ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Hail, holy Mary:
we venerate you as Mother of Sorrows;
we acclaim you as Woman of the New Covenant,
ratified in the precious blood of your Son.


The Gloria is said where solemnity is celebrates

COLLECT
Father most holy, who willed to associate Our Lady of Sorrows,
Woman of the New Covenant,
to the sacrifice of your Son;
through the merits of his precious blood,
grant, we pray, that your Church, born of Christ’s pierced side,
may always celebrate the memorial of his work of redemption
with the love of our Mother Mary showed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.


FIRST READING
The mother was admirable and bore everything because of her hope placed in the Lord.

A reading from the second book of Maccabees
7:1, 20-29

In those days, it happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested
and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,
to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law.

Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother,
who saw her seven sons perish in a single day,
yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the LORD.
Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage,
she exhorted each of them
in the language of their forefathers with these words:
“I do not know how you came into existence in my womb;
it was not I who gave you the breath of life,
nor was it I who set in order
the elements of which each of you is composed.
Therefore, since it is the Creator of the universe
who shapes each man’s beginning,
as he brings about the origin of everything,
he, in his mercy,
will give you back both breath and life,
because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law.”

Antiochus, suspecting insult in her words, thought he was being ridiculed.
As the youngest brother was still alive, the king appealed to him,
not with mere words, but with promises on oath,
to make him rich and happy if he would abandon his ancestral customs:
he would make him his friend and entrust him with high office.
When the youth paid no attention to him at all,
the king appealed to the mother, urging her to advise her boy to save his life.

After he had urged her for a long time,
she went through the motions of persuading her son.
In derision of the cruel tyrant, she leaned over close to her son
and said in their native language:
“Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months,
nursed you for three years, brought you up,
educated and supported you to your present age.
I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth
and see all that is in them;
then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things;
and in the same way the human race came into existence.
Do not be afraid of this executioner,
but be worthy of your brothers and accept death,
so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them.”

The word of the Lord.


REPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 18: 1-3, 5-6, 7, 19-20

R. In my distress I call to you: save me, O Lord.

I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,
my God, my rock of refuge, my shield,
my horn of salvation, my stronghold! R.

The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me. R.

In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears. R.

They attacked me on a day of distress,
but the LORD came to my support.
He set me free in the open;
he rescued me because he loves me. R.


SECOND READING
A great sign appeared in the heavens.

A reading from the Book of Revelation
12:1-3, 7-12. 17

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon beneath her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.

Then war broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who accuses them before our God day and night.

They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them.

Then the dragon became angry with the woman
and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring,
those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.

The word of the Lord.


SEQUENCE (optional)

[At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
‘Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In the mother’s pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of his own nation
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.

O sweet Mother! Font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.]

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

Let me share with you his pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of you to give.

Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.

Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of yours.

Wounded with his every wound,
Steep my soul till it has swooned
In his very blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
on his awful judgment day.

Christ, when you shall call me hence,
Be your Mother my defense,
Be your cross my victory.

While my body here decays,
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally. Amen. (Alleluia)


VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Cf Jn 19:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Standing by the cross of Jesus was
Mary, his mother,
inseparably joined to the redemptive work of her Son.
R. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
By the cross of Jesus there was Mary, his mother.

From the Gospel according to John
19:25-27

At that hour, standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas,
and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord.


The Profession of Faith is said where solemnity is celebrated.

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Father most holy,
accept the prayers and gifts of your people
and through the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows,
who at the foot of the cross participated fully
in the sacrifice of the new covenant,
grant that becoming, an oblation pleasing to you,
we may make you a joyous offering of ourselves.
Through Christ our Lord.


PREFACE
The role of Our Lady of Sorrows, Woman of the New Covenant

It is truly right and just, to give you thanks,
and fitting to acclaim and proclaim your bountiful love,
holy Father, almighty and -powerful and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

In your providence you gave us your Son as Savior;
and by the cross, the Virgin Mary, most loving Mother,
was joined to him inseparably.

In view of the blood of our Savior
you preserved her from all stain of sin
and gave her to the human race
to serve the redeeming mission of Christ
as the new woman, exemplar of a new creation.

Exalted above the choirs of the angels and saints,
the Blessed Virgin intercedes with her Son for us,
who grieve for the burden of sin and sorrow.
but guided by the Holy Spirit,
journey toward our heavenly homeland,
where joy is full, beauty enduring and happiness everlasting.

And so, together with the angels and saints,
we sing with one voice the hymn of your praise:


COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Blessed are you, Virgin Mother!
Your Son, Christ Jesus,
spotless Lamb,
has prepared for his spouse, the Church,
the new bread and wine of the wedding banquet.

AFTER COMMUNION
Lord our God, who nourished us
at the table of the body and blood of your Christ,
as we observe the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, Woman of the New Covenant;
through her motherly intercession, may we express by our lives
the Son’s love and suffering,
which we have celebrated in these mysteries.
Through Christ our Lord.