Liturgical Leaflet for an Active Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist

8 December SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

A Mother Fit for God’s Son

T
he Immaculate Conception of Mary marked a decisive mo-
ment in the realization of God’s plan of salvation, for she was
to be the first to enjoy in full the liberating and sanctifying
power of the redemption wrought by her Son Jesus.
Mary Immaculate is the most beautiful example of how we should
live the advent/coming of the Lord in our lives: with humility, prayer,
availability, and readiness to do what God wants. Only by following
her example shall we be able to experience in ourselves the wonders
of His life-giving presence.

He is full of gentleness and com- Lord Jesus Christ, Only Be-

passion. (Pause) gotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of
P –Lord, you chose us to be God, Son of the Father, you take
holy and blameless in your away the sins of the world, have
Entrance Antiphon mercy on us; you take away the
(To be recited only when no sight. Lord, have mercy!
All – Lord, have mercy! sins of the world, receive our
Entrance Hymn is sung.) prayer; you are seated at the
I rejoice heartily in the P –Lord, you want us to be full right hand of the Father, have
Lord, in my God is the joy of of love and forgiveness. mercy on us. For you alone are
my soul; for he has clothed me Christ, have mercy! the Holy One, you alone are the
with a robe of salvation, and All – Christ, have mercy! Lord, you alone are the Most
wrapped me in a mantle of jus- P –Lord, you wanted Mary High, Jesus Christ, with the
tice, like a bride adorned with Immaculate to be also our Holy Spirit, in the glory of God
her jewels. mother. Lord, have mercy! the Father. Amen!
All – Lord, have mercy!
Greeting Collect (Opening Prayer)
P –May almighty God have
P – In the name of the Father,
mercy on us, forgive us our sins, P –O God, who by the Im-
and of the Son, and of the Holy
and bring us to everlasting life. maculate Conception of the
Spirit!
All –Amen! Blessed Virgin prepared a
All –Amen!
worthy dwelling for your Son,
P –The grace of our Lord Jesus
Gloria grant, we pray, that, as you pre-
Christ, who kept her Mother free
served her from every stain by
from original sin, be with you All –Glory to God in the high- virtue of the Death of your Son,
all. est, and on earth peace to people which you foresaw, so, through
All – And with your spirit! of good will. We praise you, her intercession, we, too, may
we bless you, we adore you, be cleansed and admitted to
Penitential Act we glorify you, we give you your presence.
P –Coming together as God’s thanks for your great glory, Through our Lord Jesus
family, with confidence let us Lord God, heavenly King, O Christ, your Son, who lives and
ask the Father’s forgiveness, for God, almighty Father. reigns with you in the unity of

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the Holy Spirit, God, for ever R. M. Velez hoped in Christ.
and ever.  D Bm G A

The Word of the Lord!
    
All – Amen! All – Thanks be to God!

Sing to the Lord a new song, Gospel Acclamation Lk 1:28



G A D All –Alleluia! Alleluia!

1st Reading Gn 3:9-15.20         Hail, Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with you;
God did not abandon Adam for he has done mar-ve-lous deeds! blessed are you among
and Eve after their first sin. women.
Instead, in His love, He prom- * Sing to the Lord a new Alleluia! Alleluia!
ised that a descendant of “the song, for he has done won-
woman” would crush the head drous deeds; his right hand Gospel Lk 1:26-38
of the serpent. This message of has won victory for him, his Today’s Gospel passage
hope found its perfect fulfill- holy arm. R. is commonly known as “The
ment in Mary’s Immaculate * The Lord has made his sal- Annunciation.” It contains
Conception. vation known: in the sight of the first proclamation of the
R –A proclamation from the the nations he has revealed his “Good News” and shows
Book of Genesis justice. He has remembered Mary’s exceptional role in the
his kindness and his faithful- fulfillment of God’s plan.
After the man, Adam, had ness toward the house of Is- P –The Lord be with you!
eaten of the tree, the Lord God rael. R. All – And with your spirit!
called to the man and asked
him, “Where are you?” He * All the ends of the earth P –A proclamation from the
have seen the salvation by our
answered, “I heard you in
God. Sing joyfully to the Lord, holy Gospel according to
the garden; but I was afraid, Luke
because I was naked, so I hid all you lands; break into song;
sing praise. R. All – Glory to you, O Lord!
myself.” Then the Lord God
asked, “Who told you that The angel Gabriel was sent
you were naked? You have 2nd Reading Eph 1:3-6.11-12 from God to a town of Galilee
eaten, then, from the tree of St. Paul praises God for called Nazareth, to a virgin
which I had forbidden you to having bestowed every spiri- betrothed to a man named
eat!” The man replied, “ The tual blessing on all believers. Joseph, of the house of David.
woman whom you put here These words apply in an immi- The virgin’s name was Mary.
with me – she gave me fruit nent way to Mary Immaculate, And coming to her, he said,
from the tree, and so I ate it.” the woman chosen from all “Hail, full of grace! The Lord
The Lord God then asked eternity to be the Mother of is with you.” But Mary was
the woman, “Why did you do God’s Son. greatly troubled at what was
such a thing?” The woman an- said and pondered what sort
swered, “The serpent tricked R –A proclamation from
the Letter of Paul to the of greeting this might be. Then
me into it, so I ate it.” the angel said to her: “Do not
Then the Lord God said Ephesians
be afraid, Mary, for you have
to the serpent: “Because you Brothers and sisters:
have done this, you shall be found favor with God. Be-
Blessed be the God and Fa- hold, you will conceive in your
banned from all the animals ther of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and from all the wild crea- womb and bear a son, and you
who has blessed us in Christ shall name him Jesus. He will
tures; on your belly shall you with every spiritual blessing
crawl, and dirt shall you eat all be great and will be called Son
in the heavens.
the days of your life. He chose us in him, before of the Most High, and the Lord
I will put enmity between the foundation of the world, God will give him the throne
you and the woman, and be- to be holy and without blem- of David his father, and he will
tween your offspring and hers; ish before him. In love he des- rule over the house of Jacob
he will strike at your head, tined us for adoption to him- forever, and of his kingdom
while you strike at his heel.” self through Jesus Christ, in there will be no end.”
The man called his wife Eve, accord with the favor of his But Mary said to the angel,
because she became the moth- will, for the praise of the glory “How can this be, since I have
er of all the living. of his grace that he granted us no relations with a man?”
– The Word of the Lord! in the beloved. The angel said to her in reply:
All – Thanks be to God! In him we were also chosen, “The Holy Spirit will come
destined in accord with the upon you, and the power of
Responsorial Psalm Ps 98 purpose of the One who ac- the Most High will overshad-
complishes all things accord- ow you. Therefore the child to
R – Sing to the Lord a new ing to the intention of his will, be born will be called holy, the
song, for he has done mar- so that we might exist for the Son of God. And behold, Eliz-
velous deeds! praise of his glory, we who first abeth, your relative, has also

8 December
conceived a son in her old age, with joy at the thought that our all his holy Church.
and this is the sixth month for Immaculate Mother loves us so
her who was called barren; for much and is so eager to help us. Prayer over the Offerings
nothing will be impossible for Let us present our petitions to P –Graciously accept the sav-
God.” the Lord, trusting in the inter- ing sacrifice which we offer you,
Mary said: “Behold, I am cession of Mary Most Holy, as O Lord, on the Solemnity of the
the handmaid of the Lord. we say: Immaculate Conception of the
May it be done to me accord- Blessed Virgin Mary, and grant
All – Lord, graciously hear us!
ing to your word.” Then the that, as we profess her, on ac-
angel departed from her. C –For the Universal Church: count of your prevenient grace,
The Gospel of the Lord! May she always mirror the ho- to be untouched by any stain of
All – Praise to you, Lord Jesus liness of Mary Immaculate in a sin, so, through her intercession,
Christ! world still darkened by sin. Let we may be delivered from all our
us pray! R. faults.
Homily C –For all those who love Mary Through Christ our Lord.
Most Holy: May the honor they All – Amen!
Profession of Faith
(Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed) give her be accompanied by the
practice of her virtues. Let us Preface
All –I believe in one God, the Fa- pray! R. P –The Lord be with you!
ther almighty, maker of heaven All –And with your spirit!
and earth, of all things visible C –For Christians who do not P –Lift up your hearts!
and invisible. accept the dogma of the Im- All – We lift them up to the Lord!
I believe in one Lord Jesus maculate Conception: May they P –Let us give thanks to the
Christ, the Only Begotten Son come to understand that what the Lord our God!
of God, born of the Father be- Church teaches about Mary is a All –It is right and just!
fore all ages. God from God, profession of faith in the perfec- P – It is truly right and just,
Light from Light, true God from tion of God’s saving love. Let us our duty and our salvation, al-
true God, begotten, not made, pray! R. ways and everywhere to give
consubstantial with the Father; you thanks, Lord, holy Father,
through him all things were C – For our youth: May our
Blessed Mother’s example help almighty and eternal God. For
made. For us men and for our you preserved the most Blessed
salvation he came down from them live a life of purity and in-
spire them to call on her in times Virgin Mary from all stain of
heaven, (bow)* and by the Holy original sin, so that in her, en-
Spirit was incarnate of the Vir- of danger. Let us pray! R.
dowed with the rich fullness of
gin Mary, and became man.* C –For each of us: May our de- your grace, you might prepare
For our sake he was crucified votion to Mary Immaculate lead a worthy Mother for your Son
under Pontius Pilate, he suf- us to total availability to fulfill and signify the beginning of
fered death and was buried, and God’s plan in our lives. Let us the Church, his beautiful Bride
rose again on the third day in pray! R. without spot or wrinkle.
accordance with the Scriptures. She, the most pure Virgin,
He ascended into heaven and is C –For all persons with dis- was to bring forth a Son, the in-
seated at the right hand of the abilities: may they be at the cen- nocent Lamb who would wipe
Father. He will come again in ter of the world’s attention and away our offenses; you placed
glory to judge the living and the that institutions may be founded her above all others to be for
dead and his kingdom will have to care for their welfare. Let us your people an advocate of grace
no end. pray! R. and a model of holiness.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, P –Lord our God, heal us with And so, in company with the
the Lord, the giver of life, who Your love, strengthen us with choirs of Angels, we praise you,
proceeds from the Father and Your grace, and lead us where and with joy we proclaim:
the Son, who with the Father Mary is, happy in Your pres- All – Holy, holy, holy Lord, God
and the Son is adored and glori- ence for ever and ever. of hosts. Heaven and earth are
fied, who has spoken through All –Amen! full of your glory. Hosanna in
the prophets. the highest!
I believe in one, holy, cath- Blessed is he who comes in
olic and apostolic Church. I the name of the Lord. Hosanna
confess one Baptism for the in the highest!
forgiveness of sins and I look
forward to the resurrection of Preparation of the Gifts Memorial Acclamation
the dead and the life of the world P –Pray, brethren . . . P –The mystery of faith!
to come. Amen! All – May the Lord accept the All – When we eat this Bread
Prayer of the Faithful sacrifice at your hands, for the and drink this Cup, we
praise and glory of his name, proclaim your Death, O
P –Today our hearts are filled for our good and the good of Lord, until you come again!

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

 May you always rejoice
in her loving care.
All – Amen!
P –You have come to re-
All – Our Father . . . P–The Lord be with you. joice at Mary’s feast.
P –Deliver us, Lord . . . All – And with your spirit! May you be fi lled with
All – For the kingdom, the the joys of the Spirit and
power, and the glory are P –Bow your heads and
pray for God’s blessing. the gifts of your eternal
yours, now and for ever. home.
(Pause)
Born of the Blessed Vir- All – Amen!
Sign of Peace
gin Mary, the Son of God P –May almighty God bless
redeemed mankind. May you: the Father, and the
Breaking of the Bread he enrich you with his Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All – Lamb of God, you take blessings. All – Amen!
away the sins of the world: have All – Amen! P –Go in peace, glorifying
mercy on us. (2×) P –You received the author the Lord by your life!
Lamb of God, you take of life through Mary. All – Thanks be to God!
away the sins of the world:
grant us peace.

Communion BET N’YO RIN BA SIYA?

P –Behold the Lamb of God, Kalakbay at Katoto
behold him who takes away the
sins of the world. Blessed are Tagalog slang has rapidly evolved over the recent past. Since
those called to the Supper of the culture of word has been replaced by a culture of images,
the Lamb. words have of late tended to be a little more sparse, terse, clip-
All – Lord, I am not worthy like, but at the same time now have at least two or more levels
that you should enter under my of meaning. One liners are a prime example. Accompanied by
roof, but only say the word and emoticons, the layers of meaning are heightened. “Alam na
my soul shall be healed. dis” means more than what it says literally. “Aherms” when
plastered on anyone’s wall as a meme can mean more than just
Communion Antiphon an expression. But the one that catches my attention in social
(To be recited only when no media is the word “bet.”
Communion Hymn is sung.)
Glorious things are spoken It can mean a whole lot of things. It can refer to one’s prefer-
of you, O Mary, for from you ence, a special interest in, a favorable attitude to something or
arose the sun of justice, Christ someone, or a declaration of one’s definitive choice in favor of
our God. someone or something.

Prayer after Communion Today’s solemnity can offer us a clue to a deeper understanding
and appreciation for the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She
P –May the Sacrament we was definitely God’s bet – God’s choice, God’s favored one, the
have received, O Lord our object of His predilection from all eternity. The angel’s greeting
God, heal in us the wounds says it all: “Hail, full of grace!”
of that fault from which in a
singular way you preserved But St Paul says pretty much the same about us: “He chose us in
Blessed Mary in her Immacu- him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without
late Conception. blemish before him.” Bet rin tayong lahat ng Diyos!
Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen! But hey! All this is a two-way traffic. It is not a one-way street.
God cares. God loves. God calls. He called Mary. He gave her
a mission – to be the mother of His Son. And in response, Mary
uttered those monumental words: “May it be done to me ac-
(Editor’s Note: Please pray cording to your word.”
the Consecration Prayer to the Today is a good day to ask ourselves … Bet n’yo rin ba ang Diyos?
Immaculate Heart of Mary.)

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Editor’s Note: Mary – under her title of “Immaculate Conception” – is the Principal
Patroness of the Philippines. Thus, today, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Concep-
tion, “in all cathedrals and parish churches, the consecration of the Philippines to Mary
Immaculate is to be prayed according to the approved formula.” (See ORDO.) You
may use the following Consecration Prayer or similar prayers, such as the one in Fr.
Michael Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory.

ACT OF ENTRUSTMENT AND CONSECRATION

TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

B
eloved Mother of Jesus, and our Mother, trustingly we gather before you. We
lay before you all the longings and hopes, sufferings and anxieties of all our
people. To your Immaculate Heart we raise from our hearts this Act of En-
trustment and Consecration. Embrace us, dear Mother, and gather each one of us
within your saving mantle; take us within your motherly love.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, we seek to unite ourselves with the consecration
which Jesus the Son made to His heavenly Father on the night before He gave His
life for us, when He prayed: “For their sakes I consecrate myself, that they also may
be consecrated in truth.” (John 17:19) His consecration obtains pardon and mercy
and secures redemption for all sinners and from all sin. Its power overcomes every
evil which the powers of darkness awaken in human hearts throughout history. It
joins us in His heart to make us one in the grace of His Paschal Mystery.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, your heart is most wholly united with your Son’s re-
deeming consecration. As we entrust ourselves to you, help us to live in truth Jesus’
consecration, faithfully each day. Deliver us from the power of sin, in all its forms
and manifestations, in personal and social living. Help us strive to raise up in our
land a civilization of solidarity, justice and love, by the grace of the Spirit of Jesus.
May the infinite power of the merciful love of God, through your motherly inter-
cession, be revealed in our history as a people. May it change our hearts to the like-
ness of the Pierced Heart of Jesus, and the likeness of your own Immaculate Heart.
By this consecration, may we become ever more truly, “pueblo amante de Ma-
ria,” a people which loves you mightily in its own heart, a people you make each day
ever more your own, held securely and cherished in your Immaculate Heart. AMEN!

* If you have not read the book yet, you may start your own 33-Day self-retreat on December 31 and make your Marian
Consecration on February 2. Invite your family/organization/school/parish to do it with you. 33 Days to Morning Glory
is now available at only P180! Contact Word & Life (#8894-5402). Or download the ebook from ShopMercy.org or
Google Play Store. Share the picture of your Consecration on Facebook: A Million Hearts Consecrated to Jesus thru
Mary. Like and share the page with your friends.