Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
by VP
Posted on Friday May 31, 2024 at 01:00AM in Tradition
St. John the Baptist, Front Royal VA. ©capg
Prayer to Mary for the Holy Church
Queen of heaven, thy immense love for
God maketh thee likewise love His Church. We pray thee, come to its help
amidst the ills under which it is now suffering, rent asunder as she is
by her own children. Thy prayers, being a mother’s, can obtain all from
that God Who loveth Thee so well. Pray then, pray for the Church; ask for enlightenment for so
many unbelievers who are persecuting it, and obtain for faithful souls
the necessary strength to resist being caught in the snares of the
unbelievers who would drag them down into their own ruin.
Source: St. Alphonsus' Prayer Book, 1888 Father Edward Saint Omer, Redemptorist.
Ad Caeli Reginam - The Queenship of Mary - ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII ON PROCLAIMING THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY
" Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater trust the throne of grace and mercy of our Queen and Mother, and beg for strength in adversity, light in darkness, consolation in sorrow; above all let them strive to free themselves from the slavery of sin and offer an unceasing homage, filled with filial loyalty, to their Queenly Mother. Let her churches be thronged by the faithful, her feast-days honored; may the beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all; may Christians gather, in small numbers and large, to sing her praises in churches, in homes, in hospitals, in prisons. May Mary's name be held in highest reverence, a name sweeter than honey and more precious than jewels; may none utter blasphemous words, the sign of a defiled soul, against that name graced with such dignity and revered for its motherly goodness; let no one be so bold as to speak a syllable which lacks the respect due to her name. By this Encyclical Letter We are instituting a feast so that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal sway of the Mother of God. We are convinced that this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises. Is she not a rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God, the pledge of a covenant of peace?[62] "Look upon the rainbow, and bless Him that made it; surely it is beautiful in its brightness. It encompasses the heaven about with the circle of its glory, the hands of the Most High have displayed it."[63] Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth - and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul - let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary impel us.
52. Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear these Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may, after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God's divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart We impart the Apostolic Benediction."
"On February 11, 2018, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments inscribed a new obligatory Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, into the General Roman Calendar. This memorial is celebrated every year on the Monday after Pentecost.
Latin liturgical texts were also promulgated the same day, and on January 13, 2022, the Congregation confirmed the English translation of those texts. (...)Mary, Mother of the Church by Pope Paul VI
"Taking into consideration the close ties by which Mary and the Church are bound together, to the glory of the Blessed Virgin and for our consolation, We declare Mary Most Holy to be Mother of the Church, that is, of the whole Christian people, faithful and Pastors alike, who invoke her as their most loving Mother; and We establish that by this sweetest of names the whole Christian people should henceforth give still greater honor to the Mother of God and offer her their supplications.
Venerable Brothers, this concerns a title by no means new to Christian piety; indeed the Christian faithful and the universal Church choose to invoke Mary principally by the name of Mother. In truth, this name belongs to the genuine nature of devotion to Mary, since it rests firmly on that very dignity with which Mary is endowed as the Mother of the Incarnate Word of God.
Just as the Divine Motherhood is the basis both for Mary's unique relationship with Christ and for her presence in the work of human salvation accomplished by Christ Jesus, so likewise, it is principally from the Divine Motherhood that the relationships which exist between Mary and the Church flow. Mary is indeed the Mother of Christ who, at the moment he assumed human nature in her virginal womb, joined to himself, as Head, his Mystical Body, which is the Church. Mary, therefore, as Mother of Christ, must also be regarded as Mother of all the faithful and Pastors alike, that is to say, of the Church.
Herein lies the reason why we, though unworthy and weak, yet in a spirit of trust and with ardent filial love, raise our eyes to her. She who once gave us Jesus, the fount of heavenly grace, cannot fail to offer her maternal help to the Church, especially at this time in which the Spouse of Christ strives with greater zeal to fulfill her salvific mission
These closest of bonds between our heavenly Mother and the human race urge Us, moreover, to foster and further strengthen this confidence. Even though she has been enriched with superabundant and wondrous gifts from God so as to be made worthy to be Mother of the Incarnate Word, nevertheless, Mary is very near to us. Like us, she is a child of Adam and so too our sister on account of our common human nature; she was preserved from the stain of original sin by reason of the future merits of Christ, but she added to these gifts received from on high the example of her own perfect faith and so merited the proclamation in the Gospel: "Blessed are you who have believed."
In this mortal life she embodied the perfect form of a disciple of Christ, she was the mirror of all virtues, and in her manner of life exemplified fully those beatitudes proclaimed by Christ Jesus. Consequently, the universal Church, while she lives out the many facets of her life and in her active zeal, draws from the Virgin Mother of God the peerless example of how to imitate Christ perfectly."
Source: From the Address of Pope Saint Paul VI, at the conclusion of the third session of the most holy Second Vatican Council(November 21, 1964: AAS 56 [1964], 1015-1016)
St. Felix, POPE AND MARTYR, A.D. 274.
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 30, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
"He was a Roman by birth, and succeeded St. Dionysius in the government of the Church in 269. Paul of Samosata, the proud bishop of Antioch, to the guilt of many enormous crimes added that of heresy, teaching that Christ was no more than a mere man, in whom the Divine Word dwelt by its operation, and as in its temple, with many other gross errors concerning the capital mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation. Two councils were held at Antioch to examine his cause, but by various arts and subterfuges, he escaped condemnation. However, in a third, assembled at the same place in 269, being clearly convicted of heresy, pride, and many scandalous crimes, he was excommunicated and deposed; and Domnus was substituted in his place. Paul still maintained himself in the possession of the episcopal house. The bishop therefore had recourse to the Emperor Aurelian; who, though a Pagan, gave an order that the house should belong to him to whom the bishops of Rome and Italy adjudged it.
The persecution of Aurelian breaking out, St. Felix, fearless of dangers, strengthened the weak, encouraged all, baptized the catechumens, and continued to exert himself in converting infidels to the faith. He himself obtained the glory of martyrdom, after governing the Church five years.
Pray for the present pope, bishop of that holy see, that he may be divinely assisted with all necessary helps for satisfying the duties of his
charge. Pray for all that suffer for their faith, that God would be
their comfort and support. Pray for patience for yourself in all
troubles. Every day brings its trials: be not overcome by small ones,
and prepare for greater. To suffer with humility and patience, is the disposition of a martyr. This you are to pray for on the days of martyrs, and be solicitous to practise something of it: for why should your life be a contradiction to your prayers? The example of Christ, and of all his saints, ought to encourage us under all trials to suffer with patience and even with joy." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Saint Jeanne d'Arc
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 30, 2024 at 01:00AM in Prayers
Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, Brittany
Prayer to St. Joan of Arc
Lord, You wondrously raised up St. Joan,
the Virgin, to defend the Faith and her country. Through her
intercession grant that the Church may overcome the snares of her
enemies and enjoy unbroken peace. Amen.
"What a spectacle," says Father Ayroles "to see this unlettered girl of nineteen years, weakened by the torments of her prison, defending herself unaided against an army of men, who were reputed to be depositories of human and divine knowledge, banded together to drag from her some incriminating word!"
What a shocking scandal for the gentle, pious peasant maiden from fair Domremy! It was an evil time; a time of schismatics and anti-popes, when king and nobles intrude into highest ecclesiastical positions their illegitimate sons or unworthy favorites. Relaxation of discipline was notorious, and all the excesses of the next century, the sixteenth, naturally followed."
Some of the Sanhedrin:
With Bishop Cauchon we are already acquainted. He had no more right to judge Joan than had the Khan of Tartary. He appointed himself; and whatever authority was lacking was conferred, in intent at least, by the university of Paris and the king of England. Neither had he any ecclesiastical jurisdiction. That Joan was taken prisoner at Compiegne was no more a reason for Cauchon to judge her anywhere, and least of all out of his diocese, than which the University of Paris had for the judging the Pope. "Fecit, tamen", as St. Augustine says of Pontius Pilate: "They did it, nevertheless."
Thomas Courcelles was especially chosen by Cauchon. He was one of the six doctors sent by the University of Paris to examine the Maid. All through the trial he was very exact in his task, and very well paid in the sum of one hundred and thirteen livres. Courcelles was one of the few in favor of subjecting Joan to torture. M. Quicherat calls him, and truly enough, "the father of Gallican liberties"; for probably no one dictated more articles than he in the schismatical council of Basle. He was the foe of Pope Eugene IV, and supporter of the anti-pope Felix V.
Erar, another of the doctors, preached at Joan in the cemetery at Rouen a discourse of extreme and unworthy violence. He was one of those who brutally tried to force Joan to sign a lying retraction. He had been rector of the University of Paris; and, like his brethren, was as anti-papal as he was anti-French.
Nicolas Midi, another of the Paris envoys, the last to preach at Joan before her execution, is supposed to have been the author - and calumniator - of the famous, or infamous XII Articles, sent from Rouen to Paris as a summary of the trial, and in which the defense is mutilated, or omitted.
Estivet, the prosecutor, canon of Beauvais, whence he was driven with Cauchon, was, of all this group, the lowest. His language resembled that of the English soldiers to Joan at Orleans.
The clergy of Rouen had been won over by the Duke of Bedfort, who showed them many favors. On October 23rd, 1430, when the price of the Maid was being handed over, he was admitted into the body of canons of the Cathedral of Rouen. The religious orders, especially the Benedictines were very numerous. We find them, unfortunately, cutting an evil figure in the trial of Joan. Gilles Duremort, abbot of Fecamp, and member of the English royal council, received the sum of one thousand livres for his share in the iniquitous transaction. He was an intimate friend of Bishop Cauchon, and was afterwards made bishop of Coutances. He did not reside in his monastery but in his fine palace at Rouen; as did his fellow-religious like character, Nicolad Lerous, abbot of Jumieges, and Pierre Miget, prior of Longueville.
Several Englishmen took part in the Process especially at decisive points. Of these was William Hayton, a bachelor in theology, secretary of the king and member of the royal council, who voted for Joan's death.
"In the name of the Lord, amen." Cauchon declares her a heretic, and cuts her off from the Church as a rotten member, and hands her over to the civil power.
(...) Joan denied that she was a heretic or schismatic; and she maintained the truth or her revelations to the last. Bishop de Mailly withdrew, in order not to see her die.
The executioner told of the cruel binding to the stake on the plaster platform, which was so high that the flames hardly reached it; and this moved the rough man to much pity for Joan. She knelt, and with tears begged pardon of all, and uttered her forgiveness for those who were guilty of her death. She prayed much - for half an hour, it is said - with indescribable devotion. Of the priests she begged Masses for the repose of her soul. (...) Then as the fire rose up, she bade the priest to go down from the platform, and begged him to hold up the crucifix straight before her eyes until she died.
(...) The English were growing harshly impatient for Joan's death and their own dinner. As Massieu was consoling her in her last agony, some of their captains cried out, "Priest, do you mean to have us dine here?" Some of them laughed at the death scene; but many of them also wept. As the flames ascended, Joan never ceased to call aloud to "her Lord" and her Saints. At last, as she bowed her head, and yielded up her pure souls to God, the sacred name of Jesus, uttered in a loud voice, was the last word on her lips.
Source: St. Joan of Arc: The Life-story of the Maid of Orleans By Rev. Fr. Denis Lynch, S.J. 1919
Corpus Christi
by VP
Posted on Thursday May 30, 2024 at 01:00AM in Articles
The Feast of Corpus Christi by Rev. John W. Sullivan
"The most splendid part of the office of Corpus Christi, that which most distinguishes it from other festivals, is the solemn procession. Unlike the procession for the Forty Hours, it has no penitential element; unlike that of Holy Hours, it has no shadow of the Cross. Today the Church gives full freedom to the transports of love which fill her heart for her divine Spouse, who resides with her in the Sacrament of love. Enthroned in the glittering Ostensorium, borne in the veiled hands of His servant beneath the silken canopy, accompanied by lighted tapers, hymned with canticles of joy and exaltation, adored and worshiped by the faithful, Jesus is borne along triumphantly with all the pomp and magnificence possible, borne among His loved ones to bless them and to receive the homage of their hearts. Does not His presence speak to the heart and ask its gratitude? Do not the flowers scattered along the way tell us of the beauty and brightness and abundance of His gifts and prompt us to a spirit of sacrifice? Do not the clouds of incense rising to the sky invite us to a return of love? Do not the holy hymns that resound through the church tell us of the great mystery we celebrate, of the stupendous gift we have received, of the stupendous truth, that God is with us? and shall our heart be cold, our lips dumb, our soul unmoved? Is it not our virtues that He would see carpeting His way? Is it not our prayers that He would have ascending like clouds of incense and myrrh and filling the heavens? He is not replaced in the tabernacle after the procession, but high and exalted upon His throne, that for eight days the faithful may keep devout and adoring watch.", A Pulpit Commentary on Catholic Teaching 1910
Prayer to the Sacred Heart for Priests:
Remember, O most loving Heart of Jesus,
that they for whom I pray are those for whom You prayed so earnestly the
night before Your death. These are they to whom You look to continue
with You in Your sorrows when others forsake You, who share Your griefs
and have inherited your persecutions, according to Your word: That the
servant is not greater than his Lord.
Remember, O Heart of
Jesus, that they are the objects of the worldʼs hatred and Satanʼs
deadliest snares. Keep them then, O Jesus, in the safe citadel of Your
Sacred Heart and there let them be sanctified in truth. May they
be one with you and one among themselves, and grant that multitudes may
be brought through their word to believe in You and love You. Amen.
St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, Carmelite
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 29, 2024 at 01:54AM 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).
Saint Cyril, Martyr
by VP
Posted on Wednesday May 29, 2024 at 01:00AM 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.)
St. Germain, Bishop of Paris, 576
by VP
Posted on Tuesday May 28, 2024 at 01:00AM 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
St. Augustin of Canterbury, Apostle of England, Bishop and Confessor, A.D. 604
by VP
Posted on Tuesday May 28, 2024 at 01:00AM 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
Memorial Day: with gratitude and Honor by Fr. J. Veltri S.J.
by VP
Posted on Monday May 27, 2024 at 01:08AM in Prayers
Gracious God, on this Memorial Day weekend,
we remember and give thanks
for those who have given their lives
in the service of our country.
When the need was greatest,
they stepped forward and did their duty
to defend the freedoms that we enjoy,
and to win the same for others.
O God, you yourself have taught us
that no love is greater than that
which gives itself for another.
These honored dead gave the most precious gift they had,
life itself,
for loved ones and neighbors,
for comrades and country – and for us.
Help us to honor their memory
by caring for the family members
they have left behind,
by ensuring that their wounded comrades
are properly cared for,
by being watchful caretakers of the freedoms
for which they gave their lives,
and by demanding that no other young men and women
follow them to a soldier’s grave
unless the reason is worthy and the cause is just.
Holy One, help us to remember that freedom is not free.
There are times when its cost is, indeed, dear.
Never let us forget those who paid so terrible a price
to ensure that freedom would be our legacy.
Though their names may fade with the passing of generations,
may we never forget what they have done.
Help us to be worthy of their sacrifice,
O God, help us to be worthy.
Source: Memorial Day Prayer
Persecution: Saint Philip Neri, Priest
by VP
Posted on Sunday May 26, 2024 at 01:20AM in Saints
"He was born at Florence; and having employed his youth in the study of learning and virtue, he dedicated himself wholly to the service of God in prayer and fasting. Being desirous to labour in the best manner he could in the care of souls, he deliberated with himself what state to choose for this end. After a long preparation he was ordained priest; and then his whole concern was for the salvation of souls. He showed wonderful zeal in the discharge of every part of his function, in which he spent himself for their eternal good. That he might more plentifully provide them with all necessary helps, he instituted the Congregation of Oratorians, whose whole business was, by praying and preaching, to instruct the faithful in the way of salvation. The delight he found in the Blessed Sacrament is inexpressible. He was favoured with extraordinary raptures in prayer, and sometimes raised high above the ground during his devotions, at which time his countenance appeared shining with a bright light. He was so great a lover of poverty, that he desired always to live destitute of worldly goods, and in a state of indigence. Under the sharpest pains of sickness, no complaint, groan, or stir was ever observed in him; he was only heard. sometimes to repeat these words: "Increase my pain, but increase my patience." Having lived many years in the practice of great charity, and wonderful humility, and received extraordinary favours from heaven, bequeathing his spirit to his spiritual children, he died in 1595.
Pray for all the fathers of his congregation; that they may ever preserve the spirit of their founder for the good of many. Pray for all priests, that they may be laborious, zealous, charitable, and examples of humility
to all. Pray for yourself; that you may be faithful in your duties,
first as a Christian, and then as your particular state requires,
whether as husband, wife, parent, superior, child, or servant.
All conditions have particular obligations; and you are bound to know
what belongs to yours. And remember that if you have any under your
care, it is your duty to see that they want no instruction."The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
"Every one in Rome began to talk about Philip; many judged him unfavorably, and he was everywhere spoken against.
(...) They declared that Philip was a sower of scandals and of evil seed, and that he ought to be dealt with as a teacher of new doctrines and a setter-up of a new sect.
(Philip) saw that a great trial was coming on him and he prepared to meet it bravely. He enjoined on his disciples the utmost prudence and forbearance; he forbade them to speak even a word against their revilers and calumniators, for he knew that some of them at least were good men, led astray by others, or blinded by their own weak prejudices.
Meanwhile the calumnies so industriously circulated were reported to some person of high position and great authority in the Church, and at last they reached the ear of the Cardinal of Spoleto, a prelate of impetuous and ill-regulated zeal. (...)
We can scarcely imagine the anguish of Philip's heart during this trial. It is hard to bear the sorrows that come on us from our own corrupted nature, and perhaps harder still to bear those laid on us by ignorant and wicked men. But no sorrows are so keen as those inflicted on us by persons who are to us the representatives of God and His justice, and whom we therefore respect and love. To feel one's self despised by the good, when all the aim of our life is to do good; to be condemned by the ministers of God's truth and justice, when all our life is a sacrifice of self to justice and truth; this is indeed a keen and unutterable sorrow, and only he who has felt it knows how hard it is to bear. And because this sorrow exceeds in bitterness all other sorrows, we find it always the portion of saints, and per-eminently of Jesus, king and pattern of saints, who was persecuted even to death by the priests of the people of God. It was as a sword piercing Philip's heart that he was declared guilty, not only by the enemies of the Pope and the Church, but by the Vicar of the Pope himself, and that this sentence was approved by so many good men in Rome. (...)
The result of these things was, that Philip's position become every day more painful and embarrassing. Ecclesiastical authority was against him; the ungodly and profane treated him with unrestrained insolence; of the good, some who had been his friends were now alienated from him, and others, who were still devoted to him, could not keep silence, and were sometimes imprudent. Philip himself yielded a perfect obedience to the command of his superiors.
Philip did everything in his power to stop (his friends) from speaking against his adversaries. He found a thousand excuses for those who were persecuting him; he was always calm and gentle, and ever bright with gladness; he put the best interpretation he could on all that was said against him; and was disquieted with apprehension that his enemies might be less esteemed or respected. And, above all, he prayed for them with great fervor, and with many tears; and he urged his disciples to follow his example. He often said to them: "This persecution is not for your sake, but for mine; God desires to make me humble and patient, and when I have gathered from this trial the fruit He wills me to gather, it will pass away." What simplicity and what peace there is in these words, and what profound wisdom too!"
The Priesthood:
"Philip's first thought on entering the house of S. Girolamo was to manifest in himself the sacred impress of the priesthood of Jesus, and to imitate, so far as he could, His most holy and gracious life. Jesus in His priestly office offered Himself in sacrifice to the Father, forgave the sins of all who drew near to Him with faith and love, and sowed by His preaching the seed of the good tidings of God. And Philip not only resolved to offer the Divine Sacrifice every day, to devote himself to the ministry of the sacrament of penance, and to preach; but he resolved that he would, in these three great functions, always try to reflect the image of Jesus Christ. From the day of his ordination he ever set before his eyes Jesus the Great High Priest, and united himself so intimately with Him, that his works were in their substance the works of Christ, wrought by him as an instrument. He looked on himself as the branch abiding in the vine, and the vine was Christ; he strove to be one with Christ, as Christ and the Father are one. Nor is there in this anything to startle us. It is the very idea of the christian priesthood, and he who does not realize it in some degree has the sacerdotal character indeed, but is not a priest after the heart of Jesus Christ.
One of his most distinctive characteristics (...) was a bright cheerfulness of spirit, which went with him throughout his life, and which helped him much in his ministry to souls. This genial cheerfulness and sympathy drew sinners to Philip with singular force; it made them love him, and to love Philip was to be drawn mightily towards God.
Hence Philip applied himself to this ministry with marvelous assiduity and constancy. Not satisfied with hearing confession during the day, the continued them on into the night; and in the morning before dawn he had generally confessed forty persons in his own room. (...)
He allowed nothing to interfere with this great work of reconciling sinners to God. He would interrupt even his prayers, or leave his dinner, the moment he was asked for in the confessional.
This ministry of pardon, and of the mercy of our Father in heaven, was peculiarly dear to Philip, so that he used to say: " It is the greatest delight to me even to sit in the confessional. What do you mean by calling it a fatigue? It is not a fatigue, but a solace and refreshment. Do not shrink, then, from coming to me; you can never be too many." The Life of Saint Philip Neri, Apostle of Rome, Volume 1 By Alfonso Capecelatro
Prayer:
Your love of the Church, O Philip, was most fervent: there can be no true sanctity without it. Though your contemplation was of the sublimest kind, yet did it not make you lose sight of the cruel trials which this holy Spouse of Christ had to endure in those sad times. The successful efforts of heresy stimulated your zeal. Get us that keen sympathy for our holy Faith which will make us take an interest in all that concerns its progress. It is not enough for us that we save our own souls. We must, moreover, ardently desire and do our utmost to obtain the advancement of God’s kingdom on Earth, the extirpation of heresy, and the exaltation of our holy Mother the Church. If these are not our dispositions, how can we call ourselves children of God? May your example urge us to take to heart the sacred cause of our common Mother. Pray, too, for the Church Militant of which you were one of the bravest soldiers. Shield with your protection that Rome which loves you so devoutly because of the services which she received at your hands. You led her children to holiness during your mortal career. Bless her and defend her now that you are in Heaven." Dom Prosper Guéranger
LITANY OF ST. PHILIP
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven,Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, Pray for us.
St. Philip, Pray for us.
Vessel of the Holy Ghost, Pray for us.
Child of Mary, Pray for us.
Apostle of Rome, Pray for us.
Counsellor of Popes, Pray for us.
Voice of Prophecy, Pray for us.
Man of primitive times, Pray for us.
Winning Saint, Pray for us.
Hidden hero, Pray for us.
Sweetest of Fathers, Pray for us.
Flower of purity, Pray for us.
Martyr of charity, Pray for us.
Heart of fire, Pray for us.
Discerner of spirits, Pray for us.
Choicest of priests, Pray for us.
Mirror of the divine life, Pray for us.
Pattern of humility, Pray for us.
Example of simplicity, Pray for us.
Light of holy joy, Pray for us.
Image of childhood, Pray for us.
Picture of old age, Pray for us.
Director of souls, Pray for us.
Gentle guide of youth, Pray for us.
Patron of thy own, Pray for us.
Who didst observe chastity in thy youth, Pray for us.
Who didst seek Rome by divine guidance, Pray for us.
Who didst hide so long in the Catacombs, Pray for us.
Who didst receive the Holy Ghost into thy heart, Pray for us.
Who didst experience such wonderful ecstasies, Pray for us.
Who didst so lovingly serve the little ones, Pray for us.
Who didst wash the feet of pilgrims, Pray for us.
Who didst ardently thirst after martyrdom, Pray for us.
Who didst distribute the daily word of God, Pray for us.
Who didst turn so many hearts to God, Pray for us.
Who didst converse so sweetly with Mary, Pray for us.
Who didst raise the dead, Pray for us.
Who didst set up thy houses in all lands, 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.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
V. Remember thy Congregation.
B. Which thou hast possessed from the beginning.
Let us pray.
O God, who hast exalted blessed Philip, Thy Confessor, in the glory of Thy saints, grant that, as we rejoice in his commemoration, so we may profit by the example of his virtues, through Christ our Lord.
Source: Meditations and Devotions of the Late Cardinal Newman, 1903
