THE SAFEGUARD OF OUR SOUL
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 06, 2024 at 12:00AM in Sermons
"Lord, come down before that my son die."- St. JOHN 4. 49.
"THE gospel narrative to-day is simple and touching. The ruler loved his son, and was sorely grieved that he was losing him. Opportunely he heard that our Blessed Lord had come from Judea to Galilee. He hastened therefore to Him; and the cry of his heart went forth, full of faith and trusting hope: Lord, come down and heal my son. And when our Saviour chided him that unless he saw signs and wonders he believed not, the father's heart, not minding the rebuke, persevered in the prayer: Lord, come down before that my son die.
Have we not something that we should cherish even more than that father did his son? Should not our prayer be more earnest and persevering than that father's? Ours should be, "Lord, come down before that my soul die." And how this prayer of poor fallen man has been heard! God the Son came down from heaven and became Man to succor the soul of man. He taught it; He comforted it; He blessed it, and redeemed it. He, Who was the glory of heaven, came down, and became the Crucified Victim of Calvary for us. And lest in succeeding ages the memory of this atonement should grow dim, and lose its power over the hearts of men, the loving Lord perpetuated this Sacrifice, this oblation of Himself for man, lest that our soul should die. Faithful hearts gather round the altar, and their cry is, "Come down." During all these centuries, day after day, in every church the miracle of miracles is worked, and at the words of consecration in the Mass, Christ our Lord, true God, true Man, comes down in His Mercy and His love. Here is our salvation! What Calvary did, the Mass can do! The work of our redemption is renewed lest our souls die. For a moment reflect; what earnestness, devotion, gratitude should be ours for the daily Holy Mass. Christ comes down to heal us, strengthen us, to make our hearts live for and tend to their eternal destiny.
Come down! Yes, daily upon our altars, and yet the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not content. There is another yearning, another longing that inflames it. Come down, He bids us pray again. Come down, dear Lord, into the very depths of our poor souls, come down and heal them in Holy Communion. Have we no pity for our own poor souls, that are dying-frail, languishing, wasting for nourishment and health and strength? And our Blessed Lord comes down to us, saying to us, "I am the Bread of life. . . . If any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever" (John vi. 48, 52). All that is wanting is our desire and longing to come to Him to be healed.
What shall we answer to Christ the Judge if our souls die? It will be all our own fault. No shadow of an excuse. No one upon whom to lay the blame except our own selves. We may say we were tempted by the devil; but here was our Lord to succour us. We were weak and sinful; yes, and we neglected to seek strength and holiness here in the Blessed Sacrament. We were busy and occupied with many cares and the pursuits of the world; ah! had we not time to secure eternity? Passing pleasures of an hour were more thought of than the eternal joys of heaven, of which the Blessed Eucharist is the token and the pledge.
Our divine Lord is longing to come to us; but we, alas! have little longing or desire to come to Him. Where is our faith, our hope, our love for Him? Where is the fear within us lest our soul should die? It humbles us to remember the devotedness of others, and how in response to the cry of their hearts, our Saviour has come and made His abode with them, and transformed them into saints. Yes, they have become saints because they were anxious about their souls, and their faith taught them how their souls could be safeguarded. The cry of their heart was, "Lord, come down"; they knew they could not do without Him. And the safety, the growth, the perfecting of their souls was in this-that our Lord had come with His blessed healing and nourishing, and had stayed with them. His Presence made them realize more and more His blessings and His love, and then on their part their desire and longing for Him and wholehearted response to His graces grew more and more.
Mass and Holy Communion must not become matters of custom and habit, and there is here a great danger, especially for the young and thoughtless. But they must be so prepared for and longed for each day, that this love of receiving our divine Lord may be intensified each time. We are humbled, when we think of the devotion of the saints that we read of. How St. Gerard, a mere little boy, longed so for his Lord that St. Michael the Archangel brought him his first Communion. How the Sacred Host left the altar and came of itself to St. Catherine of Siena at the end of the church.
Each time at Holy Communion let us try to learn to be more devout. And thus we shall come to be prepared for that last and final visit, when our days on earth are drawing to a close, and in response to our dying cry, "Lord, come down," the Holy Viaticum will be brought to us, and for the last time on earth our wistful eyes will look upon our Blessed Lord in the Holy Eucharist! Soon to behold Him in His glory in that eternal home whither He will lead us." Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Francis Paulinus Hickey
Placidus and Companions, MARTYRS, A.D. 546.
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 05, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ST. PLACIDUS was a disciple of St. Benedict. St. Gregory relates, that having fallen into a lake, as he was fetching some water, St. Benedict, who was in the monastery, knew of the accident, and calling Maurus, said to him, "Brother, run, make haste; the child is fallen into the water." Maurus, having begged his blessing, ran to the lake, and walked upon the water to some distance from the land, to the place where Placidus was floating, and taking hold of him by the hair, returned with the same speed. St. Benedict ascribed this miracle to the disciple's obedience. St. Placidus advanced daily in holy wisdom, and the exercise of all virtues, so that his life seemed a true copy of that of his holy master, St. Benedict. Being sent by him into Sicily, he there founded a church and monastery, near the port of Messina. Having lived there with thirty monks, in wonderful sanctity, a Pagan barbarian, with a fleet of pirates from Africa, landed in Sicily, and out of hatred to the Christian name, put them all to the sword for their faith in Christ, which he could not persuade them to renounce, in the year 546.
Pray for all who suffer; and in particular for those, who lie under temptation of renouncing their faith, on account of preferment, interest, or other temporal conveniences. See if some of these considerations do not prevail on you to pass the bounds of duty to the creed or commandments. Great grace is necessary to keep you steady. Make provision therefore against the time of temptation. Christians have to subdue corruption, and live by the spirit of Christ.
They must open their breasts to this holy spirit; and put their whole
hearts so under its conduct, that all other motions being suppressed,
their thoughts, desires, affections, words, and actions may be regulated
by this divine guest, and they may do in all things, not now what they will, but what God wills in them. This is the only way to give their lives to Christ, and the only way to die for Him." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Priests' First Saturday
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 05, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Mary as Mother of Priests is in the Dominican Priory Church of the Holy Cross in Leicester. by Lawrence OP
"Listen to what our Holy Father, Pope Pius XI, says: " God in heaven and I on earth, we desire nothing more ardently than prayer and sacrifice for priests...Let us beg God that He may give holy priests! If we have this, all else will follow; but if this be wanting, all else will avail nothing." It was from this trend of thought that the idea of the Priest's Saturday" took its origin, which idea the Superior General of the Salvatorian Fathers placed before the Holy Father in special private audience on November 21, 1934. His Holiness was much pleased with the plan and said, in conclusion: "We heartily praise and bless the work....We repeat, the thing pleases Us, We praise and bless it heartily."
What is the plan?
The Priest's Saturday:
It is something quite simple and easy, yet immeasurable great in its results. You should make it a point to offer the Saturday after the First Friday of each month to your Savior, through the hands of Mary, the great mediatrix of all graces, for the sanctification of all the priests and students for the priesthood throughout the whole world. For this purpose you should give the Saturday wholly and entirely to Him, that is to say, Holy Mass, Holy Communion, all prayers, labors, sacrifices, joys and sorrows. Whatever you cannot do on this day (Holy Mass and Holy Communion) you ought to supply immediately on Sunday. So there is really nothing new for you to do. You merely offer up this Saturday (or even every Saturday or some other day) for the sanctification of priests. It is not a case of any sodality of fraternity or anything like that. Like the First Friday in honor of the Sacred Heart, the Priest's Saturday seeks to become something religiously observed by all the Catholics of the world.
(...) Concern about the holiness of priests is the concern of the Heart of the Divine Savior and of His blessed Mother. Therefore, you also should be sure to take part in this "apostolate to the apostles. " The Holy Father, all bishops, all priests, all students for the priesthood, and especially also your own pastor, earnestly beg of you thus to participate."
Source: Priest's Saturday Series, #2 Prayers and Devotions for Priest's Day. used with permission
Priests' First Saturday. Prayer:
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who hast
entrusted the whole work of Thy redemption, the welfare and salvation of
the world, to priests as Thy representatives, through the hands of Thy
most holy Mother and for the sanctification of Thy priests and
candidates for the priesthood I offer Thee this present day wholly and
entirely, with all its prayers, works, sacrifices, joys, and sorrows.
Give truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of Thy divine love,
seek nothing but Thy greater glory and the salvation of our souls.
And thou, Mary, good Mother of priests, protect all priests in the
dangers of their holy vocation and, with the loving hand of a Mother,
also lead back to the Good Shepherd those poor priests who have become
unfaithful to their exalted vocation and have gone astray. Amen
In addition to the above make it a point also to recite frequently the following:
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who Hast entrusted the weal and woes of
Thy Holy Church to priests, with all the fervor of my heart I recommend
to Thee the wants of my pastor and all priests. Enrich them more and
more with true priestly sanctity. Give them generous, all embracing,
apostolic hearts, full of love for Thee and for all Thy souls, so that
they, being themselves sanctified in Thee, may sanctify us who are
confided to their care, and may lead us safely to heaven. Bestow upon
them in rich abundance all Thy priestly graces!
Let them ever
give us a glowing example of love and fidelity towards Holy Mother
Church, towards the Pope, and bishops, and grant that by word and
example they may shine as models of every virtue.
Most loving
Jesus, bless all their priestly labors and sacrifices! Bless all their
prayers and words at the altar and in the confessional, in the pulpit,
and in school, in confraternities, and at the bedside of the sick!
Protect and preserve them in all dangers from within and from without.
Divine Savior, give to Thy Church priests who abound in true holiness!
Call many good boys and young men to the priestly and religious state!
Aid and sanctify all those who are to become Thy priests! And to the
souls of departed priests grant everlasting rest.
But to me
give a true spirit of faith and humble obedience, in order that in my
pastor I may ever behold the representative of God and willingly follow
all his teachings. Amen
Saint Francis of Assisi
by VP
Posted on Friday October 04, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
Saint Francis, Holy Name Cathedral Raleigh NC VP
"I also beseech in the Lord, all my brethren who are, or who shall be, or who desire to be priests of the Most High, that whenever they wish to celebrate Mass, they be pure, and offer with purity and reverence the true Sacrifice of the most holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ with a holy and perfect intention; not from any earthly motive, nor for the fear or love of any creature, as though desiring to please men; but let every will (according to the grace given) be directed solely to the most High God, and do you desire to please Him alone, for He alone works in this holy Sacrifice according to His good pleasure, as the Lord has Himself said: "Do this in remembrance of Me:" and he who does otherwise becomes a traitor like Judas.
Remember, O priests, my brothers, how it is written in the law of Moses, that those who transgressed even in corporal sacrifices were condemned by God to death, without any mercy. What a far more terrible punishment will he deserve, who tramples under foot the Son of God, and treats the Blood of the New Testament by which he is sanctified as a vile thing, and offers insult to the Holy Ghost! A man stained with sin despises and tramples on the Lamb of God, when, as the Apostle says, not discerning the sacred Bread, which is Christ, from other food, he eats unworthily by being guilty of unworthy actions; for the Lord has said by His Prophet: "Cursed is the man who does the work of God with negligence or fraud." And on account of those priests who will not lay these things seriously to heart, we are condemned, when Our Lord days: " I will curse your blessings."
Hearken, my brethren. If the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored, as she well deserves, for having borne our Savior in her most holy womb; if St. John the Baptist trembled, and did not dare to touch the forehead of his Lord; if the Holy Sepulcher in which this same Lord reposed for a short time is so venerated - how holy, how just, and how worthy ought not he to be who touches with his hands, receives into his mouth and heart, and gives to others, this God Who is now no more to die, but Who will live and be glorified for ever, on Whom the angels desire to gaze! Understand your dignity, O priests, my brothers, and " be ye holy, because He is holy." As God has honored you more than all others through this Mystery, do you love, reverence, and honor Him through this Mystery. It is a great misery, and a deplorable weakness, when you have Him thus present, that you should care for anything else in the whole world. Man should be seized with fear, the earth should tremble, and the heavens rejoice exceedingly, when Christ the Son of the living God descends upon the altar in the hands of the priest.
O admirable greatness! O stupendous condescension! O humble sublimity! the Lord of the universe, God, and the Son of God, so abases Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the form of a morsel of bread! See, O my brethren, the lowliness of your God! pour out your hearts before Him and humble yourselves, that you may be worthy to be exalted by Him. Do not keep back anything of yourselves, that He Who gives Himself to you without reserve may receive your entire being."
Source: Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi By Saint Francis (of Assisi) 1882Ste. Thérèse de Lisieux
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 03, 2024 at 12:46AM in Saints
Ste. Thérèse de Lisieux, Brittany, France
"Our vocation is not to go and reap in the Father's fields: Jesus does
not say to us: " Cast down your eyes and reap the harvest"; our mission
is still more sublime. Here are the words of the Divine Master: "Lift up
your eyes and see..." see that in Heaven there are empty places; yours
it is to fill them...you are as Moses praying on the mountain; ask of Me
laborers and I will send them; I await but a prayer, a sigh from out
your heart!"
Ste. Thérèse de Lisieux (Spiritual Maxims)
"Now it is in the Host that I can see you carry your annihilation in full. How humble you are , oh Divine King of Glory in submitting Yourself to all your priests without making any distinction between those who love you and those who, alas, are lukewarm or cold in your service! You descend from Heaven to their call. They can anticipate or delay the time of your Holy Sacrifice. You are always ready! (Pr 20)" -- St. Thérèse de Lisieux
Prayer for Priests and Vocation ( Ste. Thérèse de Lisieux)
O Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds
of Thy Divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple
John who stood at the foot of the Cross; priests: who as a pledge of
Thine own most tender love will lovingly give Thy Divine Son to the
souls of men.
May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church, as John was of
Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who
suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and
thoughtfulness towards Thy children. May they teach souls to enter into
close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is
specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy Divine Heart.
Give us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary,
priests who will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care
with which Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.
Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for Thy beloved Son,
open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and
give Him a generation of priests formed in thy school and having all the
tender thoughtfulness of thine own spotless love.
O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful, to
those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may
grasp it as their support. And for those poor unfortunate souls who have
fallen, lift them up in the great ocean of Your Mercy, that being
engulfed therein, they may receive the grace to return to Your Great
Loving Heart. Amen.
October 3rd: St. Thomas of Hereford, Bishop and Confessor, AD 1282
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 03, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"This saint was most nobly born, being the eldest son of William, Lord Cantelupe, and allied by his mother's side to the royal families of England and France. From his childhood he despised worldly pleasures, and walked in the lovely paths of innocence and truth. The fear and love of God grew up with him, and accompanied him to the universities, first of Oxford, then of Paris, where he made great progress in learning, but much more in the science of the saints.
St. Thomas resolved to consecrate himself to God in the ecclesiastical state; and was made chancellor of the university of Oxford. In this office he shone so brightly, that King Henry III. appointed him chancellor of the kingdom. In this eminent office his virtues shone with still greater lustre, to the benefit of the whole nation. After the king's death, however, he gladly resigned the seals of his office, and returned to Oxford, where he took the degree of doctor of divinity. He had always lived in the greatest purity of conscience, and was eminent in Christian simplicity, candor, and humility. He exhibited heavenly prudence in his whole conduct, and great devotion to the divine service, especially in celebrating Mass. He was remarkable for patience and meekness under sufferings and injuries, and great temperance and sobriety in eating and drinking; as also for daily mortification, watching, fasting, and perfect charity for every neighbor. His charity produced in him such an aversion for detraction, that he would sharply rebuke such as he found guilty of it.
These virtues so recommended him, that he was chosen Bishop of Hereford. From that time, he became a greater saint than before. His zeal for the Church seemed to have no bounds; and such was his charity, that he seemed born only for the relief of his neighbor, both spiritual and temporal. No reviling language or ill treatment could ever provoke him to anger; his enemies he always treated with respect and tenderness, and would never bear the least word which might reflect upon them or any others.
After St. Thomas had for some years illustrated the whole Church of this nation by his eminent sanctity, he went to Rome for some ecclesiastical affairs. This journey was very fatiguing to the saint, on account of his age and infirmities; but he would never spare himself in the cause of God and his Church. In his way home, he was overtaken by his last illness at Montefiascone in Tuscany. He received the last sacraments with incredible cheerfulness and devotion, and made the sufferings and death of his Redeemer the constant subject of his fervent prayer, in which he calmly gave up the ghost, in the sixty-third year of his age, in the year 1282. Pray for this nation, that God would be its protector, and visit it with all blessings, spiritual and temporal."
The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER 1861
Prayer for the Bishops
O Jesus, Prince of Pastors, Shepherd and
Bishop of our souls, give our bishops ................ all those
virtues, which they need for their sanctification! May they watch over
themselves and the entire flock, with which the Holy Spirit has
entrusted them! Fill their hearts with Thine own Spirit! Give them
faith, charity, wisdom and strength! Send them faithful co-laborers in
the great work of saving and guiding souls! Make them shepherds after
Thine own heart, living only for their holy office, fearing nobody but
Thee, and hoping for nothing but Thee, in order that when Thou shalt
come, to judge shepherds and flocks, they may obtain the unfading reward
of eternal life! Amen
Imprimatur: Most Rev. Vincent S. Waters, D.D. Raleigh, N.C. March 25, 1956
Saint Théodore Guérin
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 03, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"What strength the soul draws from prayer! In the midst of a storm, how sweet is the calm it finds in the heart of Jesus. But what comfort is there for those who do not pray?" – Saint Théodore Guérin
“What have we to do in order to be saints? Nothing extraordinary; nothing more than what we do every day. Only do it for [God’s] love.”—Saint Theodora Guérin
"A woman of uncommon valor, one of those religious athletes whose life and teachings effect a spiritual fecundity that secures vast conquests to Christ and His Church. It is a beautiful and forcible setting of those sublime truths that underlie the eternal plan of creation and establish the relationship that should exist between the Sovereign Maker and the creature fashioned by His word; showing clearly how Providence is just and holy in wise dispensation, man often perverse in selfish conceit. It proves that the arm of the Lord is not shortened; that the gift of God abideth with the just, whose advancement shall have success forever. (Ecclus. Xi 17).
(...) Every one who pledges himself to the work of saving souls must expect to suffer if his ministry is to be profitable. Multiplied labors are not the greatest rigors. Distress of mind and heart, human weakness, lack of sympathy and support, misunderstands, to say nothing of the malice of men and the snares of the devil - this is the burden of the apostolate. All seem to know it, yet when it comes to the exercise how few are found with magnanimity of soul enough or with spiritual nerve enough to endure the test! Many there are who are willing to sit with Christ at His table but few to share His fast; many to behold His glory, few to bear His ignominy. (A Kempis)
It is in generous acceptance of the cross that strength comes for the warfare; so it is also in self-sacrifice that we discern the halo of holiness - God's presence in His elect.
Sacrifice shorn of its glory, inasmuch as it was scarcely recognized, epitomizes the life of Mother Théodore Guérin. The keynote of her intensely spiritual character is sounded in these lines addressed to the estimable Bishop of Mans: "I consider it the greatest privilege of my life to have suffered something for my God." Truly the lesson of Calvary was well understood by this spouse of a crucified King! It must needs be that rich endowment of supernatural favor was her recompense.
This is the age of hidden saints. A bloody persecution may not be sending victors to the eternal courts, but the sword of trial is as sharp as the blade of the executioner; and though a martyr's triumph is not proclaimed from the Church's altar, a martyr's palm is borne by those sequestered Servants of God who now "follows the Lamb whithersoever He goeth."
(...)
In deploring the scarcity of vocations to the religious life when the field was so vast and the laborers so few, we observe that the cause she assigned was the same that today holds back so many nobly gifted young men and women from responding to the call of the divine Master. Appeal to the religious impulses of nature is hushed by irresistible pleasure-seeking, softness, and love of one's ease, which incapacitate souls for anything approaching the valorous in self-sacrifice; strangers to the arbitrament of virtue, their lives are as aimless as useless." Introduction by Cardinal Gibbons, Life and life-work of Mother Theodore Guérin : foundress of the Sisters of Providence at St.-Mary-of-the-Woods, Vigo County, Indiana
Short Biography:
"Mother Theodore Guerin is the foundress of St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana.
Born in 1798, ( Born Anne-Thérèse Guerin in the village of Etables–sur–Mer in Brittany, France) of fervent Catholic parents, she entered the community of the Sisters of Providence of Ruille, recently established by the Abbe Dujarie, who is also the founder of the Brothers of the Holy Cross. After several years of successful work as head of important establishments, at the request of Bishop de la Hailandiere of Vincennes, Indiana, she was sent by her superior to found an educational establishment in the New World. She and her Sisters reached Terre Haute, Ind., on October 22, 1840. A boarding school was opened in 1841. The first boarders arrived on July 4 of the same year. Tribulations from within and from without sorely tried the heart of the foundress. Several times credit was refused to the Sisters at the stores, and the immediate necessities of the community and the pupils were relieved by Providential intervention. Often after a frugal breakfast, nothing was left for dinner, and the Sisters would have to go and beg potatoes and eggs from the neighboring farms.
Calumnies and disappointments of all sorts fell thick upon the establishment. Mother Guerin herself
was deposed from office on two different occasions, and the bishop went
so far as to excommunicate her. Amidst these trials she found refuge in
God: "Let us pray more," she would tell her Sisters, "and rest quiet in
the Providence of the Sacred Heart. Can we think that our good God will
abandon us? No, not as long as we cling to Him! Courage, hope and pray."
On days when her heart was sinking beneath weight of all the afflictions that fell upon her, she would exclaim: "Hail, crosses, great and small, spiritual and temporal, inward and outward, hail! I kiss your feet, unworthy as I am of your shadow." One day when her life-work was threatened with total extinction, she spent the whole night before the Blessed Sacrament and there, in the stillness of the chapel, poured forth her soul in indescribable anguish. It was remarked the next morning that she received Holy Communion with a radiant countenance. When the chaplain asked her what made her so happy, she answered simply: "In the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness." She would often repeat to her daughters: "All that we teach the children must be done for the glory of God and the good of souls. The profit that the community derives from it is a secondary consideration." "A Sister of Providence cannot go to heaven alone; if she is not surrounded by the souls she has brought to the knowledge and love of God, she herself will not find the way to the heavenly home."
Before her death, in 1850, she had the consolation of seeing her work solidly established in many dioceses. " The Annals of St. Joseph, Norbertine Fathers, March 1919.
| Canonized on | October 15, 2006, by Pope Benedict XVI |
|---|
Prayer:
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin,
valiant woman of God,
intercede for us in our needs.
Implore for us through Jesus, the Christ,
the gifts of a living faith,
abiding hope
and steadfast charity,
so that
through a life of prayer
and service with others
we may aid in promoting
the Providence of God
among all peoples.
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, pray for us.
Amen.
(With Ecclesiastical Approval)
Guardian Angels
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 02, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Felix Castello: Guardian Angel
Angel-guardian of men, spirits and powers we sing,
whom our Father hath sent, aids to our weakly frame,
Heavenly friends and guides, help from on high to bring,
Lest we fail through the foeman's wile.
He, the spoiler of souls, Angel-traitor of old,
Cast in merited wrath out of his honored place,
Burns with envy and hate, seeking their souls to gain
Whom God's mercy invites to heaven.
Therefore come to our help, watchful ward of our lives;
Turn aside from the land God to thy care confides
Sickness and woe of soul, yea, and what else of ill
Peace of heart to it folk denies.
Now to the Holy Three praise evermore resounds:
Under whose hand divine resteth the triple world
Governed in wondrous wise: Glory be theirs and might
While the ages unending Run.
North Carolina Catholic Sept 28 1951
"THIS day is observed by the universal Church in honour of our guardian angels. Fail not to give God thanks for all the help and protection which you receive from those ministering spirits. Let the many examples of both old and new Testament excite your faith and hope, as to this point. Recommend yourself to the charity and protection of your angel guardian: beseech him to go before you in all your ways, and deliver you from all the snares of the infernal spirits, and particularly to stand by you at the hour of death.
Eternal praise is due to God for his mercy to sinners, who knowing how very blind and weak we are in the midst of so many dangers, with which we are encompassed, has given us in charge to his holy angels, to take care of us, that what is wanting to us, through our manifold infirmities, may be supplied by their power and charity; and that by them we may be defended from enemies, delivered from dangers, and conducted to a place of rest, in the participation of that happiness which they enjoy. For this mercy, it is our duty, particularly on this day, to bow down and adore our God; and beg that under the care of our good angels, our lives, in virtue and good discipline, may be a perpetual homage of thanksgiving. We must beg those blessed spirits to supply for what is wanting in us, giving praise to the Lord of glory, in everlasting hymns, for his infinite goodness to us, who have every provision made for us to become eternally glorious with them in heaven.
At the same time it is our duty to make a good use of these mercies of our God, and be careful not to render his blessings unprofitable to us by our sins. Whatever helps we receive from his creatures, are the effects of his bounty, and thanks are due for them. And since the end of God's ordinances is his own glory and our salvation, we must take care that our lives be so directed, as to answer these purposes of his infinite wisdom and providence.
Pray therefore to your good angel, to direct your feet in the ways of peace, to defend you from all evil spirits, and to help you, as often as the violence of temptation puts you in danger of sin. Always have a great reverence for your angel guardian, and remember his holy presence. Let the sense of his presence be a salutary check to every evil thought, word or action; and let it be a source of consolation
to you, and an encouragement to good. Beseech him to procure for you
help to avoid sin, to perform all your duties, to overcome the world and yourself, and persevere in the love and service of your Creator, till you come to praise him with the choirs of angels for ever." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Month of October
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Only two means are left to save Her (the Church) amidst so much confusion: Frequent Communion and Devotion to Mary most holy, making use of every means and doing our best to practice them and having them practiced everywhere and by everybody. -- Don Bosco
Devotion for the month of October: Rosary for the Sanctification of Priests
Virtue of the month of October: Confidence
Prayer for Priests and Vocation ( Ste. Thérèse de Lisieux)
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Prayers
"Now it is in the Host that I can see you carry your annihilation in full. How humble you are , oh Divine King of Glory in submitting Yourself to all your priests without making any distinction between those who love you and those who, alas, are lukewarm or cold in your service! You descend from Heaven to their call. They can anticipate or delay the time of your Holy Sacrifice. You are always ready! (Pr 20)" -- St. Therese of Lisieux
Prayer for Priests and Vocation ( Ste. Thérèse de Lisieux)
O Holy Father, may the torrents of love
flowing from the sacred wounds of Thy Divine Son bring forth priests
like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at the foot of the Cross;
priests: who as a pledge of Thine own most tender love will lovingly
give Thy Divine Son to the souls of men.
May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church, as John was of
Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who
suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and
thoughtfulness towards Thy children. May they teach souls to enter into
close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is
specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy Divine Heart. Give us
priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who
will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which
Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.
Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for Thy beloved Son,
open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and
give Him a generation of priests formed in thy school and having all the
tender thoughtfulness of thine own spotless love.
O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful, to
those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may
grasp it as their support. And for those poor unfortunate souls who have
fallen, lift them up in the great ocean of Your Mercy, that being
engulfed therein, they may receive the grace to return to Your Great
Loving Heart. Amen.
St. Therese of Lisieux
