First-Friday service: Christ, the son of Mary

Today I led a first-Friday service of contemplative song and prayer. In honor of Advent, the theme was "Christ, the son of Mary." The altar was adorned with images of the Madonna and Child.

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A hymn from the scriptures:
THE SONG OF MARY (Luke 1:46-55)

My soul proclaims your greatness, O God!
My heart rejoices in you, my Savior,
because you have showered your servant with blessing!
From now to the end of time,
all generations will know the great things you have done for me,

Mighty One! Your name is holy!
In every age, your mercy flows to those who reverence you!
But with the strength of your arm,
you have blasted the presumptions of the proud.

You have deposed the mighty from their thrones,
and have raised the lowly to high places.
You have filled the hungry with good things;
the rich, you have turned away empty-handed.

You have come to the aid of Israel your servant,
in fulfillment of the promise you made to our ancestors—
when you spoke blessing to Sarah and Hagar
and all their descendents, to the utmost generation!

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A reading from the apostles:
GALATIANS 4:3-7

In former times,
we were slaves to the powers of this world.

But when the time had waxed full,
God sent the Begotten One,
born of a human mother—
born, like us, a slave to the law,
yet with power to set us free.

Through him, we have been emancipated!
We have been adopted into God’s family!
God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of the Begotten One,
so that we, like him, may call God, “Abba! Father!”

Once you were slaves;
now you have become God’s children.
And because you are God’s children,
you are also God’s heirs.

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A reading from the Gospels:
LUKE 1:26-45

God sent a messenger named Gabriel
to a Galilean village called Nazareth,
to a young woman named Mary,
who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David.

The messenger came to Mary and said,
“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!”
Mary was perplexed and troubled by this greeting.

The messenger said, “Do not be afraid, Mary.
God’s blessing is upon you!
You will conceive and give birth to a son.
You will name him Jesus—‘God liberates.’
He is destined for greatness!
He will be called the Son of God.
God will set him in the judgment seat
promised to David’s line,
to govern the people of the covenant forever.
His reign will never end!”

Mary said, “How can this be? I am a virgin.”

The messenger said to her,
“The Holy Spirit will rest upon you;
the power of God will overshadow you.
For this reason, your child will be holy
and will be called the Son of God.

“Does it seem hard to believe?
Listen: your kinswoman Elizabeth
has conceived a son in her old age.
She who was called barren is now six months pregnant!
You see—with God, nothing is impossible!”

Mary said, “I am God’s servant.
I accept what you have said—may it be.”
Then the messenger left her.

As soon as she could,
Mary traveled to the house of Elizabeth
in the hill country of Judea.
As she arrived, Mary called out to greet Elizabeth,
and Elizabeth felt the fetus kick inside her.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
She exclaimed to Mary,
“Blessed are you among women!
Blessed is the child you will bear!
And what have I done to deserve to be blessed
by a visit from the mother of my Lord?
I knew it without your telling me,
for as soon as I heard you calling,
the child inside me leaped for joy.
Blessed is she who believed
that the Lord’s promise to her would be fulfilled!”

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PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Abba, Father—
you sent your Son to free us from all that enslaves us,
and to reconcile all things in himself.
Grant us peace! Deliver us from evil!

Son of Mary—
you shared our humanity, and our suffering,
so that you would know how to aid your people.
Give us the compassion and the strength
to be with others in their suffering.

Promised Child, Son of God—
by the indwelling of your Spirit in our hearts,
you have transformed us also into God’s children.
Give us grace to grow into your likeness.

Emmanuel, God-with-us—
you came into the world
through the courage of the one who agreed to be your mother.
Give us also the courage to say “yes” to your call.

Word made flesh,
we encounter you in every person that we meet.
Fill us with your love,
and endow us with power
to minister to our fellow beings on your behalf.

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CONCLUDING PRAYER

Christ Jesus—
You were a human being.
You know our yearnings and our sufferings.

Our soul asks you:
Give us peace.

And in our darkness,
you kindle the fire
of your forgiveness and compassion.