Ladislaus I of Hungary
by VP
Posted on Friday June 27, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Saint Ladislaus Hungarian King 1077-1095
THE CROWN OF THE CHRISTIAN. -Whatever rank or station you hold, ever bear in mind that you are a Christian. Christianity is above all greatness, and baptism is more holy than the unction of kings. Far from being an obstacle to the accomplishment of duty, Christianity is the hallowing thereof. Thus it was that Ladislaus, elected king of Hungary in 1080, understood and knew how to fulfil the high charge confided to him, The most humble of Christ's followers never showed greater zeal in the accomplishment of Christian works or more simple and modest virtues than he. Never did sovereign exhibit more ardour for the reign of justice, or more courage in defending his country. He annexed to his dominions Cracovia and Dalmatia, expelled the Huns, and conquered the Poles, Russians, and Tartars. He was preparing for a great crusade against the infidels, in order to wrest from them possession of the Holy Land, when he died in 1095. His tomb has been illustrated by numerous miracles.
MORAL REFLECTION.-There is no true greatness apart
from religion. "The great man, and the judge, and the mighty is in
honour; but there is none greater than he that feareth God."-(Eccles. x.
27.)" Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints by Abbe Auguste Lecanu
Feast of the Sacred Heart
by VP
Posted on Friday June 27, 2025 at 12:00AM in Tradition
"If it is true that by contemplating Christ, sinners learn from Him the “sorrow for sins” needed to bring them back to the Father, this is even more the case for sacred ministers. How can we forget, in this regard, that nothing causes more suffering for the Church, the Body of Christ, than the sins of her pastors, especially the sins of those who become “thieves and robbers” of the sheep (cf. Jn 10:1 ff.), lead them astray by their own private teachings, or ensnare them in the toils of sin and death? Dear priests, the summons to conversion and to trust in God’s mercy also applies to us; we too must humbly, sincerely and unceasingly implore the heart of Jesus to preserve us from the terrifying risk of endangering the very people we are obliged to save." -- Pope Benedict XVI, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 19 June 2009
Prayer for Priests: O
Jesus, eternal High Priest, divine Sacrificer, Thou who in an
unspeakable burst of love for men, Thy Brethren, didst cause the
Christian Priesthood to spring forth from Thy Sacred Heart, vouchsafe to pour forth upon Thy priests continual living streams of infinite love. Live
in them, transform them in to Thee; make them, by Thy Grace, fit
instruments of Thy mercy; do Thou act in them and through them, and
grant, that they may become wholly one with Thee by their faithful
imitation of Thy Virtues; and, in Thy name and by the strength of Thy
spirit, may they do the works which Thou didst accomplish for the
salvation of the world.
Divine
Redeemer of souls, behold how great is the multitude of those who still
sleep in the darkness of error; reckon up the number of those
unfaithful sheep who stray to the edge of the precipice; consider the
throngs of the poor, the hungry, the ignorant and the feeble who groan
in their abandoned condition.
Return
to us in the person of Thy priests; truly live again in them; act
through them and pass once more through the world, teaching, forgiving,
comforting, sacrificing and renewing the sacred bonds of love between the Heart of God and the heart of man. Amen.St. Pius X (Raccolta 1907, Prayer 614. Rescript in his own hand. March 3, 1905 )
Allegory of the Holy Eucharist by Miguel Cabrera, 1750 pd
"Out
of devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the Passion of Christ grew the
devotion to the Sacred heart of Jesus with its feast and that of the S.
Priesthood of Christ (Octave of Corpus Christi), and the more recent
feast (1921) of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus on the Thursday following
the third Sunday after Easter. (American Ecclesiastical Review V 68, 1923 page 470)
"This
devotion does not substantially differ from the ordinary devotion to
the Sacred Heart. It merely emphasizes the act of supreme love of the
Heart in bestowing the gift of the Holy Eucharist upon us." The Raccolta
On
9 November 1921, Pope Benedict XV instituted the feast of the
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus to be celebrated on the Thursday within the
Octave of the Sacred Heart with a Proper Mass and Office. The feast
continues to be celebrated in some places. In instituting the feast,
Pope Benedict XV wrote: "The chief reason of this feast is to
commemorate the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the mystery of the
Eucharist. By this means the Church wishes more and more to excite the
faithful to approach this sacred mystery with confidence, and to inflame
their hearts with that divine charity which consumed the Sacred Heart
of Jesus when in His infinite love He instituted the Most Holy
Eucharist, wherein the Divine Heart guards and loves them by living with
them, as they live and abide in Him. For in the sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist He offers and gives Himself to us as victim, companion,
nourishment, viaticum, and pledge of our future glory." The Raccolta
"122. It is likewise Our most fervent desire that all who profess themselves Christians and are seriously engaged in the effort to establish the kingdom of Christ on earth will consider the practice of devotion to the Heart of Jesus as the source and symbol of unity, salvation and peace. Let no one think, however, that by such a practice anything is taken from the other forms of piety with which Christian people, under the guidance of the Church, have honored the divine Redeemer. Quite the opposite. Fervent devotional practice towards the Heart of Jesus will beyond all doubt foster and advance devotion to the Holy Cross in particular, and love for the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. We can even assert - as the revelations made by Jesus Christ to St. Gertrude and to St. Margaret Mary clearly show - that no one really ever has a proper understanding of Christ crucified to whom the inner mysteries of His Heart have not been made known. Nor will it be easy to understand the strength of the love which moved Christ to give Himself to us as our spiritual food save by fostering in a special way the devotion to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, the purpose of which is - to use the words of Our predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII - "to call to mind the act of supreme love whereby our Redeemer, pouring forth all the treasures of His Heart in order to remain with us till the end of time, instituted the adorable Sacrament of the Eucharist."(122) For "not the least part of the revelation of that Heart is the Eucharist, which He gave to us out of the great charity of His own Heart."(123). (Encyclical Haurietis Aquas Pope Pius XII May 15, 1956).
Proper Prayers for the Mass in the Extraordinary form for the Feast of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus
Prayer:
Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist, sweet companion in our exile, I adore Thee.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, I adore Thee.
Heart solitary, I adore Thee.
Heart humiliated, I adore Thee.
Heart abandoned, I adore Thee.
Heart forgotten, I adore Thee.
Heart despised, I adore Thee.
Heart outraged, I adore Thee.
Heart ignored by men, I adore Thee.
Heart, lover of our hearts, I adore Thee.
Heart desirous of being loved, I adore Thee.
Heart patient in waiting for us, I adore Thee.
Heart eager to hear us, I adore Thee.
Heart longing to be prayed to, I adore Thee.
Heart source of new graces, I adore Thee.
Heart wrapped in silence, desiring to speak to souls, I adore Thee.
Heart, the sweet refuge of the hidden life. I adore Thee.
Heart, teacher of the secrets of union with God, I adore Thee.
Heart of Him Who sleeps yet ever watches, I adore Thee.
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, have pity on us,
Jesus, Victim, I desire to console Thee,
I unite myself to Thee, and sacrifice myself with Thee. I
I annihilate myself in Thy presence. I adore Thee.
I would forget myself to be mindful of Thee.
I would be forgotten and despised for love of Thee.
And be neither understood nor love, except by Thee.
I will silence myself to listen to Thee, I will abandon myself to lose myself in Thee.
Grant
that I may thus appease Thy thirst, the thirst for my sanctification
and salvation, and that being purified I am bestow on Thee a pure and
true love. I would not longer weary Thy patience; take possession of me,
I give myself to Thee.
I offer Thee all my actions, my intellect
to be illuminated by Thee, my heart to be guided by Thee, my will to be
made strong, my soul and body to be nourished, my misery to be
lightened. Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, whose blood is the life of my
soul, may it be no longer I that live but do thou alone live in me.
Amen. Blessed Sacrament Book Fr. Francis Xavier Lasance. page 676
Resources:
- The Eucharistic Christ: Reflections and Considerations on the Blessed Sacrament By Fr Albert Tesnière (PDF) 1897
- The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, Readings for the Month of June, by Fr. Albert Tesnière 1928
- A Neglected Gem in the Traditional Roman Missal: The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus by Peter Kwasniewski, PhD
SS. John and Paul, Martyrs, A.D. 362.
by VP
Posted on Thursday June 26, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"Two brothers, bred up in the court of Constantine the Great, and by him appointed to serve his daughter Constantia. They were afterwards invited by Julian the Apostate to accept of places under him: but refusing to serve a prince, who had renounced his faith, they were apprehended. Detesting the idols, which they were commanded to worship, their constancy was rewarded with the crown of martyrdom, they being both beheaded in their own house. These saints glorified God by a double victory: they despised the honours of the world,
and triumphed over its threats and torments. They saw many wicked men
prosper; but they were not dazzled by their example. Pray for those,
whose hearts are opened to all the dangers of the court; that amidst the powerful delusions of that state, they may continue faithful to their God. As strict a guard is necessary for keeping a good conscience there, as for the safety of the sovereign. Learn from these saints, not to hazard your soul for interest, or preferment. A private life, with peace of mind, is much more comfortable and Christian, than exposing conscience for the purchase of honour and revenues. It is better to hazard starving than burning. All the evils of this life are much more tolerable than an eternal separation from God. Therefore, in placing out children, or seeking employment or service for yourself or others, consider not only the temporal advantage, but the eternal also; and refuse all offers where there is not as fair a prospect of gaining the next world, as of succeeding in this. How many are eternally lost by tempting God in this way, in putting themselves in circumstances, where having no convenience of performing the duties of their religion, they come by insensible degrees, into a total forgetfulness of God, and thus live on,
till death carries them away? It is a misery to be lamented, and one
that requires your charity. Pray for remedy, and be watchful that it
never comes to be your case." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
#22 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed against Him by mankind [Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament]
by VP
Posted on Thursday June 26, 2025 at 12:00AM in Thursday Reparation
22. We adore Thee, Amiable Spouse of our souls! And to make reparation for all the lukewarmness and indifference shown by many, particularly in time of Holy Communion, we offer up the Thee the raptures and ecstasies of holy Virgins. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament.
O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by rendering to Him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of performing. Amen.
CAPGSt. William of Montevergine, Abbot and Confessor, A.D. 1142.
by VP
Posted on Wednesday June 25, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"HAVING lost his father and mother in his infancy, he was brought up by his friends in great sentiments of piety. At fifteen years of age, out of an earnest desire of leading a penitential life, he left Piedmont, his native country, and made an austere pilgrimage to Compostella in Spain, to the famous church of St. James the Apostle. He performed this pilgrimage, clothed with only one garment, wearing a double iron girdle, and walking barefoot; and suffered severe cold and heat, hunger and thirst, with great danger of his life. Returning into Italy, he proposed to make another pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem; but was hindered by various impediments permitted to fall in his way by divine Providence, who called him to higher and more holy exercises of piety. He spent two years in a desert mountain, and lived in perpetual contemplation, and rigorous austerities Having here restored sight to a blind man, the fame of this miracle rendered it impossible for him to remain in obscurity; and accordingly he changed his habitation, and built a monastery on the summit of a mountain, called Monte Vergine. Here he collected some religious men to live with him, and instructed them in the gospel rules and counsels, and also in ascetic practices. Thus was laid the foundation of the religious congregation of Monte Vergine. Other monasteries of the same religious institute were afterwards erected. The sanc tity of the holy man became every day more brilliant, and attracted more and more persons to him. He foretold the day of his death to the king of Naples and others, and slept in the Lord on the 25th of June, 1142.
Order and good discipline
are necessary, not only for religious houses, but likewise for all other
families. Where these are neglected, there unavoidably follows a
proportioned decay of Christianity. So that, without rash judgment, it may be concluded that those families which are not orderly, are not virtuous, or at least will not long be so. If you have the care of a family, consider your charge, and forget not that the eternal welfare of those under your care much depends on your example and management." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
by VP
Posted on Tuesday June 24, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Daily Missal with Vespers for Sunday
"He was sanctified in his mother's womb. A good instruction for mothers, to pray for their children before they are born. Very much depends on their natural constitution and temper; the difference of inclinations is very observable. Why then should not they pray for such as may lead to virtue and happiness?
St. John was the forerunner of Christ, and proclaimed Him to the world, preparing His way before Him, by preaching penance and conversion from sin. Pray that you may hear his voice, and enter into those holy dispositions which he requires. Prepare your soul, as he directs, that Christ may follow, and take up his abode in your heart.
We have it from the mouth of Christ himself, that amongst all born of women there is none greater than St. John Baptist. And yet we find nothing in him which the world esteems great; his whole life being a contempt of the world, and an entire renunciation of all that which is reputed valuable in it. For, his habitation being a desert, his clothing being of camel's hair, and his food locusts and wild honey, it is evident that neither riches, nor honour, nor pleasures, nor the satisfaction of any sense, nor any sort of vanity, had place in him. Making no further use of the world than necessity required, he renounced all that which could contribute to these common objects of human greatness. His greatness therefore, was in the contempt of all these things; and this was necessary in him, who was to be the precursor of the Messias; that so not only in words, but by example too, he might teach the world to prepare the ways of the Lord, and make good what he said of himself: I am a voice. For thus was he a voice, whilst all that he did carried with it the same instruction with what he said.
This instruction we are to receive this day, by learning from St. John the only methods of preparing the ways of Christ, and obtain some degrees of that greatness, which rendered him the just subject of our Redeemer's love and praise. This instruction has but one point, and that is, forsaking or contemning the world and ourselves. This is the lesson which he teaches: and the case is plain. For as to prepare for the world, and seek its greatness, there is a necessity of pursuing all those ways which the world
values, and are calculated to raise its admiration and esteem; and
since to be great in our own eyes, there is a necessity of observing the dictates of self-love; -so, to prepare the ways of Christ, and obtain some part of that greatness which he commends, there is a like necessity of contemning
what he disesteems, and walking in all those ways which he approves and
teaches, as ways that lead to Him. And since he has declared the world to be his enemy; since the great things of the world are the very things which he has rejected; since we are taught that all its ways are vanity, and that self-love is the root of all evil; it is no less than demonstration, that the only means of preparing the ways of our Lord, and being great with him, is to forsake or despise the world and ourselves. Not that all are bound to retire into a desert with St. John, or confine themselves to the rigours of his eating or clothing; but that in all these particulars, whilst great allowances are granted, in consideration of health and education, degrees and custom, great care likewise ought to be had by Christians, not to seek themselves or the world, any more than the Baptist did, who renounced them all. Because, whatever we do, pushed on by the love of the world or ourselves, we do not in this prepare the ways of Christ; nor can we by such ways become great with him. By frequent selfdenial, a Christian comes near to the spirit of St. John. And is not this the only means for preparing the ways of our Lord, and arriving at that greatness, which he commends? This indeed is contrary to what the world expects; but since the world is opposite to Christ, the ways of Christ must necessarily be opposite to those of the world; and there can be no engaging in the one, but by forsaking the other.
Teach us therefore, O Jesus thy ways: and may thy holy Baptist obtain
for us that spirit, without which we can have no hopes of coming to thee." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Prayers in Honor of St. John the Baptist
O Glorious St. John the Baptist, of those born of women the greatest of prophets (Luke vii. 28); thou, though sanctified from thy mother's womb and most innocent, didst nevertheless will to retire into the desert, there to practice austerities and penance; obtain for us from Our Lord the grace to be detached, at least in the affections of our hearts, from all earthly treasure, and to practice Christian mortification with interior recollection and a spirit of holy prayer,
Pater, Ave, and Gloria.
Most zealous apostle, who, without working any miracle on others, but solely by the example of thy life of penance and the power of thy words, didst draw after thee crowds, in order to prepare them to worthily receive the Messiah, and listen to His heavenly teaching; grant that it may be given to us also, by the example of a holy life and the practice of good works, to lead many souls to God and, above all, those who have been enveloped in the darkness of error and ignorance, and led astray by vice.
Pater, Ave, Gloria.
O unconquered martyr, who for the honor of God and the salvation of souls, didst, with heroic constancy, and at the cost of life itself, withstand the impious Herod reproving him openly for his bad and dissolute life; obtain for us a brave and generous heart, so that, overcoming all human respect, we may boldly profess our faith, and follow the teaching of our divine master, Jesus Christ.
Pater, Ave, Gloria.
V. Pray for us, St. John the Baptist.
R.That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
O God, Who hast made this day worthy of honor in the nativity (commemoration) of St. John, grant to thy people the grace of spiritual joys, and direct the minds of all the faithful into the way of eternal salvation through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Pius X, Jan 11, 1904 (Indulgences.) Blessed Sacrament Book by Father Francis Lasance p1131)
"A Prophet of the Most High" (Alleluia), St. John is pre-figured by Isaias and Jeremias (Introit, Epistle, Gradual); still more, he was consecrated before birth to announce Jesus (Secret) and to prepare souls for His coming.
The Gospel narrates the prodigies which accompanied his birth. Zachary gives his child the name which St. Gabriel has brought him from heaven, which signifies: The Lord has pardoned. He immediately recovers his speech and, filled with the Holy Ghost, he foretells the greatness of his son: "He shall walk before the face of the Lord to give unto the people the knowledge of salvation." The angel Gabriel had announced to Zachary that "many would rejoice in the birth of St. John the Baptist". Indeed, not only “the neighbors and relations of Elizabeth" solemnized the event, but every year, on its anniversary, the whole Church invites her children to share in this holy joy. She knows that the nativity "of this Prophet of the Most High " at this summer Christmas is intimately connected with the Advent of the Messiah.
After the feast of the Nativity of St. John, the days become shorter, while, on the contrary, after the Nativity of the Savior, of which this feast is the prelude, the days become longer. The Precursor must efface himself before Jesus Who is the true light of souls. "He must increase," says St. John," and I must decrease."
The solstices were the occasion of pagan feasts when fires were lighted to honor the orb which gives us light. The Church Christianized these rites seeing in them a symbol of St. John who was a burning and brilliant lamp." Indeed "she encouraged this kind of manifestation which corresponded so well with the character of the feast. The St. John bonfires happily completed the liturgical solemnity; they showed the Church and the earthly city united in one thought." The name of the Precursor is inscribed in the Canon of the Mass at the head of the Second List.
Formerly, on his feast day three masses were celebrated in his honor, and numerous churches were dedicated to him. Parents loved to give his name to their children.
Paul the Deacon, a monk of Monte Cassino and a friend of Charlemagne, had composed, in honor of St. John the Baptist, the hymn: “Ut queant laxis." In the thirteenth century the Benedictine monk Guy of Arezzo noticed that the notes sung on the first syllables formed the sequence of the first six degrees of the scale. He named each degree by the corresponding syllable: (Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si) and thereby greatly facilitated the study of musical intervals.
"That Thy servants may sing with full voice the marvels of Thy works, purify their sullied lips, O St. John."Immediately Zachary made signs that he wished to call his son John,. he recovered his speech; and lo! a hymn composed in honor of the Prophet, whose voice resounds in the desert, becomes the occasion of a new progress in music. Every Parish Priest celebrates Mass for the welfare spiritual and temporal of his Parishioners." Daily Missal with Vespers page 1436 1925
St. Ethelreda, Abbess
by VP
Posted on Monday June 23, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ANOTHER FAMILY OF SAINTS.-The pious Anna, king of the East Angles, was the father of St. Ethelreda, and her mother was St. Heruwyda; her sisters were St. Sexburga, St. Withburga, and St. Ethelburga, who died as a nun in France. Ethelreda was born at Ermyng, in the county of Suffolk, and was brought up in the fear of God. After having passed three years in married life, though in a state of continence, she retired to the island of Ely, in order to devote herself to practices of piety. Afterwards yielding to the entreaties of Egfrid, king of the Northumbrians, she consented to assume the dignity of queen, but only on condition of still keeping holy continence.
Notwithstanding all the good she effected by the influence of her example in the world, she preferred seeking anew the calm of retirement, and withdrew to the nunnery of Coldingham, and subsequently to the isle of Ely, where she founded a nunnery herself, and there died in 679. Her body having been exhumed eleven years after, was found exempt from corruption, and many miracles were wrought by mere contact therewith.
MORAL REFLECTION. -Happy
those families where "the children's children are the crown of the old,
and the glory of children are their fathers!"-(Prov. xvii. 6.)" The Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints by Fr. Lecanu
The Holy Eucharist
by VP
Posted on Sunday June 22, 2025 at 12:00AM in Sunday Sermons
"Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth in me shall never thirst."-St. John vi. 35.
MY DEAR BRETHREN: There are many profound thinkers interested in surveying the domain of consciousness, and in making explorations to discover the process by which ideas are formed and retained in the human mind. Within the brain, where the powers of thought reside, there is a sort of dark continent that has not yet been illuminated by the sunlight, or even by the electric light of modern science. It is more than probable that the masters of scholastic philosophy in the thirteenth century knew as much concerning the laws that govern the process of mental growth as the most pretentious modern scholars. In a mysterious way the sight, the hearing, and the other corporeal senses co-operate with the faculties of the mind to produce ideas. Without being able to analyze the process closely, we are nevertheless certain of the results produced. The material world enters into communication with our immaterial spirit, and does so through the agency of the senses. The most difficult problem of mental philosophy is to explain how these sensible impressions are transmuted into thought, and to show how we obtain assurance that the inner world of thought is a correct photograph, and exact representation, of the world around us.
During the time of our Lord's public life he performed many astounding miracles which proved His dominion over the forces of nature, which proved His power in the spirit world beyond the grave. He gave sight to the blind, health to the sick, life to the dead. He multiplied a few loaves of bread and some fishes so that the hunger of five thousand people was appeased. All these were miracles that fell under the senses. They are evidences of His power which come to our understanding through the ordinary channels of human thought and knowledge.
But in the great mystery we celebrate during this octave, my dear brethren, faith and not the senses tells us of the greatest of all His miracles: His presence in the Holy Eucharist. Our eyes see nothing that would of itself convince us of His presence. Our senses cannot perceive that our Lord is truly present under the appearances of bread and wine. It is only by the aid of faith that we can penetrate the veil that hides Him from our view. We believe solely on the testimony of our Lord; we call to mind the words He spoke at the Last Supper, and remember that He has declared those blessed who have not seen and yet have believed. So when we receive Holy Communion, when we assist at Benediction, when we make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, we make an act of faith in the Real Presence.
The mysterious life that our Lord has chosen in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest of all miracles, and when considered attentively fills the mind with wonder and amazement. By a constant and perpetually recurring miracle He abides with His creatures, He still dwells among us, and finds delight in distributing gifts and blessings to the children of men. It was not sufficient for the accomplishment of His plan that He should assume our human nature, that He endeared Himself to the poorest and most destitute of the people among whom He lived. He laid plans and appointed ambassadors to secure the peaceful conquest of all nations; he entered into an agreement beforehand with all who should receive His doctrine: He promised to reward every one who would live righteously, in conformity with the law that He established.
He is still living with us. He is as really present on our altars as He is in the home of His eternal Father. He is with us because of His personal love for each one of us. His presence among us is a great and unceasing wonder, but it is a wonder that can only be explained by His love. Wherever the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated, there is He present not only in His Divinity, but in His ever-adorable humanity as well. Thrones and temples have been built for Him in all nations, and from His presence the sorrowful find comfort, the weak find strength, the cowardly find courage, and all find the pledge of eternal life." Five Minutes Sermons by the Paulist Fathers, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost
St. Alban, First Martyr of England, a.d. 303. and St. Paulinus, Bishop and Confessor
by VP
Posted on Sunday June 22, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"So great was the glory of this first martyr of our country, that his name was famous over the whole Church. He was as yet a pagan, when the edicts of the Roman emperors against the Christians began to be put into execution in Britain. A certain priest sought by flight to escape the persecutors, and Alban afforded him a shelter in his house. He was much edified by the holy deportment of the stranger, and admired his faith and piety, and in particular his assiduity in prayer. Alban listened to his instructions, and in a short time became a Christian. Information was soon given to the Roman governor that the priest lay hid at the house of St. Alban. Soldiers were sent to search for him; but St. Alban changed clothes with his guest, that he might more easily escape, and he himself put on the garment worn by the priest. In this dress he presented himself boldly to the soldiers, and was by them led to the judge. He was highly provoked to find the cheat which the saint had put upon him, and ordered him to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Upon his heroic refusal, the judge commanded him to be scourged; and seeing him bear with unshaken constancy, and even with joy, the most cruel torments, he at last condemned him to be beheaded.
The saint, impatient to obtain the crown of martyrdom, by his prayers dried up the river, so as to afford a passage for himself and a great multitude who went out to witness his execution. At this miracle, the executioner was converted, and throwing away his sword, fell at the saint's feet, begging to die with him, or rather in his place. Another executioner was called in, who struck off the head of the martyr; but his own eyes fell to the ground at the same time. The first executioner who had declared himself a Christian was also beheaded. They suffered on the 22nd of June, according to most authors in the year 303, and at the place where the town of St. Albans now stands.
Pray for your country, that God may bless it with the love of justice and truth. Pray for all who suffer for the faith, and beseech God to give you the courage and constancy of his primitive servants.
"ADVANTAGES DERIVABLE FROM ADVERSITY. - Paulinus was born at Bordeaux in 353. He reckoned among his ancestors a long line of senators, and his father was prefect of Gaul. He had as preceptor the celebrated Ausonius, and at the age of twenty-five became prefect of the town of Rome. Theresa, belonging to one of the most noble families in Spain, brought him a large accession of wealth in marriage. He was at the height of worldly dignities when sudden changes happening in the empire snatched from him all his honours and a goodly portion of his wealth. Paulinus and Theresa thereupon, apprehending the nothingness of the things of the world, sold the remainder of their possessions in favour of the poor; Theresa dedicated her life to their service, and Paulinus embraced the religious state. His great virtue soon rendered his name famous, and caused him to be raised to the bishopric of Nola. This town, which was devastated by the Goths a year afterwards, stood in need of such a bishop, to prevent its entire destruction. He became the providence of the poor and the unfortunate. Although poor himself, he always found means to give in abundance. St. Paulinus died in 431.
MORAL REFLECTION.-We read in the book of Proverbs:
"Whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth, even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth."-(Prov. iii. 12.)" Pictorial Half Hour with the Saints by Fr. Lecanu
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Confessor, A.D. 1591.
by VP
Posted on Saturday June 21, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"THIS saint was born of noble and pious parents. From the instructions and example of his devout mother, the deepest sentiments of religion and the fear of God were impressed upon his soul from his childhood, In the seventh year of his age, he began to conceive greater sentiments of piety, and recited every day the office of our Blessed Lady, the seven penitential psalms, and other prayers, which he never omitted even in sickness. He had a great esteem for the angelic virtue of chastity; and cultivated this by assiduous prayer, universal mortification, and careful avoidance of all dangerous occasions. But humility was in him the guardian of purity. When he was nine years old he made a vow of perpetual virginity before an altar of the Blessed Virgin at Florence. He had so tender a devotion to the B. Eucharist, that when hearing Mass, after the consecration, he often melted into tears, in profound sentiments of love and adoration. He frequently approached to the Holy Communion, and this great Sacrament became his greatest joy and consolation.
St Aloysius at length determined to enter into the Society of Jesus, in order to devote himself to the instructing and conducting souls to God. He renounced his right of succession to his father's title of Marquis, in favour of his younger brother; and entered his noviceship at Rome, in his eighteenth year. Here he strove to surpass all his companions in every religious duty. He was exact in the observance of every rule; possessed a thorough contempt of the world, and a most ardent love of God. Such was the general mortification of his senses, that he seemed wholly inattentive to exterior things. He never listened to reports or discourse about worldly matters; spoke very little, and never about himself. His whole life seemed a continual prayer. To appear poor, little, and contemptible was his delight, and he rejoiced to see the last and worst portion of any thing fall to his share.
In 1591 St. Aloysius obtained leave to serve the sick, when a pestilential distemper swept off great multitudes in Rome. He catechised and exhorted the poor patients, washed their feet, made their beds, and performed the most loathsome and painful offices of the hospital. He soon fell sick, and though he recovered of this attack, he was reduced three months after to the last extremity, and died the death of the just, on the 21st of June, it being that year the octave day of Corpus Christi.
When we see a young prince sacrifice nobility, sovereignty, riches, and pleasures, the more easily to secure the treasure of divine love, and eternal happiness, how much ought we to condemn our own sloth, who live as if heaven were to cost us nothing? Let us imitate his diligence, if we wish to secure his reward." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Prayer to Saint ALoysius Gonzaga to Obtain the Virtue of Purity:
Amiable Saint, whose life was more angelical than human! I, thy most unworthy servant come to confide, in a special manner, to thy pure hands, and to thy watchful solicitude, the purity of my soul and body. Angel of purity, I earnestly beseech thee to intercede for me with Jesus Christ, the immaculate Lamb, and with his holy Mother, the Virgin of virgins, that I may be preserved from every grievous sin, and from the least stain of impurity.
When thou seest me
tempted, and in danger of sinning against that virtue which was so dear
to thee, remove far from my mind and heart every unchaste thought and
desire; bring to my mind the thought of eternity, and of Jesus
crucified; fill my heart with the fear of God; kindle within it the fire
of divine love, and obtain, that after having imitated thy virtues here
below, I may enjoy with thee, in heaven, the happiness to possess God,
and to possess him for ever. Our Father and Hail Mary. (St. Vincent's Manual)
THE DEVOUT CLIENT'S ADDRESS TO SAINT ALOYSIUS:
ANGELICAL Youth, Aloysius, by the particular appointment of God's vicar upon earth, patron of those who apply to studies: thou who hast illustrated the Church by a holy contempt of an earthly principality, but more by the innocence of thy manners, sanctity of thy life, and glory of thy miracles, allow me, from this day, to choose and adopt thee, patron and protector of my life and studies, firmly resolved to follow the example and pattern, as well of piety as of industry, thou hast put before me. For the love thou hadst for Christ crucified, and his most blessed Mother, receive me as thy client and obedient servant; aid and assist me in the pursuit of virtue and learn. ing; nourish and increase in me a purity of body and mind; turn off the snares laid against my chastity; ward and defend me against the dangers of the world; inspire my heart with a true and filial confidence in the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of good counsel; govern and direct me in my choice of a state of life, and let the grace of God be my perpetual defence against all mortal sin: that as thou always livedst in a purity and integrity truly angelical, so assisted by thy patronage, and aided by the grace of God, I may live chastely and holily in this world, and deserve to De associated with thee and joined to the company of the angels in heaven. Amen. Recite six Paters and Aves, with the Gloria Patri.
LITANY OF ST. ALOYSIUS.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, Graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, have mercy on us.
Holy Mother of God, have mercy on us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, have mercy on us.
St. Aloysius, Most beloved of Christ, have mercy on us.
The delight of the blessed Virgin, have mercy on us.
Most chaste youth, have mercy on us.
Angelic youth, have mercy on us.
Most humble youth, have mercy on us.
Model of young students, have mercy on us.
Despiser of riches, have mercy on us.
Enemy of vanities, have mercy on us.
Scorner of honors, have mercy on us.
Honor of princes, have mercy on us.
Jewel of the nobility, have mercy on us.
Flower of innocence, have mercy on us.
Ornament of a religious state, have mercy on us.
Mirror of mortification, have mercy on us.
Mirror of perfect obedience, have mercy on us.
Lover of evangelical poverty, have mercy on us.
Most affectionately devout, have mercy on us.
Most zealous observer of rules, have mercy on us.
Most desirous of the salvation of souls, pray for us.
Perpetual adorer of the holy Eucharist, pray for us.
Particular client of St. Ignatius, pray for us
Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful, hear us, O Lord.
From the concupiscence of the eyes, O Lord, deliver
us.
From the concupiscence of the flesh, O Lord, deliver us.
From the pride of life, O Lord, deliver us.
Through the merits and intercession of St. Aloysius, O Lord, deliver us.
Through his angelical purity, O Lord, deliver us.
Through his sanctity and glory, O Lord, deliver us.
We sinners, beseech thee to hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Y. Pray for us, St. Aloysius,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY.
O GOD! the distributor of heavenly gifts; who didst unite in the angelic youth Aloysius, wonderful inno. cence of life, with an equal severity of penance; grant through his merits and prayers that we, who have not fol lowed the example of his innocence, may imitate his practice of penance; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
