Monday, January 22, 2018

Litany: To Jesus in the Womb of Mary

This litany seems a good one to remind us that all life, whether or not we can see it in front of our eyes at the moment, is precious.

Today is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal. Let's take a few moments to reflect on Jesus in the womb of Mary. It is a reality of the Incarnation that we don't often consider, but he was the unborn baby of a single mother.
Jesus, knit so wonderfully in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, uniquely human from the moment of conception in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, present at creation, created in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, word made flesh, taking on a human body in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, subject to human development in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, whose Precious Blood first flowed through tiny arteries and veins in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, hidden nine months in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, begotten by God, nourished by the substance and blood of His Most Holy Mother in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, leaping from eternity into time, in the womb of Mary
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, revealing with His Father and the Holy Spirit all wisdom and knowledge to His Most Holy Mother, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, aware of His role as Redeemer in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Sanctifier of His Precursor from the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Eternal Word, Divine Child, embraced by the Father, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, raising His Mother to the heights of sanctification, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, everlasting delight of heaven, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, manifesting His Incarnation to His Holy Mother, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, adored and contemplated by His Mother in the sanctuary of her womb Jesus,
before whom the angels prostrated themselves, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, in whom the very angels beheld the humanity of the Infant God and the union of the two natures of the Word in the virginal womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, whose Holy Limbs first budded in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, whose Godhead the world cannot contain, weighing only a few grams in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Divine Immensity, once meaning only tenths of an inch in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Sacrificial Lamb, Docile Infant in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, who was to suffer the agony and passion of death, accepting the human capacity for pain ad grief, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Lamb of God in the womb of Mary Spare us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Holy Innocent in the womb of Mary Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Son of God and Messiah in the womb of Mary Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Have mercy on us.

LET US PRAY:

God, our creator, You formed us as women and men,
equal partners in the stewardship of Your world:
joined forever as sisters and brothers,
yet within each of us lives a rich diversity of different gifts,
different hopes and different limitations.
In Jesus, Your word born fully in our flesh,
You have seen and loved in us all that You have made us to be.
Though graced, we are limited and often weak.
But our weaknesses themselves are no obstacle to Your passion for us.
Teach us to see in ourselves what you have seen in each of us from birth.
Teach us to know our gifts and limits.
Keep us confidently on the path of self-knowledge,
fullness of wisdom, and joy in being Your children.
We ask this through Christ and the Holy Spirit, with You,
One God, forever and ever.

Amen

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