The Magnificat Or The Song of Mary

English (Douay-Rheims) :

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;

for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Because he that is mighty,

hath done great things to me;

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is from generation unto generations,

to them that fear him.

He hath shewed might in his arm:

he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat,

and hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry with good things;

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath received Israel his servant,

being mindful of his mercy:

As he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

English (Book of Common Prayer) :

My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and holy is his Name.

And his mercy is on them that fear him : throughout all generations.

He hath shewed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.

English (The Divine Office) :

My soul glorifies the Lord, *

my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.

He looks on his servant in her lowliness; *

henceforth all ages will call me blessed.

The Almighty works marvels for me. *

Holy his name!

His mercy is from age to age, *

on those who fear him.

He puts forth his arm in strength *

and scatters the proud-hearted.

He casts the mighty from their thrones *

and raises the lowly.

He fills the starving with good things, *

sends the rich away empty.

He protects Israel, his servant, *

remembering his mercy,

the mercy promised to our fathers, *

to Abraham and his sons for ever.

English (ICET translation used in The Liturgy of the Hours (ICEL)) :

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

English (ELLC translation used in Common Worship):

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;

he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;

the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.

He has mercy on those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm

and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones

and lifting up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,

to remember his promise of mercy,

The promise made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

English (Eastern Orthodox Divine Service) :

My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;

For he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.

For behold, from this day all generations will call me blessed;

For the mighty one has done great things to 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 cast down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the holy;

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 seed forever.

The Magnificat  My soul magnifies — also known as the Song of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung (or spoken) liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the 8 most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn.

The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55) where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the future John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth's womb. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings what is now known as the Magnificat in response.

The canticle echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10). Along with the Benedictus, as well as several Old Testament canticles, the Magnificat is included in the Book of Odes, an ancient liturgical collection found in some manuscripts of the Septuagint.

Within Christianity, the Magnificat is most frequently recited within the Liturgy of the Hours. In Western Christianity, the Magnificat is most often sung or recited during the main evening prayer service: Vespers within Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, and Evening Prayer (or Evensong) within Anglicanism. In Eastern Christianity, the Magnificat is usually sung at Sunday Matins. Among Protestant groups, the Magnificat may also be sung during worship services.

Immaculate Mary

 

Opening Prayer for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

 Let us pray,

 [That through the prayers of the sinless Virgin Mary, God will free us from our sins.]  

Father, You prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.

Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

New Saint Joseph Sunday Missal

 

Alternate Opening Prayer for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Let us pray,
[on this feast of Mary, who experienced the perfection of God's saving power.]

Father, the image of the Virgin is found in the Church. Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared and a love that never knew sin, for you kept her sinless from the moment of her conception.

Trace in our actions the lines of her love, in our hearts her readiness of faith.

Prepare once again a world for your Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God forever and ever.

New Saint Joseph Sunday Missal

A Collect for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

O God Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst make her a worthy habitation for Thy Son

and didst by his foreseen death preserve her from all stain of sin, grant, we beseech Thee, that through her intercession we may be cleansed from sin and come with pure hearts to Thee.

Benedictine Monastic Diurnal

 

In Praise of Mary Immaculate

You are all fair, O Mary; the original stain is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel, the honor of our people, and the great advocate of sinners.
O Mary, Virgin most prudent, Mother most merciful, pray for us; intercede for us with our Lord Jesus Christ.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

 

Immaculate Conception Morning Prayer

Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son.

You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.

Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen

The Liturgy of the Hours

 

 

Immaculata Mater Dei

Immaculate Mother of God, Queen of heaven,Mother of mercy,Advocate and Refuge of sinners,behold, I, enlightened and inspired by the graces obtained for me abundantly from the divine treasury through thy maternal affection,  resolve this day and always to place my heart into thy hands to be consecrated to Jesus. 

To thee, therefore, most Blessed Virgin, in the presence of nine choirs of Angels and all the Saints, I now give it. Do thou, in my name, consecrate it to Jesus; and out of the filial confidence which I hereby make profession of, I am certain that now and always thou wilt do all thou canst to bring it to pass that my heart may ever wholly belong to Jesus,and may imitate perfectly the example of the Saints, and in particular that of Saint Joseph, thy most pure Spouse. Amen. 

St. Vincent Pallotti (1798-1850)

 

O Pure and Immaculate

O pure and immaculate and likewise blessed Virgin, who art the sinless Mother of thy Son,the mighty Lord of the universe, thou who art inviolate and altogether holy,the hope of the hopeless and sinful, we sing thy praises. We bless thee, as full of every grace,thou who didst bear the God-Man: we bow low before thee;we invoke thee and implore thine aid.Rescue us, O holy and inviolate Virgin, from every necessity that presses upon us and from all the temptations of the devil.Be our intercessor and advocate at the hour of death and judgment; deliver us from the fire that is not extinguished and from the outer darkness;make us worthy of the glory of thy Son, O dearest and most clement Virgin Mother.

Thou indeed art our only hope most sure and sacred in God's sight, to Whom be honor and glory and majesty and dominion for ever and ever world without end. Amen.

Ephrem the Syrian (306-373)

 

Invocation in Honor of Mary Immaculate

Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you

 

Immaculate Mary

Immaculate Mary,
your praises we sing.
You reign now in Heaven
with Jesus our King.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!

In Heaven the blessed
your glory proclaim;
On earth we your children
invoke your sweet name.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!

We pray for our Mother,
the Church upon earth,
And bless, Holy Mary,
the land of our birth.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!

We pray you, O Mother,
may God's will be done
We pray for His glory,
may his Kingdom come.
Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!

Lourdes Hymn

Immaculata prayer

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you.

If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: "She will crush your head," and "You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world." Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

V. Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin

R. Give me strength against your enemies

Amen

 

 

A shorter version of the prayer can be used for the daily renewal of the consecration:

 

Immaculata, Queen and Mother of the Church, I renew my consecration to you for this day and for always, so that you might use me for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus in the whole world. To this end I offer you all my prayers, actions and sacrifices of this day.

 

 

The Immaculata prayer is a Roman Catholic Marian prayer composed by Saint Maximillian Kolbe.

It is a prayer of consecration to the Immaculata, i.e. the immaculately conceived Virgin Mary.

 

Hail Mary of Gold

This picture of our Lady was drawn by a mystic in Italy. Her hand was guided by Our Lady.

There is a special blessing given each day to the person who carries it and another blessing given each time one looks at it with love.

Hail, Mary, White Lily of the Glorious and always-serene Trinity.

Hail brilliant Rose of the Garden of heavenly delights;

O you, by whom God wanted to be born and by whose milk the King of Heaven wanted to be nourished!

Nourish our souls with effusions of divine grace.

Amen!

Hail Mary of Gold is a Roman Catholic Marian prayer attributed to Saint Gertrude the Great.

According to Saint Gertrude, the Virgin Mary stated that: "At the hour when the soul which has thus greeted me quits the body I'll appear to them in such splendid beauty that they'll taste, to their great consolation, something of the joys of Paradise".

The Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Gertrude the Great  (Revelations book III, chapter XVIII)

The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

 The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria (Latin) is a traditional biblical catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within Roman Catholicism, and it forms the basis of the Rosary. The prayer is also used by Anglicans, the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox as well as by many other groups within the Catholic tradition of Christianity. Some Protestant denominations, such as Lutherans, also make use of the prayer. Most of the text of the Hail Mary can be found within the Gospel of Luke

 The prayer incorporates two passages from Saint Luke's Gospel: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Luke 1 28) and "Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Luke 1:42) .

In mid-13th-century Western Europe the prayer consisted only of these words with the single addition of the name "Mary" after the word "Hail", as is evident from the commentary of Saint Thomas Aquinas on the prayer.

The first of the two passages from Saint Luke's Gospel is the greeting of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, originally written in Koine Greek. The opening word of greeting,  "Hail", literally has the meaning "Rejoice", "Be glad". This was the normal greeting in the language in which Saint Luke's Gospel is written and continues to be used in the same sense in Modern Greek. Accordingly, both "Hail" and "Rejoice" are valid English translations of the word ("Hail" reflecting the Latin translation, and "Rejoice" reflecting the original Greek).

After considering the use of similar words in Syriac, Greek and Latin in the 6th century, the article on the Hail Mary in the Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that "there is little or no trace of the Hail Mary as an accepted devotional formula before about 1050", though a later pious tale attributed to Ildephonsus of Toledo ( 7th century) the use of the first part, namely the angel's greeting Mary, without that of Elizabeth, as a prayer.

Saint Thomas Aquinas spoke of the name "Mary", which served to indicate who was the "full of grace" person mentioned, as the only word added at his time to the Biblical text. But at about the same time the name "Jesus" was also added, to specify who was meant by the phrase "the fruit of thy womb".

The Western version of the prayer is thus not derived from the Greek version: even the earliest Western forms have no trace of the Greek version's phrases: "Mother of God and Virgin" and "for thou hast given birth to the Saviour of our souls".

To the greeting and praise of Mary of which the prayer thus consisted, a petition "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen", was added later. The petition first appeared in print in 1495 in Girolamo Savonarola's "Esposizione sopra l’Ave Maria". The "Hail Mary" prayer in Savonarola's exposition reads:

• Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

The petition was commonly added around the time of the Council of Trent. The Dutch Jesuit Petrus Canisius is credited with adding in 1555 in his Catechism the sentence:

• Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.

Eleven years later, the sentence was included in the Catechism of the Council of Trent of 1566. The "Catechism of the Council of Trent" says that to the first part of the Hail Mary, by which "we render to God the highest praise and return Him most gracious thanks, because He has bestowed all His heavenly gifts on the most holy Virgin ... the Church of God has wisely added prayers and an invocation addressed to the most holy Mother of God ... we should earnestly implore her help and assistance; for that she possesses exalted merits with God, and that she is most desirous to assist us by her prayers, no one can doubt without impiety and wickedness."

In Roman Catholic use the Hail Mary is the essential element of the Rosary, a prayer method in use especially among Latin Rite (Western) Catholics, and that appears in the East only among Latinised Ukrainian and Maronite Catholics. The Rosary consists traditionally of three sets of five Mysteries, each mystery consisting of one "decade" or ten Ave Marias. The 150 Ave Marias of the Rosary thus echo the 150 psalms. These meditate upon events of Jesus' life during his childhood (Joyful Mysteries), Passion (Sorrowful Mysteries), and from his Resurrection onwards (Glorious Mysteries). Another cycle of mysteries, called the Luminous Mysteries, is of comparatively recent origin, having been proposed by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Each of these Mysteries is prayed as a decade (a unit of ten), consisting of one Our Father (Pater Noster or The Lord's Prayer), ten Hail Marys, and one 'Glory Be' (Gloria Patri) (Doxology).

The Hail Mary is also the central part of the Angelus, a devotion generally recited thrice daily by many Catholics, as well as some Anglicans and Lutherans.

Flower of Carmel Or Flos Carmeli

FLOS Carmeli, vitis florigera, splendor caeli, virgo puerpera singularis.	FLOWER of Carmel, Tall vine blossom laden; Splendor of heaven, Childbearing yet maiden. None equals thee.
Mater mitis sed viri nescia Carmelitis esto propitia stella maris.	Mother so tender, Who no man didst know, On Carmel's children Thy favors bestow. Star of the Sea.
Radix Iesse germinans flosculum nos ad esse tecum in saeculum patiaris.	Strong stem of Jesse, Who bore one bright flower, Be ever near us And guard us each hour, who serve thee here.
Inter spinas quae crescis lilium serva puras mentes fragilium tutelaris.	Purest of lilies, That flowers among thorns, Bring help to the true heart That in weakness turns and trusts in thee.
Armatura fortis pugnantium furunt bella tende praesidium scapularis.	Strongest of armor, We trust in thy might: Under thy mantle, Hard press'd in the fight, we call to thee.
Per incerta prudens consilium per adversa iuge solatium largiaris.	Our way uncertain, Surrounded by foes, Unfailing counsel You give to those who turn to thee.
Mater dulcis Carmeli domina, plebem tuam reple laetitia qua bearis.	O gentle Mother Who in Carmel reigns, Share with your servants That gladness you gained and now enjoy.
Paradisi clavis et ianua, fac nos duci quo, Mater, gloria coronaris. Amen	Hail, Gate of Heaven, With glory now crowned, Bring us to safety Where thy Son is found, true joy to see.

 Flos Carmeli was used by the Carmelites as the sequence for the Feast of St. Simon Stock, and, since 1663, for the Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel. It also appears in an ancient metrical office of Carmel as an antiphon and responsory. Its composition is ascribed to St. Simon Stock himself (ca 1165 - 1265). 

The Fátima Prayer

The Fátima Prayer  or Invocation is a common version of the Jesus Prayer used by Catholics. It, along with four other "Fátima prayers", originated during the Marian apparitions at Fátima, Portugal in 1917. The Decade Prayer, as the most commonly said of these five prayers is known, is commonly added at the end of each decade of the Dominican Rosary, one of the most popular devotional practices in Roman Catholicism. Two other prayers are also associated with the visions and may be classed as Fátima Prayers, however they did not come to existence in Fátima but in Spain many years later. This brings the number of prayers to seven. 

The Decade Prayer

"O mi Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, libera nos ab igne inferni, conduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim illas quae maxime indigent misericordia tua. Amen."

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen."

 While not part of the original tradition of the Rosary or in the original text of the vulgate, many Roman Catholics choose to add it after the Glory Be to the Father after the Blessed Virgin Mary was said to have requested its use during her alleged apparition at Fátima, a miracle deemed "worthy of belief" by the Church. The following text of the prayer appears first in Latin and then in English.

According to the book Our Lady of Fátima by William Thomas Walsh (Macmillan, 1947), in an interview with the author Sr. Lucia states that, “The correct form is the one I have written in my account of the apparition of July 13: ‘O my Jesus, pardon us, and save us from the fire of hell; draw all souls to heaven, especially those most in need.’” Note that this version does not have the commonly-added phrase “of thy mercy” to the end of it. 

 

Other Fátima Prayers

The less commonly said "Fátima Prayers" include the Pardon Prayer, the Angel's Prayer, the Eucharistic Prayer and the Sacrifice Prayer which the seers said they learned from the heavenly personages of their visitations. Sister Lucia said another two prayers were given to her in 1931 in a vision of Jesus Christ. These two are known as the Conversion Prayer and the Salvation Prayer and are often classed as Fátima prayers

The Pardon Prayer

The seers said this prayer was taught to them in the initial Fátima apparition in the spring of 1916, by an angel who called himself "the Guardian Angel of Portugal".

My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee! I beg pardon for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee.

 

The Angel's Prayer

In the autumn of that year, according to Lucia, she and her cousins saw the same angel again, and he taught them a second prayer. At the same time they beheld a vision of the Blessed Sacrament suspended in the air before which the Angel prostrated himself and prayed:

O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.

The Angel's Prayer is an Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity.

The Eucharistic Prayer

On May 13, 1917, the three children saw a woman clad in radiant white, whom they later realized was the Virgin Mary. Her primary message at first was the importance of praying the Rosary. She also asked the children if they would be willing to offer sacrifices in reparation for the sins of the world, and they agreed; she then said "You will have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort." When she said "the grace of God" she held out her hands and the children experienced a great light surrounding and penetrating them. Without thinking about it, they found themselves saying these words:

Most Holy Trinity, I adore you! My God, my God, I love you in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Lucia later wrote that they were "moved by an interior impulse", as she was at the October 13, 1917 vision where she was heard calling "Look at the sun!"

The Sacrifice Prayer

On the 13th of June of that year, the seers said the "lady from heaven" appeared again and taught them two more prayers, the Decade Prayer and the Sacrifice Prayer. This second prayer was to be said when offering up an action or some suffering in a spirit of Sacrifice.

O Jesus, it is for the love of You, in reparation for the offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners [Some add here "that I pray/do this".

William Thomas Walsh said Lucia told him the words as follows: "O Jesus, it is for your love, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

This prayer, spoken sincerely, effectively allows any hardship, illness or pain in one's life to be offered as Acts of Reparation.

The Conversion and Salvation Prayers

The final two prayers were taught to the last of the living seers, Lucia, as her two companions had since died. In 1931 she had a vision in Rianxo, Spain, where she met Christ. He asked her to pray for the Conversion and Salvation of the world through the Heart of Mary, His Mother.

By your pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, obtain the conversion of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world!

Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world.

The Eucharistic Prayer and the Pardon Prayer are often used as ejaculatory prayers which are quite common in Catholic tradition. A visiting Jesuit priest, Father Cruz, also taught the children to say brief prayers; "Jesus, I love you" or "Immaculate Heart of Mary, save the poor sinners". According to Lucia, Jacinta immediately set these prayers to music and could be heard singing them throughout the day.

Other Prayers and Practices related to the Visions

These prayers were not the only devotions which arose from the visions of Fátima. Lucia said that Mary called for a series of devotions, including the Five Saturdays, frequent recitation of the Rosary, and prayers for the conversion of Russia -- at the time viewed by the Church as a godless, Communist nation.

This spurred the creation of an organization known as the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima, dedicated to carrying out the requests of Our Lady of Fátima, as well as promotion of the Brown Scapular.