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"And then for those thy dearest and thy best
The prodigals from thine own Fold, dear Lord,
Whom thy strong arms held closely to thy breast,
Laved with thy Jordan, feasted at thy board:
Calling, go forth to meet them, Saviour dear;
Embrace them with the grace to persevere.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Return of all Lapsed Catholics

•    Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.
      ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,
      ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.
      Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.

Reflection:

"This intention has a note of urgency and tragedy about it. These souls, fallen from God's grace and living in sin, were born into the supernatural life. They were once members of Christ who knew the power and love of God in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, and quickened under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. They once loved their spiritual Mother Mary who directed their paths and heeded their lisping Aves.
But all that is past. Once heirs of paradise, they have forsaken their destiny for the "mess of pottage" of personal ambition, of material success, or of an unlawful marriage. But just as the Divine Shepherd seeks for the lost, so Mary, the Divine Shepherdess, by her prayers and love seeks for those who have separated themselves from the Church. Mary longs to bring them back, she desires to welcome them once more in their home.

How many souls have returned to the practice of their faith by the persistent devotion of some old mother, of a faithful wife, of a fervent religious? How many have returned, after years of separation, because they were faithful, for no reason they could explain, to some little practice of devotion to Mary? Their number is legion; every soul that comes back in repentance, every heart that is stung by remorse, every shoulder bowed with grief, is a constant memorial to the mother love of the Blessed Virgin.

There is a story of the Blessed Virgin Mary's influence over one of her "straying children." A priest was called to the slum section of an eastern city. Dirty-faced urchins met him on the sidewalk and led him to the dank cellar of a foul-smelling tenement. There beside the furnace, in a welter of soiled clothing, empty bottles, and cigarette butts, on a rusty cot lay a woman wrapped in a man's overcoat. She groaned in intense pain. The eldest of the children, a girl of eleven, said: "Here's a priest to see you." The woman turned and screamed: "Get out of here!" Then someone dragged over an empty beer case and the priest sat on it beside the cot. He spoke kindly to the woman, telling her that she was dying and it was time for her to make her peace with God. She continued to call him the foulest names. Finally the priest knelt and in a low voice began the Rosary. At first it was an odd combination of prayer and blasphemy, but as the Hail Marys continued the woman became silent; tears filled her bloodshot eyes. As she said later, when the priest said the Rosary, memories came back to her - memories of her girlhood in the mid-west, of her mother and father, of her brothers and sisters.... of herself...all kneeling around the dining room table saying the Rosary before the May shrine of Our Lady with a little white candle burning before it. She had been so good then; she was so evil now. At the last decade she answered the priest: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinner now and at the hour of our death." She went to confession, received the Eucharist, and died peacefully. "The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130 Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"1. When Joseph arrived with Mary and her Divine Son in their own land, his first thought was to turn to Bethlehem, and to dwell in peace where he had dwelt so peaceably before. But to his sorrow he learned that the son of the impious Herod was ruling in his father's place. He was not going to expose to any risk the treasure committed to him, and at once he determined to turn his steps elsewhere. Notice his prudence, and beware of running any risk with the treasures of grace God has committed to you. One serious sin will lose them all.

2. Whither should he go? It was all one to St. Joseph, as long as he went whither God sent him. He was quite as ready to go to Nazareth as anywhere else, if God directed his steps thither. This should be my disposition, to be ready to go anywhere, and live in any place, where God may send me.

3. How did St. Joseph decide where he was to dwell? By prayer and by good counsel. He asked of God to turn his steps whither He willed, and he also did not neglect the rules of human prudence. This is St. Ignatius' advice: (1) Act with prudence, but never forget to consult God. (2) While you trust all to God, do not lose sight of the importance of using natural means."

Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891