alleluia. Happy art thou, O Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise, for out of thee the Son of justice hath risen, Christ, our God. Alleluia.
Gospel • Luke 1, 39-47
Continuation of the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke.
At that time, Mary rising up, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.
And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Offertory
Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, who didst bear the Creator of all things; thou didst bring forth Him Who made thee, and remainest a virgin forever.
Secret
Let the humanity of Thine only-begotten Son succor us, O Lord, that He, Who born of a virgin, did not diminish, but consecrated, the virginity of His mother, may, on this solemn festival of her visitation, deliver us from our sins and make our offering acceptable, even Jesus Christ our Lord, Who with Thee livesth.
Secret
Receive, O Lord, our prayers and offerings, and, that, thy may be worthy in Thy sight, may we be assisted by the prayers of Thy saints. Through our Lord.
Communion
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the eternal Father.
Postcommunion
We have received, O Lord, the votive sacrament of this annual solemnity; grant, we beseech Thee, that it may afford us a remedy both for temporal and for eternal life. Through our Lord.
Postcommunion
Filled with the offering of Thy sacred body and Thy precious blood, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that what we do in pious devotion may assure us of redemption. Through our Lord.