Mary on Ember Saturday

This is Saturday; let us have recourse to Mary, the refuge of sinners. Let us put under her maternal protection the humble penances we are now going through; for this end we may make use of the following sequence, taken from the Cluny missal;

SEQUENCE

Hail Mary, full of grace! dear Mother of Jesus and hope of the world!
O gate of heaven! O temple of God! O heaven of the sea, where sinners confidently seek shelter and repose.

Thou art worthy bride of the great King, and by thy powerful prayers, thou art kind and loving to all.

Thou art light to the blind and a sure path to such as are lame. Thou art, by thy loving affection, both Martha and Mary to the needy.

Thou wast the flower among the thorns; the flower that, by its rich graces. bloomed to the divine Flower, thy Jesus,

Thou didst speak thy word, and then conceivest the Word'; thou didst give birth to the King of kings, thou that wast a pure Virgin.

Thou wast ever faithful to this King, thy Child; and, using a mother's privilege, thou didst feed him at thy breast.

Now, thou art united with him, and in reward for thy merits, thou art made the Queen of heaven and earth.

Then pray for us, 0 Queen, to Him that is our King, beseeching Him to pardon us poor fallen sinners.

Show us thy wonted clemency, and, having obtained us the new life of remission of our sins, bring us to the kingdom, there to reign for ever. Amen.