A reading from the Book of Esther (C:12, 4-15, 25, 30)
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD.
Then she prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, saying:
“My LORD, our King, you alone are God.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
“Save us by your power, and help me, who am alone
and have no one but you, O LORD.
“O God, more powerful than all,
hear the voice of those in despair.
Save us from the power of the wicked,
and deliver me from my fear.”
FromThe Glories of Maryby St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguouri
To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
Truly unfortunate are we poor banished children of Eve; for, guilty before God of her fault, and condemned to the same penalty, we have to wander about in this valley of tears as exiles from our country, and to weep over our many afflictions of body and soul. But blessed is he who, in the midst of these sorrows, often turns to the comfortress of the world, to the refuge of the unfortunate, to the great Mother of God, and devoutly calls upon her and invokes her!
The holy Church carefully teaches us her children with what attention and confidence we should unceasingly have recourse to this loving protectress; and for this purpose commands a worship peculiar to Mary. And this is what Mary desires. She wishes us always to seek her and invoke her aid; not as if she were begging of us these honors and marks of veneration, for they are in no way proportioned to her merit; but she desires them, that by such means our confidence and devotion may be increased, and that so she may be able to give us greater succor and comfort:
She in the exercise of her mercy, knows not how to act differently from God; for, as he flies at once to the assistance of those who beg his aid, faithful to his promise, Ask, and you shall receive, so Mary, whenever she is invoked, is at once ready to assist him who prays to her
Nor should the multitude of our sins diminish our confidence that Mary will grant our petitions when we cast ourselves at her feet. She is the mother of mercy; but mercy would not be needed did none exist who require it. On this subject Richard of St. Laurence remarks, that as a good mother does not shrink from applying a remedy to her child infected with ulcers, however nauseous and revolting they may be, so also is our good mother unable to abandon us when we have recourse to her, that she may heal the wounds caused by our sins, however loathsome they may have rendered us
This good mother’s compassion is so great, and the love she bears us is such, that she does not even wait for our prayers in order to assist us; but, as St. Anselm says, she is beforehand with those who desire her protection.
Her love for us is so tender, that in our wants she anticipates our prayers, and her mercy is more prompt to help us than we are to ask her aid. And this arises adds Richard of St. Victor from the fact that the heart of Mary is so filled with compassion for poor sinners, that she no sooner sees our miseries than she pours her tender mercies upon us. Nor is it possible for this benign Queen to behold the want of any soul without immediately assisting it.
Should there be any one who doubts as to whether Mary will aid him if he has recourse to her, Innocent III thus reproves him: Who is there that ever, when in the night of sin, had recourse to this sweet Lady without being relieved? Such a case certainly never did and never will occur.
Let all, then, say, with full confidence in the words of that beautiful prayer addressed to the Mother of mercy, and commonly attributed to St. Bernard, Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that it is a thing unheard of in any age that anyone had recourse to thy protection and was left unaided.
Therefore, forgive me, O Mary, if I say that I will not be the first unfortunate creature who has ever had recourse to you and was abandoned.
Musical Selection
Salve, Mater misericordiae, Mater Dei et Mater veniae, Mater spei et Mater gratiae, Mater plena sanctae laetitiae, O Maria!
Salve, decus humani generis. Salve, Virgo dignior ceteris, quae virgines omnes transgrederis et altius sedes in superis. O Maria!
Salve, Mater misericordiae, Mater Dei et Mater veniae, Mater spei et Mater gratiae, Mater plena sanctae laetitiae, O Maria!
Salve, felix Virgo puerpera: Nam qui sedet in Patris dextera, Caelum regens, terram et aethera, Intra tua se clasit viscera. O Maria!
Salve, Mater misericordiae, Mater Dei et Mater veniae, Mater spei et Mater gratiae, Mater plena sanctae laetitiae, O Maria!
Esto, Mater, nostrum solatium: Nostrum esto, tu Virgo, gaudium, et nos tandem post hoc exsilium, Laetos juge choris caelestium. O Maria!
Salve, Mater misericordiae, Mater Dei et Mater veniae, Mater spei et Mater gratiae, Mater plena sanctae laetitiae, O Maria!
Hail, Mother of mercy, Mother of God and Mother of pardon, Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother, full of holy gladness. O Mary!
Hail, honor of the human race. Hail most worthy Virgin because thou overcomest all virgins and art seated of in highest honor. O Mary!
Hail, Mother of mercy, Mother of God and Mother of pardon, Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother, full of holy gladness. O Mary!
Hail, blest Virgin yet bearing child: For He Who sits at the Father’s right hand, The ruler of heaven, of earth and sky, has sheltered Himself in thy womb. O Mary!
Hail, Mother of mercy, Mother of God and Mother of pardon, Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother, full of holy gladness. O Mary!
Become, O Mother, our solace: Be for us our source of joy, and at the last, after this exile, unite us with the praising celestial choir. O Mary!
Hail, Mother of mercy, Mother of God and Mother of pardon, Mother of hope and Mother of grace, Mother, full of holy gladness. O Mary!
Prayer
God, whose mercy is without measure,
through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of mercy,
grant that we may know your loving kindness on earth
and come at last to the glory of heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Queen and Mother of Mercy)