Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FRIDAY Evening Prayer

God, come to my assistance. - Lord, make haste to help me Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it as in the !eginning, is no , and ill !e fore"er. #men. H$M% $e ho o n the faith of &es's, sing the onders that ere done hen the lo"e of God the Father o"er sin the "ictory on, hen he made the Virgin Mary mother of his only Son. Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, f'll of grace. Blessed ere the chosen people o't of hom the Lord did come( !lessed as the land of promise fashioned for his earthly home( !'t more !lessed far the mother, she ho !are him in her om!. Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, f'll of grace. )herefore let all faithf'l people tell the honor of her name( let the *h'rch, in her foreshado ed, part in her thanksgi"ing claim( hat *hrist+s mother sang in gladness let *hrist+s people sing the same. Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, f'll of grace. ,raise, O Mary, praise the Father, praise thy Sa"ior and thy Son, praise the e"erlasting Spirit, ho hath made thee ark and throne o+er all creat'res high e-alted, lo ly praise the .hree in One. Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, f'll of grace.

Melody/ 0en das Vaters Sinn ge!oren 12.12.123 M'sic/ &.#. Freilingha'sen, 4325-4267 .e-t/ V.S.S. *oles, 4189-47:7

Or/ .he Spirit spread his ings o"er the Virgin+s om!. She concei"ed and ga"e !irth. #nd she !ecame a "irginal mother !y great mercy. She concei"ed and ga"e !irth to a son itho't pain, and there as a p'rpose for this. She did not ask for a mid ife to aid her, !eca'se God sa to her deli"ery. Like a h'man !eing, she ga"e !irth according to the Manifestly she ga"e !irth. )ith great po er she ac;'ired him. )ith thanksgi"ing she lo"ed him. )ith kindness she g'arded him. )ith grande'r she manifested him. #llel'ia<

ill of God.

=Odes of Solomon, :nd *ent'ry, 47, 3-44>

,S#LMO0$ #nt 4/ .hro'gh his cross, *hrist o'r peace has reconciled 's to God. Or/ .he #ngel Ga!riel !ro'ght tidings to Mary, and she concei"ed !y the Holy Spirit. ,salm 489 ,raise of God+s ma?esty Lord, you are the just one, who was and who is (Revelation 16:5) @ @ @ ill gi"e yo' glory, O God my king, ill !less yo'r name for e"er.

@ ill !less yo' day after day and praise yo'r name for e"er. .he Lord is great, highly to !e praised, his greatness cannot !e meas'red.

#ge to age shall proclaim yo'r orks, shall declare yo'r mighty deeds, shall speak of yo'r splendor and glory, tell the tale of yo'r onderf'l orks. .hey ill speak of yo'r terri!le deeds, reco'nt yo'r greatness and might. .hey ill recall yo'r a!'ndant goodness( age to age shall ring o't yo'r ?'stice. .he Lord is kind and f'll of compassion, slo to anger, a!o'nding in lo"e. Ho good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creat'res. #ll yo'r creat'res shall thank yo', O Lord, and yo'r friends shall repeat their !lessing. .hey shall speak of the glory of yo'r reign and declare yo'r might, O God, to make kno n to all yo'r mighty deeds and the glorio's splendor of yo'r reign. $o'rs is an e"erlasting kingdom( yo'r r'le lasts from age to age. #nt. : )e ha"e come to the city of the li"ing God, and to &es's, mediator of the ne *o"enant. Or/ His mother stood !eside the cross. @@ .he Lord is faithf'l in all his ords and lo"ing in all his deeds. .he Lord s'pports all ho fall and raise 'p all ho are !o ed do n. .he eyes of all creat'res look to yo' and yo' gi"e them their food in d'e time. $o' open ide yo'r hand, grant the desires of all ho li"e. .he Lord is ?'st in all his ays and lo"ing in all his deeds. He is close to all ho call him, ho call on him from their hearts.

He grants the desires of those ho fear him, he hears their cry and he sa"es them. .he Lord protects all ho lo"e him ( the icked he ill 'tterly destroy. Let me speak the praise of the Lord, let all peoples !less his holy name for e"er, for ages 'nending. #nt 6/ @n *hrist e ha"e redemption thro'gh his !lood.

Or/ Ae?oice, O Virgin Mother( *hrist has risen from the dead. *anticle Hymn of adoration Mighty and onderf'l are yo'r orks, Lord God #lmighty< Aighteo's and tr'e are yo'r ays, O Bing of the nations< )ho o'ld dare ref'se yo' honor, or the glory d'e yo'r name, O LordC Since yo' alone are holy, all nations shall come and orship in yo'r presence. $o'r mighty deeds are clearly seen. F@AS. AD#0@%G : .im :/45-4:a Ae"elation 49/6-8

@ !ear ith e"erything for the sake of those ho are chosen, so that they too may o!tain the sal"ation that is in *hrist &es's, together ith eternal glory. .his saying is tr'st orthy/ @f e ha"e died ith him e shall also li"e ith him( if e perse"ere e shall also reign ith him. OA : &ohn 8-46

@ re?oiced greatly to find some of yo'r children alking in the tr'th ?'st as e ere commanded !y the Father. B't no , Lady, @ ask yo', not as tho'gh @ ere riting a ne commandment !'t the one e ha"e had from the !eginning/ let 's lo"e one another. For this is lo"e, that e alk according

to his commandments( this is the commandment, as yo' heard from the !eginning, in hich yo' sho'ld alk. Many decei"ers ha"e gone o't into the orld, those ho do not ackno ledge &es's *hrist as coming in the flesh( s'ch is the deceitf'l one and the antichrist. Look to yo'rsel"es that yo' do not lose hat e orked for !'t may recei"e a f'll recompense. #nyone ho is so Eprogressi"eE as not to remain in the teaching of the *hrist does not ha"e God( hoe"er remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son. @f anyone comes to yo' and does not !ring this doctrine, do not recei"e him in yo'r ho'se or e"en greet him( for hoe"er greets him shares in his e"il orks. #ltho'gh @ ha"e m'ch to rite to yo', @ do not intend to 'se paper and ink. @nstead, @ hope to "isit yo' and to speak face to face so that o'r ?oy may !e complete. .he children of yo'r chosen sister send yo' greetings. SD*O%0 AD#0@%G From a sermon !y St. Bernard, #!!ott
=Sermo in dom. infra oct. #ss'mptionis, 48-49/ Opera omnia, Ddit. *isterc. 9 F4731G, :26-:28>

His mother stood by the cross .he martyrdom of the Virgin is set forth !oth in the prophecy of Simeon and in the act'al story of o'r Lord+s passion. .he holy man said of the infant &es's/ He has been established as a sign which will be contradicted He ent on to say to Mary/ !nd your own heart will be "ierced by a sword E .r'ly, O !lessed Mother, a s ord has pierced yo'r heart. For only !y passing thro'gh yo'r heart co'ld the s ord enter the flesh of yo'r Son. @ndeed, after yo'r &es's-- ho !elongs to e"eryone, !'t is especially yo'rs--ga"e 'p his life, the cr'el spear, hich as not ithheld from his lifeless !ody, tore 'pon his side. *learly it did not to'ch his so'l and co'ld not harm him, !'t it did pierce yo'r heart. For s'rely his so'l as no longer there, !'t yo'rs co'ld not !e torn a ay. .h's the "iolence of sorro has c't thro'gh yo'r heart, and e rightly call yo' more than martyr, since the effect of compassion in yo' has gone !eyond the end'rance of physical s'ffering. Or ere those ords/E#oman, behold your son, not more than a s ord to yo', tr'ly piercing yo'r heart, c'tting thro'gh to the di"ision !et een so'l and spiritC )hat an e-change< &ohn is gi"en to yo' in place of &es's, the ser"ant in place of the Lord, the Son of He!edee replaces the Son of God, a mere man replaces God himself. Ho co'ld these ords not pierce yo'r most lo"ing heart, hen the mere remem!rance of them !reaks o'rs, hearts of stone and iron tho'gh they are<

Or/ From a sermon !y St. Bernard, #!!ott

=Sermo in dom. infra oct. #ss'mptionis, 48-49/ Opera omnia, Ddit. *isterc. 9 F4731G, :26-:28>

! martyr in s"irit 0o not !e s'rprised, !rothers, that Mary is said to !e a martyr in spirit. Let him !e s'rprised ho does not remem!er the ords of ,a'l, that one of the greatest crimes of the Gentiles as that they ere itho't lo"e. .hat as far from the heart of Mary( let it !e far from her ser"ants. ,erhaps someone ill say/ EHad she not kno n !efore that he o'ld not dieCE Indo'!tedly. E0id she not e-pect him to rise again at onceCE S'rely. E#nd still she grie"ed o"er her cr'cified SonCE @ntensely. )ho are yo' and hat is the so'rce of yo'r isdom that yo' are more s'rprised at the compassion of Mary than at the passion of Mary+s SonC For if he co'ld die in !ody, co'ld she not die ith him in spiritC He died in !ody thro'gh a lo"e greater than anyone had kno n. She died in spirit thro'gh a lo"e 'nlike any other since his. )ho are yo' and hat is the so'rce of yo'r isdom that yo' are more s'rprised at the compassion of Mary than at the passion of Mary+s SonC For if he co'ld die in !ody, co'ld she not die ith him in spiritC He dies in !ody thro'gh a lo"e greater than anyone had kno n. She died in spirit thro'gh a lo"e 'nlike any other since his. ADS,O%SOA$ Holy Mary, hea"en+s J'een and o'r Lady yo' stood !y the cross of the Lord. - Holy Mary, hea"en+s J'een and o'r Lady yo' stood !y the cross of the Lord. Happy is she, ho itho't dying has on the martyr+s cro n. - yo' stood !y the cross of the Lord. Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit - Holy Mary, hea"en+s J'een and o'r Lady yo' stood !y the cross of the Lord. Or/ .he Lord has chosen her, his lo"ed one from the !eginning - .he Lord has chosen her, his lo"ed one from the !eginning He has taken her to li"e ith him, - his lo"ed one from the !eginning.

Glory !e to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit - .he Lord has chosen her, his lo"ed one from the !eginning. *#%.@*LD OF M#A$ L'ke 4/83-99

#nt/ )hen &es's sa his mother standing !eside the cross ith the disciple hom he lo"ed, he said to her/ )oman, !ehold yo'r son. .hen he said to the disciple/ Behold yo'r mother. $y soul rejoices in the Lord My so'l proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit re?oices in God my Sa"ior( for he has looked ith fa"or on his lo ly ser"ant. From this day all generations ill call me !lessed/ the #lmighty has done great things for me, and holy is his %ame. He has mercy on those in e"ery generation. ho fear him

He has sho n the strength of his arm, he has scattered the pro'd in their conceit. He has cast do n the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted 'p the lo ly. He has filled the h'ngry ith good things, and the rich he has sent a ay empty. He has come to the help of his ser"ant @srael, for he has remem!ered his promise of mercy, .he promise he made to o'r fathers, to #!raham and his children for e"er. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit/ as it as in the !eginning, is no , and ill !e for e"er. #men. @%.DA*DSS@O%S Let 's praise God, o'r almighty Father, ho ished that Mary, his Son+s mother, !e cele!rated !y each generation. %o in need e ask/ $ary, %ull o% grace, intercede %or us

O God, orker of miracles, yo' made the immac'late Virgin Mary share, !ody and so'l, in yo'r Son+s glory in hea"en, - direct the hearts of yo'r children to that same glory. $o' made Mary o'r mother. .hro'gh her intercession grant strength to the eak, comfort to the sorro ing, pardon to sinners, - Sal"ation and peace to all. $o' made Mary f'll of grace, - grant all men the ?oyf'l a!'ndance of yo'r grace. Make yo'r *h'rch of one mind and one heart in lo"e, - and help all those ho !elie"e to !e one in prayer ith Mary, the mother of &es's. $o' cro ned Mary ;'een of hea"en, - may all the dead re?oice in yo'r kingdom O'r FatherK *O%*LI0@%G ,A#$DA Father, as yo'r Son as raised on the cross, his mother Mary stood !y him, sharing his s'fferings. May yo'r *h'rch !e 'nited ith *hrist in his s'ffering and death and so come to share in his rising to ne life, here he li"es and reigns ith yo' and the Holy Spirit, one God, for e"er and e"er. May the Lord !less 's, protect 's from e"il and !ring 's to e"erlasting life. - #men. http/LL .lit'rgies.netLLit'rgiesL*atholicLLittleOffice.htmMfridaye"ening ith the saints for e"er.