from Saint Jerome
What manner of woman the blessed, and glorious, and ever-virgin Mary was is divinely made known to us by the Angel when he says: 'Hail, full of grace! the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.' In sooth, it was only fitting that that Virgin should 'be dowered with such gifts as should fill her full of grace, who gave glory to heaven, and our Lord to earth; who brought back peace once more, giving faith to the Gentiles, putting an end to vice, and tracing for us a way of life and a line of conduct. And she is full indeed; to others grace was given only in measure, but the very fullness of grace poured itself forth at once on Mary. Verily, full of grace is she; for though, as is our faith, the Patriarchs and the Prophets had grace, yet it was not in the same fullness as she, for into Mary there came a fullness of all the grace which is in Christ, though it is in her otherwise than it is in Him. And therefore is it said: 'Blessed art thou among women'; that is to say, blessed above all other women. And thus the blessedness of Mary quite did away with anything resulting from the malediction upon Eve.
It is in her praise that Solomon writes in the Canticle of Canticles: 'Arise, my dove, my undefiled, for winter is now past, the rain is over and gone'; and again: 'Come from Libanus, come; thou shalt be crowned' (2, 4) And not undeservedly is she bidden to come from Libanus, for Libanus means whiteness. For she was white with the many virtues she merited, and was made whiter than the whitest snow with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, showing forth in all things the simplicity of the dove; for whatever was wrought within her, was all purity and simplicity, all grace and truth, all mercy and justice looking forth from heaven; and therefore was she without stain, because in her nought have ever been corrupted. She has encompassed a Man in her womb, as saith the holy Jeremias, and not from any other source has she gotten Him. 'The Lord' (he says) 'hath created a new thing upon the earth: a woman shall compass a man' (31:22).
A new thing it was, indeed, and a new thing surpassing all others in might, when God (whom the world cannot bear, nor any man see and live) so entered into the hostel of her womb as to leave her cloistral frame inviolate, and in such manner was borne therein that the whole Godhead was encompassed there, and so came forth from thence that, as Ezechiel confesses, the gate was closely shut the while. Wherefore in the aforementioned Canticle of Canticles is sung: 'A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up - thine odours are a paradise' (4:12,13). A garden of delights in very sooth, in which are set all kinds of flowers and the good odour of all virtues, and so enclosed as to be safe and inviolable from the corruption of all guileful deceits; yea, a fountain sealed with the seal of all the Holy Trinity.
Let us pray
O almighty and eternal God! grant, we beseech Thee, that, venerating in joyful commemoration the most inviolate virginity of the most pure Virgin Mary, we may, by her intercession, attain to purity of both mind and body. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Magnificat
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is, from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him. He hath showed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel, His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers - to Abraham and to His seed, for ever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Salve Regina!
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious Advocate! thine eyes of mercy towards us, and, after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God! That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Petition
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God! despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin!
- from The May-Book of the Breviary, by Father John Fitzpatrick