Thanksgiving

We bless you, our God and Father

creator of time and space,

and we thank you on this special day

for the wonderful testimony of Mary, Jesus's mother,

in whom, throughout all her life, full of love,

we have been able to discover you

as the Father God and Mother God of all of us.

We accompany Mary in her song of the Magnificat

to give you thanks

for her unconditional love,

because you are always with us.

Together with all human beings,

all our brothers and sisters,

we are proud to proclaim ourselves as the children of Mary

and we sing you this hymn of thanksgiving and praise.

Memorial of the Lord's Supper

Today is a very special day to remember thankfully

Mary, the good mother of Jesus of Nazareth

who looked after and fed him in her pregnancy

during a long advent,

and prepared with exquisite dedication and love,

his birth in this world.

This is why she is blessed amongst all women.

Mary understood before and better than anyone else

the mystery of your incarnation.

She knew how to see you in her womb,

she also saw you in all the people around her,

and she saw you, above all, in her son Jesus.

Mother and son are reflected in each others' lives

and show us that you are truly Emmanuel,

a God immersed in humanity.

Thank you, Father

Ggod, for her wonderful testimony,

almost without words.

She kept in her heart all the things that Jesus did and said

and accompanied him in his hardest moments.

Invocation to the Spirit of God

We are moved to think about Mary's heart,

torn by pain,

at seeing her son tortured and executed in public.

And we admire her integrity,

her support for the first communoity,

her faith and her total confidence in You.

We also want to follow the footsteps of Mary

and actively cooperate

in the development of the mission started by your son Jesus.

Count on us, Father God

to make the world a better place to live in.

We want to tell you

that we are not tired or disappointed,

but this task is very great

and we need your help,

please grant us that spirit of contest

that both Jesus and Mary showed.

With all human beings that have given and continue to give

testimony of your goodness,

with Mary, in whose honour we celebrate today this feast,

and with Jesus, Mary's and your son,

full of hope, we offer this song of praise

so that the world You dreamed may become a reality.

AMEN.