EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

8th of December

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

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At the start of the Celebration

The commentator says:

Good morning, brothers and sisters,

we are gathered to celebrate the Eucharist
on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

Principal Patroness of the Philippines.

The Presider in our eucharist is N.

Let us all stand and sing as we begin the celebration of the Holy Mass.

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 INTRODUCTORY RITES
When the people are gathered, the Bishop, concelebrants and deacon(s) approaches the altar with the
ministers while the Entrance Chant is sung.
Isaiah 61: 10
I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a
bride adorned with her jewels.

When he has arrived at the altar, after making a profound bow with the ministers, the Bishop,
concelebrants, deacon(s) venerates the altar with a kiss and, if appropriate, incenses the cross and the
altar. Then, with the ministers, he goes to the chair.

When the Entrance Chant is concluded, the Priest and the faithful, standing, sign themselves with the
Sign of the Cross, while the Priest, facing the people, says:

In the name of the Father,

and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE CELEBRATION
The Priest or a Deacon, or another minister may very briefly introduce the faithful to the
Mass of the day.

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity

of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We believe that Mary was prepared to bear the Christ.

Conceived without the sinful nature acquired by our
first parents. God made her this way so that she may
become a worthy vessel for the incarnation of the Son
of God by the Holy Spirit. Even before her
conception, God already had a plan for her, a plan that
puts her in the most unique role in salvation history –
Mary, a human like us, was made for greater things.
She was made for Christ.

Like Mary, we are also made for

greater things:
we are made for Christ.
We were made to bear Christ in the world,
to be Christ for others in whatever state of life we are in.

In this Eucharist, let us pray that we too,

may fulfill the greater things God had
intended for us.
As we receive Christ in Word and
Sacrament,
may we call to mind that we are made for
greater things.
That we are made for Christ and to share in His life and
mission.

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PENITENTIAL ACT

Then follows the Penitential Act, to which the presider invites the faithful, saying:

As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of

Christ’s love, let us acknowledge our sins,
we implore the forgiveness by which
we are renewed and saved,
and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the
sacred mysteries.

A brief pause for silence follows. Then all recite together the formula of general
confession:

I confess to almighty
God and to you, my
brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly
sinned,
in my thoughts and in
my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
And, striking their breast, they say:

through my fault, through my fault,

through my most grievous fault;
Then they continue:

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever Virgin,

all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The absolution of the Bishop follows:

May almighty God have mercy on us,

forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
The people reply:
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 Amen.
The Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy) invocations follow, unless they have just occurred
in a formula of the Penitential Act.

The priest makes the following invocations:

Lord, have mercy.
The people answer:
Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

The people answer:
Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

The people answer:
Lord, have mercy.

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GLORY TO GOD
The Gloria is intoned by the priest:

Glory to God in the highest or Gloria in excelsis Deo

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you, we bless you,
we adore you, we glorify you,
give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

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COLLECT

When this hymn is concluded, the Priest, with hands joined, says:
Let us pray.

And all pray in silence with the Priest for a moment.

O God,
who by the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin prepared
a worthy dwelling for your Son,
grant, we pray, that, as you preserved her
from every stain by virtue of
the Death of your Son, which you foresaw,
so, through her intercession,
we, too, may be cleansed and
admitted to your presence.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit
God, for ever and ever.

At the end of which the people acclaim:

Amen.

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 THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Then the reader goes to the ambo and reads the first reading, while all sit
and listen.

READING I
A reading from the book of Genesis
3: 9 – 15, 20 I will put enmity between your offspring and hers
After the man, Adam, had eaten of
the tree, the LORD God called to the
man and asked him, “Where are
you?”
He answered,
“I heard you in the
garden; but I was afraid,
because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked,
“Who told you that you were
naked? You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied,
“The woman whom you put here with me
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered,
“The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”

Then the LORD God said to the

serpent: “Because you have done
this, you shall be banned from all

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 the animals and from all the wild
creatures; on your belly shall you
crawl, and dirt shall you eat all
the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your offspring
and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”

The man called his wife Eve,

because she became the
mother of all the living.

To indicate the end of the reading, the reader acclaims:

The Word of the Lord.
All reply:
Thanks be to God.

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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

based on Psalm 98

The psalmist or cantor sings or says the Psalm, with the people making the
response.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done

wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won the victory for him his holy
arm.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous deeds.

The Lord has made his salvation known, in the sight of the
nations
he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
towards
the house Israel.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous deeds.

All of the ends of earth have seen the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song;
sing praise.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous deeds.

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After this, if there is to be a second reading, a reader reads it from the
ambo, as above.

READING II
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians 1: 3-6, 11- 12
He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Brothers and sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation
of the world, to be holy and without blemish
before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through
Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the
praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the
beloved.

In him we were also chosen,

destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention
of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his
glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

To indicate the end of the reading, the reader acclaims:

The Word of the Lord.
All reply:
Thanks be to God.

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GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
There follows the Alleluia or another chant laid down by the rubrics, as
the liturgical time requires.

Cf. Luke 1: 28
Alleluia. Alleluia.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;

blessed are you among women.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

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GOSPEL Luke 1: 26-38

The Deacon:
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke.
and, at the same time, he makes the Sign of the Cross on the book and on
his forehead, lips, and breast.
Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.
The angel Gabriel was sent from
God to a town of Galilee called
Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to
a man named Joseph, of the
house of David, and the virgin’s
name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is
with you.” But she was greatly
troubled at what was said and
pondered what sort of greeting this
might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found
favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most
High, and the Lord God will give him the throne
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 of David his father, and he will rule over the house
of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be
no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy

Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born will be
called holy, the Son of God. And behold,
Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived
a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was
called barren; for nothing will be impossible for
God.”

Mary said,
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.
All reply:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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PROFESSION OF FAITH
At the end of the homily, the Symbol or Profession of Faith or Creed, when
prescribed, is either sung or said:

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,

At the words that follow up to and including and became man, all bow.
and by the Holy Spirit was
incarnate of the Virgin
Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under

Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,

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and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and
glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic

and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of
sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the
dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Then follows the Universal Prayer, that is, the Prayer of the Faithful or
Bidding Prayers.

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UNIVERSAL PRAYER
The Priest, standing at the chair with hands joined, introduces the general
intercessions.

With Mary, chosen by God to be Mother of Christ,

let us lift up to God our petitions for our Church and our world,
that He may work His wonderful deeds in our earth and our lives.
May our voices be one with hers as we pray:
LORD, GRACIOUSLY HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Then one of the deacons, the cantor, a reader, or some other person announces the intentions,
either from the ambo or from some other suitable place, and the people take part by
responding.

Together with Mary, conceived without original sin we rejoice in

Christ. May Francis our pope, Victor our local ordinary, all bishops,
priests, deacons, consecrated men and women and laity of be filled
with the Spirit of all grace and peace. We pray.

R. Lord, graciously hear our prayer.

With Mary, the Image and Mother of the Church, we belong to the
Mystical Body of Christ. May God strengthen and bless our Bishop
who celebrates his anniversary as he leads our local Church in
wisdom and love. We pray.

R. Lord, graciously hear our prayer.

In union with Mary, the Cause of our Joy we exult in the Light of the
nations. May our government officials be strengthened and see their

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 authority as a chance to humbly serve our people and work for the
good of all. We pray.

R. Lord, graciously hear our prayer.

With Mary, the Health of the Sick, we praise our Divine Healer. May
our brothers and sisters be guided as we carry Jesus’ Gospel of
compassion to those who suffer in body, mind and spirit especially
those infected with CoViD 19. We pray.

R. Lord, graciously hear our prayer.

With Mary, the Mother of Compassion we proclaim the mercy of the

long awaited Messiah. May the world be renewed in holiness that all
will be well prepared to receive Christ when He comes again. We
pray.

R. Lord, graciously hear our prayer.

With Mary, Comforter of the afflicted we rely on God’s providence.

May the victims of calamities be helped and be given new hope. We
pray.

R. Lord, graciously hear our prayer.

We long for the day of Salvation, with Mary the Gate of Heaven. May
the dying be consoled, those who mourn be comforted, and those
who died trustingly in God’s love be revealed the light of eternity.
We pray

The Priest, with hands outstretched says the concluding prayer.

Gracious God, you have given us Jesus Christ
to make us a new creation and Mary, his mother,

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 to be our model in faith.
Help us to remain faithful to our
calling that we may praise your
glory in her company.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

All reply:
Amen.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Then, standing at the altar or at the chair and facing the people, with hands joined, the
Bishop says:

Let us pray.

All pray in silence with the Preist for a while, unless silence has just been observed. Then
the
Priest, with hands extended, says the Prayer after Communion,
May the Sacrament we have received,
O Lord our God,
heal in us the wounds of that fault
from which in a singular way
you preserved Blessed Mary in her Immaculate Conception.
Through Christ our Lord.

At the end of which the people acclaim:

Amen.

The commentator says:

We all kneel for the Act of Consecration and Entrustment to the

Immaculate Conception.

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 ACT OF CONSECRATION AND ENTRUSTMENT
TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

We have recourse to your protection,

O holy Mother of God.
As we recite the words of this antiphon
with which the Church of Christ has prayed for centuries,
we find ourselves today before you, our Immaculate Mother.

We, who make up the Body of Christ present in our land,

recite the words of this Act of Consecration and Entrustment,
in which we gather, first of all,
the hopes and anxieties of our Filipino people,
at this moment of our history.

Mother of our people,

we rejoice in the name, Pueblo amante de Maria,
a people who love Mary, bayang sumisinta kay Maria.
You know all our sufferings and our hopes,
you who have a mother’s awareness
of all the struggles between good and evil,
between light and darkness,
which afflict the world today.

Mother of our people,

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accept the cry which we,
deeply moved by the Holy Spirit,
address directly to your heart.
Embrace with the love of the Mother
and Handmaid of the Lord,
our people and our land,
which now we entrust and consecrate to you,
for we are truly concerned for the earthly
and eternal destiny of every individual among us
and for all our people.
“We have recourse to your protection,
O holy Mother of God;
despise not our petitions in our necessities.”
From hatred, violence, and conflicts
which divide and destroy our people, deliver us.

From sins against human life,

from its very beginning, deliver us.

From the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God,

deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Accept, O Immaculate Mother of Christ, this cry,

laden with the hopes and burdens,
the sufferings of each one of us,
and of all our people.
Let there be revealed once more,
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in our own history as a people,
the infinite power of the Redemption,
the power of merciful love.
May it destroy the power of sin and evil among us.
May it transform consciences.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, our life,
our sweetness and our hope! Amen.

The commentator says:

We all rise.

THE CONCLUDING RITES

If they are necessary, any brief announcements to the people follow here.

Then the dismissal takes place. The Preist, facing the people and extending his hands,
says:
The Lord be with you.
The people reply:
And with your spirit.

The Deacon, if appropriate, gives the invitation to the people in these or similar words:
Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.

Then the Priest extends his hands over the people and blesses them, saying:

May God, who through the childbearing of the

Blessed Virgin Mary
willed in his great kindness to redeem the human race,
be pleased to enrich you with his blessing.

R. Amen.

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 May you know always and everywhere
the protection of her,
through whom you have been found worthy
to receive the author of life.
R. Amen.

May you, who have devoutly gathered on this day,

carry away with you the gifts of spiritual joys
and heavenly rewards.

R. Amen.

Then the Priest continues:

May almighty God bless you,
making the Sign of the Cross over the people, he adds:
the Father,  and the Son,  and the Holy  Spirit.
All:
Amen.

DISMISSAL
Then the Deacon with hands joined and facing the people, says:

Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

The people reply:

Thanks be to God.

Then the Priest venerates the altar as usual with a kiss, as at the beginning.
After making a profound bow with the ministers, he withdraws.

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