Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

O Mary,

immensity of heaven,

foundation of the earth,

depth of the sea,

light of the moon,

splendor of the stars in the heavens.

You are greater than the cherubim,

more eminent than the seraphim,

more glorious than the chariots of fire.

Your womb bore God,

before whose majesty mortals stand in awe.

Your lap held the glowing coal.

Your knees supported the lion,

whose majesty is fearful.

Your hands touch

the One who is untouchable,

and the fire of Divinity which is in him.

Your fingers resemble the glowing tongs

with which the prophet received the coals

of the heavenly oblation.

You are the basket for this bread of ardent flame

and the chalice for this wine.

O Mary, who nurtured in your womb

the fruit of oblation,

we children of this sanctuary

pray to you with perseverance

to guard us from the adversary which ensnares us;

and as the measure of water

cannot be parted from the wine,

so let us not be separated from you and your Son,

the Lamb of salvation.

 

Ethiopian Anaphora, 8th century

 

 

Ave Maria!  On this beautiful feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the above prayer is providing me with many rich images of the Mother of Jesus.  I found it this morning in a lovely book called A Book of Marian Prayers, A Compilation of Marian Devotions from the Second to the Twenty-First Century by William G. Storey.  Mr. Storey has truly outdone himself in this marvelous volume of over 350 pages, which I know I'll be drawing upon for the rest of my life to help increase my love for and devotion to our Blessed Mother.  This is an amazing collection of prayers!  It is easily affordable for $9.95 at many online bookstores, and, no, I am not being paid to tell you all this.  I just wish that I had discovered this book before I bought all my Christmas presents to give this year, but it's not too late for you if you're looking for a special book for someone in your life who loves Our Lady. 

 

According to Mr. Storey's bio at Amazon, he has a special interest in "the history of the Roman Liturgy, of popular Catholic piety and devotion, and in the publication of modern prayer books reflecting that interest."  He has published some 25 books in this area, as you will see from this list at Loyola Press, his publisher.  This is the first book of his that I've ever seen and purchased, but it certainly won't be the last.

 

According to Mr. Storey, the glorious prayer above is an Ethiopian anaphora.  I never even heard of an anaphora until I read this prayer today.  I've not yet had time to learn more from the Web about what this is, other than it comes from the Ethiopian Divine Liturgy or Mass.  A quick glance makes me think that an anaphora (apparently there are 14 different ones used in the Ethiopian Mass) may be similar to a preface used in the Catholic Mass.  Ah, another matter for me to study at my leisure!  That will be later.  Now, I am going to turn to my dear Mother Mary, glowing light and ardent flame, and beg her to lead into the brilliant radiance that is her Beloved Son, Jesus, the Eternal Light.

 

Ave, ave, ave Maria!