O Mary

O Mary, your child-bearing changed the world.  But you were not the first handmaid of the Lord.  Let us remember all those in whose footsteps you trod.
 
O Eve, first to fall and get up again, you become mother of all the living; pray for us, sinners.
O Sarah, O Rebekah, O Rachel; because you endured the stigma of barrenness, you rejoiced all the more in God’s gift of children; pray for us, sinners.
O Leah, O Peninnah, unloved wives to whom God gave many children; pray for us, sinners.
O Dinah, O Concubine of Bethlehem, O Tamar, when your bodies were used, a sword pierced your souls too; pray for us, sinners.
O Puah, O Shiphrah, you refused to kill the newborn children of the Hebrews despite Pharaoh’s decree; pray for us, sinners.
O Miriam, you sang God’s praises with a tambourine on the shore of the Red Sea; pray for us, sinners.
O Deborah, you were a wise mother to your people Israel; pray for us, sinners.
O Daughter of Jephthah, you wept for your virginity on the mountain and freely gave your life; pray for us, sinners.
O Naomi, O Mara, bereavement changed you from pleasant to bitter, but God gave you joy in your grandchildren; pray for us, sinners.
O Ruth, faithful daughter, you left your people and your gods to serve your mother-in-law, her people and her God; pray for us, sinners.
O Hannah, you prayed with tenacity and sang the first Magnificat as you consecrated your son to God; pray for us, sinners.
O Abigail, your prudence and hospitality saved a fool from disaster and your family from destruction; pray for us, sinners.
O Susanna, threatened and unjustly accused, you cried out against your attackers; pray for us, sinners.
O Judith, O Esther, your courage in standing alone in the face of danger saved your people’s lives; pray for us, sinners.
 
O Mary, Virgin, you make space in us for the Lord to enter; pray for us, sinners.
O Mary, Sister, you hasten to help us as you did Elizabeth; pray for us, sinners.
O Mary, Mother, you nourish and cherish all your children; pray for us, sinners.
O Mary, Disciple, you teach us to hear the word and to do it; pray for us, sinners.
O Mary, Sorrowful, your tears soothe the pain of every loss; pray for us, sinners.
O Mary, Woman clothed with the sun, you protect us from evil; pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.