Hour of Eucharistic Adoration

In Honor of Mary, Mother of God

Suggested Opening Hymn: Mirror of Infinite Beauty (Handmaiden of the Lord I, Daughters of St. Paul Choir)

Ant. 1: The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, who was engaged to be married to
Joseph, alleluia.
Leader: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called
Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David;
And the virgin's name was Mary. He went in and said to her,
Right side: Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favor! The Lord is with you.
Leader: She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting
could mean, but the angel said to her,
Right side: Mary do not be afraid; you have won God's favor. You are to conceive in your
womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be
called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor
David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.
Leader: Mary said to the angel,
Left side: But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?
Leader: The angel answered,
Right side: The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover
you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.
And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age has conceived a
son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is
impossible to God.
Leader: Mary said,
Left side: You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.
Leader: And the angel left her.
All: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now and will be forever. Amen.
Prayer Response: Mary, "You believed totally in the Incarnation of the Son of God in your virginal womb, and you became the Mother of God." May we through our yes be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and allow God to work the impossible in us so that "Christ may be formed in us."
Ant. 1: The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, who was engaged to be married to
Joseph, alleluia.

Ant. 2: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, alleluia.
Leader: Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a
town in Judah. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it
happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her
womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said,
Right side: Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord? You see, the
moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be
fulfilled.
Leader: And Mary said:
Suggested Hymn: Holy Is His Name (Handmaiden of the Lord I, Daughters of St. Paul Choir)
Prayer Response: "Mary, you who brought forth the Divine Incarnate Word, you who are the queen of Editors and of the editions, you who are the life of every apostle, look mercifully upon me and bless the work which we perform with you and in you." Inspire us with ever more modern ways of presenting your Son to every person that all may know, follow and love Him.
Ant. 2: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, alleluia.

Ant. 3: Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
Leader: It happened that, three days later, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple,
sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all
those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were
overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him,
Right side: My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have
been, looking for you.
Leader: He replied,
Left side: Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's
house?
Leader: But they did not understand what he meant…. There was a wedding at Cana in
Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been
invited. And they ran out of wine,…and the mother of Jesus said to him,
Right side: They have no more wine.
Leader: Jesus said,
Left side: Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.
Leader: His mother said to the servants,
Right side: Do whatever he tells you.
Leader: Jesus said to the servants,
Left side: Fill the jars with water. Draw some out now and take it to the president of the
feast.
Leader: The president tasted the water, called the bridegroom and said,
Right side: Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the guests have been
drinking a while; but you have kept the best wine till now.
All: Glory to the Father,…
Prayer Response: Mary, help us listen to the voice of God and ponder it in our hearts. When we do not understand, lead us to drink deeply at the well of Eternal Life.
Ant. 3: Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

We will listen to a song. (Suggested song: Mary Did You Know? Available soon from Daughters of St. Paul Choir. Now available on an album sung by Kathy Mattea: Good News and a recent Kenny Rogers Christmas Album)
Personal verification: Mary, your yes to God meant the Incarnation of the Son of God. What will my yes to God mean? What areas in my life is your Son asking me to hand over to Him so that my yes will allow Him to more perfectly become "incarnate" within me?
Lord, Have Mercy (using the Christmas invocations sung by a Cantor)
Suggested Intercessions: page 155 in the Liturgy of the Hours (Pauline Books & Media edition).
Closing Prayer: Father, source of light in every age, the virgin conceived and bore your Son who is called Wonderful God, Prince of Peace. May her prayer, the gift of a mother's love, be your people's joy through all ages. May her response, born of a humble heart, draw your Spirit to rest on your people. Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Suggested Closing Hymn: Joy to You (Lucien Deiss)

This outline for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is provided by the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation of consecrated women who serve the Church with the communications media. We ask that you remember our congregation, mission, and special intention of vocations in your prayer. When you are on-line, visit us at www.pauline.org.