13. Hope. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Friday December 13, 2024 at 12:00AM in Advent Sermons
"1. Advent is essentially a time of hope. It is not in itself a time of joy except so far as hope of joy to come brings with it a present gladness. It is an exact representation of our life on earth. We are in a place of exile and a valley of tears, but yet our hope amid all the darkness should be lighted up and rendered joyous by the prospect of future joy. The motto of our life is our Lord’s farewell words to his disciples : “You indeed shall have sorrow, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” This must be my consolation in all sorrow. I must try and forget my present troubles in the happy thought of joy to come.
2. Why have we so little hope ? Generally because we seek to have our happiness here, and so forfeit the right to it hereafter, or at least forfeit the right to look forward to it with confidence and joy. We cannot eat our cake and keep it. If I seek my satisfaction in money, or comforts, or praise, or applause, or affection of others, I have my reward here and cannot expect to get any reward hereafter. I have no crown of justice to hope for if already I have had the crown of satisfied ambition, or pockets filled with money, or a tickled palate, or the buzzing applause of a crowd.
3. Our hope is also marred by our self-will, which prevents our will from being in complete conformity with the will of God. We are conscious of a sort of barrier between ourselves and Him which sadly interferes with our hope. We have assumed a sort of independence of God which renders it impossible for Him to pour into our hearts that hope which is in exact proportion to our conformity to His will. If I were humble and more resigned in all things, I should be more full of hope. "
Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)
Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls themselves.
Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them, and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they shepherded on earth. Amen.
Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more
Centennial of the Raleigh Diocese (Dec. 12, 1924 - Dec. 12, 2024)
by VP
Posted on Thursday December 12, 2024 at 12:00AM in From the Past
North Carolina Catholic, 1964, used with permission
"The Raleigh Diocese (...) was formally establised on December 12, 1924 by Pope Pius XI. In the Bull, Omnium Ecclesiarum Sollicitudo, which erected the Diocese, the parish church of the Sacred Heart was elevated to the rank of Cathedral. Although the Diocese was thus established in 1924, the designation of the first Ordinary was not made until April 6, 1925. Prior to that date all the faithful residing in North Carolina were under the jurisdiciton of the Vicar Apostolic, Rt. Rev. Leo Haid, O.S.B.
Bishop William J. Hafey took possession of the See of Raleigh on July 1, 1925. Having previously served as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Bishop Hafey was the youngest member of the U.S. Hierarchy at the time of his consecration.
He found less than six thousand Catholics in his new diocese. There were only twenty-six priests laboring in the territory; twenty parishes had a resident pastor, and six of the parishes had schools in which eighty-eight sisters taught no more than eight hundred pupils." (North Carolina Catholic, Dec. 13 1964)
Raleigh Diocese statistics:
Pray for Priests: Cure d'Ars Prayer Group
Centennial Prayer for the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh: Lord God, you alone are the source of
every good gift, of the vast array of our universe, and the mystery of
each human life. We praise you and we thank you for your tender,
faithful love. As the Diocese of Raleigh celebrates the 100th
Anniversary of its founding, we stand before you with gratitude and joy
for the many gifts and blessings you have bestowed upon the faithful of
this Diocese.
In imitation of Christ, your Son, you raised up courageous individuals,
such as Servant of God, Father Thomas Frederick Price, and Saint
Katharine Drexel, and through the countless efforts of its bishops,
clergy, and the women and men who tirelessly gave of their wisdom and
generosity, you have shaped a Diocese capable of bearing the fruit of
compassion and charity in service to the needs of others.
Send forth now, we pray, your Spirit upon the faithful of the Diocese of
Raleigh who look forward to another hundred years of the presence of
Christ burning in our hearts. As we recall the great events, which
enabled the flourishing of our Diocese, fill our minds with Christʼs
truth and our hearts with His love.
As we look forward to the future may we be bonded together by the Holy
Spirit and commit ourselves once again to grow as credible witnesses of
the Gospel of Christ so that, as we walk your ways with faith and hope,
we may never tire of bringing Christʼs joy into this world. We ask this
through Christ our Lord. Amen
Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina
- "The congregation listened as Cardinal Gregory noted that when the Diocese of Raleigh turned 50, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “one of the most eloquent and saintly bishops in American Church history” preached to the congregation." (‘What a glorious century’ Diocese observes centennial at Mass of the Faithful"
Video: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen preaches at the 50th Anniversary Mass of the Diocese of Raleigh - 1974
12. The Forerunner’s Office. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Thursday December 12, 2024 at 12:00AM in Advent Sermons
"1. St. John was something more than a herald. He had to prepare the way for the King, to make the crooked ways straight, and the rough places smooth. His office was that which is intrusted to us all in our own sphere : to try and make the way in which the followers of Christ have to tread straight and easy. What a privilege if we can by our charity and our edifying life make the path of life more easy for those whose lot it is to tread the way of the cross and to walk over rough or stormy paths f Is this your endeavor in your daily life, or do you place obstacles in the path of others by your bad example, want of charity and consideration, impatience, etc.?
2. St. John, as the herald or forerunner of Christ, had to proclaim the coming of the King. He himself expresses this by his description of himself as the voice of One Who cries in the desert; that is, Christ spoke through his mouth. So He speaks through the mouths of all His servants just in proportion to their devotion and singleness of purpose. How poor an echo are my words of the whispers of Christ to the faithful soul! How mixed with the discordant notes of self-will and worldliness!
3. St.John’s estimate of himself in comparison with Him Whom he announced was that he was not worthy to stoop down and untie the latchet of His sandal. This was the duty of the lowest slaves. It meant that he was unworthy to serve Christ, even in the capacity of a slave, and by doing the work that many slaves would consider beneath them. Am I willing to undertake the humblest and most menial duties in the service of Christ ? Do I consider it a privilege to do so ? "
Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born
Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the
piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear
my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)
Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls themselves.
Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them, and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they shepherded on earth. Amen.
Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more
December 12th Our Lady of Guadalupe
by VP
Posted on Thursday December 12, 2024 at 12:00AM in Prayers
Wikipedia
"Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make intercession for the Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke thee in their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from thy most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen."
Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary, 1938. prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Pius X August 18, 1908.
Our Lady of Guadalupe.
America does not lack the right to rejoice in a miraculous visit on the part of the Ever Blessed Virgin Mother. The spot sanctified by apparitions of Mary Immaculate is called Guadalupe, a few miles away from the city of Mexico.
At a time when Guadalupe was but a barren mountainous wilderness, on December 9, 1531, a pious Catholic Indian by the name of Juan Diego was making his way through this wilderness for the purpose of attending Mass in the city. Juan Diego was a truly Christian man and extremely devout to Our Blessed Lady. This may in a measure account for the appearance before him - there in the midst of the lonely mountain country - of a beautiful lady, one whose beauty was such that he felt no doubt whatever when she told him that she was the Mother of God, and bade him go to Bishop Zumarraga in the city and advise the Bishop that she wished a church in her honor to be built on the very spot her feet were then touching. Juan Diego obeyed Our Lady's command. But the Bishop, unconvinced, unwilling to act on the word of an Indian unknown to him, instructed him to ask a sign, a proof of her identity, from the lady who had described herself as the Mother of God.
A few days later, on December 12, Juan again went to the city in order to fetch a priest for his uncle who was sick. Unwilling to meet the lady again - because he disliked the idea of asking her for a sign, according to the Bishop's directions, he turned from the path he usually traveled. Nevertheless, Our Lady once more appeared. She assured him that he need not make haste to go for a priest, as-through her intercession-his uncle was even now restored to health. And she repeated her desire that on this spot should be built a church in her honor, where she should be invoked as "Our Lady of Guadalupe." Then she sent him to some neighboring rocks, telling ing him to gather the roses he would find there. It was not the season of the year when roses bloom in that part of Mexico, and Juan had never known roses to grow in these barren mountains, but he did as he was told and found a bush covered with beautiful red roses. These he gathered and placed within the cloak or blanket that he wore. When he had brought them to Most Holy Mary, she arranged them herself, and folding the cloak over them so that it acted as a basket, commanded Juan not to show its contents to anyone, but to carry it to the Bishop, without delay.
The pious Indian's obedience was faultless. He presented himself at the Bishop's house, and when the prelate received him, opened the cloak he carried, whereupon the beautiful roses fell to the floor. To the humble Indian's great astonishment, the Bishop and his attendants were kneeling with every appearance of fervent faith. No sooner, however, had he glanced at the cloak he was holding than he understood why the Bishop knelt down, for, imprinted on the poor blanket-cloak, he beheld a life-size picture of the Mother of God, done in rarely beautiful colors. It was Our Lady's "sign" given the Bishop and all the world.
Of course, there was no further room for doubt. The church was built and is today one of the earth's great sanctuaries. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of Mexico, and at her shrine hundreds and thousands of miracles, testifying to Mary's boundless mercy and tenderness, have been performed.
Over the main altar of that great church is seen today, as it has been seen for several centuries, the miraculous picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The cloak on which a divine agency imprinted this picture, the poor Indian's blanket-cloak, consists of two pieces of rough, common material somewhat like sacking, some seventy inches long by eighteen inches wide. Artists and chemical experts who have examined it, declare the cloak's material utterly unfit for painting, and say that the coloring of the picture is not due to oil colors, nor to water colors, nor to any coloring known to man. Also, the nearly five hundred years which have passed since Our Lady gave back his cloak to Juan Diego have not dimmed the mysterious colors of the miraculous picture in the least.
Patroness of America.
A chapter dealing with the devotion of Our Blessed Lady would be unsatisfactory if it did not remind Catholics of the United States that they are not only simply but doubly under the patronage of God's Ever Blessed Virgin Mother. In the first place, Most Holy Mary is our patroness because her Son, Our Lord, made her the mother of all men truly believing in Him, by saying to St. John from His Cross: "Behold thy Mother"! and to Mary: "Behold Thy Son"! And in the second place, she is again our patroness because Holy Church, in the early part of the last century, placed the United States under the special protection of Mary, Conceived Without Sin. Wherefore it would seem that each one of us American Catholics should be particularly zealous in the service of Mary Immaculate and in the defense and spread of her cult. (...)"
Source: Our Faith and the Facts (Religion's
Story, what Catholics Believe and Practice, Answers to Charges Made
Against the Church , what We Have Done and are Doing, a Busy Person's
Reference Work, a Home Library) P.L. Baine, 1927 -
11. The Forerunner’s Message. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Wednesday December 11, 2024 at 12:00AM in Advent Sermons
"1. The refrain of St. John’s teaching was a very simple and constant one : “ Do penance,for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It seems strange advice. The coming of the King of heaven might be a reason for joy on the part of those who looked for Him, and of dread on the part of His enemies. But why for doing penance ? Yet the teaching of St. John is true now, as it was at the time his words were first spoken. Penance is the means of preparation for the advent of our King. This explains the saint’s love of penance. What penance do I practice with this object ?
2. Yet after all it is the natural and most suitable means of preparation. It helps us to bring into subjection that lower nature, which rebels against the sovereignty of our King. It detaches us from finding our satisfaction in earthly things. It is in itself an act of obedience to our King. It renders us humble, and teaches us to put our necks under the yoke. It saves us from being separated from the kingdom we are to share by the long prison of purgatory. Learn from all this to love penance.
3. Penance is a necessary preparation for receiving our King when He comes to us in humble form in Holy Communion. This is why confession is the preliminary of that sacred feast, and why contrition is necessary. We must purge our souls by prayer and penance and sorrow for sins, if we are to rejoice exceedingly in the Bridegroom’s presence, and to hear His voice sweetly whispering in our ears. Do I prepare thus for Holy Communion?"
Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)
Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests
Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank
Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests
are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted
the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls
themselves.
Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them,
and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good
laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and
preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city
placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And
in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they
shepherded on earth. Amen.
Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more!
10.The Forerunner of the King. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Tuesday December 10, 2024 at 12:00AM in Advent Sermons
"1. St. John Baptist was the chosen messenger to proclaim the coming of the King of kings. No other herald had so important an office. He had to prepare the hearts of men for the coming of the Messiah. It was this that constituted him the greatest of those who were born of women. If to proclaim the coming of Christ in the flesh was so solemn and responsible an office, what must be the dignity and responsibility of the priests of God, who are sent to announce His second coming in glory?
2. How did St. John prepare for his work ? By a life of seclusion and penance. From childhood he lived alone in the desert, his bed the hard ground, his meat locusts and wild honey, his dress a camel's skin. Our Lord contrasts him with those who wear soft raiment. No one who lives a life of luxury will ever be an efficient messenger of God. A priest above all must avoid a life of ease and self-indulgence, if he wishes to win souls for Christ.
3. The secret of St. John's success was thus the result of practicing what he preached. He practiced much more than he preached, for he enjoined upon his hearers the simple performance of ordinary duties while he led a life of continual penance and self-denial. If our words are to carry any weight we must not preach without practicing. The parent or superior who has the training of the young will never train them up to virtue unless he himself is a man of virtue. No one can reach the hearts of others unless he first carries out the lessons he teaches others. Do I do this? "
Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)
Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests
Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank
Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests
are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted
the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls
themselves.
Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them,
and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good
laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and
preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city
placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And
in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they
shepherded on earth. Amen.
Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more!
9. The Fulfilment of the Decree. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Monday December 09, 2024 at 12:00AM in Advent Sermons
"1. The promised coming of the Redeemer had indeed been long delayed. Patriarch had succeeded patriarch, and died without having the privilege of seeing that long-expected day. The long line of the prophets had passed away, but their desire after the Messiah had not been satisfied. God always keeps His servants waiting for His best gifts, and therefore it was but fitting that they should wait for thousands of years before receiving this Gift of gifts, this Gift in which He gave them Himself.
2. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity had also been waiting for one whose immaculate purity should make her fit, as far as any child of Adam could be fit, to be His Mother. There had been many holy women among the daughters of Abraham, but none without sin, and therefore none in whose womb the Son of God could find repose. If Christ thus could not come to dwell with one who was stained with sin, what must be the purity He requires now of those whose Guest He becomes in Holy Communion? oh Jesus, forgive me all my careless receptions of Thee, my want of careful preparation, my faults innumerable !
3. Christ Himself had prepared a resting-place for Himself in Mary’s sacred breast. As we read in Holy Scripture : “The Most High has sanctified a tabernacle for Himself.” So now, if I am to be fit to receive Him, He must prepare my heart. Do I think of this during my preparation for Communion, and pray Him to cleanse me from every stain in His most precious blood, to beautify with many graces the tabernacle where He is to abide ? "
Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)
Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests
Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank
Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests
are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted
the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls
themselves.
Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them,
and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good
laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and
preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city
placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And
in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they
shepherded on earth. Amen.
Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more!
Immaculate Conception, Patron of the Raleigh Diocese
by VP
Posted on Sunday December 08, 2024 at 12:00AM in Articles
Our Lady of North Carolina, Memorial to Bishop Hafey First Bishop of the Diocese Sacred Heart Downtown Raleigh
Our Lady of North Carolina:
Bishop Vincent Waters, December 8th 1945 (The Bulletin):
"On coming to the Diocese a little over five months ago, I discovered that the Diocese of Raleigh had no diocesan patron. After talking the matter over with the Right Reverend and Very Reverend Consultors, as well as with a number of the Diocesan clergy, I petitioned His Holiness Pope Pius XII to declare, by Apostolic Brief, Our Blessed Mother, under the title of her Immaculate Conception, as the patron of this diocese. I have just received a cablegram from Monsignor Alfonso Carinci, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, advising that His Holiness has granted our request.
Although the eighth of December is a day for general rejoicing in America, since our country is dedicated to our heavenly Mother under this title there is an especial reason this year, and every year thereafter, for rejoicing on the eighth of December in the Diocese of Raleigh, for we have God’s own Mother under the title of her Immaculate Conception as our heavenly patron. In each church of the Diocese this day should be a day of general Communion of the faithful, especially of the children, and following the last Mass, or in the evening, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament should be given, during which the enclosed Act of Consecration should be recited. I ask all to pray fervently to Our Heavenly Mother for the gift of faith for those outside the Church." --
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This day is a festival of joy and thanksgiving to all those who have a due sense of the great blessing of their redemption. For whoever considers that long night of sin, which had covered the earth for four thousand years, must needs honour with joy that first moment of her sanctification, who was chosen from all eternity to be mother of Him, who was to be the light of the world, and to take off that malediction, which sin had brought upon it. All who consider this, must rejoice, when Mary, like the morning star begins to rise, and foretels the near approach of day. And this joy must be accompanied with most solemn thanksgiving, for those extraordinary favours by which she was distinguished from all that are born of women. These privileges, the effect of the divine bounty, demand our thanks; for though she was the subject of this grace, yet the mercy was to be extended to all.
But having paid this tribute of praise and thanksgiving, and seriously considered the eminent sanctity of the B. V. Mary, we are then to turn our eyes upon ourselves, and see whether we can discover there, a like subject of joy. For if so wonderful were the dispositions of the B. Virgin, to prepare her to be the Mother of Christ, some degrees of them there ought to be in us too; since, though in a different manner, it is a dignity, to which every Christian is called, for in every Christian, Christ is to be formed. Galat. iv. 19.
If we can find any suitable dispositions in us for this work of grace, we may with reason rejoice; but if none such appear, this solemnity of joy will be to us a day of confusion. Look then on the B. Virgin Mary, and see what these dispositions are. A most profound humility, a spirit raised up to God by love, and perfect conformity to His holy Will. By these her soul was fitted, and she was chosen amongst all women to have Christ formed in her, so to become the Mother of our Redeemer. Now, what can you say of yourselves? How near do you come to these necessary dispositions for having Christ formed in you?
What have you of humility? Are you fully persuaded of your origin being from nothing? That the being, which God has given you, is so frail, and you so little master of it, that you would in any moment return to the same nothing, if God's powerful hand did not support you. That your necessities are universal: that you are not able to do, say, or think any thing that is good: that by sin you are many degrees worse than nothing; and for your rebellion against God, deserve to be deprived of all grace and blessings, and to be abandoned to all misery. That as it is, your corruption and weakness are so general that you scarce perform one good action which has not a mixture of evil in it; so that whatever favourable thoughts you may frame of yourselves, you are truly, in the sight of God, wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
There are many steps in humility. Begin at the lowest; this will help to raise you, and give you hopes of coming to the top. As you advance here, so will the love of God, by proportioned degrees, increase in your soul; and so will you be still more and more conformed to the Divine Will. These are the dispositions for your rejoicing on this festival of joy. Thus you see how the dignity which you honour in the B. Virgin, may, in some manner, belong to you. Make some advances towards it; beseech God to be your help, and pray the B. Virgin to join her prayers with yours, that you may obtain of the divine bounty some degrees of that virtue which so much recommended her to God. For it will be but a barren festival to you, if you end the day with the same pride with which you began it." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev Fr. John GOTHER
Second Sunday of Advent: The Immaculate Conception
by VP
Posted on Sunday December 08, 2024 at 12:00AM in Sermons
"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways.”PROV. 8. 22.
1. The Redeemer and His Mother.
2. Therefore Immaculate for His honour.
3. No change of belief in the Church, but now all bound to believe the doctrine.
4. Effects: increase of devotion to Mary Immaculate; and more manifest proofs of the power of her intercession.
THE dominant thought in this holy time of Advent is the coming of the Redeemer. How appropriate it is, then, that there occurs at this time the Festival of the Immaculate Conception. For the Son of God offering Himself to become a Man to redeem us, a Mother had to be chosen for Him. A Mother of God! Picture the amazement of the angels in heaven that a human creature could possibly be so exalted! The purest, the holiest, the humblest of all the daughters of Eve was chosen.
But above all the endowments of grace, above all her virtues, one singular prerogative was needed and was granted. This chosen one should never for an instant be under the curse of fallen man. Original sin could not be allowed to taint her soul. "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways." This is what we believe in accepting and professing the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
But is it not the boast and glory of the Holy Catholic Church that its faith is and has been always the same? That what was believed from the first is the faith of all its children always and everywhere? How can this be, says the world, when within our memory the Immaculate Conception was declared to be an article of faith? The definition was simply a declaration that belief in the Immaculate Conception had always existed, and was the mind and sense of the Church. Proof irrefragable of this is found in holy Tradition, in the writings of the Fathers of the Church, in the unanimity of the rulers and the faithful of the Church in venerating our Lady's Conception as such. What had been formerly freely, willingly, lovingly believed, was now declared to be a necessary part of our belief. Henceforth obedience to the Church demanded full, explicit belief and profession of this doctrine, that Mary in the first instant of her Conception was preserved from every stain of original sin by the power of Almighty God, to His honour and glory, and the glory of His chosen Mother.
And why was this declaration necessary? To defend the honour and glory of Mary. Impiety was assailing her; disbelief was denying her holiness; and the world was sneering at her purity. Cowardly Catholics thought it prudent not to provoke impiety to insult our Lady and wished to be silent; and doubt was stealing into the souls of the poorly instructed, and of many seduced by the irreligious. Therefore for God's honour and glory, and of His Virgin Mother, it was made imperative to believe and to own that the Virgin Mary was Immaculate. What had formerly been professed in love, had now to be professed in obedience as well, by the loyal children of the Church.
The other saints and blessed ones of God are crowned with many graces, but Mary is "full of grace" and is favoured with one that no other can share with her. She is Immaculate! And this being her unique privilege, no other supplication to her touches her Mother's heart as this: "Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us, who have recourse to thee."
Two effects result from
this belief and profession in the Immaculate Conception. The first is a
wonderful increase in devotion to our Blessed Lady.
Not only have prayers been multiplied, but the wearing of her medals, the use of the Rosary, the holy pictures and statues in homes and in churches, all have increased. But above all we can notice the public testifying of our love and veneration of Mary. A few years ago, pilgrimages had almost died out in these countries. But now, not only is no one afraid to be a pilgrim, but publicly and enthusiastically pilgrimages are joined by rich and poor. The sneers of the world are silenced. Yea, even in non-Catholic papers we read paragraphs-tolerant, kindly, sympathetic-about the blind and ailing journeying to distant Lourdes in faith and hope, seeking the help of Mary Immaculate.
And does Mary fail to respond to her children's faith and trust? This is the second wonderful result in the belief in the Immaculate Conception: the miracles that Mary works through her intercession. There are countless wonders wrought in the souls of men; of those we know nothing. They are recorded by the angels. But we Catholics rejoice, and the world cannot deny, that there are many marvellous and incontestible miracles wrought year after year at Lourdes. In this age of doubt and unbelief, miracles are multiplied in behalf of those who turn to the Immaculate Virgin in their misery and distress. Thus this most favoured, honoured, exalted Queen of angels and of saints proves that she hearkens to and graciously answers the prayers of poor sinners. sinners. She loves to prove to us that, though she is the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, she is our Mother too. Though the Almighty "has done great things" for her, she does not disdain our humble prayers.
How meet and appropriate it is, then, that our Blessed Lady's festival is the harbinger of Christmas. Her unique dignity -Immaculate from the first moment of her Conception - was given that she might be worthy to be the Mother of our divine Saviour. Praise and glorify her on this great day, and for a reward for our devotion pray her to show us at Christmas her Son, our Saviour, and to obtain for us loyalty and fidelity to Him." Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Fr. Francis Paulinus Hickey
8. The Approaching Day. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Sunday December 08, 2024 at 12:00AM in Advent Sermons
"1. When the sun is soon to appear above the horizon, the morning star, shining with a light derived indeed from him, but nevertheless shining bright and clear even before his coming, gives the signal of his approach. So the holy Mother of God, dawning upon the world with a grace and beauty which was the gift of her divine Son, anticipated His Incarnation and made the world more beautiful in God’s sight than it had ever been before. Mary was more precious to God than all the rest of men, and this quite independently of her divine maternity. Consider why this was, and learn a lesson for yourself.
2. The morning star is still clearly seen when all other stars have been extinguished by the light of the coming day. Mary has a brilliancy so great that the brightness of all the other saints fades into nothing in comparison with hers. If this was the case even in comparison with the glory of St. John Baptist, St. Joseph, Abraham the Patriarch, the friend of God, Job, the model of patience, Daniel, the beloved of God, what must her glory be ! Thank God for having created one child of Adam worthy of Himself.
3. Mary’s consummate beauty is the consequence of there being in her nothing of her own. All was God’s; no admixture of self in her motives, in her aims, in her joys and sorrows, her love and hatred. Her affections were simply a reflection of what God loved and hated; like God she loved all things except sin, and those who were the declared and eternal enemies of God. She desired nothing for herself except that she might see God’s holy will fulfilled in all. Is this the account that you can give of yourself ? Only if this is so are you a worthy child of Mary. "
Meditations for Advent . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891 Digitized by google
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen. (15 times)
Prayer to the Holy Infant for priests
Jesus, Divine Infant, I bless and thank
Thy most loving Heart for the institution of the priesthood. Priests
are sent by Thee as Thou were sent by the Father. To them Thou entrusted
the treasures of Thy doctrine, of Thy Law, of Thy Grace, and souls
themselves.
Grant me the grace to love them, to listen to them,
and to let myself be guided by them in Thy ways. Jesus, send good
laborers into Thy harvest. May priests be the salt that purifies and
preserves; may they be the light of the world; may they be the city
placed on the mountain. May they all be formed after Thy own Heart. And
in heaven may they be surrounded by a joyous throng of those they
shepherded on earth. Amen.
Glory Be (three times).
Infant Jesus, make me love Thee more and more!
