CAPG's Blog 

"Those Sinai's thunders startled - thine Own race-
Who heard thy Prophets -saw thy miracles,
Who nailed thee to the Cross - despised thy grace:
From their veiled eyes, O Lord, remove the scales;
The Wandering Jew who owned thee not - now claim!
And Israel bend the knee to Jesus' Name.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

The Conversion of the Jews

This intention must appeal to Our Lady in a special way, for she, no less than her Divine Son, was a member of the Jewish race. She knew the hopes and desires of her people of their longing for the Savior who would grant them freedom. Mary's pure lips could utter words that no other creature dared to say: "My soul doth magnify the Lord...all nations shall call me blessed because He that is mighty hath done great things unto me."

One of the most poignant scenes from the Gospels shows Mary and Joseph seeking their lost Son who had wandered from them when they began their trip home from Jerusalem. Both thought the Child was with the other, or with relatives. Then came the tragic realization that He was with neither. Back to Jerusalem they hurried and sought Him in the jungle of the dark narrow streets, heedless of fatigue or hunger or of any need whatever - except that of finding Christ.

On the third day they found Him in the temple. In its pillared halls the teaches sat on low stools, while round them gathered those desiring to hear the lectures. In the center was the Child, listening to their statements and answering questions. Surprised and relieved, Mary asked simply: "Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing."

"...I have sought thee sorrowing." How aptly the words apply to the members of the Jewish race of which Mary was the purest flower. Mary is not only the Lily of Israel in the sense of being the fairest of the chosen people, Immaculate, but because she bears a special relationship to the Israelites and seeks with all a Mother's love to bring them to the Church of her Son.

There is a story told of a Jewish woman in Vienna who used to visit the Catholic Church, but only because of its art; she was especially attracted to a picture of the Sorrowful Mother. during the Nazi reign of terror in 1938 she was forced to clean a house occupied but the Storm Troopers. Locked in a room she had to scrub the floor with lye and steel wool. Soon her hands began to smart and then to bleed. Suddenly she heard a piercing scream, such a shriek as she never heard before - a creature crying for freedom. At once she understood the meaning of that image of the Sorrowful Mother: "I have sought thee sorrowing." She saw that in all who are united to Christ, His life and Passion are reflected and repeated so that all suffering borne of love makes the soul Christ-like and serves in His redemptive work. The woman's hands were bleeding, but her heart was full of joy. Grace had struck with marvelous force. The next day she went to the Church of the Sorrowful Mother and asked to become a Catholic.

The same glorious Mother of God, standing by the Cross of Christ and interceding for the unity of all men, gives hope and courage to all the world. Mary worked a miracle with blinding light upon Alphonse Ratisbonne in Rome in the Church of Saint Andrea Della Fratte in 1842 and brought him to his knees and to the priesthood of Jesus. Though Our Lady does not work a miracle to remove the walled obstacles to her love, still her influence is most effective. Mary is the Mother of the Jewish people and with her there is neither bond nor free, neither Jew nor gentile - all are one." The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"Then those whom Thy true servant Gregory
Named "angels," and to make them such sent forth
Augustine and his forty monks - to free
From pagan thrall - to give their souls true worth:
Thy Pontiff be today a beacon bright
To lead them into unity's true light.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to Thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prior to its separation from Rome in the sixteenth century England was so devoted to Our Lady as to merit the title, "Dowry of Mary." Its valleys and hillsides were dotted with her shrines; its people vied with each other in giving precious gifts to her altars. Every county and diocese abounded with prominent places of devotion: Canteburry, Ely, Lincoln, Worcester, York, and hundreds more. But most celebrated of all was Walsingham where even members of the nobility went in pilgrimage to honor the Mother of God.
King Edward III dedicated the kingdom to Mary as her dowry forever, and his grandson Richard II, confirmed the gift. In the English College at Rome there is an ancient painting showing Richard and his queen on their knees offering, though the hands of St. John, their country to the Blessed Virgin. Below are inscribed the words: "Do tue, Virgo pia, Haec est; quare rege Maria - This, O holy Virgin, is thy dowry; do thou, O Mary, reign over us. "
But England's devotion to Our Lady, is for the most part, a thing of the past. Sadly enough, one of the greatest devotees of Walsingham was Henry VIII; no king of England ever began his reign with greater devotion to this shrine than he who later plundered it and stripped its sanctuary of its gems and precious metals. The lone wall that starkly stands today is mute reminder of what a man did because he cast aside the love of the Mother of God. For more than three hundred years the faith was nearly stifled and devotion to Mary lay hidden, almost buried, in the hearts of a few faithful. But during the last century the Church began its re-conversion of the English nation, and it seems that the ancient prophecy is near fulfillment: "When England returns to Walsingham, then Mary will return to England."

For England is returning. The movement is gradual, but constant and steadily growing; each year sees and increase in conversions so that the Second Spring of which Newman spoke seems to have begun. With his sentiment men can pray to Mary: "Arise, and go forth in thy strength into that north country which once was thine own, and take possession of a land which knows thee not. From thy sweet eyes, from thy pure smile, from thy majestic brow, let then thousand influences rain down, not to confound or overwhelm but to persuade, to win over thine enemies. O Mary, my hope, O Mother undefiled, fulfill to us the promise of this Spring.

"But our prayer is not alone for the Anglicans of England, whether they be "high, low, or broad" but for all who belong to this communion in America, Canada, Indian and other parts of the world. It is a prayer to Our Lady which Pope Leo XIII first sent to England nearly sixty years ago:
O Blessed Mother of God and our most gently Queen and Mother look down in mercy upon England thy dowry and upon all who gently hope and trust in thee. By thee Jesus our Savior and our help was given to the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us, thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross. O Sorrowful Mother! intercede for our separated brethren that they may be united with us in the one fold of the supreme shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God together with thee in our heavenly home."

Source: Father Titius Crannis, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954



St. Mary, Garner NC, Picture used with permission ©MW

"The Rorate or Angel's Masses, are really Advent Masses, because they are said only in Advent. They are called Rorate Masses because the Introit begins with the words: "Rorate caeli desuper" - "Drop down dew, ye heavens." They are also called Angels' Masses, because the Gospel is read in which the Archangel Gabriel brought the Blessed Virgin Mary the message that she should conceive of the Holy Ghost.
(...)
They are said early in the morning, before the rising of the sun. It is still night when the bells ring out and give the first sign to the faithful, addressing to them, as it were, the words of the Apostle: "Brethren, know that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep, for now our salvation is near." Roman 13:11. The faithful assemble in the church, where the Rorate Mass is said. Whilst the word outside is veiled in darkness, the church, especially the altar, is lighted up with many candles. A symbol rich in meaning. What does the mysterious obscurity outside signify but the darkness of idolatry, of sin, and of spiritual misery, in which man, after separating himself from God, lay buried; while the burning lights in the church remind us of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, "The Orient from on high hath visited us, to enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death." Luke 1: 78,79. The Rorate Masses, however, are not said at midnight, but in the morning, shortly before the break of day, for the reason that they refer to Mary, this spiritual dawn, which immediately precedes Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice.

The Rorate Masses have a joyful celebration with solemn chant and the accompaniment of the organ. This is beautifully significant, first, because the Rorate Masses represent the mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, as a mystery which must fill every Christian heart with joy; secondly, because these Masses announce the mystery of the Incarnation near at hand, referring to Gabriel, who approaches Mary, and brings her the message that she has been selected by God to become the Mother of his Son.

(...)

The contents of these Masses refer in everything to the mystery of the Incarnation in the chaste womb of the blessed Virgin Mary.

a. The Introit of the Mass has reference to this mystery, "Drop down dew, ye heavens, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened, and bud forth a Saviour." Isaiah 45:8. These words express the mournful sighing of the people in the Old Law for the promised Redeemer, and form the principal idea of Advent. This longing for the coming of the Redeemer must animate us; for, if Jesus is to come into our hearts with His grace, we must have a longing for Him. To him who has no desire to possess Jesus, our Christmas will be as little of a festival of grace as the first Christmas at Bethlehem was to Herod, to the high-priest, the Scribes, and the Pharisees. The Incarnation of Christ is also the prevailing sentiment in the three prayers of the Rorate Masses.

b. The Epistle contains the prophecy of Isaiah on the conception and birth of Christ by the Blessed Virgin Mary. By the command of God, the prophet had called upon Achaz, King of Judea, to ask for a sign from heaven, that his faith might thereby be strengthened. But Achaz, perverse as he was, rejected this invitation, and told the prophet that he would ask no sign. The prophet reprimanded him, and told him that God Himself would give a wonderful sign; which he recalled to him in these words: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel." Is. 7:14. The Virgin of whom the prophet here speaks is the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Emmanuel, that is, God-with-us, whom she was to conceive and bring forth, is Jesus Christ.

The fulfillment of this prophecy is narrated in the Gospel of the Rorate Masses. It is the same Gospel which read on the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary, and treats of the mystery of the Incarnation. At the very moment when Mary said to the angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word," the greatest miracle of the love and mercy of God was performed. The Son of God assumed human nature in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary. This Gospel forms the boundary line between the Old and the New Testaments; with it the time of expectation is concluded, and the fulfillment of grace begins. For this reason, the Church celebrates the Rorate Masses early in the morning, before dawn, for the night is passed, and day is at hand.

Peroration:

Reflect on the great and solemn mysteries which the Church, in her masses on the Sundays during Advent, and especially in the Rorate Masses, presents to you, and labor with renewed zeal that you may employ this holy season of Advent for the salvation of your souls. Contemplate the great misery into which the human race had fallen; reflect upon the mercies of God, who, in the very beginning, promised, and after four thousand years sent a Redeemer. Consider also what you would be without a Redeemer, and what you are, or rather still may be through him. Practice those holy exercises which are necessary in order to worthily prepare for Christmas and to participate in the graces of that festival. Amen"

Source: The Pulpit Orator, By Rev. Zollner 1884

Devotion for the Month of December:  the Immaculate Conception

Virtue for the month of September: Union

Qui manet in eharitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo — Whoabidethin charity, abideth in God, and God in him. — I John, iv : 16.

 The object of all virtues is to bring us into union with God, in which alone is laid up all the happines that can be enjoyed in this world. Now, in what does ibis unioa properly consist ? In nothing save a perfect conformity and resemblance between our will and the will of God, so that these two wills are absolutely alike — there is nothing in one repugnant to the otber ; all that one wishes and loves, the other wishes and loves ; whatever pleases or displeases one, pleases or displeases the other. — St. John of the Cross.

Halloween was originally a day of Fasting by Philip Kosloski

St. Raphael

"AMONG the holy archangels, three are particularly distinguished in the Scriptures, SS. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. This day is appointed in honor of St. Raphael, whose name signifies the Healing of God. The archangel Raphael was sent to conduct the younger Tobias on his journey to Rages, and carefully directed and guarded him on his way, appearing as an Israelite, under the name of Azarias. He conducted the young man to the house of his virtuous kinsman, and procured for him the person, who by a special providence had been reserved for his wife. The holy angel brought them both home in safety to the aged parents of Tobias; and by his direction the young man anointed the eyes of his father who was blind, and he was immediately restored to sight. For all these valuable services, the father and son were anxious to reward the faithful Azarias, and begged him to accept of half of all things that they had brought. Then the heavenly messenger discovered to them who he really was; and invited them to bless the God of heaven, because he had shewn mercy to them. For," said he, "I am Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord." And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear, they fell upon the ground on their face. And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not. For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye Him, and sing praises to Him. It is time therefore that I return to Him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all His wonderful works. And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more." (Tob. xii.) See, says St. Augustin, how great is the merit of alms-deeds, for which Tobias was so remarkable, and which brought down an archangel from heaven to serve him.



Our Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, Holy Name Cathedral, Raleigh NC

"We exhort all those who glory in being the followers of Christ, and who place in Him their own hope and salvation and that of human society, that they should ever join themselves more firmly and more closely to this Roman Church, in which alone Christ is believed in with whole and perfect faith, is worshiped with the sincere worship of adoration, and is beloved with the perpetual flame of burning charity. Let them remember, and in particular those who preside over a flock separated from Us, that the faith which their fathers solemnly professed at Ephesus is preserved unchanged and is strenuously defended, as in past ages so also in the present, by this supreme Chair of Truth. Let them remember that the unity of this genuine faith rests and stands firm only on the one rock set by Christ, and can be preserved safe and intact by the supreme authority of the successors of Blessed Peter.

Desiring that there may be a liturgical monument of this commemoration, which may help to nourish the piety of clergy and people towards the great Mother of God, We have commanded Our supreme council presiding over Sacred Rites to publish an Office and Mass of the Divine Maternity, which is to be celebrated by the universal Church." Encyclical: Lux Veritatis, Pope Pius XI, 1931.

Mary, Mother of Jesus, throw your mantle of purity over our priests.
Protect them, guide them, and keep them in your heart.
Be a Mother to them, especially in times of discouragement and loneliness.
Love them and keep them belonging completely to Jesus.
Like Jesus, they, too, are your sons, so keep their hearts pure and virginal.
Keep their minds filled with Jesus, and put Jesus always on their lips,
so that He is the one they offer to sinner and to all they meet.
Mary, Mother of Jesus, be their Mother, loving them and bringing them joy.
Take special care of sick and dying priests, and the ones most tempted.
Remember how they spent their youth and old age, their entire lives serving and giving all to Jesus.
Mary, bless them and keep a special place for them in your heart.
Give them a piece of your heart, so beautiful and pure and immaculate,
so full of love and humility, so that they, too, can grow in the likeness of Christ.
Dear Mary, make them humble like you, and holy like Jesus. Amen.

• Basilica of Our Lady of Victory, Paris France
  

"In its present form, the rosary was made known to the world by St. Dominic at the time of the struggles with the Albigensians, that social war of such ill-omen for the Church. The rosary was then of more avail than armed forces against the power of Satan; it is now the Church's last resource. It would seem that, the ancient forms of social prayer being no longer relished by the people, the holy Spirit has willed by this easy and ready summary of the liturgy to maintain, in the isolated devotion of these unhappy times, the essential of that life of prayer, faith, and Christian virtue, which the public celebration of the Divine Office formerly kept up among the nations. Before the thirteenth century, popular piety was already familiar with what was called the Psalter of the laity, that is, the angelical salutation repeated one hundred and fifty times; it was the distribution of these Hail Marys into decades, each devoted to the consideration of a particular mystery, that constituted the rosary. Such was the divine expedient, simple as the eternal Wisdom that conceived it, and far-reaching in its effects; for while it led wandering man to the Queen of Mercy, it obviated ignorance which is the food of heresy, and taught him to find once more the paths consecrated by the Blood of the Man-God, and by the tears of His Mother.

Lord, have mercy on us.
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.

Our Lady of Victory, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant Daughter of the Father, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant Mother of the Son, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant Spouse of the Holy Ghost, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant choice of the Most Holy Trinity, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy Immaculate Conception, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in crushing the head of the serpent, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant over all the children of Adam, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant over all our enemies, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the embassy of the Angel Gabriel, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy espousal with St. Joseph, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant at the scene of Bethlehem, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy flight into Egypt, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy exile, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy humble dwelling at Nazareth, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in finding thy Divine Child in the temple, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the earthly life of Our Lord, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in His Passion and Death, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the Resurrection, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the Ascension, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the descent of the Holy Ghost, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy sorrows, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy joys, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the angels who remained faithful, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the felicity of the blessed, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the graces of the just, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the announcement of the prophets, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the desires of the patriarchs, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the zeal of the apostles, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the light of the evangelists, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the wisdom of the doctors, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the crowns of the confessors, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the purity of the numerous bands of virgins, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the triumphs of the martyrs, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy all-powerful intercession, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant under thy many titles, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant at the hour of our death, pray for us

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, O Blessed Lady of Victory !
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Victorious Lady ! thou who hast ever such powerful influence with thy Divine Son in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for whom we pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of Divine grace, they may return to the unity of the true Faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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