Daily Reading for May 31 • The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Eve, mother of our humanity,
Teach us true wisdom, that all life is precious in God’s sight.

Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth, yearning for a child,
Comfort and strengthen all who know the pain of infertility.

Hagar, condemned to the harshness of exile,
Sustain those who struggle to feed their sons and daughters.

Rebecca, bride from a far-off land,
Welcome women who must bring up family among strangers.

Rachel, weeping for your children,
Weep with all mothers whose children have disappeared.

Jochebed, mother of Moses and Miriam,
Lend your ingenuity to women who seek protection for their children.

Naomi and Ruth, bound together by a love greater than blood,
Show us how bitter disappointment can become the sweetness of hope.

Mary, daughter of Israel, mother of Jesus,
Share with us God’s secrets you have pondered deep within your heart.

From A Litany of Biblical Mothers by Clare Amos, quoted in Lifting Women’s Voices: Prayers to Change the World edited by Margaret Rose, Jenny Te Paa, Jeanne Person, and Abagail Nelson. Copyright © 2009. Used by permission of Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. www.morehousepublishing.com