Novena for Priests for Pentecost (May 30 to June 7)
by VP
Posted on Friday May 30, 2025 at 12:00AM in Prayers
"Our Lord says: "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into His harvest." (Matt. 9.38). Remember that a priest is the salvation or the perdition of his flock. In the Old Testament we read that when other scourges were of no avail to turn the people, hardened in sin, from their evil ways, God sent upon them the heaviest scourge of all, wicked and corrupt priests. Let us therefore make it our continual prayer, that we may have good priests. The Ember days are appointed for this purpose. Special prayer should be offered to the Holy Ghost, for unless a priest is enlightened by the Holy Spirit we may apply to him the words: "If the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit." (Matt. 15.14)." The Catechism Explained: An exhaustive Exposition of the Christian Religion by F.r Francis Spirago 1899
Novena:
"Jesus, Good Shepherd, You sent us the
Holy Spirit to guide Your Church and lead her faithful to You through
the ministry of Your priests. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, grant to Your priests wisdom in leading, faithfulness in teaching,
and holiness in guarding Your sacred Mysteries.
As they cry out
with all the faithful, "Abba, Father!" may Your priests be ever more
closely identified with You in Your divine Sonship and offer their own
lives with You, the one saving Victim. Make them helpful brothers of one
another, and understanding fathers of all Your people. On this
Pentecost Sunday, renew in Your priests deeper faith, greater trust in
You, childlike reliance on our Mother Mary, and unwavering fidelity to
the Holy Father and his bishops.
Holy Mary, intercede for your priests.
St. Joseph, protect them.
St. Michael, defend them.
St. John Vianney, pray for them.
Amen."
(approved by Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC)
- "Pope Leo XIII, May 9, 1897, decreed that a novena to the Holy Ghost should be made every year in preparation for the feast of Pentecost. (...) During this novena no particular form of prayer is of obligation. Any prayer to the Holy Ghost will suffice. (Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Holy Spirit: Divinum Illud Munus)
Novena to the Holy Ghost in Preparation for the Feast of Pentecost: The
novena of the Holy Spirit is the chief of all the novenas, because it
was the first that was ever celebrated, and that by the holy apostles
and the most Holy Mary in the supper room, being distinguished by so
many remarkable wonders and gifts; principally by the gift of the same
Holy Spirit, a gift merited for us by the passion of Jesus Christ
Himself. Jesus Himself made this known to us when He said to His
disciples that if He did not die He could not send us the Holy Ghost:
"If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will
send Him to you" (John xvi. 7). We know well by faith that the Holy
Ghost is the love that the Father and the Eternal Word bear one to the
other; and therefore the gift of love which the Lord infuses into our
souls, and which is the greatest of all gifts, is particularly
attributed to the Holy Ghost. As St. Paul says, "The charity of God is
poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us (Rom.
v. 5). In this novena, therefore, we must consider, above all, the great
value of divine love, in order that we may desire to obtain it, and
endeavor, by devout exercises, and especially by prayer, to be made
partakers of it, since God has promised it to him who asks for it with
humility: Your Father from heaven will give the good Spirit to them that
ask Him" (Luke xi. 13).
Prayer to the Holy Spirit for the Church: "O
Holy Spirit, our Creator, come to the aid of Thy Holy Church, and
strengthen and confirm it by Thy supreme power against the incursions of
its enemies; and by Thy love and grace renew the spirit of Thy servants
whom Thou hast anointed, so that they may glorify in Thee the Father
and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”—(Indulg. 100
days. Resc. Aug. 26, 1889.)
Short Prayer to the Holy Ghost : Holy
Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts; give to all peoples the
brightness of Thy light, that they may be well-pleasing to Thee in unity
of faith. (Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. Leo XIII, July 31,
1897.)
Source: My Prayer Book; Happiness in Goodness: Reflections, Counsels, Prayers and Devotions By Francis Xavier Lasance
#18 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 May 29, 2025 at 12:00AM in Thursday Reparation
18. We adore Thee, O Hidden God! And to make reparation for all the contests, disputes, punctilios of honor, and scandal, by which Thou hast been offended we offer up to Thee the humility of the holy confessors. 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
Saint Cyril, Martyr
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 29, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
THE HOLINESS OF CHILDHOOD.-A philosopher has said; "A man is trained on his mother's knees." In like manner it might be said, it is at the knees of the mother that saints are formed. The young Cyril had learned from his mother to pronounce the name of Jesus, to love the sweet Saviour, and to long for the advantages of Heaven. But his father, hardened in idolatry, drove him from his roof, that he might no longer hear repeated a name which provoked his anger. The governor of Cæsarea, informed of these facts, caused Cyril to be brought before him, and strove to gain him over by caresses and promises; but perceiving how vain were his efforts, he had him led to the place of execution, where the instruments of torture were placed before his eyes. The child was overjoyed at being at length able to die so as to go to Heaven; when he was led before the judge; "I do not fear death," he exclaimed, "and I wish for Heaven; you could never make up to me on earth for the advantages I should lose by your sparing me. To the work then speedily, for I am a Christian, and intend always to remain one.' The judge thereupon delivered him to the executioners. The martyrdom is generally believed to have occurred under the reign of the emperor Decius.
MORAL REFLECTION.-Parents should keep in memory that it is "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings that God has perfected praise."-(Psa. viii. 3.)
The Ascension: Festival of Encouragement
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 29, 2025 at 12:00AM in Tradition
"The Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven." MARK XVI. 19.
1. Reconstruction of the event.
2. He had been the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
3. He ascended to claim the Kingdom for Himself and all who believe in Him.
4. Remembrance of this day, the hope and strength of His disciples.
"THE Ascension is the grand finale of the drama of Christ's life on earth. Short as are the accounts of it in the gospels and Acts of the Apostles, we can reconstruct devoutly the events of this blessed day. St. Luke tells us that "He led them out as far as Bethania." What tender condescension of our Blessed Lord! For the last time He wended His way along the lower slopes of Mount Olivet, accompanied by the disciples and His holy Mother. He loved His friends to the end; and we are told in the gospel that Jesus loved Martha and Mary. So He passed by their home in Bethania with a last, loving look; and at the grave of Lazarus and the house of Simon the leper where He had supped, and mounted the gentle rise to Olivet. There He had spent many a night in prayer; from there He had looked down upon Jerusalem and begun His humble triumph on Palm Sunday, and lower down He had commenced His sacred Passion six weeks before. Now that all things had been accomplished by the Son of Man, how befitting to rise hence and to enter into His glory. Picture the touching scene of His last farewell. Each of those favoured ones received a look of ineffable love; words of encouragement, to be treasured all life long; they were permitted to kiss His sacred feet, and the hand of blessing was laid upon their heads bowed down in adoration. It is beyond us to realize the farewell of the Mother and the Son! The Mother's heart would yearn never to be parted, but, according to His Will, that Mother gave up her divine Son to become the Mother of the infant Church. Her presence was needed to encourage the Apostles: to be a model to them, and to be a living proof that the Saviour, though departed to enter into His glory, had been a real Man born of the Virgin Mary; Who had lived for us; died for us on the Cross; and had risen again, immortal and glorified, to prove that He was not only Man, but God!
"And the Lord Jesus was taken up to heaven.” He had declared Himself thus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John xiv. 6). The way of salvation He had shown to men by His obedience to His heavenly Father; by doing good to all; by being meek and humble of heart; by forgiving His enemies; by dying on the Cross for our salvation.
The truth He had taught them. He had renewed the commandments of old and explained and amplified them. He had taught them that the blessedness of life was to be found in poverty, in suffering, in peace, in cleanliness of heart, in suffering persecution for justice' sake.
The life! For from whence could man draw the power to obey the truth, to follow the way, but from that loving God made man, Who made us partakers of His own strength, endurance, and immortality; Who crowns our endeavours in this short life on earth with a never-ending life of glory?
And thus, when our Lord ascended into heaven, the Apostles did not lose Him, He only went before themtheir Leader, the Victor-to claim that heaven which He had won for us. On ascending, He had lifted up His hands and bestowed such a blessing upon them that their faith rose superior to His departure, and their hearts rejoiced. They had not lost Him! He had associated them with Himself in His triumph, as the Church sings this day, "Ascendo ad Patrem Meum" (I ascend to My Father and to your Father; to My God and to your God).
What a divine encouragement this vision of their beloved Master ascending to His Kingdom was to the Apostles! They had now to return, wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and then commence their labours. Yes, their labours, their persecutions, their martyrdom before their glory. As their Master, so they themselves. And He had said to them before His departure, "Thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead" (Luke xxiv. 46).
How the remembrance of the Ascension has been the source of the heroism of the saints! Not only to the Apostles, a vivid, lifelong remembrance; but to the martyrs amidst their tortures; to the hermits and fathers of the desert amidst trials and temptations; to the inmates of cloisters, during the slow martyrdom of obedience and unchanging monotony of life. It was heavenly sunshine to them, that lifted up their souls, and made them hopefully and bravely cling to their King and Master, Christ. Aye, and amongst the poor, unknown faithful, amidst their daily trials and labour and sorrows, the memory that Christ, their Lord, has won the Kingdom for them, has prepared a home for them, is waiting with the welcome on His lips, till they have fought the good fight and been faithful. Oh, how many have persevered through this blessed remembrance !
St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, Carmelite
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 29, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Offerings to the Divine Incarnate Word of His own Most Precious Blood
"O most Holy Word! I offer Thee Thy priests, and in their behalf I offer thee whatever is most dear to Thee in heaven and on earth, in union with all Thy Most Precious Blood: and I pray Thee to enable them fitly to conceive of the high degree to which they are exalted, and to hold in extreme abhorrence whatever can dishonor their dignity or contaminate their lives." ( St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi. Confraternity of the Precious Blood)
"God complains of his servants, because they neglect to recommend
sinners to his mercy, He once said to Mary Magdalen de Pazzi,"See, my
child, how sinners are in the hands of the devil: if my elect, by their
prayers, did not deliver them, they should be devoured." The Almighty
desires, in a particular manner, that priests and religious pour fort
their prayers in favor of sinners. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi used to say to
her sisters in religion, "My dear sisters, God has separated us from
the world, not only to sanctify ourselves, but also to appease his wrath
against sinners." (...)
She prayed especially for priests; because
their virtues ensure the salvation of many, and their bad example causes
the ruin of thousands. Hence, she frequently begged of God to punish
her for their sins saying, "Lord, put me to death frequently, and make
me return to life, that by frequently suffering the pangs of death, I
may satisfy Your justice for them." It is related in her life, that she
liberated numberless souls from the hands of Lucifer." A Short Treatise on Prayer by St. Alphonsus of Liguori
Biography:
"Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi was the only daughter of the illustrious Camille de Pazzi, related to the Medicis of Florence. She was born in the year 1566, and was baptized with the name of Catherine. As a child she loved to go into solitary places to enter into prayer with God, who revealed Himself to her from her tender years without the aid of teachers, as her Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. She made a crown of thorns one day, and wore it for an entire night, enduring great pain. She received her First Communion at ten years of age; at twelve years, she made a vow of virginity and took great pleasure in teaching Christian doctrine to poor children.
Her father, not knowing of her vow, wished to give her in marriage, but she persuaded him to allow her to become a religious, and chose the Carmelites, because there the nuns received Communion frequently. She entered in the year of the death of Saint Teresa of Avila, 1582, at the age of sixteen. It had been more difficult to obtain her mother's consent; while she was a novice, her mother sent a portrait artist to the convent, with instructions that her daughter be portrayed in lay clothing. The Sisters complied with her request, and the portrait can still be seen in the Convent. She became professed at eighteen years of age in the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence, May 17, 1584, Feast of the Holy Trinity. She changed her name of Catherine to that of Mary Magdalene on becoming a nun, and took as her motto, Either suffer or die.
Her life thereafter was one of penance for sins not her own, and of love for Our Lord, who tried her in ways fearful and strange. She was obedient, observant of the Rule, humble and mortified, and had great reverence for the religious life. One day, when she seemed to be at the last hour of her life, she rose from her sickbed and hastened everywhere throughout the convent, saying during her ecstasy, O Love! O Love! No one knows You, no one knows You, no one loves You! For five years she was tormented by demons with fearful temptations of pride, sensuality, gluttony, despair, blasphemy; they became so violent that she said, I do not know whether I am a reasonable creature or one without reason; I see nothing in myself but a little good will never to offend the divine Majesty.
God raised her to elevated states of prayer and gave her rare gifts, enabling her to read the thoughts of her novices, and filling her with wisdom to direct them. She was twice chosen mistress of novices, and then made Superior. On her deathbed she asked her Sisters to love only Our Lord Jesus Christ, to place all hope in Him, and be perpetually ardent with desire to suffer for love of Him. God took her to Himself on May 15, 1607. Her body remains incorrupt.
Reflection. Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi was so filled with the love of God that her Sisters saw it in her love for them, and called her Mother of Charity, and the Charity of the Monastery." Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Fr. John Gilmary Shea (1894).
St. Germain, Bishop of Paris, 576
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 28, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ASSISTING AT THE OFFICES OF THE CHURCH.-It would be no easy matter to recount the miracles whereby the eminent sanctity of Germain, bishop of Paris, was shown forth; to enter at large into the relations existing between him and kings Childebert, Clothaire, Caribert, and Sigebert, before whom he displayed all the kindliness of a father, combined with the authority of a pastor; or, finally, to record the bountifulness of his almsgiving and his love for the poor. Let us seek rather to call to mind his zeal for the Divine worship. He recited every day the canonical office with head uncovered, even when on a journey, and however inclement the season. He assisted every night at the entire office in his cathedral church; and whereas the clerks and canons were wont to divide the time into three several watchings, he remained there alone till the dawn of day. This suffices to show what importance he attached to the holy sacrifice and public prayer being celebrated with a dignity worthy of the great God. In one particular only did he ever give way in this his ever-present aim; namely, when, for the purpose of feeding the poor, he deemed it expedient to dispose of the sacred vessels. St. Germain died in 576.
'MORAL REFLECTION.-"In the
churches, bless ye God the Lord. From Thy temple, kings shall offer
presents to thee."-(Psa. lxvii. 27.)" Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints by Abbe Lecanu
Rogation Wednesday: On Other Exercises of the Love of God
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 28, 2025 at 12:00AM in Tradition
"Consider first, that Divine Love is also exercised in the penitential way by souls that, like Magdalene, (of whom our Lord pronounced that many sins were forgiven her because she loved much), go daily to the feet of Christ, in spirit, to wash them with their tears, flowing from a heart full of a sense of the infinite goodness of God, and of a deep regret for having offended that infinite goodness by their sins. This exercise of penitential love, as we see in the case of Magdalene, is most acceptable to our Lord, and most effectual for obtaining the discharge of all our sins; and, if diligently pursued, is capable of advancing even those that have been the greatest sinners to a high degree of virtue and sanctity. And whosoever has forfeited his baptismal innocence by mortal sin, if he would follow the rules of Christian prudence in choosing the safest way in a case where his all is at stake, should endeavor to pursue this exercise of penitential love, and never end it but with his life. Thus did all those great penitents of old who became afterwards such glorious saints. And this kind of exercise of love will become in a manner natural to all such as have a right sense of what God is and what sin is, and of the dreadful evil they have been guilty of in offending, though it were but once in their life, so great and so good a God.
Consider 2ndly, that there are also other ways of mourning in which we may exercise a love of God, most agreeable to Him, and beneficial to ourselves. As when we sit down at the foot of the cross, and there contemplating the extreme anguish and distress, the stripes and wounds, the racking pains and torments of our dear Redeemer, with all that complication of sufferings in all kinds which he endured in His passion for the love of us, we excite in our souls suitable affections of an ardent love in the way of compassion for our crucified Lover, and feed this fire with tears, flowing at the sight of His blood; which, as it shows forth in the most sensible manner His tender affection for us, so it most strongly calls for a return of our love, accompanied with a bitter grief to see our beloved treated with so much cruelty and contempt. Upon the same principle of the concern that every true lover has, to see the outrages offered to his beloved, we may also exercise a love most agreeable to our Lord, in mourning for the innumerable sins that are daily committed against Him throughout the whole world; to see His infinite goodness slighted, His sacred laws and ordinances trodden under foot, His mercies continually abused, and His most adorable majesty treated with the utmost contempt, by poor blind mortals, made by Him, and for Him redeemed by the blood of His Son, and loaded with innumerable favors, to engage them to love Him and serve Him. Oh! how can any true lover of God endure to see these outrages offered to His infinite majesty without having His heart perfectly broken with grief to see His Love thus abused?
Consider 3rdly, that, besides these exercises of the love of benevolence in the penitential and compassionate way, there is another most perfect exercise of love, and which comes the nearest to the love of the blessed in heaven; and that is, in the way of joy and congratulation - as when we rejoice in God and in His boundless perfections; when we are delighted to think that He is what He is, infinitely good, infinitely holy, infinitely happy, infinitely perfect; that He is the sovereign Lord of all, and that nothing can be added to Him, because He is every way infinite. O, what a comfort, what a pleasure, what a joy it is to a true lover of God to think that whatsoever may come to himself, or to any other thing in the world, his Love at least, whom he loves without comparison more than himself and all things else, will always be infinitely glorious, infinitely rich, and infinitely happy! O how like is this love to that of the blessed, even to that love that makes them blessed, which is an eternal joy in God and in all the beauties and perfections they contemplate in Him - this is their eternal delight.
Conclude to dedicate thyself for time and eternity to this most perfect love of God. Make it thy employment here, and it will be thy eternal reward hereafter. In the mean time, labor also to promote as much as thou canst, upon every occasion, the praise and glory of thy maker, the interests of His kingdom, the fulfilling of all His wills, as well in thyself as in all others; be concerned at every thing that displeases Him, put thy heart continually in His hands, give thyself and all things else to Him a hundred times in the day. Such acts as these, frequently repeated in the day, will secure to thee the rich treasure of divine love; by such exercises thou wilt effectually choose the better part, which will never be taken from thee."
Source: Challoner's MeditationsthenOn this day of Rogation, we beg of Thee, O Lord, in Thy mercy, to hear and answer our fervent petitions:
Do Thou, O Lord, defend Thy Holy Church and all Its members against the
snares of the enemy, the powers of evil, and all temporal misfortunes;
Deliver us, O Lord.
From all false doctrine and loss of faith; Deliver us, O Lord.
From famine, disease, and plague; Deliver us, O Lord.
From all captivity by our enemies; Deliver us, O Lord.
From the snares of the legions of Hell; Deliver us, O Lord.
From the spirit of the world and the flesh; Deliver us, O Lord.
From the spirit of pride and disobedience; Deliver us, O Lord.
That Godʼs Holy Church may dwell in peace and unity; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thy True Catholic Church may spread throughout all nations; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve, bless, and defend the Bishop Thou hast chosen to govern Thy flock; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant to the members of Thy Church the grace to live
in humility and obedience; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all the members of Thy Holy Church be preserved from all spiritual and physical harm; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst sustain all the members of Thy One, True, Church in
holiness, physical well-being, and material necessity; O Lord, we
beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst convert all peoples to Thy One, True, Holy, Catholic Church; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve Thy Church and our parishes from all
division, dissension, and disunity; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve Thy Church from all those who have fallen into heresy and schism; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst inspire in the hearts of the faithful a greater spirit of charity; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant the blessings of wisdom and holiness to our
Clerics in preparing for the Priesthood; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear
us.
That Thou wouldst preserve our Priests and Religious in the spirit of
charity, piety, holiness, and fervent zeal for souls; O Lord, we beseech
Thee, hear us.
Thou wouldst bless all of our missionary and apostolic labors and grant
abundant conversion of souls; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant abundant laborers to work in the harvest of
souls, and grant to all of our Religious perseverance in their holy
Vocation; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst imbue our youth with the spirit of piety and love of their Holy Faith; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant to Thy Church a favorable outcome in all our
court cases, legal actions, and attacks of the press and all of our
enemies; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst bless our Diocese, our Priory, our Friary, our
Seminary, our Convent, our schools, and all our apostolic undertakings; O
Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
Let us pray:
Almighty and Everlasting God, we commend unto Thee Thy Holy Catholic
Church: that Thou wouldst grant unto Her peace, unity, and Thy
protection, while shielding Her against the attacks of Her enemies and
subjecting to Her the powers of evil. We thank Thee, O Lord, for the
many blessings Thou hast bestowed upon us, and we beseech Thee to assist
us to live peaceful and tranquil lives; through the same Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
St. Augustin of Canterbury, Apostle of England, Bishop and Confessor, A.D. 604
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 28, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ST. AUGUSTIN was sent to preach the Gospel to our Saxon ancestors by the Pope St. Gregory the Great, in the sixth century. At that time, King Ethelbert was the powerful king of Kent, and had extended his dominions as far as the river Humber. When he had been informed of the object of the saint's visit to England; he received him very graciously. He invited him and his companions to his capital city of Canterbury, and was full of admiration at the innocence of their lives, and the miracles with which it pleased God to confirm their doctrine.
The holy men came to him at first in the Isle of Thanet, in procession, carrying for their banner a silver cross, and an image of our Saviour painted on a board; and singing the litany as they walked, made humble prayer for themselves, and for the souls of those to whom they came. The king listened to them attentively; but answered that their words and promises indeed were fair, but new and to him uncertain: however, that since they had come a great way for his sake, they should not be molested, nor hindered from preaching to his subjects.
St. Augustin and his companions imitated the lives of the apostles, serving God in prayer, watching and fasting; despising the things of this world, as persons who belonged to another, and ready to suffer or die for the faith which they preached.
King Ethelbert was after some time converted, and the greater part of the people followed his example, and became Christians; and the holy missionaries had leave to go every where, and build churches wherever they could. St. Augustin was consecrated bishop, and afterwards appointed by the pope, archbishop of Canterbury; and received also from St. Gregory a fresh supply of holy men to assist in his glorious work. At length, having laboured successfully, and seen the faith of Christ widely diffused on every side, St. Augustin ended his days in peace, and passed to life eternal on the 26th of May, in the year 604.
Give thanks to God for the happy conversion of our forefathers, by which we also have been blessed with the true faith. Pray to the holy apostle of your country to intercede still in its behalf, that the faith which he planted may again flourish among us, and that all in error and sin may happily return to the paths of truth and virtue." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Prayer:
O Jesus, our Risen Lord! You are the Life of Nations, as you are the Life of our souls. You bid them know and love and serve you, for they have been given to you for your inheritance, and at your own appointed time each of them is made your possession (Psalm ii. 8). Our own dear country was one of the earliest to be called and, when on your Cross, you looked with mercy on this far island of the West. In the second Age of your Church you sent to her the heralds of your Gospel, and again in the Sixth, Augustine, your Apostle, commissioned by Gregory, your Vicar, came to teach the way of Truth to the new pagan race that had made itself the owner of this highly favoured land. How glorious, dear Jesus, was your reign in our fatherland! You gave her Bishops, Doctors, Kings, Monks and Virgins whose virtues and works made the whole world speak of her as the “Island of Saints,” and it is to Augustine, your disciple and herald, that you would have us attribute the chief part of the honour of so grand a conquest. Long indeed was your reign over this people whose faith was lauded throughout the whole world. But, alas, an evil hour came and England rebelled against you. She would not have you to reign over her (Luke xix. 14). By her influence she led other nations astray. She hated you in your Vicar. She repudiated the greater part of the truths you have revealed to men. She put out the light of Faith and substituted in its place the principle of Private Judgement which made her the slave of countless false doctrines. In the mad rage of her heresy, she trampled beneath her feet and burned the relics of the Saints who were her grandest glory. She annihilated the Monastic Order to which she owed her knowledge of the Christian Faith. She was drunk with the blood of the Martyrs. She encouraged apostasy and punished adhesion to the ancient Faith as the greatest of crimes
She, by a just judgement of God, has become a worshipper of material prosperity. Her wealth, her fleet, and her colonies —these are her idols and she would awe the rest of the world by the power they give her. But the Lord will, in His own time, overthrow this Colossus of power and riches and as it was in times past when the mightiest of kingdoms was destroyed by a stone which struck it on its feet of clay (Daniel ii. 35), wo will people be amazed when the time of retribution comes to find how easily the greatest of modern nations was conquered and humbled. England no longer forms a part of your kingdom, O Jesus! She separated herself from it by breaking the bond that had held her so long in union with your Church. You have patiently waited for her return, yet she returns not. Her prosperity is a scandal to the weak, so that her own best and most devoted children feel that her chastisement will be one of the severest that your Justice can inflict. Meanwhile, your mercy, O Jesus, is winning over thousands of her people to the Truth, and their love of it seems fervent in proportion to their having been so long deprived of its beautiful light. You have created a new people in her very midst, and each year the number is increasing. Cease not your merciful workings that thus these faithful ones may once more draw down upon our country the blessing she forfeited when she rebelled against your Church.
Your mission, then, O holy Apostle
Augustine, is not yet over. The number of the Elect is not filled up and
our Lord is gleaning some of these from amid the tares that cover the
land of your loving labours. May your intercession obtain for her
children those graces which enlighten the mind and convert the heart.
May it remove their prejudices and give them to see that the Spouse of
Jesus is but One, as He Himself calls her (Canticles vi. 8), that the
Faith of Gregory and Augustine are still the Faith of the Catholic
Church at this day, and that [five] hundred years’ possession could
never give heresy any claim to a country which was led astray by
seduction and violence, and which has retained so many traces of its
ancient and deep-rooted Catholicity." Dom Gueranger
Saint Bede, The Venerable, Confessor, Doctor A.D. 735.
by VP
Posted on Tuesday May 27, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"FROM his infancy, he was consecrated to God, and brought up from the age of seven in holy monasteries. It was his delight to employ all his leisure time from other necessary duties, in either learning or teaching, or writing something for the greater glory of his master. He was ordained priest by St. John of Beverley; and from that time to the end of his life, he applied himself to writing commentaries and sermons on the Holy Scriptures. He was a man of sincere and unaffected piety, wonderful probity, singular modesty and humility, and indefatigable industry in doing good. He was also a great lover of truth. His virtue and learning drew to him many disciples; so that there were in his time six hundred monks in his monastery, and some of them very eminent for piety and learning. He applied himself wholly to the meditation of the holy Scriptures, the observance of regular discipline, and the daily duty of singing the divine office in the church.
What is most to be admired in Venerable Bede, is the piety, with which he pursued and sanctified his studies, and the use which he made of them. His life was a model of devotion, obedience, humility, simplicity, charity and penance. Out of humility he declined the dignity of abbot, which was pressed upon him.
The days of this saint were full days, and his whole time was devoted to God's glory. Such a life as he led from his infancy, could not but be followed by a happy death. For this he made a fervent preparation for some time beforehand, being constantly employed in singing psalms and the praises of God; but continuing every day to give lessons as usual to his scholars. After teaching all day, it was his custom to watch much in the nights. Finding that death approached, he received Extreme Unction, and then the Holy Viaticum, on the Tuesday before the Ascension of our Lord. He distributed little presents, as memorials to all his brethren, entreating them to celebrate Masses and say prayers for him after his death. On the feast of the Ascension, lying on sackcloth spread on the floor, he invoked the grace of the Holy Ghost; and breathed forth his holy soul in praise and thanksgiving, in the year 735, of his age sixty-two. Thus from repeating the divine praises here, in the most pure and profound sentiments of compunction, humility, zeal and divine love, he passed without intermission, to sing eternally the same praises, with affections dilated with inexpressible joy, ardour and love, in the glorious choirs of the blessed, and in the contemplation of that God, whom in life he praised and loved." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Rogation Tuesday: On Acts of Divine Love
by VP
Posted on Tuesday May 27, 2025 at 12:00AM in Tradition
"Consider first, that the love of God is like a fire: its nature is to be always in motion, and always tending upwards towards its heavenly element; it quickly expires and dies if it lies idle. Wherefore if we would keep it alive, we must nourish it, and blow it up by frequent acts of love; and those not mere verbal acts, by telling God that we love Him, whilst our heart perhaps is far from Him, but by the real exercise of loving God both in our heart and in our works. We exercise the love of God in our heart, by affection; we exercise the love of God in our works, by effects. We love God with a love of chaste concupiscence, when in heart and work we tend to Him as our sovereign good, and aspire after the eternal enjoyment of Him. We love Him with a love of benevolence, that is of sincere and perfect friendship and charity, when both in heart and work we give our whole selves, with all our thoughts, words, and deeds, and all things else to Him, as being infinitely good in Himself. It is just we should exercise ourselves in acts of the love of God in both these ways, as in both these ways He is infinitely amiable but more especially that we should tend to love Him with the love of benevolence, by giving ourselves and all things to Him.
Consider 2ndly, that benevolence is a love by which we wish all manner of good to the person beloved; a love by which we earnestly seek and procure whatever may be for his honor, interest, or pleasure; by which we delight in all his advantages, and are concerned at all his losses, etc. Wherefore, if we would make proper acts of the love of benevolence towards God, we must desire, seek, and procure, as much as lies in us, the greater honor and glory of His name, and the propagation of His kingdom, both in our own hearts and throughout the whole world, and pray that all men may know Him, love Him, and serve Him; we must rejoice at every thing that is agreeable to his Holy Will, and be concerned at every thing that offends Him. This is the proper exercise of the love of benevolence; these are far better acts of divine charity than merely telling God that we love Him. My soul, what are thy dispositions? Dost thou sincerely desire and heartily pray that all the world may know, love, and serve thy God; that all his creatures in heaven and earth may give perpetual glory to Him; that the reign of sin may be abolished; and that the kingdom of God may take possession of all hearts; that none may resist or rebel against His orders; but that all may embrace and bow down, and adore His Divine Will? If so, there is no doubt but thou lovest God. Such as these are perfect acts of the love of God.
Consider 3rdly, that the exercise of the love of God, which, above all others, is recommended in Holy Scriptures, is the loving of his Divine Law and the keeping of His commandments. "This is the charity (that is the love) of God that we keep his commandments," 1 John v. 3. "He that keepeth his word, in him, in very deed, the charity of God is perfected,’ chap. ii. 5. The beloved disciple continually recommends acts of this kind of Divine Love, and the Psalms are full of aspirations or breathings of a soul that is in love with the Holy Law and commandments of God. This devotion to the commandments of God is loving God indeed with a true and effectual love, because it is giving up for His sake what is most dear to us, viz., our own will and liberty, and making a present of it to Him; it is giving Him what He chiefly calls for at our hands; whatsoever else we give Him can never content Him. He always prefers the sacrifice of obedience before all other sacrifices, because here we sacrifice to Him our own clear will, and immolate it, as it were, to His honor and glory. This kind of love is the safest from illusions, for whosoever loves the commandments of God and His Divine Will, and makes all that is in him submit thereunto, most certainly loves God, and is in the right way that will bring him safe to God. No other devotion without this can secure any man.
Conclude to exercise thyself daily in all these ways of loving God, and ever remember that loving God and keeping His commandments go always hand-in-hand, because we cannot love God without loving His Will, notified to us by His commandments."
Source: Challoner's MeditationsthenOn this day of Rogation, we beg of Thee, O Lord, in Thy mercy, to hear and answer our fervent petitions:
Do Thou, O Lord, defend Thy Holy Church and all Its members against the
snares of the enemy, the powers of evil, and all temporal misfortunes;
Deliver us, O Lord.
From all false doctrine and loss of faith; Deliver us, O Lord.
From famine, disease, and plague; Deliver us, O Lord.
From all captivity by our enemies; Deliver us, O Lord.
From the snares of the legions of Hell; Deliver us, O Lord.
From the spirit of the world and the flesh; Deliver us, O Lord.
From the spirit of pride and disobedience; Deliver us, O Lord.
That Godʼs Holy Church may dwell in peace and unity; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thy True Catholic Church may spread throughout all nations; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve, bless, and defend the Bishop Thou hast chosen to govern Thy flock; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant to the members of Thy Church the grace to live
in humility and obedience; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all the members of Thy Holy Church be preserved from all spiritual and physical harm; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst sustain all the members of Thy One, True, Church in
holiness, physical well-being, and material necessity; O Lord, we
beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst convert all peoples to Thy One, True, Holy, Catholic Church; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve Thy Church and our parishes from all
division, dissension, and disunity; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst preserve Thy Church from all those who have fallen into heresy and schism; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst inspire in the hearts of the faithful a greater spirit of charity; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant the blessings of wisdom and holiness to our
Clerics in preparing for the Priesthood; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear
us.
That Thou wouldst preserve our Priests and Religious in the spirit of
charity, piety, holiness, and fervent zeal for souls; O Lord, we beseech
Thee, hear us.
Thou wouldst bless all of our missionary and apostolic labors and grant
abundant conversion of souls; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant abundant laborers to work in the harvest of
souls, and grant to all of our Religious perseverance in their holy
Vocation; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst imbue our youth with the spirit of piety and love of their Holy Faith; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst grant to Thy Church a favorable outcome in all our
court cases, legal actions, and attacks of the press and all of our
enemies; O Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst bless our Diocese, our Priory, our Friary, our
Seminary, our Convent, our schools, and all our apostolic undertakings; O
Lord, we beseech Thee, hear us.
Let us pray:
Almighty and Everlasting God, we commend unto Thee Thy Holy Catholic
Church: that Thou wouldst grant unto Her peace, unity, and Thy
protection, while shielding Her against the attacks of Her enemies and
subjecting to Her the powers of evil. We thank Thee, O Lord, for the
many blessings Thou hast bestowed upon us, and we beseech Thee to assist
us to live peaceful and tranquil lives; through the same Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
