St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, A.D. 100
by VP
Posted on Saturday November 23, 2024 at 12:00AM in Saints
"He was a disciple of St. Peter, and commended by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians. He was the third bishop of Rome, after St. Peter, took great care for recording the acts of the martyrs; and for his zeal in gaining many to the Christian faith, was banished by order of the emperor Trajan into Chersonesus. There he found great numbers of Christians, condemned to work in the quarries by the same
emperor. To these he was a great comfort, instructing and relieving
them under their severe labours. For which, complaint being made of him to the emperor, he was, by his command, thrown into the sea, where he finished a glorious martyrdom, in the year 100.
Pray for the present bishop of Rome; that in zeal and holiness, he may be a true follower of his
primitive predecessors. Pray for all in affliction. And since this is a
difficult trial, be careful not to bring any into trouble. Treat all
with sweetness and compassion; and ever choose rather to make others
easy by your condescendence, than suffer by your roughness and severity. Endeavor to compose differences, as St. Paul advises, by reference,
rather than bring your neighbor to the expense and trouble of law-suits, which are seldom conducted without unchristian heats and the breach of charity. But above all, see that you bring no trouble to your own doors, by your prodigality, intemperance, or other
vices. Many families have been ruined by those, whose duty it was to be
their support: and who can imagine what their sin must be, who by their
disorders, entail misery on their
children to generations? Consider whether by your irregularities, you do
not rob your wife and children. For however you may call what you have
your own, it is no otherwise your own, than for those purposes for which
God has bestowed it. Pray for grace to understand this, that for the support of pride, vanity, ambition, or intemperance, you be not cast out among thieves and persecutors." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Twenty-Third Day: Works of Penance for the Holy Souls.
by VP
Posted on Saturday November 23, 2024 at 12:00AM in Meditations
"The Church has at all times recommended and the saints have always had recourse to works of penance as the best means of obtaining extraordinary graces from God. And there is no doubt that these works of mortification have great efficacy for the departed. Although great works of penance and mortification are not expected of every one, yet there is no one who could not occasionally deny himself a part of some favorite dist or some amusement, mortify his eyes, ears or tongue, observe silence for a short time, bear in patience the pain of sickness, heat or cold, or any other adversity, or curb his self-will and evil inclinations; in fact bear with submission and gratitude to God everything that causes pain or distress.
Such charity lovingly bestowed on the holy souls of our dear departed will call down rich blessings upon us and obtain for us strength to endure our own sufferings.
"Know ye that the Lord will hear our prayers if you continue with perseverance in fastings and prayers, in the sight of the Lord." (Judith IV. 11.)"
Prayer: Grant us, O Lord, the grace to walk before Thee in penance and mortification, and in these works to remember the souls in Purgatory. Deign to accept what we in the spirit of charity offer for the comfort and relief of these penitent souls. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for Priests in Purgatory: My Jesus, by the sorrows Thou didst suffer in Thine Agony in the Garden, in Thy Scourging and Crowning with thorns, in the Way to Calvary, in Thy Crucifixion and Death, have mercy on the souls of priests in Purgatory, especially those most forgotten and who have no one else to pray for them. I wish to remember all those priests who ministered to me, the priests my heart has never forgotten, and for those that I no longer recall due to my frailty of memory. Do Thou deliver them from the dire torments they endure; call them and admit them to Thy most sweet embrace in Paradise.
Pope Saint Pius X and Saint John Vianney, pray for us and especially for our priests. Amen
Special Intercession: Pray for the souls of those who bestowed the merit of their mortification upon the holy souls.
Lord grant them eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. (three times)
Invocation: My Jesus, mercy!
Source: Manual of the Purgatorian Society, Redemptorist Fathers. 1907