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Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; yours are the eyes through which to look at Christ's compassion to the world, yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good, and yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now." - St. Teresa of Avila
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A Rosary Litany of the Divine Mother Mary as Mother of Mothers This
Rosary was modified and used for a ceremony involving expectant mothers along
with the new fathers-to-be. The
ceremony involved giving small presents to the women along with wishes that were
read for their success and happiness as mothers. Then the Rosary was done.
The very first time this was done, over a dozen people gathered around
two expectant mothers who were due to give birth within several weeks.
At the close of the prayer session, all of the people placed their hands
on the wombs of the yet-to-be-born children and prayed the last prayer “We
give you to the strong power of love”. It
was a most profound and powerful experience!
Interestingly enough, one of the expectant mothers gave birth—two weeks
early—several hours after the ceremony. Her
labor was less than 20 minutes. While
this is written for a single mother and child (including, of course, the father)
more than one may be accommodated by substituting plural words appropriately. There
is an additional aspect to this ceremony, for while it does not seek to replace
baptism, it does mark a new beginning—and a new relationship with the
community as a family. An African
proverb says that “it takes a village to raise a child” and in today’s
world this is more true than ever before. By
welcoming the expected child with warmth and love—even before birth—we send
a powerful message as a community which seeks to strengthen the bonds of
commitment and responsibility to extend to all of the members of a family’s
community. Just as in Baptism a
child receives a Godparent for a more specific duty, in this ceremony we extend
our love and blessings, protection and nurturance to both the mother and baby.
In this way we also support the father as well.
A baby born is more than just another human being, another statistic.
It is a gift of God not only to the parents and families, but to the
entire community as well. As a
community, it is a privilege to bless, honor and support the new mothers and
babies. Prayer of Intention
Heavenly
Father, we gather together in blessing for this mother and for this child, that
together we may share in love what you have given to us:
the gift of life. As this baby seeks birth, so do we seek birth:
the birth of Your heart and Your mind in our hearts and minds.
For this mother and child we ask for and seek the blessings of life, of
love, of happiness, of joy, of play, of laughter, of companionship, of trust, of
innocence, of simplicity, of grace and of strength.
Be their guide and their light, their teacher and their friend, their joy
and their fulfillment. For
this father and child we seek the blessings of love, of joy, of unfolding heart,
of compassion, of devotion, of comfort, of strength, of wisdom, of learning, of
exploration, of confidence. Be
their guide and their light, their teacher and their friend, their joy and their
fulfillment. We
ask of your angel host to guide and companion this mother and child and this
father and child, to love and care for them, to share in their joy, to
strengthen them and give them your blessings all the days of their lives.
Amen. General Instructions
1. Holding the cross in the right hand (if right handed),
with the rest of the rosary in the left hand, bless yourself with the
Invocation: D In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, Amen. 2. Holding the cross in
the right hand (if right handed), and with the rest of the rosary draped across
the left hand, begin with this version of the Kyrie Eleison: Leader
Response
Amen.
D 3. On the first bead after the cross say the “Our
Father”: Our
Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread; and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen. Alternate
“Our Father” translated from the Aramaic (see introduction) O
Birther! Father-Mother of the
Cosmos, focus your light within
us—make it useful. Create your
reign of unity now; Your one desire acts with ours, as in all light, so in all
forms. Grant what we need each day
in bread and insight. Loose the
cords of mistakes binding us, as we release the strand we hold of others’
guilt. Don’t let surface things
delude us, but free us from what holds us back.
From you is born all ruling will, the power and the life to do, the song
that beautifies all; from age to
age it renews. Amen. 4. On the next three beads say the “AVE MARIA”: Hail
Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Amen. 5. After the third AVE MARIA hold the chain and say the
GLORIA PATRI: Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is how and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen. 6. Name the mystery and read the thoughts and prayer that
follow each one. Begin with the OUR
FATHER on the bead just before the medal and the AVE MARIA on the next ten beads
following the medal. On the chain
following these ten beads, say the GLORIA PATRI. 7.
Then,
name the next mystery and proceed exactly as above until all the mysteries have
been said—that is say the OUR FATHER on the single bead, then the ten AVE
MARIAs, then on the chain the GLORIA PATRI, then the next mystery. First Blessing—Bearing the Light
Leader
Response
Prayer: Mother
Mary, bearer of light, enkindle our hearts with the flame of love and the heat
of devotion. May this child and
mother be held in your arms and nurtured by your love always.
Amen. Second Blessing—Birthing Love
Leader
Response
Mother
Mary, Mother of Love, fill us with joy as we discover Love within, the source of
all joy. Bless this mother and
child with love, enfolding them in your grace, melting their hearts with yours.
Amen.
Third Blessing—Filling the Vessel of Devotion
Mother
Mary, Vessel of Devotion, fill us with devotion as we melt into the Heart of
God. Help us through our devotion
to spread Love to all of life, and through this mother and child spread the
kingdom of heaven on earth. Amen.
Fourth Blessing—Compassion
Mother
Mary, Source of Compassion, fill us with compassion for all beings and through
the compassion of God, enfold and embrace all of life as our own.
May this mother and child, though their compassion, inspire all who know
them and draw many to the heavenly life within.
Amen.
Fifth Blessing--Service
Mother
Mary, Mother of Divinity, help us share in the Joy of creation and Love of life.
Help us to feel the Love of God in all life, and through this mother and
child teach us the simplicity of love and the closeness of heaven in small
things as well as in large. Amen.
Sixth Blessing--Peace
Mother
Mary, Radiant with Peace, fill us with the peace that passes all understanding.
Through this mother and child, teach us that peace is our birthright and
joy is our inheritance. Amen.
Seventh Blessing--Wisdom
Mother
Mary, Mother of Wisdom, fill this family—and all of us—with wisdom to use
the gifts that God has given us for the upliftment of all mankind.
We pray for the growth in Love of all people, the spread of Wisdom, the
expansion of Happiness, the increase of Light, and the Birth of Love into the
hearts of all mankind. Amen.
Benediction
(based upon the “breastplate” of St. Patrick)
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