From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.
Regem venturum Dominum, venite, adoremus.
De Isaia Propheta.
Cap. vii.
Et adjecit Dominus loqui ad Achaz, dicens: Pete tibi signum a Domino Deo tuo in profundum inferni, sive in excelsum supra. Et dixit Achaz: Non petam, et non tentabo Dominum. Et dixit: Audite ergo domus David: Numquid parum vobis est molestos esse hominibus, quia molesti estis et Deo meo? Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse vobis signum: Ecce Virgo concipiet, et pariet Filium: et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel.
Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come.
From the Prophet Isaias.
Ch. vii.
And the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying: Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell or unto the height above. And Achaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord. And he said: Hear ye, therefore, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.
Let your hearts be filled with hope and joy at hearing this fair and sweet prophecy: A Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son. These words contain the salvation of the world, as these others express its perdition: ‘The woman took of the fruit of the tree, and did eat, and gave unto her husband.' This Virgin promised to us has at length come: the divine Fruit is in her womb. By her, Eve’s disobedience is repaired, the world is raised from its fall, the head of the serpent is crushed, God Himself is more glorified by the fidelity of this second Virgin, than He had been outraged by the disobedience of the first. The consent of Mary exercises an immense influence in the saving of the world. It is true that the Word Himself is coming; ‘but,’ says St. Bernard, 'Mary is the way whereby He comes; it is from her virginal womb He issues, as the Bridegroom from the nuptial chamber. Let us endeavour, therefore, to go up to Jesus by Mary, for Jesus came down to us by ner. By thee, O blessed one that didst find grace, O parent of life, O mother of salvation, may we have access to thy Son! May He, who was given to us by thee, receive us by thee. May He admit thy purity, and, for its sake, forgive our impurities: may He give us the pardon of our pride, because of the pleasure He took in thy humility. May thy abundant charity cover the multitude of our sins. May thy glorious fruitfulness get us fruitfulness of merit. Our Lady! our mediatrix! our advocate I reconcile us to thy Son, commend us to thy Son, present us to thy Son. By the grace thou didst find, by the prerogative thou didst merit, by the Mercy thou didst bring forth, grant, O blessed Virgin! that Jesus, who deigned to become, through thy maternity, partaker of our weakness and misery, may, through thy intercession, make us partakers of His glory and bliss.’[1]
PROSE IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
(Composed by Abelard; it is found in all the Roman-French missals)
Mittit ad Virginem
Non quemvis angelum:
Sed fortitudinem
Suum Archangelum,
Amator hominis.
Fortem expediat
Pro nobis nuncium,
Naturae faciat
Ut praejudicium
In partu Virginis.
Naturam superet
Natus Rex gloriæ:
Regnet et imperet,
Et zyma scoriæ
Tollat de medio.
Superbientium
Terat fastigia:
Colla sublimium
Calcet vi propria,
Potens in prælio.
Foras ejiciat
Mundanum principem;
Secumque faciat
Matrem participem
Patris imperii.
Exi qui mitteris,
Haec dona dissere:
Revela veteris
Velamen litterae,
Virtute nuncii.
Accede nuncia:
Dic: Ave, cominus.
Dic: Plena gratia:
Dic: Tecum Dominus:
Et dic: Ne timeas.
Virgo suscipias
Dei depositum,
In quo perficias
Casta propositum
Et votum teneas.
Audit et suscipit
Puella nuncium:
Credit et concipit
Et parit Filium,
Sed admirabilem,
Consiliarium
Humani generis:
Deum et hominem
Et Patrem posteris,
In pace stabilem.
Cujus stabilitas
Nos reddat stabiles,
Ne nos labilitas
Humana labiles
Secum præcipitet,
Sed dator veniæ,
Concessa venia,
Per Matrem gratiæ
Obtenta gratia,
In nobis habitet.
Qui nobis tribuat
Peccati veniam:
Reatus deleat,
Donet et patriam
In arce siderum.
Amen.
God, the lover of man,
sends to the Virgin
no less an angel than him
who is called God’s strength,
the Archangel Gabriel.
May this strong messenger
be speedily at his work;
may he stay the rights
and laws of nature
in the Virgin’s delivery.
May the King of glory,
when born, triumph over nature;
may he reign and command;
may he take away from the midst of men
all leaven and rust.
May he humble proud heads;
may this God,
mighty in war,
trample in his power
on the necks of the haughty.
May he cast forth
the prince of this world;
and make his Mother
share with him
the empire which his Father has given him.
Go forth, messenger of God,
announce these gifts;
lift up,
by the virtue of thy annunciation,
the veil of the ancient Scripture.
Approach, tell thy announcement:
Say, when thou art in her presence: ‘Hail!’
Say: ‘O full of grace !"
Say: ‘The Lord is with thee!’
And then: ‘Fear not!’
Receive, O Virgin,
the divine deposit;
by him fulfil
thy chaste purpose,
and keep thy vow.
The Maid hears
and accepts the announcement;
she believes and conceives,
and brings forth a Son,
but he is the admirable,
The counsellor
of mankind,
God and Man,
Father of the world to come,
the Prince of peace.
May his firmness
render us firm,
lest human frailty
should make us stumble
into the abyss.
But may the Giver of pardon,
granting us pardon
and grace, obtained
by the Mother of grace,
dwell within us.
May he that grants us
pardon of our sins,
wipe away all our guilt,
and give us the country
in the starry heaven.
Amen.
Prayer from the Gallican Sacramentary
(Christmas Eve)
Emmanuel, nobiscum Deus, Christe Filius Dei, qui cum ex Virgine te nasciturum pronuntias, quia Mariam matrem creasti ut Dominus, de qua natus es Filius: da nobis ut, qui cum illa a te, vel per te creati sumus ex nihilo, simili, ut ea, credulitatis remuneremur et praemio.
O Emmanuel, God with us, Christ the Son of God, who didst announce that thou wouldst be born of a Virgin, and didst, as Lord, create Mary, the Mother whose Son thou art: grant us, that being, like her, created by thee out of nothing, we may be rewarded, like her, for our faith in thee.
[1] Second Sermon of Advent.