The collect for today, the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (source):
Almighty and everlasting God,
who stooped to raise fallen humanity
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary:
grant that we, who have seen thy glory
revealed in our human nature
and thy love made perfect in our weakness,
may daily be renewed in thine image
and conformed to the pattern of thy Son
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
For the Epistle: Proverbs 8:22-35
The Gospel: St. Luke 1:26-28
Artwork: Raphael, Madonna & Child with St. John the Baptist (“Madonna della Seggiola”), c. 1516. Oil on panel, Pitti Palace, Florence.