Under the title of "Holy Mary, Mother of the Lord," the formulary provided here is the Mass found in Roman Missal (Sacramentary), Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ordinary Time.

In the preface God the Father is gloried on account of the double maternal role he has assigned in his "wisdom and love" to the Blessed Virgin: in relation to his Son ... and in relation to his people ("she fulfills a mother's role in the household of the Church").

As early as the second century, especially in the writings of St. Justin (d. c. 163) and St. Irenaeus (d. c. 200), the Blessed Virgin Mary is seen by the Church as the new Eve or the new woman, intimately associated with Christ, the new Adam (see 1 Corinthians 15:45), in the work of salvation. By her faith and obedience she undoes the loss inflicted on the human race by the unbelief and disobedience of the first Eve: "The knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by Mary's obedience. The bonds fastened by the virgin Eve through disbelief were untied by the virgin Mary through faith." (St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, 3:22, 4: Sch, no. 34, p. 82)

In this formulary the saving "mystery of the woman"–of Mary and the Church–is commemorated. Mary, as "type of the Church" (see LG, no. 63), is the woman promised in the Proto-Gospel (see Genesis 3:15), greeted by Elizabeth as blessed among all women (see Luke 1:42), from whom the Son of God became truly human (see Galatians 4:4), anticipating the mysterious "hour" of Jesus at the wedding feast at Cana (see John 2:4), fulfilling her role of mother at the foot of the cross (see John 19:26), resplendent in heaven as the woman clothed with the sun and crowned with stars (see Revelation 12: 1).

… A memorial of the Most Holy Name of the Virgin is celebrated on September 12… In this Mass God the Father is glorified first of all on account of "the name of Jesus," that is, on account of "the person of his Son," his power and saving mission: "In no other name is there salvation"; "at his command every knee must bend, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth." (Philippians 2:10) The Father is then glorified on account of "the name of Mary," that is, on account of the person of Christ's mother and her mission in the history of salvation (see Pref). The name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated as:

In the gospel according to Luke the Blessed Virgin twice describes herself as "the handmaid of the Lord": when she gives her consent to the message of the angel (see Luke 1:38), and when she proclaims the greatness of the Lord because of "the great things" he has worked in her (see Luke 1:49). To understand fully the meaning and force of her title of "handmaid of the Lord" we must read it in the light of the songs of the "Servant of the Lord" (see Isaiah 42:1-7; 49:1-9; 50:1-11; 52:1-53:12), and above all in the light of Jesus Christ as the one who fulfills the figure of the "Servant of the Lord": he "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for the many." (Mark 10:45)

The Blessed Virgin is honored liturgically under the title of "handmaid of the Lord" in certain religious institutes, especially in the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (Passionists).

Source: Excerpts from the introductory commentary to the Mass, Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Volume 1, Sacramentary, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992, p. 200.]

The "mystery of the temple" was fulfilled in Christ Jesus (see John 2:1922), in whom "the whole fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form." (Colossians 2:9)

In a unique way the Blessed Virgin is herself "a holy temple":

-when she conceived the very Son of God in her immaculate womb, she became a true temple of the true God;

- when she cherished the word of God in her heart (see Luke 2:19, 5 1), loved Christ so ardently, and faithfully kept his word, the Son and the Father came to her and made their home with her, in accordance with the promise of the Lord (see John 14:23).

This Mass therefore celebrates the divine motherhood of our Lady and her holiness of life under this image of "the temple."

Beginning with the tenth century we find in Masses of our Lady, mother of the incarnate Wisdom of God, that readings are often from the Wisdom literature (or "sapiential epistles"), especially Sirach and Proverbs (see OLM 707:5, 6). In these texts the Church, though listening primarily to the voice of eternal Wisdom, hears also the voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for in them, according to the common understanding of the medieval writers, the Wisdom of God speaks in a certain sense "in the person of the Virgin."

From the twelfth century, at morning prayer Louds) and in litanies in honor of our Lady, a number of titles are given her in praise of her close relationship with eternal Wisdom: "mother of Wisdom," "fountain of Wisdom," "house of Wisdom," "seat of Wisdom," of which the last became the most common.

Under this title the Blessed Virgin is honored, even in liturgical celebrations, in particular Churches, in universities, and in religious institutes, especially the Missionaries of the Company of Mary, founded by St. Louis Grignion de Montfort (d. 1716). The Mass formulary given here, except for the preface, is taken from the Proprium missarum of the Missionaries of the Company of Mary.

This Mass is in celebration of God the Father, who in his "infinite goodness " has given the Church the Blessed, Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, as a "model of every virtue." (see LG, no. 65) "Although in the Blessed Virgin the Church already attains that perfection by which she exists without spot or wrinkle (see Ephesians 5:27), the faithful are still striving to conquer sin and grow in holiness. They therefore raise their eyes to Mary, who shines brightly as the exemplar of virtues for the whole company of the elect." (LG, no. 65)

This Mass celebrates God's goodness in loving the Church so much that the Blessed Virgin is set before its eyes as the prophetic image of its pilgrimage on earth and of its future glory in heaven. In the words of the Second Vatican Council, "in her the Church holds up and admires the most excellent effect of the redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a flawless image, that which the Church itself desires and hopes wholly to be." (SC, art. 103)

In 1954 the feast of the Queenship of Mary was instituted by Pius XII, to be celebrated on May 31.. In 1969 Paul VI, promulgating the new General Roman Calendar, appropriately transferred the feast to August,22, the octave of the Assumption. The royal dignity of our Lady is part of the mystery of her full glorification and perfect conformity with her Son, the King of all the ages. In the words of the Second Vatican Council, "the Immaculate Virgin.... when she had completed her earthly life, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven and exalted as the queen of all creation, so that she might be more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords (see Revelation 19:16) and victor over sin and death." (LG, no. 59)

In 1921 Pope Benedict XV (d. 1922), at the request of Cardinal Désiré Joseph Mercier (d. 1926), granted the whole of Belgium an Office and Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces, to be celebrated on May 31.

In 1971 the Congregation for Divine Worship approved a Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Mediatrix of Grace. This Mass, faithfully following the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, commemorates both the maternal role of Our Lady and her function of mediation. Currently this Mass is celebrated in many places on May 8....

Source: Excerpts from the introductory commentary to the Mass, Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Volume 1, Sacramentary, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992, p. 222.]

The Mother of the Lord is frequently honored under the title of "fountain" in the liturgies of East and West. She is called "fountain of living water," "fountain of charity," "fountain of clemency," "fountain of grace," "fountain of mercy," "fountain enclosed" (see 1 Read, Song of Songs 4:12), "fountain of salvation" (see G. G. Meersseman, Der Hymnos Akathistos im Abendland, vol. 2, Universitiitsverlag, Freiburg, Switzerland, 1960, pp. 309-310).

There are a number of sanctuaries dedicated to Our Lady under the title of "fountain," often with a spring of water used by the faithful on pilgrimage. The most celebrated of these in the East is the sanctuary of the Mother of God of the Living Fountain in Constantinople, erected in the sixth century. In the West there is the sanctuary at Lourdes, beside the cave where our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous and caused a spring of water to gush forth.

The Carmelite brothers and sisters, both those of the ancient observance and those of the reform of St. Teresa of Jesus (d. 1582), have at all times been zealous in spreading far and wide the love of prayer, the desire for evangelical perfection, and devotion to the Mother of Christ.

Their special devotion is to the Blessed Virgin under the title of "Our Lady of Mount Carmel": as they make their journey to the "holy mountain, which is Christ" (OP), she cherishes them as a loving mother, protects them as a sure patroness, and accompanies them as a faithful sister. The Carmelites, though they are assiduous in meditating on the totality of the mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are particularly devoted to contemplation of Our Lady intent on prayer, or leading her hidden life, or treasuring the words of the Lord in her heart, or doing her works of charity.

Our Lady has always been known by the Carmelite brothers and sisters as "mother and teacher in the Spirit" because she was a perfect disciple of Christ and "is still a mother, continuing to give [God] children.... encouraging them by her love, and drawing them by her example to pursue perfect charity" (Pref).

Whenever the faithful throughout the world recite the Litany of Loreto, they invoke the Blessed Virgin as mother of good counsel, a title Leo XIII inserted into the Litany in 1903. Largely through the work of the brothers and sisters of the Augustinian family, devotion to the mother of good counsel has spread far and wide from the town of Genazzano, not far from Rome, which has a famous sanctuary dedicated to her.

Our Lady is rightly honored under this title, for she is the mother of Christ, whom Isaiah with prophetic vision called "Wonderful Counselor" (Isaiah 9:5: see I Read, Isaiah 9:1-3, 5-6; PAC); she lived her whole life under the guidance of the "Spirit of counsel," who "overshadowed" her; she "gave herself wholeheartedly to [God's] wise and loving plan for renewing all things in Christ" (Pref ; see Ephesians 1: 10); "generously [God] poured out" on her "the gifts of [the] Holy Spirit," principal among which is the "spirit of wisdom."

Christ Jesus came into the world to bring peace and joy to the human family (see John 15:1 1; 17:13). At his birth he filled the humble shepherds with joy (see Luke 2: 10), at his resurrection he brought joy to the disciples (see John 20:20 ; Luke 24:41), at his ascension he left the apostles in great joy (see Luke 24:52); from his place at the right hand of the Father he sent upon the infant Church the Spirit of love and joy (see Galatians 5:22).

The texts of this Mass recall the saving actions of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit that have brought joy to the Blessed Virgin or to the Church or to humanity. Devotion to Our Lady under this title has developed especially in France and Canada (Notre Dame de Liesse).

Source: Excerpts from the introductory commentary to the Mass, Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Volume 1, Sacramentary, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992, p. 234.]

The Blessed Virgin is a woman of outstanding faith, a disciple who in a certain sense sums up and reechoes in her own person the main themes of Christian teaching (see LG, no. 65), a mother supporting and protecting the faith of her children.

- A woman of outstanding faith: Elizabeth, the mother of the Precursor, called her blessed for her belief in God's message (see Luke 1:45); she conceived God's Son in faith and, supported by faith, she followed Jesus and stood beside the cross, enduring the sight of his death; in faith she believed that he would rise again, and waited for the coming of the Spirit, promised by the Father.

In the Missale Romanum (1962), which remained in force until the promulgation of the Missal revised in accordance with the norms of the Second Vatican Council (1970), there is a Mass of Blessed Mary, Queen of Saints and Mother of Fairest Love, in the section, Pro aliquibis locis (for certain places), celebrated on May 8 (earlier on May 31).

The expression "mother of fairest love" is found in the Vulgate text of Sirach 24:24 ("I am the mother of fairest love, of reverence, of knowledge, and of holy hope"): from the tenth century it has been frequently used in Masses of our Lady.

The Second Vatican Council at the end of its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium says of the Blessed Virgin that she "shines upon our world, until the day of the Lord shall come (see 2 Peter 3: 1 0), as a sign of sure hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way" (no. 68). These words are found almost verbatim in the preface of the Mass of the Assumption. (see the Roman Missal)

In this Mass the Mother of Christ is venerated:

-because in her life on earth she constantly practiced the virtue of hope; "she placed all her trust" in the Lord (Pref), "she awaited in hope and conceived in faith the Son of Man, whom the prophets had foretold" (Pref);

-because in her assumption into heaven she became the "hope of God's people" (Ent Ant); for she comes to the aid of all who have no hope (see Ent Ant) and looks with love on all who seek her help, giving them strength and comfort (see OP, A, OP, B, Ent Ant);

-because she is a "beacon of unfailing hope" and solace (OP, B) for all the children of Adam (see Pref) "until the day of the Lord dawns in glory (Pref)."

ORDINARY TIME:HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF UNITY

The example of Christ as he prayed to the Father that "they all may be one" (Gos, A, John 17:21) is an encouragement to all his disciples to be earnest themselves in their prayers for Christian unity.

The formulary of this Mass first of all celebrates God as "fountain of unity and wellspring of harmony" (OP); then it recalls the one mediator between God and the human race, Jesus Christ (see I Read, 1 Timothy 2:5), who, the day before he suffered, prayed to the Father for the disciples that they might be made perfect in unity (see Gos, B, John 17:20-26); it also commemorates the Blessed Virgin, who played an important role in the history of salvation with reference to the "mystery of unity":

- in the mystery of the incarnation, when in her "virginal womb" the Word of God "united divine and human nature" in an unbreakable bond (POG);

- in her virginal motherhood, when the Son of God "chose for his mother a woman unstained in heart and body" (Pref), who would be the image of his Bride, the one and undivided Church (see Pref);

- in the passion of Christ, when Jesus, "lifted high above the earth, in the presence of his mother ... gathered [God's] scattered children into unity" (Pref);

- in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when Jesus, returning to the Father, "sent upon the Blessed Virgin, at prayer with the apostles, the Spirit of concord and unity, of peace and forgiveness" (Pref; see Ent Ant, B).

The title of this formulary comprises two titles frequently attributed to the Blessed Virgin, both of which speak of her graciousness and are much loved by the faithful: "queen of mercy" and "mother of mercy."

In this formulary the Blessed Virgin is celebrated as:

- a prophet extolling the mercy of God (see Gos, Luke 1:39-55): for in her Magnificat she twice praises God's mercy: "He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation"; "He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy." (Luke 1:50, 54) The faithful therefore pray that they "may always praise [God's] mercy in company with the Blessed Virgin";

- a woman who has uniquely experienced God's mercy: "She is the gracious queen who has herself uniquely known [God's] loving kindness and stretches out her arms to embrace all who ... call upon her help in their distress" (Pref). These words of the preface echo those of Pope John Paul II: "Mary is ... the one who obtained mercy in a particular and exceptional way, as no other person has..." (Encyclical Letter Dives in Misericordia, no. 9: AAS 72 [1980], pp. 1208-1209).

In 1744 Benedict XIV (d. 1758) granted to the Congregation of Clerks Regular of St. Paul (Barnabites) a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "mother of divine providence,"  This title celebrates the role entrusted by God, whose "loving providence is always wise and unfailing," (OP) to the Blessed Virgin as:

- the loving mother of Christ (POG), for "in the wisdom of [God's] providence the Blessed Virgin Mary ... gave birth to the Savior of the world" (Pref);

- a mother who cares for each of her children (Pref), "entrusted to her by Christ Jesus while he hung upon the cross" (Pref);

- the handmaid of God's love (see Pref), for as she interceded with her Son at Cana of Galilee for the bridegroom and the bride (see Gos, John 2: 1 -1 1; see Pref), "now, enthroned as queen at her Son's right hand, she provides for all the needs of the Church." (Pref)

The actions of the all-powerful and merciful God in coming to the aid of his oppressed or exiled people are described in Scripture as "God's consolation." The supreme consolation is Christ, sent by the Father into the world when the fullness of time had come, to heal the brokenhearted (see 1 Read, Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11).

The Blessed Virgin Mary is herself rightly named and venerated as "mother of consolation" or "comforter of the afflicted." Through her God "graciously sent Jesus Christ to be the consolation" of his people (OP).

The Mother of the Lord is honored in many places under the title of "mother of consolation" or "comforter of the afflicted," and especially in Turin (on 20 June), where a well-known shrine is dedicated in her honor, and in a large number of religious families, and particularly in the Order of St. Augustine and the Consolata Missionary Institute (Consolata Missionaries), founded by the Servant of God Joseph Allamano.

The Church has often experienced the extraordinary help of the Mother of God in times of persecution by the enemies of the Christian faith. Therefore, from the earliest centuries of the Christian era, the custom developed of invoking the Blessed Virgin in the storrns of persecution under the title of "help of Christians."

While Pius VII (d. 1823) was held a prisoner after being driven from the See of Peter by force of arms, and the whole Church was praying earnestly to God on his behalf through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, the Supreme Pontiff was unexpectedly released and, on returning to Rome, was restored to the papal throne on May 24,1814.

As a result Pius VII established a feast in honor of the Virgin Mother under the title of "help of Christians," to be celebrated at Rome in perpetuity on May 24, the anniversary of his safe return to the city of Rome. This feast is celebrated in many particular Churches and religious institutes, especially in the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), founded by St. John Bosco (d. 1888).

Among the religious families dedicated by a special bond to the Mother of Christ is the Order of Our Lady of Ransom, founded for the ransom of Christian captives by St. Peter Nolasco (d. 1256) in Barcelona in 1218, after consultation with St. Raymond of Penyafort (d. 1275) and King James I of Aragon (d. 1276).

Our Lady of Ransom is essentially venerated in Aragon and Catalonia and in many regions of Latin America.

This formulary, in view of the purpose for which the Order (the Mercedarians) was founded, is primarily a celebration of Christ as "Redeemer of the human race" (OP), who merited by his sacrifice "the true liberty of [God's] children." (OP)

It is also a commemoration of our Lady, who is rightly called "the handmaid of our redemption" (Pref) because she is the handmaid of the Lord (see Luke 1:38), totally dedicated to the work of her Son, the Redeemer (see LG, no. 56).

Among the titles under which the Blessed Virgin is venerated by the sick that of "health of the sick" is preeminent. It was made popular especially through the zeal of the members of the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers to the Sick, whose church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome possesses a Marian image celebrated for its veneration by the faithful and the miracles associated with it.

To... ask [Mary's] intercession for the recovery of health is to celebrate the unique importance of the history of salvation, which will be brought to its completion and perfection when, in the coming of Christ in glory, "the last enemy to be destroyed will be death," (1 Corinthians 15:26) and the bodies of the just will rise in incorruption.

This Mass commemorates the cooperation of Our Lady in the reconciliation or "peace" between God and the human family brought about by Christ:

- in the mystery of the incarnation: the lowly handmaid of the Lord receives God's word from the angel Gabriel and conceives in her virginal womb the Prince of Peace (Luke 1:26-38), who "has restored our peace, reconciling in himself earth with heaven";

- in the mystery of the passion: the faithful mother stands "fearless beside the cross as her Son sheds his blood for our salvation and reconciles all things to himself in peace";

- in the mystery of Pentecost: our Lady, the daughter of peace, joins "in prayer with the apostles as she awaits ... the Spirit of unity and peace, of love and joy."

The final formulary in this collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the Mother of God as she lovingly accompanies God's people on their pilgrimage to their true home in heaven.

This Mass primarily celebrates Christ the Lord, whom his loving Father has made "the gateway to salvation and life" (see John 10:7): Jesus, "who ... opens the door of forgiveness," through whom the gate of God's city in heaven has been thrown open to us.

The metaphors of "door" or "entrance" or "gate" or "threshold" have been applied from patristic times to our Lady to express her function as the second Eve, to express her virginal motherhood or her intercession for the faithful.