St. Lucy, V. M. A.D.304
by VP
Posted on Thursday December 12, 2024 at 11:00PM in Saints
"She was a holy virgin. Pray for all who live in the profession of that state. She obtained leave of her mother to sell what was settled for her portion, and gave it to the poor. Pray for all that are under the temptations of their youthful age; when vanity, self-love, curiosity, prodigality, levity, and the immoderate desire of being admired and esteemed, press with greatest violence upon them, and the solicitude of pleasing themselves diminishes the compassion due to their neighbours. Pray for remedy against all the indiscretions and follies of that unsettled age; that they may ever remember that they are but dust and clay; that they are made for another world, and not for this; that a little given to the poor, is much more to the purpose than all they lay out upon themselves; while all this expense is only to court the world, which ought to be forsaken, and the other is to purchase everlasting rest.
St. Lucy, being accused for believing in Christ, and commanded to be carried to a place of infamy, God was pleased to deliver her, by rendering her immoveable, so that all the strength of man and beasts was unable to remove her from the place where she stood. Have you not reason to beg of God to manifest his power in you, that you may be more firm and immoveable than you generally are? Consider how easily you are prevailed upon to forsake your duty and good purposes. How little is sufficient to draw you off from your prayers, and to make you transgress the rules of order, temperance, and good discipline? As much then as you want of Christian steadiness, pray for this day; and see that the fervour of your prayers be proportioned to your wants.
Thus by the divine assistance, St. Lucy withstood all the attempts of her enemies, outlived the flames with which they had encompassed her, and at length finished her martyrdom by the sword. Examine your daily practice, and see how little of your inclinations you are willing to leave for God: How then will you give your life? How will you stand against torments, when petty flatteries make you yield, and you cannot yet bear an ordinary self-denial, or contradicted passion. Pray, then, and practise something this day: try if St. Lucy's flames will give you any courage." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER
PRAYER TO ST. LUCY: We admire, O glorious virgin and martyr, St. Lucy, that light of lively faith which it pleased the most merciful God to infuse into thy beautiful soul; enlightened by which thou didst despise the vain and trifling things of this miserable earth, keeping thine eyes fixed upon that heaven for which alone we have been created. The riches and the pleasures which the seductive world held out to thee, to the prejudice of faith and of divine grace, never clouded thy mind, nor allured thy heart. Hence, far from consenting to the proposals of thy wicked persecutor, thou didst show thyself bold and resolute to encounter even death itself, rather than be unfaithful to thy heavenly Lord. What cause of confusion for us, who, not less enlightened by faith and strengthened by grace, still do not know how to resist our guilty passions, nor to despise the evil maxims or repel the flattery of the infernal enemy. Ah! obtain for us, dear saint, from God greater light, by which we may come to know that we were not made for things here below, but for those of heaven.
V. Pray for us, St. Lucy.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Hear us, O God of salvation, that, as we rejoice in the heroic constancy of blessed Lucy, Thy virgin and martyr, so we may be filled with the spirit of devotedness to duty and of fidelity in Thy services.
The Catholic Girl's Guide: Counsels and Devotions for Girls in the Ordinary walks of life edited by Francis Xavier Lasance
12. The Forerunner’s Office. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Wednesday December 11, 2024 at 11:00PM 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 Wednesday December 11, 2024 at 11:00PM 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 -
Centennial of the Raleigh Diocese (Dec. 12, 1924 - Dec. 12, 2024)
by VP
Posted on Wednesday December 11, 2024 at 11:00PM 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
St. Damasus, Pope and Confessor A.D. 384
by VP
Posted on Tuesday December 10, 2024 at 11:00PM in Saints
"He served in the Church of St. Laurence at Rome, and always lived in a perfect state of continence. On the death of Pope Liberius in 366, St. Damasus was chosen bishop of Rome. When St. Jerome went to Rome, the holy pope detained him near his person, till his own death, three years after, employing him as his secretary, and to answer consultations. St Jerome calls him an excellent man, an incomparable person, learned in the Scriptures, a virgin doctor of the virgin Church, who loved chastity, and heard its praises with pleasure. Theodoret says, that he was illustrious by his holy life, and ready to preach, and to do all things in defence of the apostolic doctrine. The ancients particularly commend his constancy in maintaining the purity of our holy faith, the innocence of his manners, his Christian humility, his compassion for the poor, his piety in adorning holy places, especially the tombs of the martyrs, and his singular learning. Having sat eighteen years and two months, he died on the 10th of December, in 384, being near fourscore years of age.
Pray for the present pope, that, like this, his holy predecessor, he may be eminent in all virtue, and the careful discharge of all duties which belong to his state. Pray for the reformation of all those errors, by which the doctrine of the Gospel is at this day corrupted. It is in your power to help your neighbour to the truth by your example. See whether you have not, by your disorders, given scandal to many, and made the enemies of God blaspheme. What satisfaction can you now make, but by the exemplarity of a regular and well disciplined life? Pray this day for all who have taken a dislike to the truth from your scandalous life, or have been drawn into sin by your example or authority, that you may make some amends for the injury done to them." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John Gother
11. The Forerunner’s Message. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Tuesday December 10, 2024 at 11:00PM 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!
ST. Melchiades the African, Pope And Martyr, A.D. 314 (32nd pope)
by VP
Posted on Monday December 09, 2024 at 11:00PM in Saints
"He was bishop of Rome in the time of Maximian: he suffered great persecution from him, and though he outlived the emperor, and died when peace was restored to the Church, yet he is numbered among the martyrs. Pray for all under any sort of persecution, that God would give them the spirit of patience, constancy, and meekness." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
ST. MELCHIADES, POPE AND MARTYR THE Church makes a commemoration, on this same day within the octave, of the holy Pope Melchiades. This illustrious Pontiff, whom St. Augustine calls 'the true child of the peace of Jesus Christ, the worthy father of the Christian people,' ascended the papal throne in the year 311, that is, during the very fiercest storm of persecution. It is on this account that he is honoured with the title of martyr. Though he did not shed his blood for the name of Jesus, yet he shared in the glory of the martyrs, by reason of the great trials he had to suffer during the persecution, which afflicted the entire Church. It was the same with many of his predecessors. But the pontificate of Melchiades marks a very important period of the Church the transition from persecution to peace. As early as the year 312, liberty was granted to the Christian religion by Constantine. So that Melchiades had the glory of governing the Church at the commencement of her period of temporal prosperity. His name now graces the calendar of the liturgical year, and reminds us of that peace which will soon descend upon us from heaven.
Prayer: Deign then, O father of the Christian people, to
pray for us to the Prince of peace, that, in His approaching visit, He
may quell our troubles, remove the obstacles to His grace, and reign as
absolute Master over our heart, our mind, and our senses. Pray also that
peace may reign in the holy city and Church of Rome, of which thou wast
the Bishop, and which will honour thy venerable memory to the end of time: help her by thy intercession now that
thou art face to face with God, and hear the prayers which she addresses
to thee." The Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger
10.The Forerunner of the King. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Monday December 09, 2024 at 11:00PM 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!
Saint Leocadia, A.D. 304
by VP
Posted on Sunday December 08, 2024 at 11:00PM in Saints
Mariano Salvador Maella: Saint Leocadia before the Praetor
DOCILITY OF VIRTUE.-The practice of the highest virtues is really difficult to those only who are animated with the worldly spirit. Any one who is trained to well-doing accomplishes it without effort, but the transition from evil to good is more arduous, because the habits already contracted, and the sentiments long cherished, oppose a formidable barrier. Leocadia was living at Toledo in the practice of all Christian virtues, and had grown accustomed thereto from her childhood. Far from aspiring after the advantages and prospects of the world, she only longed for martyrdom; her soul was inflamed with ardour in reading the lives of the saints, and she piously envied above all the combats and goodly reward which fell to St. Eulalia. God lent a favourable ear to her yearnings; she was brought before the governor Dacian during the course of Diocletian's persecution, cast into chains, tortured with horrible atrocity, and finally thrown into prison, where she expired from her sufferings. Thus does death itself become sweet to any one that knows how to desire it aright.
MORAL REFLECTION.- "By thy commandments I have had
understanding; how sweet are thy words to my palate! more than honey to
my mouth."-(Psa. cxix. 103.) Pictorial Half Hours with the Saints by Fr. Auguste Lecanu
9. The Fulfilment of the Decree. (Advent Meditations)
by VP
Posted on Sunday December 08, 2024 at 11:00PM 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!
