Collect for the Feast of Saint Raymond Nonnatus

O God, Who didst make blessed Raymund, Thy confessor, wonderful in delivering Thy faithful held in captivity by the infidels, grant us by his intercession that, being loosed from the bonds of our sins, we may with quiet minds perform those things which are pleasing to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen. (Source: Saint Andrew Daily Missal by Dom Gaspar Lefebvre, Liturgical Apostolate, 1959.)

Novena Prayer to St. Raymond Nonnatus

Glorious St. Raymond filled with compassion for those who invoke thee and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at thy feet and humbly beg of Thee under thy special protection. Vouchsafe to recommend it to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face, and with thee and Mary and the saints praising and blessing for all eternity, Amen

Good St. Raymond pray for us and obtain our request.

Good St. Raymond pray for us and obtain our request.

Good St. Raymond pray for us and obtain our request.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.

Catholic Tradition

Saint Fiacre. Stained glass window, Notre-Dame, Bar-le-Duc, France, 19th century.

"Sanctify of Labor: Labor, which was imposed on man after the Fall by way of expiation, acts also as a preservative. Virtue and idleness do not dwell under the same roof; assiduous labor leaves no room for vice. This has been well understood by so many founders of religious orders, who enjoined labor on their monks as a positive duty.

St. Fiacre, an Irish monk, having come to France in the seventh century to seek out a solitude, established himself in the forest of Breuil, where he cleared and cultivated a plot of ground the produce whereof sufficed for his own maintenance, and for abundant alms to others. Combining with labor continual prayer and the rigor of penance, he ended by becoming the oracle and apostle of the neighboring regions, and a saint to whom God vouchsafed the gift of miracles. He died in 670, and since then his tomb has always been held in veneration. Princes, kings, prelates, and people have alike honored the poor solitary, who had learned the grand science of labor and prayer.

Moral reflection: Ye who love indolence, ponder well these words of the Great Apostle: "If any man will not work, neither let him eat." (2 Thes. iii. 10.)"

Prayer: Deign, Lord, to raise our souls to Thee, and form our hearts to the cultivation of Christian virtues and to the practice of doing good. We beg Thee, through the intercession of Blessed Saint Fiacre, to grant us the grace to persevere in the way of salvation, so that on the day of eternal justice, Thou may find us worthy of taking our place in the abode of the elect. Amen.

Salome with the Head of John the Baptist, Caravaggio (London)

"A feast in memory of that day, when St. John Baptist, for reproving Herod's incestuous living with his brother's wife, was cast in prison; and his life being given for a reward to Herodias for her dancing, he was beheaded in prison, at her request.

See the reward of St. John's charity in reproving a public crime. And can you wonder that so very few have courage to undertake the task? How many live in the practice of scandalous crimes, who meet many flatterers and encouragers, but seldom find plain dealers who put them in mind of their unchristian method!

The apprehension of their displeasure, and of losing an interest in them, is a sufficient discouragement to such as lament their disorders, and desire their good. Is not this a sign that their self-love is greater than their charity; and that they have not courage enough to be good?

This is undoubtedly a business of difficulty, requiring great prudence, not fit for all persons, nor for all times; and inconsiderate zeal may be as mischievous as cowardice, or want of charity. Being therefore an affair of such nicety, it ought well to be considered and consulted before it is undertaken; so that the design of charity may not be frustrated by imprudence. But the greater number fall under the guilt of the other extreme; and it is a reproach to Christians, that this part of charity is so much abandoned by them.

Many offend through mere indiscretion, and are disposed enough for friendly advice; but continue in their disorders for want of such advice.

Observe how this dancing ends in cruelty and blood; and how a prophet is sacrificed to conclude the pastime. Dancing being exposed to great abuses, and snares being here too often laid to betray unwary souls, Christians should be very cautious how they engage in such diversion. To love them is dangerous, to embrace all offers, is running into temptation; and they give so much encouragement to all that is evil, that there is no engaging in them without great danger to innocence and virtue."

The Catholic Year or daily lessons on the feasts of the Church, by Rev. Fr. John Gother 1861

John the Baptist and the Meaning of Marriage by Fr. David Friel

“As a last act, the Baptist bears witness with his blood to his fidelity to God’s commandments, without giving up or turning back, thus fulfilling his mission to the end. St. Bede, a 9th century monk, in his Homilies says: St. John, for Christ, gave up his life, even though [his persecutor] had not demanded that he should deny Jesus Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. And he did not keep silent about the truth, and thus he died for Christ who is the Truth. For love of the truth, he did not give in to compromises with those who were powerful, nor was he afraid to address strong words to the one who lost his way to God.

“Now we see this great figure — this force — in his passion, in his resistance against the powerful. We ask: where does this life come from, this interiority, which is so strong, so principled, so consistent, which is spent so totally for God and in preparing the way for Jesus? The answer is simple: from his relationship with God, from prayer, which is the guiding thread of his entire life. […]

“Dear brothers and sisters, celebrating the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist also reminds us — Christians in our own times — that we cannot give into compromise when it comes to our love for Christ, for his Word, for his Truth. The Truth is the Truth; there is no compromise. The Christian life requires, as it were, the “martyrdom” of daily fidelity to the Gospel; the courage, that is, to allow Christ to increase in us and to direct our thoughts and actions. But this can only occur in our lives if our relationship with God is strong.”

General audience of Pope Benedict XVI delivered on 29th August, 2012, Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist.

5. We adore Thee, O Sacrament of Love! And to repair all those thoughts and criminal desires, conceived even at the foot of Thy altars, we offer up to Thee all the pure affections and chaste desires of the Dominations. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament

O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by rendering to Him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of performing. Amen.

 Sacred Heart, Raleigh NC. 2013

"How great the dignity of a priest in whose hands Christ again becomes man! O Celestial mystery, wrought in so marvelous a manner by God the Father and by the Holy Ghost through the instrumentality of the priest!" St. Augustine.  Source: Fr. Cochem's Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Philippe de Champaigne: Saint Augustine

A Prayer to St. Augustine

O Glorious St. Augustine, the light and oracle of the faithful! I most fervently join the whole Church of Christ in thanking the Almighty for having chosen thee to become a peculiar object of His love, and an everlasting monument of His tender mercies. Illustrious penitent! Thy admirable conversion proves to the whole world, that no crimes are too great for the God of all mercies to pardon – no heart too corrupt for His love to purify- and no obstacle too strong for His grace to overcome. Penetrated with veneration for thy virtues, I choose thee for my Father, my Protector, and my advocate. I most humbly beseech thee to have compassion on my youth, and to protect me in those dangers which thou well knowest are attendant on my inexperienced age. O blessed victim of charity, obtain that I may seriously consecrate my heart to my Creator, and faithfully observe that great commandment of charity, so deeply engraved on thy heart. Thou wert the son of thy mother’s precious tears, the conquest of her prayers, and afterwards the faithful imitator of her virtues; obtain for me the most profound respect and tender affection for my parents, gratitude for their care, and the grace to profit of the advantages which their solicitude for my eternal welfare has provided for me. I recommend to thee, in a particular manner, O great Saint, all those unhappy souls, who are in the dreadful state of mortal sin, and conjure thee, by the unceasing tears thou didst shed over thy own wanderings, to procure them the grace of conversion, and to obtain for me such horror of sin, that I may avoid it as the only real evil, and thereby merit to behold for all eternity that uncreated Beauty, who was too long hidden from thy view, and eternally love that infinite Goodness, whom thou didst bitterly regret have loved too late. Amen.

Source: The Ursuline manual; or, A collection of prayers, spiritual exercises 1830 Mass

wikipedia

"Saint Joseph Calasanz, you were disgraced, defamed, maligned and imprisoned and yet forgave all who had robbed you of your most precious personal possession: your reputation. Help us to be so forgiving toward those who steal from us what we have taken so long to build up." (Source: My Catholic Life)

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Mediator Dei

8. Indeed, though we are sorely grieved to note, on the one hand, that there are places where the spirit, understanding or practice of the sacred liturgy is defective, or all but inexistent, We observe with considerable anxiety and some misgiving, that elsewhere certain enthusiasts, over-eager in their search for novelty, are straying beyond the path of sound doctrine and prudence. Not seldom, in fact, they interlard their plans and hopes for a revival of the sacred liturgy with principles which compromise this holiest of causes in theory or practice, and sometimes even taint it with errors touching Catholic faith and ascetical doctrine.

9. Yet the integrity of faith and morals ought to be the special criterion of this sacred science, which must conform exactly to what the Church out of the abundance of her wisdom teaches and prescribes. It is, consequently, Our prerogative to commend and approve whatever is done properly, and to check or censure any aberration from the path of truth and rectitude.

59. It has pained Us grievously to note, Venerable Brethren, that such innovations are actually being introduced, not merely in minor details but in matters of major importance as well. We instance, in point of fact, those who make use of the vernacular in the celebration of the august Eucharistic sacrifice; those who transfer certain feast-days - which have been appointed and established after mature deliberation - to other dates; those, finally, who delete from the prayer books approved for public use the sacred texts of the Old Testament, deeming them little suited and inopportune for modern times. 

60. The use of the Latin language, customary in a considerable portion of the Church, is a manifest and beautiful sign of unity, as well as an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth.

62. But it is neither wise nor laudable to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible device. Thus, to cite some instances, one would be straying from the straight path were he to wish the altar restored to its primitive table form; were he to want black excluded as a color for the liturgical vestments; were he to forbid the use of sacred images and statues in Churches; were he to order the crucifix so designed that the divine Redeemer's body shows no trace of His cruel sufferings; and lastly were he to disdain and reject polyphonic music or singing in parts, even where it conforms to regulations issued by the Holy See.

203. But in all these matters, it is essential that you watch vigilantly lest the enemy come into the field of the Lord and sow cockle among the wheat;[181] in other words, do not let your flocks be deceived by the subtle and dangerous errors of false mysticism or quietism - as you know We have already condemned these errors;[182] also do not let a certain dangerous "humanism" lead them astray, nor let there be introduced a false doctrine destroying the notion of Catholic faith, nor finally an exaggerated zeal for antiquity in matters liturgical. Watch with like diligence lest the false teaching of those be propagated who wrongly think and teach that the glorified human nature of Christ really and continually dwells in the "just" by His presence and that one and numerically the same grace, as they say, unites Christ with the members of His Mystical Body.

204. Never be discouraged by the difficulties that arise, and never let your pastoral zeal grow cold. "Blow the trumpet in Sion . . . call an assembly, gather together the people, sanctify the Church, assemble the ancients, gather together the little ones, and them that suck at the breasts,"[183] and use every help to get the faithful everywhere to fill the churches and crowd around the altars so that they may be restored by the graces of the sacraments and joined as living members to their divine Head, and with Him and through Him celebrate together the august sacrifice that gives due tribute of praise to the Eternal Father.

205. These, Venerable Brethren, are the subjects We desired to write to you about. We are moved to write that your children, who are also Ours, may more fully understand and appreciate the most precious treasures which are contained in the sacred liturgy: namely, the Eucharistic sacrifice, representing and renewing the sacrifice of the cross, the sacraments which are the streams of divine grace and of divine life, and the hymn of praise, which heaven and earth daily offer to God.

206. We cherish the hope that these Our exhortations will not only arouse the sluggish and recalcitrant to a deeper and more correct study of the liturgy, but also instill into their daily lives its supernatural spirit according to the words of the Apostle, "extinguish not the spirit."[184]

Source: Mediator Dei, Pope Pius XII

“How many difficulties there are also today in family relationships and how many mothers are anguished because their children choose mistaken ways! Monica, a wise and solid woman in the faith, invites them not to be discouraged, but to persevere in their mission of wives and mothers, maintaining firm their confidence in God and clinging with perseverance to prayer.” (Pope Benedict XVI) Source: Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers

"Ladies, if you wish to become real Christian mothers, fix your eyes on St. Monica; follow in her steps. If you, too, mourn over the wanderings of your sons, do not despair. Imitate her: invoke her aid. It is impossible but that she, who suffered so much on earth from the same cause, should not be touched by your sorrows, and obtain for you, in the conversion of your own children, the happiness which she herself received from our Lord.

Only persevere; use the means which she used: offer the sacrifice of your prayers, our tears, your penances, for the sins of your boys; so that the day may come when, with your last breath, you will be able to say joyfully with her, "Why should I stay longer here? My task is done."

(...) He who could not resist the tears of the widow of Nain, will be moved by the sight of thousands of mothers pleading for their children's souls. He will not allow a whole generation of young men to perish, we with their mother's tears.

Finish your great work, O Monica! and from Heaven where you share the glory of the son of whom you were in a double sense the mother, look upon the multitude of women now fulfilling the hard and trying mission once entrusted to yourself. Sustain them in their trials, that their faith fail not, and teach them, by the example of your life, that the fame of evil, kindled by the enemy of souls in the hearts of their children, can be extinguished by the sacred and more powerful flame of a mother's love."

Source: Monseigneur Sibour, Archbishop of Paris, Church of Notre Dame de Sion, 1856

Source: Sonnets and Verse by Hilaire Belloc Duckworth, 1923

Pope and Martyr

"God has always raised up holy pastors, zealous to maintain the sacred deposit of the faith of His Church inviolable, and to watch over the purity of its moral, and the sanctity of its discipline. How many conflicts did they sustain! with what constancy, watchfulness, and courage, did they stand their ground against idolatry, heresy, and the corruption of the World!

We enjoy the greatest advantages of the divine grace through their labors; and we owe to God a tribute of perpetual thanksgiving and immortal praise for all those mercies which He has afforded His Church on earth. We are bound also to recommend most earnestly to Him His own work, praying that He exalt the glory of His divine name, by propagating His holy faith on earth: that He continually raise up in His Church shining examples of all virtue, pastors filled with His spirit, and a people disposed to captivate their understandings to His revealed truths, and subject their hearts to the sweet yoke of His holy love and divine law; watchful to abhor and oppose every profane innovation of doctrine, and all assaults and artifices of vice."