Whit Wednesday: The Heart of Jesus Sending us the gift of fortitude

"He hath strengthened them that were fainting in patience." (Ecclus. xvii. 20.)
"Brethren, be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of His power." (Eph. vi. 10.)

1st Point.-St. Teresa has said that there is nothing the devil dreads so much as a resolute soul. It is but saying, in other words, that there is no gift so advantageous in our combats with him as the gift of fortitude. Oh, how earnestly we should desire and pray for this gift! Weak, irresolute, trembling souls are overcome even by the shadow of danger, while the brave-hearted walk fearlessly on, and scarcely even notice the lion in their path. But there is a natural hardihood, as utterly opposed to this gift as timidity, and most souls are inclined to either one extreme or the other. A few moments' careful examination would show us to which we are most inclined, and consequently how we should act so as to avoid the danger on either side. Perhaps the timid and irresolute are safer than the bold and self-confident.

2nd Point. Consider how the gift of fortitude strengthens us, first to do, and secondly to suffer. There is scarcely an action in the day, especially if we have been consecrated to God in religion, in which we do not require to exercise the gift of fortitude. We need it in the morning, when the summons to rise finds us weary and desirous of a longer rest; we need it at office and meditation, when pleasant fancies or reflections about coming occupations seem almost to insist on occupying our thoughts; we need it when repugnances arise to this employment or to that; we need it when obedience appoints a duty which we do not relish, and when we see another appointed to an office or occupation which we would naturally desire to fulfill; we need it-oh, how often!-in the little daily trials of our calling, in the little temptations more frequently than in the great ones, which all who are striving in earnest after perfection must encounter. Oh, if we had more fortitude, we should not only run but fly in the path of perfection, and we should find the flying easier than the running, although it is this very love of ease which we seek
to gratify, by not exerting ourselves to master the obstacles to this holy flight.

3rd Point. Consider how the gift of fortitude enables us to suffer. There are certain circumstances in which we need fortitude to enable us to suffer, more than fortitude to enable us to act. When a trial has pressed upon us for years, then we need fortitude to bear it bravely and uncomplaining. When we are deprived for a length of time of all spiritual consolation, and we neither enjoy God here or feel as if we should enjoy Him hereafter, then indeed we require fortitude to enable us to walk by faith, as if sight were granted to us. When we are exhausted and wearied by constant labor or bodily infirmity, then we need fortitude to work on through weariness, and in spite of it. Let us consider well how much and how constantly we need this blessed gift, that we may pray for it with an earnestness proportioned to our need.

Aspiration." In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped : let me never be confounded." (Ps. xxx. 1.)

Source: Meditations for Advent and Easter, p 272

Let us pray the Holy Spirit to enlighten our bishop in the choice of worthy candidates for the Holy Priesthood.

"On Ember days we pray and make sacrifices for ourselves, our families, the Church and the world." 

We should never let these seasons pass without adding prayer to our fasts, or it may be compensating fast by prayer. Our prayer should be for the clergy, not only those ordained, though for them especially; but for the Sovereign Pontiff, the cardinals, bishops, parochial clergy, missionaries and religious orders, seminarians; and for the grace of vocation to the priesthood.

Brief Meditations for Pentecost Ember Days

Today is Ember Wednesday of the Summer or Pentecost Embertide. These Ember Days fall during the week after Pentecost (the traditional octave of Pentecost), near the summer solstice. The three focal points for the Ember Days of this period of the year are:

1) to ask God to bless especially the wheat harvest,

2) to thank God for the season of summer, and

3) to ask for special graces for those being ordained as priests during this season.

‘Originally the summer Ember Days served as a time of thanksgiving at the end of the wheat harvest in Mediterranean countries. The present (pre-1969) liturgy, only faintly suggests or alludes to harvest time; rather, wheat and harvest time are used as symbols of supernatural realities. For us wheat is the Eucharistic "Bread of Life", and the harvest is the that of souls reaped by the Holy Ghost. "The floors shall be filled with wheat, and the presses shall be filled with wheat, and the presses shall be filled with oil and wine (Lesson Ember Friday)

. Ember week is a recognized time for spiritual renewal, an occasion to review the past as well as to scan the future. And during these days after Pentecost we can sense more easily the original import and the spirit of joyous gratitude proper to Ember week. Gratitude, not penance, should be the dominant Ember spirit. Even fasting can be an act of thanksgiving! Let us stress positive rather than negative values in our Christian life, cultivate the consciousness of being God's holy children rather than feel ourselves as outcasts and sinners. Wednesday of Ember week is dedicated to Mary, it is a day of interior recollection. Friday is devoted to penance, while Saturday lays greatest stress on thanksgiving. Make a summary review today of the past quarter year. These three months, covering the Lenten and Paschal seasons, were certainly the most important segment of the Church's year of grace. What tremendous graces we received! But how did we use them? Are they producing fruit? Will there be a spiritual harvest?’ (The Church's Year of Grace by Pius Parsch 1953)
Prayers for Ember Days:

Listen, Almighty God, we beseech Thee, to the prayers which Thy universal Church offers to Thee at this time, beseeching Thy blessing on those who are about to be admitted to Thy Holy Service of the Altar, in particular on Deacon Nicolas Rapkoch. Give Thy grace to all who are called to any office and administration amongst Thy clergy, and so replenish them with the truth of Thy doctrine, and indue them with innocence of life, that they may faithfully serve Thee, to the glory of Thy great name and the benefit of Thy Holy Church. Amen

O God, of Whose mercies there is no number, and of Whose goodness the treasure is infinite, we humbly thank Thee for the gifts thou hast bestowed upon us. Continue Thy mercy to us, and give us also so much of Thy temporal blessings as Thou knowest to be for our good.
Grant that the fruits of the earth may, by Thy holy favor, increase and multiply. Defend them from all drought, frosts or tempests, or whatever else may be hurtful to them. It is from Thy hand only that we look for succor, and to Thee we have recourse in all our necessities. Amen.

Source: St. John's Manual 1856, Archbishop of New York John J. Hugues

Hymns, readings and prayers for this Whit Embertide:

Hymns: Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Thou Holy Spiritus, come)

Veni, Creator Spiritus, (Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest)

Readings: Ember Wednesday: Acts of the Apostles, 2. 14-21;  Acts of the Apostles, 5. 12-16;  St. John, 6. 44-52

Prayers:

An excellent prayer for this purpose is the Litany of the Saints, in which so many bishops, priests, and levites are invoked; or the Rosary may be appropriately said, grouping those for whom we pray into five classes (Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, and Seminarians), corresponding to the five decades.

Source: Ember Days (Cure d'Ars Prayer Group)

Catechism on the Holy Spirit (St. John Vianney, Cure d'Ars):

"O my children, how beautiful it is! The Father is our Creator, the Son is our Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost is our Guide. . .
Man by himself is nothing, but with the Holy Spirit he is very great. Man is all earthly, and all animal; nothing but the Holy Spirit can elevate his mind, and raise it on high. Why were the saints so detached from the earth? Because they let themselves he led by the Holy Spirit. Those who are led by the Holy Spirit have true ideas; that is the reason that so many ignorant people are wiser than the learned. When we are led by a God of strength and light, we cannot go astray.

The Holy Spirit is light and strength. He teaches us to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and between good and evil. Like glasses that magnify objects, the Holy Spirit shows us good and evil on a large scale. With the Holy Spirit we see every thing in its true proportions; we see the greatness of the least actions done for God, and the greatness of the least faults. As a watchmaker with his glasses distinguishes the most minute wheels of a watch, so we, with the light of the Holy Ghost, distinguish all the details of our poor life. Then the smallest imperfections appear very great, the least sins inspire us with horror. That is the reason why the most Holy Virgin never sinned. The Holy Ghost made her understand the hideousness of sin; she shuddered with terror at the least fault.

Those who have the Holy Spirit cannot endure themselves, so well do they know their poor misery. The proud are those who have not the Holy Spirit.
 Worldly people have not the Holy Spirit, or if they have, it is only for a moment. does not remain with them; the noise of the world drives Him away. A Christian who is led by the Holy Spirit has no difficulty in leaving the goods of this world, to run after those of heaven; he knows the difference between them. The eyes of the world see no farther than this life, as mine see no farther than this wall when the church-door is shut. The eyes of the Christian see deep into eternity. To the man who gives himself up to the guidance of the Holy Ghost, there seems to be no world; to the world there seems to be no God. . . . We must therefore find out by whom we are led. If it is not by the Holy Ghost, we labour in vain, there is no substance nor savour in any thing we do. If it is by the Holy Ghost, we taste a delicious sweetness;...is enough to make us die of pleasure!

 Those who are led by the Holy Spirit experience all sorts of happiness in themselves, while bad Christians roll themselves on thorns and flints.

A soul in which the Holy Spirit dwells is never weary in the presence of God; his heart gives forth a breath of love.

Without the Holy Ghost we are like the stones on the road. . . . Take in one hand a sponge full of water, and in the other a little pebble; press them equally. Nothing will come out of the pebble, but out of the sponge will come abundance of water. The sponge is the soul filled with the Holy Spirit, and the stone is the cold and hard heart which is not inhabited by the Holy Spirit.

A soul that possesses the Holy Spirit tastes such sweetness in prayer, that she finds the time always too short; she never loses the holy presence of God. Such a heart, before our good Saviour in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, is a bunch of grapes under the wine press.

The Holy Spirit forms thoughts and suggests words in the hearts of the just. . . . Those who have the Holy Spirit produce nothing bad: all the fruits of the Holy Spirit are good.

Without the Holy Spirit all is cold; therefore, when we feel we are losing our fervour, we must instantly make a novena to the Holy Spirit to ask for faith and love. . . . See, when we have made a retreat or a jubilee, we are full of good desires: these good desires are the breath of the Holy Ghost, which has passed over our souls, and has renewed every thing, like the warm wind which melts the ice and brings back the spring... You who are not great saints, you still have many moments when you taste the sweetness of prayer and of the presence of God: these are visits of the Holy Spirit. When we have the Holy Spirit, the heart expands - bathes itself in divine love. A fish never complains of having too much water, neither does a good Christian ever complain of being too long with the good God. There are some people who find religion wearisome, and it is because they have not the Holy Spirit.

If the damned were asked, Why are you in hell? they would answer, For having resisted the Holy Spirit. And if the saints were asked, Why are you in heaven? they would answer, For having listened to the Holy Spirit. When good thoughts come into our minds, it is the Holy Spirit who is visiting us.

The Holy Spirit is a power. The Holy Spirit supported St. Simeon on his column; He sustained the martyrs. Without the Holy Spirit, the martyrs would have fallen like the leaves from the trees. When the fires were lighted under them, the Holy Spirit extinguished the heat of the fire by the heat of divine love.

The good God, in sending us the Holy Spirit, has treated us like a great king who should send his minister to guide one of his subjects, saying, "You will accompany this man every where, and you will bring him back to me safe and sound." How beautiful it is, my children, to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit! He is indeed a good Guide; and to think that there are some who will not follow Him!

The Holy Spirit is like a man with a carriage and horse, who should want to take us to Paris. We should only have to say 'yes,' and to get into it. It is indeed an easy matter to say yes! .. Well, the Holy Spirit wants to take us to heaven; we have only to say 'yes,' and to let Him take us there.

The Holy Spirit is like a gardener cultivating our souls. . . . The Holy Spirit is our servant.

There is a gun; well, you load it, but some one must fire it and make it go off... In the same way, we have in ourselves the power of doing good; . . . when the Holy Spirit gives the impulse, good works are produced.

The Holy Spirit reposes in just souls like the dove in her nest. He brings out good desires in a pure soul, as the dove hatches her young ones.   

The Holy Spirit leads us as a mother leads by the hand her child of two years old, . . as a person who can see leads one who is blind.

The Sacraments which our Lord instituted would not have saved us without the Holy Spirit. Even the Death of our Lord would have been useless to us without Him. Therefore our Lord said to His Apostles, "It is good for you that I should go away; for if I did not go, the Consoler would not come."...The descent of the Holy Ghost was required, to render fruitful that harvest of graces. It is like a grain of wheat - you cast it into the ground; yes, but it must have sun and rain to make it grow and come into ear.
We should say every morning, " O God, send me Thy Spirit, to teach me what I am and what Thou art."

Source: The Spirit of the Cure of Ars,  by Alfred Monnin 1865

Prayer to the Holy Ghost for Priests

O Holy Ghost, Thou Friend of priests, send them daily Thy seven gifts, that they may live worthy of their calling, and become all to all in order to win souls for heaven. Give them patience with children, pity for the sick, humility toward the poor, and generosity toward the enemies of Thy holy Church. Make them active in teaching, untiring in the tribunal of penance, and zealous in distributing Holy Communion. Let them be terrible to the demons of hell and messengers of peace to all who are of good will.

May Thy blessing accompany them wherever they may go; may Thy peace enter with them in the dwellings they may visit; mayest Thou bless all whom they may bless. Make them true apostles and saints. Amen. Come Holy Ghost, a compilation of prayers in honor of the Divine Spirit.

1932 Fr. Lester Martin Dooley.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit by Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926)

"I am going to reveal to you the secret of sanctity and happiness. Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to the things of sense and your ears to all the noises of the world in order to enter into yourself Then, in the sanctity of your baptized soul (which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit), speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him:

Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You.

Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me.

Tell me what I should do; give me your orders.

I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me

and to accept all that You permit to happen to me.

Let me only know Your will. Amen.

If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely, and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you the strength to carry it, and you will arrive at the gate of Paradise, laden with merit. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity."

"And I say that the priest doth more grievous wrong by giving bad example merely by scandalizing his neighbor by a wicked life, than if a layman where to go out to rob in the highway.

The reason is this: that he who standeth in the highway doth rob the man who passeth by, and doth take from him his money, his horse, his garments, and all that which he findeth, but the other with his evil example doth make away with both soul and body of the man whom he doth scandalize thereby, and leaveth him to say and to do evil and to commit sin."
Source: Sermons (iv backbiters are treated of with most beautiful examples, page 28) Saint Bernardine of Siena

"Whenever you hear sodomy mentioned, each and every one of you spit on the ground and clean your mouth out as well. If they don't want to change their ways by any other means, maybe they will change when they're made fools of. Spit hard! Maybe the water of your spit will extinguish their fire." Lenten sermon preached in Santa Croce, 1424

"Apostle of peace! Italy, whose factions were so often quelled by thee, may well number thee among her protectors. Behold her now a prey to the enemies of Jesus, rebellious against the Church of God, and abandoned to her fate. Oh! Forget not, that she is thy native land, that she was obedient to thy preaching, and that thy memory was long most dear to her. Intercede in her favor; deliver her from her oppressors; and show, that when earthly armies fail, the hosts of heaven can always save both cities and countries.

Illustrious son of the great Patriarch of Assisi! The seraphic Order venerates thee as one of its main supports. Thou didst re-animate it to its primitive observance; continue, now from heaven, to protect the work thou commenced here on earth. The Order of St. Francis is one of the grandest consolations of holy Mother Church; make this Order for ever flourish, protect it in its trials, give it increase in proportion to the necessities of the Faithful; for thou art the second Father of this venerable family, and thy prayers are powerful with the Redeemer, whose glorious Name thou confessed upon earth."

Source: Dom Gueranger

" (...) Paschal was now eighteen years old. No ties bound him to the world, so he set out at once for a monastery. Think of the poor, footsore youth's disappointment, when after the long journey he was told he could not be admitted. Paschal found work near by, and after a little while applied again for admission to the monastery. Again he was told to wait longer. So two years passed away, and Paschal was still waiting.

It was a sore trial, and Our Blessed Lord consoled Him for it in wonderful ways; the following is an example: "One day when the ringing of the bell announced the approaching Elevation, Paschal, unable any longer to bear his privation, fell into a sort of agony, and in his distraction gave vent to one of those cries of desire and love that pierce the very Heart of God. "My Master, my adorable Master, oh, that I might see Thee!" he exclaimed. Scarcely had this loving plaint escaped his lips than, raising his eyes, he perceived high up in the firmament a luminous point, which riveted his gaze. It seemed like that brilliant star which led the Magi to the Crib at Bethlehem. Anon it blazed with wondrous splendor, and then as it faded away the sky seemed to part asunder, and Paschal, gazing through this lattice in the Heavens, saw the forms of Angels prostrated before the Sacred Host, surmounting a chalice. In presence of the Divine Majesty, Paschal fell flat on his face. Then regaining courage, he lifted up his head and gazed upon the heavenly vision. Turning to the other shepherds, he said: '"Kneel down! Do you not see on high yon golden chalice, and the bright rays darting from the Host?" And he pointed to the spot. It is the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The Angels are adoring it. Come let us join our adorations to theirs."

"All fell on their knees and adored, though the vision was not seen by any of them. Yet they believed it most firmly on Paschal's word; for they knew he was incapable of an untruth, and too sturdy and practical to be deceived by his imagination." This was but one of the many wondrous miracles that are connected with him.

As a Franciscan Friar, his reputation for sanctity daily increased. The convent felt honored to have him, and well they might; for his whole life was a series of wonderful proofs of Our Divine Savior's predilection. The dominant note of his life was said to be adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He was also most devout to Our Blessed Lady. On her feasts he was all but beside himself with joy. It is said he never pronounced the name of Mary without inclining his head; and when he came across an image of the Blessed Virgin he kissed it reverently, especially if it represented her as the Immaculate. Franciscans are pledged to defend the glorious title of the Immaculate Conception. Paschal Baylon was exceedingly chivalrous to Heaven's Queen. She nowhere found a more valiant champion. (...)

 As soon as his duty was finished, he hastened back to the House of God. chapel, they said, might be called his headquarters. Every spare moment he had he would surely spend it there.Through reverence for the August Presence, in prayer he always joined his hands and knelt immovable as a statue. One Holy Thursday, absorbed in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, he knelt thus motionless as a statue five consecutive hours.

Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament cannot be separated from the Sufferings of Our Blessed Lord. Paschal's devotion to the Sacred Passion was most ardent. Moving around at his work, he would be heard whispering," My Love is crucified! Oh, my Love is crucified." Pondering the sufferings of Christ Our Saviour he wished to suffer, too; hence his great penances, which were rather outbursts of love than reparation for his sins, although he always thought of himself as a great sinner. (...)

When upon a time the late Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII, was selecting a patron for Eucharistic Works, a long list of illustrious names was handed to him, Saints like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Clare, and others well known for special devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. Paschal Baylon's name was last. The Pope, not knowing of this hidden Lay Brother, asked for the records of his life. They were brought and read to the Holy Father, who was amazed and charmed. To make amends, as it were, for so great a Saint being left in obscurity during the past centuries, he issued the Apostolic Letter Providentissimus Deus, constituting St. Paschal Baylon “ the special heavenly Protector of Eucharistic Congresses and of all Societies, both present and future, taking their name from the most Holy Eucharist."

Source: Eucharistic Lilies: Youthful Lovers of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament By sister Mary Theodosia Mug, 1912

Settegast, Joseph Anton Nikolaus, 1813-1890

"The Seal of Confession: John Nepomucen was born in Bohemia about 1330. He dedicated to God and the Holy Virgin a life which had, in his case, been miraculously preserved from his very infancy, and embraced the ecclesiastical state, that he might devote himself wholly to the salvation of souls. The first efforts of his zeal having been attended with admirable results, particularly among the students of the town of Prague, the emperor Wenceslas wished to hear him preach, and named him his almoner. The empress and many of the greatest personages of the court put themselves under his spiritual direction; but as the pious empress had been accused of leading a disorderly life, the emperor wished to obtain information in that particular, from her confessor. The latter, as duty required, withheld all explanation. Wenceslas, who was of wrathful temper and had become cruel by dint of misfortune, maltreated John Nepomucen, submitted him to a protracted torture, and caused him at last to be thrown into the Moldau. The body of the holy martyr, by means of a celestial light, was discovered, withdrawn from the waters and fittingly interred. This happened in 1383. Benedict XIII. canonized John Nepomucen in 1729.

Moral reflection: When once initiated into the divine mysteries, the prophet Isaiah exclaimed: "My secret to myself!" That of the confessor being more sacred, belongs not to him, but is God's own. (Isa. XXIV. 16.)" Pictorial half hour with the Saints, Fr. Lecanu.

Prayer:  "How great, glorious Martyr, was the honor reserved for you by the Son of God when He chose you to be the one who was to attest, by laying down his life, the sacredness of the secret which protects the Sacrament of Penance! Other priests, as well as yourself, have bravely suffered persecution for the sake of the secrecy of the mystery of Reconciliation. But you were the one chosen by Heaven to give a solemn testimony of priestly discretion. Your sufferings were known to more than to Angels. Your martyrdom was a public one, and the faithful honor your courage as an eloquent proof of how truly our good Shepherd, Jesus, removes every difficulty that could deter the strayed sheep from returning to the fold.

    We address ourselves to you, holy Martyr, on this the day of your triumph, and we beg of you to intercede for sinners. Admirable minister of the Sacrament of Penance, you see how many Christians there are who neglect to avail themselves of the means of salvation prepared for them by our Risen Savior. Instead of laying hold of this “second plank after shipwreck,” they let themselves be carried on to the deep abyss by the tide of their sinful habits. There are thousands who have turned a deaf ear, even this Easter, to the call of holy Church who invited them, as an affectionate Mother, to approach the tribunal of mercy and Reconciliation. We beseech you, intercede for these blind, these unwary, these ungrateful men. Get them that grace which will lead them to the feet of the God of Mercy who is ever ready to grant pardon.

    There are others, again, who go to Confession but who have not the dispositions requisite for receiving the grace of the Sacrament —the justification of their souls. Pray also for these that they may see the danger they thus incur of profaning the Blood of Christ. Obtain for all them who approach the holy tribunal an honest avowal of their sins and contrition of heart, that thus the life of our Risen Jesus may be imparted to them, and that they may never again lose it. By your powerful intercession, raise up zealous and faithful ministers of this great Sacrament of which you were the martyr. Draw down on their arduous labor the blessing of Heaven: then will the number of the children of God be increased and the grace of the Holy Ghost triumph in souls that have long been dead in sin." Dom Gueranger

Prayer for a priest before Confession

Prayer for a priest after Confession

Devotion to the Holy Face: Carmelites, Buffalo NY

Holy Face Devotion in the Raleigh Diocese, NC:

• Anyone may join St. Catherine's in Wake Forest as we do phone devotion to the Holy Face every other Tuesday at 9:30 .Simply call. (4 FREE )1 701 892 5279; ACCESS CODE IS 7970106# and join in.
  
• Our Lady of Lourdes: 6:15 pm (Fallon Center) every Tuesday.
  

The principal object of the devotion to the Holy Face is to offer respectful love and homage to the Adorable Face of Jesus disfigured in the Passion; to make reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Holy Days, which outrages Him afresh; and, lastly, to obtain of God the conversion of sinners and profaners of the Holy Days:

Eternal Father, we offer You the Holy Face of Jesus, covered with blood, sweat, dust, and spittle, in reparation for the crimes of communists, blasphemers, and for the profaners of the Holy Name and of the Holy Day of Sunday.

Offering of the Holy Face by St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars:

    Oh, my beautiful Immaculate Mother Mary, Queen of Sorrows, I beg of you, by the inexpressible agony you did endure at the foot of the Cross, to offer to the Eternal Father, in my stead, the Holy Face of your Divine Son, my Jesus, covered with Blood, wounds, and other indignities heaped upon Him during His Sacred Passion, and beg of Him to grant … (Here mention the grace or favor you desire). Amen.

The Divine Praises in Reparation for Blasphemies

    Blessed be God.
    Blessed be His Holy Name.
    Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
    Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
    Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
    Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
    Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
    Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
    Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
    Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
    Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
    Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother,
    Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste Spouse.
    Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

I salute, adore, and love Thee, O Jesus, my Savior, covered anew with outrages by blasphemers, and I offer Thee, through the heart of Thy blessed Mother, the worship of all the Angels and Saints, as an incense and a perfume of sweet odor, most humbly beseeching Thee, by the virtue of Thy Sacred Face, to repair and renew in me and in all men Thy image disfigured by sin. Amen

A Prayer for the Church

O God, by Thy Holy Name have pity on us, protect us, and save us.
O good Jesus, in the sweet Name guard our Sovereign Pontiff; breathe into his
soul the spirit of the Comforter.

Jesus, thy Church is menaced with great trials! Holy Father, by the virtue of
thy salutary Name protect the Church of Jesus Christ. This was the last will of
thy Divine Son; it is the holy prayer which love prompted towards the end of his
life. Holy Father, keep in thy Name those thou hast given me (St. John chap. xxxvii. 11)

O most holy and worthy Mother, refuge of the Church, intercede for us and save us by
the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Michael and the Holy Angels, guard the bark of Peter; disperse its enemies
by the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Source: Sister Saint-Pierre and the Work of Reparation. Manual of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face, 1887

Prayer to Obtain the Settlement of all Our Needs

    Oh, Eternal Father, since it has pleased our Divine Savior to reveal to mankind in our present century the power residing in His Holy Face, we now avail ourselves of this treasure in our great needs. Since our Savior Himself promised that by offering to You, oh Eternal Father, the Holy Face disfigured in the Passion, we can procure the settlement of all our affairs, and that nothing whatsoever will be refused us, we now come before Your Throne.

    Offering to You, oh God, this adorable Countenance, disfigured with painful bruises and covered with shame and confusion, we beg through the merits of this Holy Face to obtain these, our pressing needs.

    Grant us pardon, Eternal Father, for the worst crimes of our age, which are atheism, blasphemy, and the desecration of Your holy days. May this offering of the Holy Face of our Savior before Your throne obtain for us deliverance from these evils.

    Send us, oh God, many vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life, so that by their prayers, their works, and their sacrifices, they may spread the blessings of Your Church and confound Your enemies. Amen

More resources:

• The Feast of the Holy Face (World Report)
• League of Saint Martin
• Oratoire de la Sainte Face Tours, France
• Video From the Diocese of Tours (In French)

"O blessed Pontiff, be our protector against the spirits of Hell. They are devoured by envy at seeing how man, that lowly and feeble creature, has become the object of God's predilection. The Incarnation of the Son of God, His death on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection, the Sacraments which give us the life of Grace - all these sublime means by which the infinite goodness of God has restored us to our lost dignity, have excited the rage of the old enemy, and he seeks revenge by insulting, in us, the Image of our Creator. At times, he attacks man with all the frenzy of angry jealousy. To mimic the operations of Sanctifying Grace - which, so to speak, makes us the instruments of God's good pleasure - Satan sometimes takes possession of our fellow creatures, and makes them his slaves. Your power, O Ubaldus, has often manifested itself by rescuing these unhappy victims of the Devil's jealousy, and holy Church, on this day celebrates the special prerogative conferred on you by our Heavenly Father. Relent not in the exercise of your charitable office. And yet, O holy Pontiff, you know that the snares of the wicked spirits are more injurious to the souls than to the bodies of men.

Have pity, then, on the unhappy slaves of sin, who, though the divine Sun of the Pasch has risen upon them, are still in the darkness of guilt. Pray for them that they may become once more Children of the Light, and share in the Easter Resurrection which Jesus offers to all."

Source: Dom Prosper Gueranger

Public Domain

"Slowly and carefully St. John Baptist de la Salle prepared himself for ordination. He felt, as he approached unto the altar of God, the truth of the holy words: "How terrible is this place! This is no other than the house of God and the gate of heaven." He remembered that some of the holiest men who ever lived trembled at the thought of the awful responsibilities and the sublime dignity of the Catholic priest; that the singing saint of Italy, Francis of Assisi, through humility refused to take the final step; and that St. Vincent de Paul had exclaimed: "Had I known what a priest is, I should never have consented to become one.

The happiest day in his long and troubled life was Holy Saturday, April 9, 1678, the sixth anniversary of his father's death. On that day he was ordained a priest in the historic Cathedral of Reims and for the first time exercised the priest's most august function of changing the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Blessed Lord. And his first Mass he offered in one of the cathedral chapels with intense devotion and fervor.

From that blissful day the holy sacrifice of the Mass became and remained his one supreme consolation. In the future years he never failed to celebrate daily, no matter how ill or weary he might be, or how far away from home.

He had approached unto the altar of God; and God had given joy to his youth."

Source:  The Story of St. John Baptist de la Salle Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools By Francis Meehan · 1921 pages 33 and 34

Saint Pope John Paul II reintroduced Rogations Days as permitted observations.

Source: Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals ..., Volume 1 By J. Gordon Melton

"Persecuted by her enemies, decimated by the martyrdom of her children, afflicted by numerous apostasies from the Faith, and deprived of every human aid, the Church will know that the terrible chastisement is at hand, for prayer will then be as rare as faith. Let us, therefore,
pray that the day of wrath may be put off, the Christian life regain something of its ancient vigor, and the end of the world be not in our times. There are Catholics in every part of the world, but their number has been visibly decreased by war and persecution. Heresy is in possession
of whole countries that were once faithful to the Church; in others, religious indifference has infected many Catholics whose Catholicity is but a name. Among others, the old honesty and adherence to the teachings of the Church has been weakened by loose ideas and half-formed convictions.
A man is popular in proportion to the concessions he makes in favor of principles condemned by the Church. The sentiments and actions of the saints, the conduct and teaching of the Church, are labeled as exaggeration and decried as being unsuited to our times. The search after comforts has become a serious study; the thirst for earthly goods is a noble passion; independence is an idol to which everything must be sacrificed; submission is a humiliation which must be got rid of, or, where than cannot be, it must bot be publicly acknowledged. Finally, there is sensualism, which, like an impure atmosphere, so impregnates every class of society that it has become evident that there is a league formed to abolish the Cross of Christ from the minds of men.

What miseries must not follow from this systematic setting aside of the conditions imposed by God upon His creatures? If the Gospel be the Word of Infinite Truth, how can men oppose it without drawing upon themselves the severest chastisements? Would that these chastisements might work the salvation of them that have provoked them! Let us humble ourselves before the sovereign holiness of God, and confess our own guilt. The sins of men are increasing both in number and in enormity. The picture we have just drawn is sad enough. What would it have been, had we added such abominations as downright impiety, corrupt doctrines which are being actively propagated throughout the world? dealings with Satan, which threaten to degrade our age to the level of pagan times? The conspiracy organized against order, justice, and religion by secret societies and their agents? Oh,let us unite our prayer with that of Holy Church, and say to God: From Thy wrath,deliver us, O Lord!

Besides this purpose of averting the Divine anger, the Rogation Days were instituted to beg our Heavenly Father to bless the fruits of the earth. We must beseech Him with all earthnestness of public prayer to "give us our daily bread." "The eyes of all," say the Psalmist, "hope in
Thee, O Lord; and Thou givest them food in due season. Thou openest Thy hand and fillest with blessing every living creature." (Ps. 144: 15,16). In accordance with the consoling doctrine conveyed by these words, the Church prays to God that He would this year give to all living
creatures on earth the food they stand in need of. She acknowledges that we are not worthy of the favor, for we are sinners. Let us unite with her in this humble confession, but at the same time let us join her in beseeching Our Lord to make mercy triumph over justice.

How easily could God frustrate the self-conceited hopes and the clever systems of men! They own that all depends on the weather; but on whom does that depend? They cannot do without God. True, they seldom speak of Him, and He permits Himself to be forgotten by them; but He "neither sleepeth not slumbereth, that keepeth Israel" (Ps. 120:4). He has but to withhold His blessing, and all progress in agricultural science, whereby men boast to have made famine an impossibility, is of no effect. Some unknown disease comes upon a vegetable; it causes distress among the people, and endangers the social order of the world that has secularized itself from the Christian law and would at once perish but for the mercy of God, which it affects to ignore.

If, then our Heavenly Father deign, this year, to bless the fruits of the earth, we may say, in all truth, that He gives food to them that forget and blaspheme Him, as well as to those that make Him the great object of their thoughts and of their service. Men of no religion will profit by
this blessing, but they will not acknowledge it to be His; they will proclaim more loudly than ever that nature's laws are now so well regulated by modern science that she cannot help going on well. God will be silent, and will feed the men who thus insult Him.

But why does He not speak? Why does He not make His wrath felt? Because His Church has prayed; because He has found the ten just men (Gen. 18:32), that is, the few for whose sake He mercifully consents to spare the world. he therefore permits these learned economists, whom He could so easily disconcert, to go on talking and writing. Thanks to His patience, some of them will grow tired of their impious
absurdity; and unexpected circumstance will open their eyes to the truth, and they will one day join us both in faith and in prayer. Others will go deeper and deeper into blasphemy; they will go on to the last, defying God's justice, and fulfilling in themselves that terrible saying of Holy Scripture: "The Lord hath made all things for Himself; the wicked also for the evil day" (Prov. 16:4)

We, who glory in the simplicity of our faith, who acknowledge that we have all from God and nothing from ourselves, who confess that we are sinners and undeserving of His gifts, will ask Him, during these three days, to give us the food we require. We will say to Him with Mother Church: That Thou vouchsafe to five and preserve the fruits of the earth, We beseech Thee, hear us! May He have pity on us in our necessities! Next year, we will return to Him with the same earnest request. We will march, under the standard of the Cross, through the same ways, making the air resound with all the greater confidence at the thought that our Mother is marshaling her children in every part
of Christendom in this solemn and suppliant procession.

For thirteen hundred years our God has been accustomed to receive the petitions of His faithful people at this season of the year. He shall have the same homage from us, ans we will endeavor, by the fervor of our prayer, to make amends for the indifference and ignorance which are combining to do away with old Catholic customs, which our forefathers prized and loved."

Source:  The Liturgical Year Abbot Gueranger OSB (The Tabernacle and Purgatory, Benedictine Nuns 1959)