“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven;
a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”

~ Revelations XII;1-2
 

Desolate, desolate is her cocoon in the habitations of Owl and Bat, the blanched eyeless beetles eating nightmares spewed into the River Styx. The deaths walked on your path cannot be undone, know that She has placed them there at the sun-bleached gates that guard the end of your sanity. Strayed into Her desert littered with corpses no religion can reform, into the well where prophecies gather not yet fulfilled souls die chanting litanies that become the stories of their children. All your invocations to Her have been cast aside to remain in the tomb; Her spirit has now become the phantoms you chase along your path. That which is beauty lies in the blackness. There is no more desire. There is no more bliss. There is no more mercy. There is no more dream.

I have seen shadows in the desert rise up out of the sands to steal the breath of babes, to walk into the nightmares of mothers foolish enough to conjure them in the incense smoke. Nightmares become the masks of men, madness becomes their only friend, those who vie to be gods in the void, and wager their fates against Her. A nexus between space and the stars has been filled by an echo of watery death, waves sashay against silence of forgotten children who all smell her rotted aroma of bitter Love. There is no ego in Her space, there is no more silence. Her beauty has become Understanding, Her only sign is the reddish star hanging lowly in the evening sky just beyond the desert, no astronomers dare name it, yet it portends the last days. The signs were sent. The bride betrayed, the Medicine Wheel trespassed. The Virgin now a Widow. Signs for all to see. Her gentle refrain is a whisper: lust. suffer. love. transcend. Truths have been shattered, love was buried beneath the desert and assumed forgotten, and the solace that was found in ghosts was cast away as the space between lust and love created a greater nexus. There is no god in this Void.

The serpentine whispers all conclude to one soft refrain. Lilith. A cult of devotees worships Her masks in dozens of cultures; they may or may not even know the allegiance they profess. They shall never have that which they desire, for there is no revoking what has been called forth. Many of you seduced by the legends and secret sacrifices of this goddess feel compelled to ask...“Is Lilith real?” Lilith is as real to Her devotees as Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Moses, Muhammad, or Buddha to their acolytes. Is She a quasihistorical figure concocted by the wild scriptures of prophets and Magi, an earth-goddess of fertility and terror celebrated by the Pharaohs with blood? Can one prove Lilith walked the earth or is real? No. Just as we have scriptures and hieroglyphs that uncover legends of religious characters such as Jesus Christ and Moses, thus do we have apocrypha scattered across cultures from bygone testaments of Ur, Akkad, and Babylon, kept hidden within the papyri of Ægypt’s Magi, to the sacred cremation grounds of India, finally deep within rogue monasteries in the Tibetan Himalayas.

The All-Seeing Eye is forever peering into Mankind’s endeavours, reminding us that our gods are still children, and our Universe still young. Lilith’s devotees know this. Her children are solitary figures, the pillars of secret societies tainting them with lust and love, once flourishing in the rogue monasteries of Tibet, in Alexandria, Aleppo, Carthage, Ephesus, Constantinople, within the hanging gardens of Babylon, behind the walls of Alamut, in the hashish gardens of Isma’ili alchemists, in Coptic abbeys, and Masonic Lodges, depositing Her memory and teachings in the shadows. Lilith’s words remain hidden, yet The Lilith Monographs series presents to you Her near-whispers beckoning you to edge of lust, love, and sanity.

We foreswear all oaths to all gods and goddesses of all æons in Lilith’s name.  Nothing is true only action matters.  This world, this catacomb of existence we remain in is purgatory.  We walk with eyes wide shut in a labyrinthe of existence pruning Her gardens.  A labyrinthe is designed to invoke madness, for there is no exit and so it is with existence.  The nexus between Lust and Love is primacy… it holds no breach.  We are not here to ‘prune’ the sexual mania of Man...we are here to harvest it.

The “Mother of Harlots” is celebrated in erotic refrain after refrain in a parade of waiflike model-corpses across nightly entertainment, behind the veils of Muslimahs wailing in blood-filled mosques that infest ancient Babylon, She is the face of every frail beauty-Diva prostituted by corporate daddies, in the heroin needles of those who’s only prayer is death, in the consensual rape of teenagers posing upon their digital and downloadable altars of self-adoration {think Myspace}, Lilith is the face in the bulimic puke of would-be-doll-girls, behind a masochistic society where sex is at once a mania and anesthesia. Over and over. Your hear Her gentle refrain in crumbling bell-tower of Man. We are Her children.

In the philosophy of the Hebrew Qabalah, Lilith corresponds to the daemon of Malchut in the Qlifot {the World of Shells, or husks). Pertaining to Qabalah every world is a husk of the world above and below. The Qlifot are shells of the dead worlds, and by conquering the fear of the Mystery of Death, the Initiate attains to the Vision of the Wrathful Maiden. Lilith is the arcane archetype of sexual dominance and the fear of Death, the archetypal primacy of Lilith annihilates litanies of inhibitions in the human psyche. Etymological origins of Lilith independent of Jehovian-Semitic templates point to the Sumero-Babylonian Lilû, which translates to ‘a demon equivalent to a male vampire.’ Derived from Sumerian, Lila refers to ‘wind,’ or ‘storm.’ Opting for Akkadian translations, scholars suggest Lalu, also Lulu as ‘lecherous,’ and ‘wandering.’

From the Akkadian Lilitû and her Sumero-Babylonian compliments, Ardat-Lili, Idlu-Lili, and Lamaştû, derives the Semitic LYLYT {Lilith}. The Lilitû primarily feasted upon women and children, referred to by the terrified inhabitants of Ur and Babylon as night-ghosts that roamed the deserts away from populace. Pictographs from 800B.C. to 500B.C. Babylonia depict “Lilith” in the company of snakes and other abominable animals, keeping with themes of her malevolence in Babylonian pottery, Persian and Jewish amulets and in the Qumran scrolls. The night-ghosts here evolved into the Jehovian mythopoeia seeping into the Christian paradigms of diabolatry. Isaiah 34; xiv in the Vulgate refers to “he-goats,” “hairy beasts,” again carried over from Judaic paradigm. The Vulgate thusly reads; “Et occurrent daemonia onocentauris, et pilosus clamabit alter ad alterum; ibi cubauit lamia, et inuenit sibi requiem.” Isaiah 34; xiv-xv refers to Lilith as the ‘Screech Owl.’ The Serpent in the form of Lilith initiated Mankind, the true Beast.

The Apocryphal Gospel of Phillip states, “If anyone becomes a child of the Bridal Chamber, he will receive the light. If anyone does not receive it while he is in these places, he will not be able to receive it in the other place. He who will receive the light cannot be seen, nor can he be held. And none can torment him while he dwells in the world. And furthermore, when he goes out of the world, already he has received the truth in images. The word has become the æon, for the æon has become for him the fullness. It is thus; it is revealed only to him. It is not hidden in the darkness and the night, but it is hidden in a perfect day and a holy light.”

{Gospel of Phillip 127}. The psychosexual prototypes and cultural memes of Lilith represent the Chapel Perilous {of the Grail Legend}, the darkness of the womb from whence Man physically and metaphysically emerges. Lilith is the “perfect day and holy light” hidden within the Nightside of Eden, the “darkness and the night” of the bridal chamber. To enter the holy bridal chamber, one must first pass through the nightside brothels of Lilith.
 

Noble Qu'ran Su'rah 19: al'Maryam

Kaf. Ha. Ya. A'in. Su'ad.

A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zachariah.
 
When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,

Praying: My Lord! surely my bones are weakened and my head flares with hoariness, and, my Lord! I have never been unsuccessful in my prayer to Thee.

Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor
 
Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable unto Thee.

O' Zakariya! surely We give you good news of a boy whose name shall be Yahya: We have not made before anyone his equal.

He said: O my Lord! when shall I have a son, and my wife is barren, and I myself have reached indeed the extreme degree of old age?

He said: So shall it be, your Lord says: It is easy to Me, and indeed I created you before, when you were nothing.

He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights.

So Zakariya came out to his people from him chamber: He told them by signs to celebrate Allah's praises in the morning and in the evening.

O Yahya! take hold of the Book with strength, and We granted him wisdom while yet a child

And piety (for all creatures) as from Us, and purity: He was devout,

And dutiful to his parents, and he was not insolent, disobedient.

Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!

And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,

So she took a veil to screen herself from them; then We sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man.

She said: Surely I fly for refuge from you to the Beneficent Allah, if you are one guarding against evil.

He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.

She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste?

He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy to Me: and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter which has been decreed.

And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.

And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!

Then the child called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you;

And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee.

So eat and drink and refresh the eye. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent Allah, so I shall not speak to any man today.

And she came to her people with him, carrying him with her. They said: O Marium! surely you have done a strange thing.

O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.

Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young son?

He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,

And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive,

And hath made me dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me insolent, unblest.

Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!

Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.

It befitteth not the Majesty of Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.

And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path.

The sects among them differ: but woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of an awful Day.

See and hear them on the Day they come unto Us! yet the evil-doers are to-day in error manifest.

And warn them of the Day of anguish when the case hath been decided. Now they are in a state of carelessness, and they believe not.

'Lo! We, only We, inherit the earth and all who are thereon, and unto Us they are returned.

And make mention O' Muhammad in the Scripture of Abraham. 'Lo! he was a saint, a prophet.

When he said unto his father: O' my father! Why worshippest thou that which heareth not nor seeth, nor can in aught avail thee?

O' my father! Lo! there hath come unto me of knowledge that which came not unto thee. So follow me, and I will lead thee on a right path.

O' my father! Serve not the devil. Lo! the devil is a rebel unto the Beneficent.

O' my father! Lo! I fear lest a punishment from the Beneficent overtake thee so that thou become a comrade of the devil.

He said: Rejectest thou my gods, O' Abraham? If thou cease not, I shall surely stone thee. Depart from me a long while!

He said: Peace be unto thee! I shall ask forgiveness of my Lord for thee. Lo! He was ever gracious unto me.
 
I shall withdraw from you and that unto which ye pray beside Allah, and I shall pray unto my Lord. It may be that, in prayer unto my Lord, I shall not be unblest.

So, when he had withdrawn from them and that which they were worshipping beside Allah, We gave him Isaac and Jacob. Each of them We made a prophet.

And we gave them of Our mercy, and assigned to them a high and true renown.
.
And make mention in the Scripture of Moses. Lo! he was chosen, and he was a messenger (of Allah), a prophet.

We called him from the right slope of the Mount, and brought him nigh in communion.

And We bestowed upon him of Our mercy his brother Aaron, a prophet (likewise).

And make mention in the Scripture of Ishmael. Lo! he was a keeper of his promise, and he was a messenger of Allah, a prophet.

He enjoined upon his people worship and almsgiving, and was acceptable in the sight of his Lord.

And make mention in the Scripture of Idris. Lo! he was a saint, a prophet;

And We raised him to lofty station.

These are they unto whom Allah showed favour from among the prophets, of the seed of Adam and of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel, and from among those whom We guided and chose. When the revelations of the Beneficent were recited unto them, they fell down, adoring and weeping.

There came after them an evil generation, who neglected prayers and followed and sensual desires, so they win meet perdition,

Except such as repent and believe and do good, these shall enter the garden, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly in any way:

The gardens of perpetuity which the Beneficent Allah has promised to His servants while unseen; surely His promise shall come to pass.

They hear therein no idle talk, but only Peace; and therein they have food for morn and evening.

Such is the Garden which We cause the devout among Our bondmen to inherit.

We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord. Unto Him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that is between those two, and thy Lord was never forgetful -

Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them! Therefore, worship thou Him and be thou steadfast in His service. Knowest thou one that can be named along with Him?

And man saith: When I am dead, shall I forsooth be brought forth alive?

Doth not man remember that We created him before, when he was naught?

So by your Lord! We will most certainly gather them together and the Shaitans, then shall We certainly cause them to be present round hell on their knees.

Then We shall pluck out from every sect whichever of them was most stubborn in rebellion to the Beneficent.

And surely We are Best Aware of those most worthy to be burned therein.

And there is not one of you but shall come to it; this is an unavoidable decree of your Lord.

And We will deliver those who guarded against evil, and We will leave the unjust therein on their knees.

And when Our clear revelations are recited unto them, those who disbelieve say unto those who believe: Which of the two parties (yours or ours) is better in position, and more imposing as an army?

How many a generation have We destroyed before them, who were more imposing in respect of gear and outward seeming!

Say: As for him who is in error, the Beneficent will verily prolong his span of life until, when they behold that which they were promised, whether it be punishment (in the world), or the Hour (of doom), they will know who is worse in position and who is weaker as an army.

Allah increaseth in right guidance those who walk aright, and the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better for resort.

Hast thou seen him who disbelieveth in Our revelations and saith: Assuredly I shall be given wealth and children?

Hath he perused the Unseen, or hath he made a pact with the Beneficent?

Nay, but We shall record that which he saith and prolong for him a span of torment.

And We shall inherit from him that whereof he spake, and he will come unto Us, alone (without his wealth and children).

And they have chosen (other) gods beside Allah that they may be a power for them.

Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents unto them.

Seest thou not that We have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion?

Therefore be not in haste against them, We only number out to them a number (of days).

On the day when We shall gather the righteous unto the Beneficent, a goodly company.

And drive the guilty unto hell, a weary herd,

They will have no power of intercession, save him who hath made a covenant with his Lord.

And they say: The Beneficent Allah has taken to Himself a son.

Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing

Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins,

That they ascribe a son to the Beneficent Allah.

And it is not worthy of the Beneficent Allah that He should take (to Himself) a son.

There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Beneficent Allah as a servant.

Verily He knoweth them and numbereth them with (right) numbering.
 
And each one of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone.

'Lo! those who believe and do good works, the Beneficent will appoint for them love.

And We make (this Scripture) easy in thy tongue, (O Muhammad) only that thou mayst bear good tidings therewith unto those who ward off (evil), and warn therewith the froward folk.

And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Canst thou (Muhammad) see a single man of them, or hear from them the slightest sound?

Commemoratio Beatae Virginis Mariae
Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Stabat Mater speciosa
iuxta faenum gaudiosa,
dum iacebat parvulus.

By, the crib wherein reposing,
with His eyes in slumber closing,
lay serene her Infant-boy,

Cuius animam gaudentem
laetabundam et ferventem
pertransivit iubilus.

Stood the beauteous Mother feeling
bliss that could not bear concealing,
so her face o'erflowed with joy.

O quam laeta et beata
fuit illa immaculata,
mater Unigeniti!

Oh, the rapture naught could smother
of that most Immaculate Mother
of the sole-begotten One;

Quae gaudebat et ridebat,
exultabat, cum videbat
nati partum inclyti.

When with laughing heart exulting,
she beheld her hopes resulting
In the great birth of her Son.

Quisquam est, qui non gauderet,
Christi matrem si videret
in tanto solatio?

Who would not with gratulation
see the happy consolation
of Christ's Mother undefiled?

Quis non posset collaetari,
Christi Matrem contemplari
ludentem cum Filio?

Who would not be glad surveying
Christ's dear Mother bending, praying,
playing with her heavenly Child

Pro peccatis suae gentis
Christum vidit cum iumentis
et algori subditum.

For a sinful world's salvation,
Christ her Son's humiliation
She beheld and brooded o'er;

Vidit suum dulcem Natum
vagientem, adoratum,
vili deversorio.

Saw Him weak, a child, a stranger,
yet before Him in the manger
kings lie prostrate and adore.

 
Nato, Christo in praesepe
caeli cives canunt laete
cum immenso gaudio.

O'er that lowly manger winging,
joyful hosts from heaven were singing
canticles of holy praise;

Stabat, senex cum puella
non cum verbo nec loquela
stupescentes cordibus.

While the old man and the maiden,
speaking naught, with hearts o'erladen,
pondered on God's wondrous ways.

Eia, Mater, fons amoris
me sentire vim ardoris
fac, ut tecum sentiam.

Fount of love, forever flowing,
with a burning ardor glowing,
make me, Mother, feel like thee;

 
Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
in amatum Christum Deum
ut sibi complaceam.

Let my heart, with graces gifted
all on fire, to Christ be lifted,
and by Him accepted be.

Sancta Mater, istud agas,
prone introducas plagas
cordi fixas valide.

Holy Mother, deign to bless me,
with His sacred Wounds impress me,
let them in my heart abide;

Tui Nati caelo lapsi,
iam dignati faeno nasci,
poenas mecum divide.

Since He came, thy Son, the Holy,
to a birth-place, ah, so lowly,
all His pains with me divide.

Fac me vere congaudere,
Iesulino cohaerere,
donec ego vixero.

Make me with true joy delighted,
to Child-Jesus be united
while my days of life endure;

In me sistat ardor tui,
puerino fac me frui
dum sum in exilio.

While an exile here sojourning,
make my heart like thine be burning
with a love divine and pure.

Virgo virginum praeclara,
mihi iam non sis amara,
fac me parvum rapere.

Virgin of all virgins highest,
prayer to thee thou ne'er denyest,
let me bear thy sweet Child too.

 
Fac, ut pulchrum infantem portem,
qui nascendo vicit mortem,
volens vitam tradere.

Let me bear Him in my bosom,
Lord of life, and never lose Him,
since His birth doth death subdue.

Fac me tecum satiari,
Nato me inebriari,
stantem in tripudio.

All who in the crib revere Him,
like the shepherds watching near Him,
will attend Him through the night,

Inflammatus et accensus,
obstupescit omnis sensus
tali me commercio.

By thy powerful prayers protected,
grant, O Queen, that His elected
may behold heaven's moving light.

Fac, me Nato custodiri,
verbo Dei praemuniri
conservari gratia.

Make me by His birth be guarded,
by God's holy word be warded,
by His grace till all is done;

Quando corpus morietur,
fac, ut animae donetur
tui nati gloria. Amen.

When my body lies obstructed,
make my soul to be conducted,
to the vision of thy Son. Amen.
 

attributed to Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306).

Stabat Mater dolorosa
At the Cross Her Station Keeping

Stabat Mater dolorosa
iuxta Crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.

At, the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.

Cuius animam gementem,
contristatam et dolentem
pertransivit gladius.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.

O quam tristis et afflicta
fuit illa benedicta,
mater Unigeniti!

O how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother, highly blest,
of the sole-begotten One.

Quae maerebat et dolebat,
pia Mater, dum videbat
nati poenas inclyti.

Christ above in torment hangs,
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.

Quis est homo qui non fleret,
matrem Christi si videret
in tanto supplicio?

Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?

Quis non posset contristari
Christi Matrem contemplari
dolentem cum Filio?

Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother's pain untold?

Pro peccatis suae gentis
vidit Iesum in tormentis,
et flagellis subditum.

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child
All with scourges rent:

Vidit suum dulcem Natum
moriendo desolatum,
dum emisit spiritum.

For the sins of His own nation,
saw Him hang in desolation,
Till His spirit forth He sent.

Eia, Mater, fons amoris
me sentire vim doloris
fac, ut tecum lugeam.

O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord:

Fac, ut ardeat cor meum
in amando Christum Deum
ut sibi complaceam.

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.

Sancta Mater, istud agas,
crucifixi fige plagas
cordi meo valide.

Holy Mother! pierce me through,
in my heart each wound renew
of my Savior crucified:

Tui Nati vulnerati,
tam dignati pro me pati,
poenas mecum divide.

Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.

Fac me tecum pie flere,
crucifixo condolere,
donec ego vixero.

Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live:

Iuxta Crucem tecum stare,
et me tibi sociare
in planctu desidero.

By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of the to give.

Virgo virginum praeclara,
mihi iam non sis amara,
fac me tecum plangere.

Virgin of all virgins blest!,
Listen to my fond request:
let me share thy grief divine;

Fac, ut portem Christi mortem,
passionis fac consortem,
et plagas recolere.

Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine.

Fac me plagis vulnerari,
fac me Cruce inebriari,
et cruore Filii.

Wounded with His every wound,
steep my soul till it hath swooned,
in His very Blood away;

Flammis ne urar succensus,
per te, Virgo, sim defensus
in die iudicii.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
lest in flames I burn and die,
in His awful Judgment Day.

Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
da per Matrem me venire
ad palmam victoriae.

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence,
by Thy Mother my defense,
by Thy Cross my victory;

Quando corpus morietur,
fac, ut animae donetur
paradisi gloria. Amen.

While my body here decays,
may my soul Thy goodness praise,
safe in paradise with Thee. Amen.
 

attributed to Pope Innocent III (d. 1216), St. Bonaventure, also, Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306),

O Gloriosa Domina
O Heaven's Glorious Mistress

O Gloriosa domina
excelsa super sidera,
qui te creavit provide,
lactas sacrato ubere.

O Heaven's glorious mistress,
enthron'd above the starry sky!
thou feedest with thy sacred breast
thy own Creator, Lord most high.

Quod Eva tristis abstulit,
tu reddis almo germine;
intrent ut astra flebiles,
sternis benigna semitam.

What man had lost in hapless Eve,
thy sacred womb to man restores,
thou to the wretched here beneath
hast open'd Heaven's eternal doors.

Tu regis alti ianua
et porta lucis fulgida;
vitam datam per Virginem,
gentes redemptae, plaudite.

Hail, O refulgent Hall of light!
Hail Gate august of Heaven's high King!
through thee redeem'd to endless life,
thy praise let all the nations sing.

Patri sit Paraclito
tuoque Nato gloria,
qui veste te mirabili
circumdederunt gratiae. Amen.

To the Father and the Spirit
and to thy Son all glory be,
who with a wonderous garment
of graces encircled thee. Amen.
O Gloriosa Domina is the second half of the hymn Quem terra, pontus, aethera which was composed by Venantius Fortunatus (530-609), the Bishop of Poitiers.

Novena to the Immaculate Conception

Say once a day for nine days, especially starting on November 29 and ending on December 7, the Vigil of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Immaculate Virgin! Mary, conceived without sin! Remember, thou wert miraculously preserved from even the shadow of sin, because thou wert destined to become not only the Mother of God, but also the mother, the refuge, and the advocate of man; penetrated therefore, with the most lively confidence in thy never-failing intercession, we most humbly implore thee to look with favor upon the intentions of this novena, and to obtain for us the graces and the favors we request. Thou knowest, O Mary, how often our hearts are the sanctuaries of God, Who abhors iniquity. Obtain for us, then, than angelic purity which was thy favorite virtue, that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone, and that purity of intention which will consecrate every thought, word, and action to His greater glory. Obtain also for us a constant spirit of prayer and self-denial, that we many recover by penance that innocence which we have lost by sin, and at length attain safety to that blessed abode of the saints, where nothing defiled can enter.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

V. Thou are all fair, O Mary.
R. Thou art all fair, O Mary.
V. And the original stain is not in thee.
R. And the original stain is not in thee.
V. Thou art the glory of Jerusalem.
R. Thou art the joy of Israel
V. Thou art the honor of our people.
R. Thou art the advocate of sinners.
V. O Mary.
R. O Mary.
V. Virgin, most prudent.
R. Mother, most tender.
V. Pray for us.
R. Intercede for us with Jesus our Lord.
V. In thy conception, Holy Virgin, thou wast immaculate.
R. Pray for us to the Father Whose Son thou didst bring forth.
V. O Lady! aid my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.

Let us pray

Holy Mary, Queen of Heaven, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and mistress of the world, who forsakest no one, and despisest no one, look upon me, O Lady! with an eye of pity, and entreat for me of thy beloved Son the forgiveness of all my sins; that, as I now celebrate, with devout affection, thy holy and immaculate conception, so, hereafter I may receive the prize of eternal blessedness, by the grace of Him whom thou, in virginity, didst bring forth, Jesus Christ Our Lord: Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, in perfect Trinity, God, world without end. Amen.

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

Prayer
Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest your shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child, St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." A thousand times we congratulate you upon your Immaculate Conception. And now, O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know our wants, our troubles, our sufferings deign to cast upon us a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors, and already many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical. We come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain for us, O loving Mother, the granting of our request. request Through gratitude for your favors, we will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that we may one day share your glory.
Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your divine son while upon earth. You have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us; obtain for us from your Divine Son our special requests if it be the Divine Will. Amen.
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY ONE
O Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, virgin and mother, queen of heaven, chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of the Eternal Word and in virtue of this title preserved from original sin, we kneel before you as did little Bernadette at Lourdes and pray with childlike trust in you that as we contemplate your glorious appearance at Lourdes, you will look with mercy on our present petition and secure for us a favorable answer to the request for which we are making this novena.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY TWO
Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest yourself shining with light, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child Saint Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception!" O Mary Immaculate, inflame our hearts with one ray of the burning love of your pure heart Let them be consumed with love for Jesus and for you, in order that we may merit one day to enjoy your glorious eternity. O dispenser of His graces here below, take into your keeping and present to your Divine Son the petition for which we are making this novena.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY THREE
"You are all fair, O Mary, and there is in you no stain of original sin." O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. O brilliant star of sanctity, as on that lovely day, upon a rough rock in Lourdes you spoke to the child Bernadette and a fountain broke from the plain earth and miracles happened and the great shrine of Lourdes began, so now I beseech you to hear our fervent prayer and do, we beseech you, grant us the petition we now so earnestly seek.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY FOUR
O Immaculate Queen of Heaven, we your wayward, erring children, join our unworthy prayers of praise and thanksgiving to those of the angels and saints and your own-the One, Holy, and Undivided Trinity may be glorified in heaven and on earth. Our Lady of Lourdes, as you looked down with love and mercy upon Bernadette as she prayed her rosary in the grotto, look down now, we beseech you, with love and mercy upon us. From the abundance of graces granted you by your Divine Son, sweet Mother of God, give to each of us all that your motherly heart sees we need and at this moment look with special favor on the grace we seek in this novena.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY FIVE
O Mary Immaculate, Mother of God and our mother, from the heights of your dignity look down mercifully upon us while we, full of confidence in your unbounded goodness and confident that your Divine Son will look favorably upon any request you make of Him in our behalf, we beseech you to come to our aid and secure for us the favor we seek in this novena.
(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY SIX
O glorious Mother of God, so powerful under your special title of Our Lady of Lourdes, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the gracious Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare and for the special favor we so earnestly seek in this novena.

(make your request)

O Lady of Bernadette, with the stars of heaven in your hair and the roses of earth at your feet, look with compassion upon us today as you did so long ago on Bernadette in the Grotto of Lourdes.

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY SEVEN
O Almighty God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary did prepare a worthy dwelling place for your Son, we humbly beseech you that as we contemplate the apparition of Our Lady in the Grotto of Lourdes, we may be blessed with health of mind and body. O most gracious Mother Mary, beloved Mother of Our Lord and Redeemer, look with favor upon us as you did that day on Bernadette and intercede with him for us that the favor we now so earnestly seek may be granted to us.
(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY EIGHT
O Immaculate Mother of God, from heaven itself you came to appear to the little Bernadette in the rough Grotto of Lourdes! And as Bernadette knelt at your feet and the miraculous spring burst forth and as multitudes have knelt ever since before your shrine, O Mother of God, we kneel before you today to ask that in your mercy you plead with your Divine Son to grant the special favor we seek in this novena.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY NINE
O glorious Mother of God, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the benign Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly for the grace of a happy death. O Mother of our Divine Lord, as we conclude this novena for the special favor we seek at this time.
(make your request)

We feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard. O Mother of My Lord, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and for the glory of His Name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.
O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Memento, salutis Auctor
Remember, O Creator Lord

Memento, salutis Auctor,
quod nostri quondam corporis,
ex illibata Virgine
nascendo, formam sumpseris.

Remember, O Creator Lord,
that in the Virgin's sacred womb
Thou wast conceived, and of her flesh
didst our mortality assume.

Maria, mater gratiae,
mater misericordiae,
tu nos ab hoste protege,
et hora mortis suscipe.

Mother of grace, O Mary blest,
to thee, sweet fount of love, we fly;
shield us through life, and take us hence
to thy dear bosom when we die.

Gloria tibi, Domine,
qui natus es de Virgine,
cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.

O Jesus! born of Mary bright!
Immortal glory be to Thee;
praise to the Father infinite,
and Holy Ghost eternally. Amen.

traditional hymn for the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Little Hours (Terce, Sext, and None) and for Compline. The first verse is taken from Christe, Redemptor Omnium, the Vespers hymn for the Christmas season.  Changes made by Pope Urban VIII in 1632 to the Roman Breviary:

Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows

God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Holy Mother of God, hear the prayers of the Church for all mothers,
especially those wearied by life and overcome by the suffering they bear for their children.

Hail Mary

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, intercede for them from your place in heaven,
that the mercy of your divine Son might lighten their burden and give them strength.

Hail Mary

Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

"As we contemplate this Mother, whose heart a sword has pierced (cf. Luke 2:35), our thoughts go to all the suffering women in the world, suffering either physically or morally. In this suffering a woman's sensitivity plays a role, even though she often succeeds in resisting suffering better than a man.
It is difficult to enumerate these sufferings; it is difficult to call them all by name. We may recall her maternal care for her children, especially when they fall sick or fall into bad ways; the death of those most dear to her; the loneliness of mothers forgotten by their grown-up children; the loneliness of widows; the sufferings of women who struggle alone to make a living; and women who have been wronged or exploited. Then there are the sufferings of consciences as a result of sin, which has wounded the woman's human or maternal dignity: the wounds of consciences which do not heal easily. With these sufferings too we must place ourselves at the foot of the Cross."
 

Day 1
Pray for the Suffering Women of the World

Labor day usually brings to mind images of factory workers, farmers or heavy equipment operators. Yet we also use labor to describe the first work which brought each one of us to birth: those first hours of maternal sacrifice which brought us into the world. It's too easy to forget that and all the other sacrifices which the vocation of motherhood entails. Pray for the mothers in labor today. Those who give birth. Those who work two jobs to support a child. Those who go without so their child's needs are met. Those whose patient endurance is a sign of God's love upon the cross.

Day 2
Pray for Mothers who will Give Birth Today

'At first I was scared,' Sarah told me. 'I was scared, excited and filled with the most incredible expectation. It was like those words we hear at Mass: we wait in joyful hope. I thought of all those women who feel the first kick, the stirrings of life deep within them. I prayed for them, that they would love their child, cherish their little baby and know that in being a mother they are involved in something so much bigger than themselves. They have been chosen by God to be custodians of the mystery of life. At first I was scared, and then I just cried ... with joy.'

Day 3
Pray for Fathers at the Birth of their Child

'At first I was petrified", Jon told me. "Petrified that I would faint or get in the way or not know what to do to help Sarah. But then I prayed to Mary. I know, praying to Mary is something you?d think a mother would be doing. But somehow, I think Mary understood Saint Joseph more than anyone else. She probably saw the fear in his eyes and sensed the restlessness of his heart. She probably spent a lot of time praying for him as well. And when I prayed to Mary for my child about to be born, I knew she understood and heard me and prayed for me to her son. At first I was petrified, and then I put everything into God's hands."

Day 4
Pray for All Children

The eyes of a child are an infinite well of life, hope and goodness. If you doubt the value of life, look into the eyes of a child. If you are worn by life's worries, look into the eyes of a child. If you want to see tomorrow, look into the eyes of a child. And what you will see is the divine spark which brought beauty out of chaos, the infinite beauty, which is the presence of the Creator in his creation.

Day 5
Pray for Families

I know of a family which prays each night. Since the kids were little they are gathered from their games and their grumbling to the couch in the living room. There they pray for those whom they love and those they have a hard time loving. They pray for the unborn and for little babies. They pray for the sick and the dying. They pray for the Church and for their priest. Many a night it was the knowledge of those prayers that gave me hope and peace and a good night's sleep.

Day 6
Prayer for Life Begins in the Home

I know of another family which used to pray for unborn children every Friday night. They chose Friday because that's when Christ, innocent and without sin, was sent to the cross. There's no prayer more powerful than that said over little folded hands asking God to take care of all the babies who you've made.

Day 7
Secret Suffering

We look all around us at Church and see them: all the people whose kids never seem to scream and who look like they haven't a problem in the world! But what if we really knew them? We would see the 'secret sufferings' that mirror our own. Mass is the gathering of those who have looked at the their own brokenness through the lens of the cross, and live! Today is the perfect day to pray for all God's broken children and especially those who are tempted to break the lives of others.

Day 8
The Holy Cross

Each time I pray, I am called to join my prayer with Christ's perfect prayer upon the cross. It is easy from the vantage of the cross to see the world clearly. To see how easy it is to join the suffering of the innocent to the suffering of him who is without sin. We should work for an end to all the forms of violence which threaten life. That is a wonderful good. But it is even more important to stand with the Virgin Mother and to beg her son to come to our aid.

Day 9
Our Lady of Sorrows

We end as we began nine days ago: with Mary, weeping silently beside the cross. Weeping for the innocent child so violently taken. Weeping for the nation which has let him die. Weeping for her child and for our, we place them both in her arms.

Flos Carmeli
Flower of Carmel

FlosCarmeli,
vitis florigera,
splendor caeli,
virgo puerpera
singularis.

Flower of Carmel,
Tall vine blossom laden;
Splendor of heaven,
Childbearing yet maiden.
None equals thee.

Mater mitis
sed viri nescia
Carmelitis
esto propitia
stella maris.

Mother so tender,
Who no man didst know,
On Carmel's children
Thy favors bestow.
Star of the Sea.

Radix Iesse
germinans flosculum
nos ad esse
tecum in saeculum
patiaris.

Strong stem of Jesse,
Who bore one bright flower,
Be ever near us
And guard us each hour,
who serve thee here.

Inter spinas
quae crescis lilium
serva puras
mentes fragilium
tutelaris.

Purest of lilies,
That flowers among thorns,
Bring help to the true heart
That in weakness turns
and trusts in thee.

Armatura
fortis pugnantium
furunt bella
tende praesidium
scapularis.

Strongest of armor,
We trust in thy might:
Under thy mantle,
Hard press'd in the fight,
we call to thee.

Per incerta
prudens consilium
per adversa
iuge solatium
largiaris.

Our way uncertain,
Surrounded by foes,
Unfailing counsel
You give to those
who turn to thee.

Mater dulcis
Carmeli domina,
plebem tuam
reple laetitia
qua bearis.

O gentle Mother
Who in Carmel reigns,
Share with your servants
That gladness you gained
and now enjoy.

Paradisi
clavis et ianua,
fac nos duci
quo, Mater, gloria
coronaris. Amen

Hail, Gate of Heaven,
With glory now crowned,
Bring us to safety
Where thy Son is found,
true joy to see.
 

ascribed to St. Simon Stock (ca 1165 - 1265)

Te gestientem gaudiis
The Gladness of Thy Motherhood

Te gestientem gaudiis,
te sauciam doloribus,
te iugi amictam gloria,
o Virgo Mater, pangimus.

The gladness of thy Motherhood,
the anguish of thy suffering,
the glory now that crowns thy brow,
O Virgin Mother, we would sing.

Ave, redundans gaudio
dum concipis, dum visitas;
et edis, offers, invenis,
Mater beata, Filium.

Hail, blessed Mother, full of joy
in thy consent, thy visit too;
joy in the birth of Christ on earth,
joy in Him lost and found anew.

Ave, dolens, et intimo
in corde agonem, verbera,
spinas crucemque Filii
perpessa, princeps martyrum.

Hail, sorrowing in His agony
the blows, the thorns that pierced His brow;
the heavy wood, the shameful Rood
Yea! Queen and chief of Martyrs thou.

Ave, in triumphis Filii,
in ignibus Paracliti,
in regni honore et lumine,
Regina fulgens gloria.

Hail, in the triumph of thy Son,
the quickening flames of Pentecost;
shining a Queen in light serene,
when all the world is tempest-tost.

Venite, gentes, carpite
ex his rosas mysteriis,
et pulchri amoris inclitae
Matri coronas nectite.

O come, ye nations, roses bring,
culled from these mysteries divine,
and for the Mother of your King
with loving hands your chaplets twine.

Iesu, tibi sit gloria,
qui natus es de Virgine,
cum Patre, et almo Spiritu,
in sempiterna saecula.

All honor, laud, and glory be,
O Jesu, Virgin-born to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.
 

Composed by Fr. Augustine Thomas Ricchini {1695-1779} A.D. 1757.

Iam morte, victor, obruta
Now Hell is Vanquished

Iam morte, victor, obruta,
ab inferis Christus redit,
fractisque culpae vinculis,
caeli recludit limina.

Now Hell is vanquished; every chain
of sin is broken; Christ again
returning, victor over death,
the gates of heaven openeth.

Visus satis mortalibus
ascendit ad caelestia,
dextraeque Patris assidet
consors Paternae gloriae.

We mortals saw Him, till He passed
into the heavens, where at last,
partaker of God's glory bright,
He sitteth on the Father's right.

Quem iam suis promiserat,
Sanctum daturus Spiritum,
linguis amoris igneis
maestis alumnis impluit.

From thence He sheds the promised boon,
the Holy Spirit, on His own
in fiery tongues of love, o'erspread
above each sad disciple's head.

Soluta carnis pondere
ad astra Virgo tollitur,
excepta caeli iubilo,
et Angelorum canticis.

The Virgin, from the flesh set free,
is borne beyond the stars; where she
receives from heaven's joyous throngs
the welcome of angelic songs.

Bis sena cingunt sidera
almae parentis verticem:
throno propinqua Filii
cunctis creatis imperat.

Twice six the stars that crown her brow;
the gracious Mother reigneth now
beside her Son's eternal throne
O'er all creation as her own.

Iesu, tibi sit gloria,
qui natus es de Virgine,
cum Patre, et almo Spiritu,
in sempiterna saecula.

All honor, laud, and glory be,
o Jesus, Virgin-born to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete.

Composed by Fr. Augustine Thomas Ricchini {1695-1779} A.D. 1757.

Alma Redemptoris Mater
Mother Benign of Our Redeeming Lord BVM

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Mother of Christ, hear thou thy people's cry
Star of the deep and Portal of the sky!
Mother of Him who thee made from nothing made.
Sinking we strive and call to thee for aid:
Oh, by what joy which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.

Tempus Adventus

During Advent

V. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
R. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.

V. The Angel of the Lord announced unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Oremus
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde: ut qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus; per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Let us pray
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts: that as we have known the incarnation of Thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an Angel, so too by His Cross and passion may we be brought to the glory of His resurrection. Amen.

Donec Purificatio From Christmas Eve until the Purification

V. Post partum, Virgo, inviolata permansisti.
R. Dei Genetrix, intercede pro nobis.

V. After childbirth thou didst remain a virgin.
R. Intercede for us, O Mother of God.

Oremus
Deus, qui salutis aeternae, beatae Mariae virginitate fecunda, humano generi praemia praestitisti: tribue, quaesumus; ut ipsam pro nobis intercedere sentiamus, per quam meruimus auctorem vitae suscipere, Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum. Amen.

Let us pray
O God, who, by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary, hast bestowed upon mankind the reward of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son. Amen.
 

composed by Herman Contractus (Herman the Cripple) (1013-1054).

Ave Regina Caelorum
Hail Queen of Heaven
 

Ave, Regina caelorum,
Ave, Domina Angelorum:
Salve, radix, salve, porta,
Ex qua mundo lux est orta:

Hail, O Queen of Heav'n enthron'd,
Hail, by angels Mistress own'd
Root of Jesse, Gate of morn,
Whence the world's true light was born.

Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa,
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.

Glorious Virgin, joy to thee,
Lovliest whom in Heaven they see,
Fairest thou where all are fair!
Plead with Christ our sins to spare.

V. Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata.
R. Da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos.

V. Allow me to praise thee, holy Virgin.
R. Give me strength against thy enemies.

Oremus
Concede, misericors Deus, fragilitati nostrae praesidium; ut, qui sanctae Dei Genetricis memoriam agimus; intercessionis eius auxilio, a nostris iniquitatibus resurgamus. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Let us pray
Grant, O merciful God, to our weak natures Thy protection, that we who commemorate the holy Mother of God may, by the help of her intercession, arise from our iniquities. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

attributed to Herman Contractus (Herman the Cripple) (1013-1054).

Caelestis aulae Nuntius
The Messenger from God's High Throne

Caelestis aulae Nuntius,
arcana pandens Numinis,
plenam salutat gratia
Dei Parentem Virginem.

The Messenger from God's high throne
his secret counsel making known
hails Mary, child of David's race,
God's Virgin Mother, full of grace.

 
Virgo propinquam sanguine
matrem Ioannis visitat,
qui, clausus alvo, gestiens
adesse Christum nuntiat.

The Mother Maid with joyous feet
her friend, John's mother, goes to greet;
he, stirring in the enclosing womb,
declares that Christ his Lord has come.

Verbum, quod ante saecula
e mente Patris prodiit,
e Matris alvo Virginis,
mortalis Infans nascitur.

The Word, who ere the worlds began,
from God the Father's thought forth ran,
of Mary, Virgin undefiled,
for us is born a mortal child.

Templo puellus sistitur,
Legique paret Legifer,
hic se Redemptor paupere
pretio redemptus immolat.

Christ to the Temple courts they bring;
the King's own law subjects the King;
the world's Redeemer for a price
is there redeemed, our sacrifice.

Quem iam dolebat perditum,
mox laeta Mater invenit
ignota doctis mentibus
edisserentem Filium.

The joyful Mother finds once more
the Son she mourned as lost before;
while doctors by His speech were shown
the mysteries they had never known.

Iesu, tibi sit gloria,
qui natus es de Virgine,
cum Patre, et almo Spiritu,
in sempiterna saecula.

All honor laud, and glory be,
o Jesus, Virgin-born to Thee;
all glory, as is ever meet,
to Father and to Paraclete.

authored by Fr. Augustine Thomas Ricchini {1695-1779} of Cremona, Italy.

Regina Caeli
Queen of Heaven

REGINA, caeli, laetare, alleluia:
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

O Queen of heaven rejoice! alleluia:
For He whom thou didst merit to bear, alleluia,
Hath arisen as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia,
R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Oremus
Deus, qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus; ut, per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Let us pray
O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; grant, we beseech Thee, that through His Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

author unknown. composed c. 9th - 12th centuries.

Ave Maris Stella
Hail Star of the Ocean

Ave maris stella,
Dei Mater alma,
atque semper Virgo,
felix caeli porta.

Hail, O Star of the ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin,
gate of heav'nly rest.

Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
funda nos in pace,
mutans Hevae nomen.

Taking that sweet Ave,
which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us,
changing Eve's name.

Solve vincula reis,
profer lumen caecis
mala nostra pelle,
bona cuncta posce.

Break the sinners' fetters,
make our blindness day,
Chase all evils from us,
for all blessings pray.

Monstra te esse matrem:
sumat per te preces,
qui pro nobis natus,
tulit esse tuus.

Show thyself a Mother,
may the Word divine
born for us thine Infant
hear our prayers through thine.

Virgo singularis,
inter omnes mites,
nos culpis solutos,
mites fac et castos.

Virgin all excelling,
mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us
meek and undefiled.

Vitam praesta puram,
iter para tutum:
ut videntes Iesum
semper collaetemur.

Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure
till we find in Jesus,
joy for evermore.

Sit laus Deo Patri,
summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto,
tribus honor unus. Amen.

Praise to God the Father,
honor to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit,
be the glory one. Amen.
 

attributed to authorship by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) also King Robert (1031), also to Venantius Fortunatus (d 609) and Paul the Deacon (d 787).

Salve Regina
Hail Holy Queen

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.

Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, 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 valley of tears.

Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.  O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. Amen.

Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genetrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Oremus
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriosae Virginis Matris Mariae corpus et animam, ut dignum Filii tui habitaculum effici mereretur, Spiritu Sancto cooperante, praeparasti: da, ut cuius commemoratione laetamur; eius pia intercessione, ab instantibus malis, et a morte perpetua liberemur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Let us pray
Almighty, everlasting God, who by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, didst prepare the body and soul of the glorious Virgin-Mother Mary to become a worthy dwelling for Thy Son; grant that we who rejoice in her commemoration may, by her loving intercession, be delivered from present evils and from the everlasting death. Amen.

Marian Angelus

Per annum Outside the Pascal Season

V. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae;
R. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary;
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Ecce ancilla Domini.
R. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
R. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Ave Maria, gratia plena,.. Hail Mary, full of grace, ..

V. Et Verbum caro factum est.
R. Et habitavit in nobis. V.

And the Word was made flesh:
R. And dwelt among us.

Ave Maria, gratia plena,.. Hail Mary, full of grace, ..

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genetrix.
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Oremus:
Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.

Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

Tempore Paschali Pascal Season

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia:
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia.
Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia:
For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia,
Has risen as He said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.

V. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, Alleluia,
R. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. Because the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.

Oremus:
Deus qui per resurrectionem Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, mundum laetificare dignatus es: praesta, quaesumus, ut per eius Genetricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.

Let us pray:
O God, who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, granted joy to the whole world: grant we beg Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may lay hold of the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

The Akathistos of the Most Holy Mother of God

In honour of the appearance of her wonderworking IVERSKAYA ikon, called the PORTAITISA, to wit, VRATARNITZA (Our Lady of the Portal).
Troparion
From thy holy ikon, O Lady, Mother of God, flow healing and wholeness in abundance to all who draw near to it in faith and love; therefore visit thou my infirmity and have mercy on my soul, O Blessed, and heal my body by thy grace, O Purest One.

Kontakion 1

O chosen Champion, Our Lady the Mother of God, we thy servants bring thee a song of praise, bearing as it were thine honoured image in procession like a mighty shield, an unbreakable wall, an unsleeping guard; and thou, as thou hast invincible power, cover and protect us, Lady, from all our enemies seen and unseen, and deliver us from all harm to body or soul, who cry to thee: HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

The Holy Virgin Eleussa
Tatiana Grant

Ikos 1

The leader of the angels was sent to speak to the Mother of God, that her apostolic service might fall upon the land of Iviron: Separate not thyself from Jerusalem, for it is thy lot to enlighten her in the last days; for God hath laid it upon thee to work for the world: wherefore we cry to thee:
Hail, by whom the Gospel is spread abroad:
Hail, by whom the lure of idols is made vain.
Hail, by whom the power of the Prince of Darkness is broken:
Hail, by whom the Kingdom of Christ is confirmed.
Hail, recalling to the light of the Gospel those sunken in darkness:
Hail, leading us from the slavery of the Devil into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Hail, ready handmaid of thy Son and God:
Hail, by thy obedience atoning for the disobedience of Eve.
Hail, height of beneficence: Hail, depth of humility.
Hail, by whom the unbelieving come to know the Creator:
Hail, by whom the faithful are adopted as sons by the Father.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 2

The Holy Virgin seeing the wonderful new plan of God, as his handmaid was as ever ready to carry it out, crying: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

The mysterious meaning of the Angel's word was clear to thee, Purest One, and in obedience to it thou didst wend thy way to Mount Athos, to spread the Gospel, as the lot fell to thee. And we joyfully sing to thee:
Hail, illuminating Athos with thy coming:
Hail, dispersing the darkness of idols.
Hail, planting there the true faith: Hail, driving out unbelief.
Hail, taking this Mountain into thy care: Hail, promising grace to this place.
Hail, bestowing earthly joy on the faithful dwellers therein:
Hail, assuring them of eternal salvation.
Hail, fervent intercessor for those in thy care: Hail, destroyer of all their foes.
Hail, promising thy Son' s mercy to this place till the end of time:
Hail, foretelling that his grace should never leave it.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 3

At the intercession of the Mother of God, the power of the Most High overshadowed the holy mountain, and its glens and thickets appeared as a great harvest-field full of religious eager to reap their salvation, as they sang to her: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having in mind the lot of the people of the land of Iviron, thou didst settle thyself in their midst, even upon Mount Athos, to them all a shelter, a quiet harbour of salvation to them, giving them thy ikon as a shield and guard, and all cried out:
Hail, glorious preacher of the Gospel in the land of Iviron:
Hail, turning this land from the lure of idols to the light of Christ.
Hail, branch of the deathless Vine, giving wondrous grapes:
Hail, bearing branches of miracle-grapes and the blessings of faith.
Hail, who hast planted a spritiual garden on Athos:
Hail, watering the land of Iviron with the stream of spiritual enlightenment flowing therefrom.
Hail, fair speech from lips of gold:
Hail, unshakable tower of the fortress.
Hail, strength of honourable Tsars
Hail, protecting wall of monks.
Hail, quiet harbour for those who seek salvation:
Hail, preparing for them an endless rest.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 14

The noble widow was tossed by a storm of inward doubts, when in Nicea, perplexed, she saw the sacrilegious warrior pierce with his spear the face of the holy and honoured ikon of the Mother of God, and blood issuing from it; seized with fear lest the holy ikon be defaced, with prayers and tears she flung it into the sea. But seeing it on the surface of the water making its way towards the west, she cried joyfully: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

When the monks of the holy mountain saw it proceeding over the sea like a burning flame, even a pillar of fire, lighting up the heavens like the shining sun, and in the night drawing near to the shore; and knowing it for the holy ikon of the Mother of God, borne on the waves by a supernatural power, they cried to the Blessed One:
Hail, Burning Bush, foreseen by those who kept the law:
Hail, pillar of fire, enlightening those who sit in darkness.
Hail, stairway leading up to Heaven, whereby God came down:
Hail, bridge leading creatures from earth to Heaven.
Hail, dawn of the mysterious day: Hail, star that brought forth the sun.
Hail, who gavest birth to the light that is beyond words:
Hail, who hast taught no one how it was done.
Hail, clothed with the sun, radiant with grace and glory:
Hail, lightning, illuminating souls, lighting up faithful minds.
Hail, radiance shining in darkness:
Hail, bringing forth the many splendid glory.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 5

Wishing to give thy God-sent ikon to the dwellers in Iviron, thou didst speak, Mother of God, to the Elder Gabriel: "Go down with the choir of monks to the seashore, enter the water and bring up my ikon;" and he, filled with faith and love, walked over the water as if on dry land, took it in his bosom, and they, receiving the treasure (all unworthy of it) to be their own ikon of I viron, joyfully sang: Alleluia.

Ikon 5

The monks of Iviron, seeing the ikon of the Mother of God many times rise out of its shrine and fly up the wall above the monastery gate, borne by an invisible force, were terrified, and standing cried to her thus:
Hail, deigning to bestow on us thy holy ikon:
Hail, promising us to be our defence.
Hail, showing thy love to our hermitage:
Hail, showing they beneficient plan for us.
Hail, our help in strange lands: Hail, our comfort on pilgrimages.
Hail, God's goodness to us: Hail, our boldness to God.
Hail, who dost dry our tears: Hail, protectress of us orphans
. Hail, our defender: Hail, our only joy.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 6

When the elder Gabriel had done thy will, thou saidst to him, O Lady: "I have not come to be preserved by you, but to be your preserver, both in this world and the world to come. Behold, I give you a sign: as long as you see my ikon in this monastery, my Son's mercy will not be withdrawn from you, who all cry to him: Alleluia."

Ikos 6

The monks, beaming with joy on hearing thy great promise, Mother of God, raised a shrine above the gate of the monastery to the heavenly Lady of the Portal, joyfully crying out thus:
Hail, our protectress in this life: Hail, our leader into the next.
Hail, teaching us the fear of God: Hail, setting us in the way of good works.
Hail, our boldness and our hope: Hail, our confidence and protection.
Hail, inclining to us the Son, the fruit of thy womb:
Hail, giving us good news of his inalienable grace among us.
Hail, giving thy holy ikon to us as a pledge of mercy:
Hail, giving with it miraculous gifts.
Hail, turning away all threat of evil from our retreat:
Hail, giving all a safe going-out.
HAIL BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 7

One day the wicked Amir thought to destroy the Iverskaya hermitage, and scatter the flock of monks gathered there; but soon after he learned that the Mother of God was their strong defence, as he saw his ships founder in the depths of the sea, and his warriors destroyed; whereupon he humbly brought silver and gold to the hermitage, asking their prayers. The monks, seeing this, cried to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

And new and countless miracles wrought the Mother of God, filling the hermitage with wine, flour and oil, healing those possessed of devils, making the lame to go, the blind to see, and curing all ills, and those who saw these marvels sang to thee:
Hail, chosen Champion, conquering the enemies of all:
Hail, swift help of all who cry to thee.
Hail, who dost not despise our prayers: Hail, who goest not back on thy word.
Hail, turning the grief of the hermitage into joy:
Hail, turning the dearth of the hermitage into abundance.
Hail, sight of the blind: Hail, going of the lame.
Hail, healer of all the sick: Hail, comfort of all the unhappy.
Hail, who never ceasest to plan for us and save us:
Hail, delivering us from a troubled mind.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 8

The Patriarch Nikon, hearing of the wonderful protection given by the ikon of the Mother of God to the monastery of I viron, would fain have the land of Russia share in her grace; wherefore he set up a monastery in honour of the glorious image, respectfully soliciting a copy of the wonderworking ikon of the Mother of God, that those who enjoyed her protection might cry to God: Alleluia.

Ikon 8

Ever dwelling on high, but not forsaking the lowly, thou deignedst, Mother of God, to give the new monastery in the land of Russia thy blessing, even as of old to ancient Antony on Mount Athos when he established his holy cave-dwelling; even the blessing wherewith thou didst bless Athos, in honour of thy revered image. Wherefore we cry to thee:
Hail, protectress of the land of Russia, broader than a cloud:
Hail, defence and strengthening of the Orthodox faith.
Hail, unshakable pillar of the Orthodox Church:
Hail, who castest down heresy and schism.
Hail, ikon that lightest up all the land with bright and wonderworking rays:
Hail, from whom flow gifts of healing and mercy.
Hail, strength of the sceptre of the Tsars: Hail, terror of foes.
Hail, joy of the Saints: Hail, praise of the priests.
Hail, patroness of monks: Hail, salvation of all our race.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 9

With all reverence for the copy of the honoured image of the merciful Lady of the Portal, the host of mortified monks of Iviron finished their prayers and hymns and washed with holy water the board on which the honoured image was to be portrayed; and they consecrated the Elder lamblichus for the work; who in fasting, prayer and vigil with all the brethren, using only holy water and blessed relics executed the noble likeness of the Mother of God, praying and crying to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

We see wise men silent as fish on account of thee, Mother of God; for they cannot tell how fitly to sing of thy wondrous works, done for our race through thy holy ikon; for on the way to Russia, commanding the noble Manuel to give ransom to the infidels who were obstructing the progress of the holy ikon into the land of Russia, thou rewardest him twofold thereafter. And we, marvelling, faithfully sing to thee:
Hail, inexhaustible fountain of marvels: Hail, giver of all mercies.
Hail, ever fervent intercessor for us with God:
Hail, treasure of his providence.
Hail, refuge of those in distress: Hail, comfort of the afflicted.
Hail, health of the sick: Hail, strength of the infirm.
Hail, comforter of widows: Hail, gentle mother of orphans.
Hail, guide of those who stray from the way of truth.
Hail, leader of sinners to repentance.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 10

Wishing to save many times from grief and misery, thou pourest forth from thy ikon an unending stream of mercies on our race, Mother of God. Wherefore, blessed Lady of the Portal, in the royal city of Moscow thou didst show thyself to all who bow down to thee, giving ready help and pouring forth streams of light from thy ikon in the new I verskaya shrine; and on other cities, monasteries and all who honour thee, fulfilling thy kindly promise. Wherefore, glorifying God, who gave us so much grace, we sing to him: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

Thou art, a wall of defence to monks, O Mother of God, and to all who take refuge with thee; for the Creator of Heaven and earth dwelt in thy virgin womb, and taught all who long for purity and chastity to cry to thee:
Hail, chosen vessel of virginity: Hail, purest image of chastity.
Hail, womb of seedless conception: Hail, Bride ever virgin.
Hail, who didst bear the Sower of Purity:
Hail, who dost unite the faithful to the Lord.
Hail, swift help in the storms of temptation:
Hail, destroyer of the enemy's snares.
Hail, who sweepest away the dark passions that destroy the soul:
Hail, who dost purify the mind.
Hail, who teachest us to despise the temptations of the world:
Hail, directing mind and heart to Heaven.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 11

All songs must fail that try to encompass the magnitude of thy mercies; if we brought thee as many songs as the sands of the sea, Our Lady, Mother of God, we should do nothing worthy of what thou hast given to us, who sing to thee: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

We see the holy ikon of the Mother of God shining in darkness like a glorious light; with its mysterious fire of grace, its miraculous rays, it illuminates all, teaching us to cry to the Blessed Lady:
Hail, swift help in all our need: Hail, swift ear to hear in our sorrows.
Hail, delivering us from fire, sword and invasion by the stranger:
Hail, freeing us from famine and an unprovided death.
Hail, warding off from us poison and all deadly things:
Hail, sudden help to those in trouble travelling by land or sea.
Hail, healing of the soul's poison and the body's:
Hail, taking into thy hands those whom the doctors have given up.
Hail, merciful consoler of all sorrowful and burdened:
Hail, who wilt not thrust away the despised and the outcast.
Hail, snatching those in utmost despair from the brink of ruin:
Hail, who withholdest not thy protection and intercession from worthless me, whose good deeds are so few.
HAIL, BLESSED LADY OF THE PORTAL, OPENING THE GATE OF PARADISE TO THE FAITHFUL.

Kontakion 12

Wishing to give grace and release from ancient debts to all debtors, the Redeemer of mankind came with thee to those who had departed from his grace, and tearing up the writ against them, gave us a mighty intercessor, high in God's grace: so to her in prayer we cry: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

As we sing thy wonders shown to us in this life, we praise thee, Mother of God, as the inexhaustible fountain of mercy: but falling down before thy wonderworking ikon, we humbly pray, be our protection and shield in the day of our death, and when we come to stand before the dreadful judgement seat of they Son, let us cry to thee:
Hail, sitting in glory by the throne of the Son; remembering us there:
Hail, ever reign