Why Do Catholic's So Honor Mary The Mother Of Jesus?
Because He does! Jesus Christ said: "I have given you an example... so you do also" (Jn. 13:15). "When Jesus therefore had seen His mother and the disciple standing whom He loved, He said to His mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, He said to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own" (Jn. 19: 26,27). The Church has always taught that St. John standing by the Cross represents us. Honor thy father and thy mother that you may be long lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee" (Exodus 20: 12).
"A mothers rights which she possessed and exercised upon earth, she has not lost in Heaven, where she reigns with Me, the Queen of Angels and of all the Saints.
If anyone comes to Me through My Virgin Mother, he shall not be cast off, but he shall be admitted even into My heart, and he shall learn by experience how great is the height and the
depth and the breadth of the power which My Mother possess over My heart.
As I by nature have God as My Father, and Mary as My mother, so also, My child, if, by adoption, you desire to have God as your Father, you must have Mary as your Mother.
And if you are desirous to find Mary your Mother, show yourself a son; do not sadden her heart by grieving My Heart through sin; for accursed is he that angers his mother.
But a twofold curse, a twofold woe, to them that venture to destroy or to diminish the honor and love due to My Mother! for as the praises, so are also the sneers, aimed at My Mother, flung back at Me, her Son.
Therefore, also, shall her enemies be infamous; yea, whosoever shall sin against her shall hurt his own soul. But they that make her known by duly honoring and loving her, shall have life everlasting."
"Do not think that Mary is merely equal to the Saints and Angels, or even that she is the first among them, for she forms an order above all the rest of creatures; so that, for surpassing all the Saints and heavenly Spirits beholds none above her except Myself, with the Father and the Holy Ghost.
Therefore, she must be honored with musical worship and an affection all her own. Love and honor her, child, as much as you are able; you cannot offend by excess, so long as you do not honor and love her as a Divinity. Above all, learn of Mary to follow My Heart perfectly; for she kept all My words and all My examples, meditating on them in her heart; and thus, she attained to the teaching of My Heart, whose life and virtues and sentiments she showed forth and expressed to perfection in herself.
Blessed shall you be, My child, if you do so venerate My Virgin Mother. Through her you shall find the way to holiness- to the interior life - easy and pleasant; through her you shall obtain mercy and grace and comfort and everything else that is necessary or useful to you; through her, finally, you shall be and continue with Me.
To her, therefore, have recourse under all circumstances, at all times. What can you fear? You are a son, she is a mother. Why should you hesitate? Behold, no-one goes to her in vain; all receive through her, -the world salvation, the captive redemption, the sinner hope, the just glory, the Angels joy".
The voice of the disciple: - O Jesus, my Savior-God! You give me your own Mother as a Mother! Who has ever heard anything like this? You alone, Lord could draw such a gift from the treasury of Your Heart and bestow the same upon us sinners. Thanks to you, most loving Jesus! Eternal thanks to you for so great a gift, so kindly bestowed upon me most unworthy. So long as this heart of mine shall be capable of loving, I will love you, O Mother of God! (From An Official Prayerbook, imprimatured 1937).
Morning Offering: O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus present in all the tabernacles of the world, joining with it the offering of my every thought, word, action of this day. Oh, my Jesus, I desire to gain every Indulgence and merit I can, and I offer them together with myself to Mary Immaculate that she may best apply them to the interests of Thy most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Amen.
Here I lay me down to sleep, to God I give my soul to keep, and if I die before I wake, I pray to God my soul to keep. Amen.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all His love, all His suffering, and all His merits,
First: to expiate all the sins I have committed, this day and during all my life. Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen.
Secondly, to purify the good I have done badly, this day, and during all my life; Glory be…
And thirdly, to supply for the good I ought to have done, and that which I have neglected, this day and all my life. Glory be…
This prayer was revealed to a holy nun in the 1800s, by a nun who had died, and said that she went straight to Heaven without passing through Purgatory, because by this she had paid all her debts to Divine justice.
O Angel of God my guardian dear, to whom Gods love commits thee here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
X My God, I believe, I adore, I hope in Thee and I love Thee, and I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love thee.
X Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly, and I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles in the world, in reparation for all the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference whereby He is so offended, and through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart, and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
X O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. (Between each decade of the Rosary)
Prayer To Christ The King: O Jesus Christ, I acknowledge Thee King of the Universe. All that had been made has been created for Thee. Make full use of Thy rights over me. I renew my Baptismal vows, when I renounced forever Satan, his pomps and his works, and I promise to live a good Christian life, and I especially undertake to help, to the extent of my means, to secure the triumph of the rights of God, and of Thy Church. Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer Thee my efforts to obtain that all hearts may acknowledge Thy Sacred Royalty, and that so the Kingdom of Thy peace may be established throughout the entire universe. Amen.
St. Louis De Montfort’s Consecration To The Immaculate Heart of Mary:
I, N. a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and his works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Wisdom, to carry my Cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the Heavenly court I choose thee this day for my mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present, and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity. Amen.
Veni, Creator Spiritus, mentes tuorum visita
Act Of Reparation: "That they become not like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation. A generation that set not their heart aright: and whose spirit was not faithful to God" (Psalm 77: 8).
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge out love and fidelity to Thee! The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the more firmly we shall believe in them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus!
The more impiety endeavours to extinguish our hopes of immortality, the more we shall trust in Thy heart, sole hope of mankind!
The more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions, the more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus!
The more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more humbly and profoundly we shall adore it, O Divine Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently we shall receive them with love and reverence, O most liberal Heart of Jesus!
The more the imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavour to practise them, O Heart model of every virtue!
The more the Devil labours to destroy souls, the more we will be inflamed with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous lover of souls!
The more sin and impurity destroy the image of God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a living temple of the Holy Spirit, O Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Holy Faith is despised, the more we shall endeavour to be her faithful children, O sweet Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more we will honor the infallibility of Thy true Popes and Holy Church, show our fidelity and pray for the restoration of it!
O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may we become Thy apostles in the midst of a corrupt world, and be Thy crown in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
(From the Holy Hour of Reparation, Soul Assurance Prayer Plan, Imprimatur: Samuel Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago, 1943. Last paragraph altered by this author to reflect the current situation in the Church. The original words: “The more Thy Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more we will honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show our fidelity and pray for him, O kingly heart of Jesus!”, would be misleading under current conditions, because the idolatrous apostate Antipopes since 1958 are not even Catholics according to the definition of the word found in “Mystici Corporis”, by Pope Pius XII, and thus, they cannot be valid Popes. This encyclical expounds the teaching of the Church which says that heretics, apostates, and schismatics are automatically severed from the Church. These Mason worshipping Papal imposters have denied every significant dogma of the Catholic faith in word and in deed (heretopraxis) to the extent that it is not possible that they could not be heretics).
Thanksgiving To The Divine Child Jesus Christ The King I prostrate myself before Thy Holy Image, O most gracious Infant Jesus, to offer Thee my most fervent thanks for the blessings thou hast bestowed on me. I shall incessantly praise Thy ineffable mercy and confess that thou alone are my God, my helper, and my protector. Henceforth, my entire confidence shall be placed in Thee! Everywhere will I proclaim aloud Thy mercy and generosity, so that Thy great love and great deeds which You perform through this miraculous image may be acknowledged by all. May devotion to Thy Most Holy Infancy extend more and more in the hearts of all Christians, and may all who experience Thy assistance persevere with me in showing unceasing gratitude to Thy Most Holy Infancy, to which be praise and glory for all eternity. Amen.
Crux Fidelis
O faithful Cross among all others, one and only noblest tree;
No forest yet in leaf or flowers, or fruit thine equal did it see.
O sweetest wood, and nails still sweeter, sweetest weight is borne on thee.
Pange Lingua
Sing O tongue of the glorious battle, of the noblest glory won,
And before the Crosses trophy, hymns of tribute peer to none;
Proclaiming how the worlds Redeemer, with His life the victory won.
O faithful Cross among all others, one and only noblest tree;
No forest yet in leaf or flowers, or fruit thine equal did it see.
God, our Creator deeply grieving for man’s fall in Satan’s snare,
When he ate the forbidden apple and for all did death prepare,
Chose this tree which many years later, the first evil would prepare.
O sweetest wood, and nails still sweeter, sweetest weight is borne on thee.
Hence came the plan for our salvation which by God was preordained,
That of conquering wily Satan having schemes he could ne’er attain;
And with the foe’s tool did He fashion man’s redemption to obtain.
O faithful Cross among all others, one and only noblest tree;
No forest yet in leaf or flowers, or fruit thine equal did it see.
Therefore, when there came the fullness dawned at last that holy morn
When the Son was by His Father sent on earth He did not scorn
From the womb of a peerless virgin – of a humble maiden born.
O sweetest wood, and nails still sweeter, sweetest weight is borne on thee.
Now within a lowly manger, there a tender Babe He lies;
See His loving virgin mother sing to sleep His infant cries
While the limbs of God Incarnate round with swaddling clothes she ties.
O faithful Cross among all others, one and only noblest tree;
No forest yet in leaf or flowers, or fruit thine equal did it see.
Thus did God to perfect manhood in our mortal flesh attain;
Then freely yielding our Redeemer, chose a death of bitter pain;
And on the Cross as on an altar, gave His life – for us was slain.
O sweetest wood, and nails still sweeter, sweetest weight is borne on thee.
Behold with gall His thirst He quenches, lo, the thorns upon His brow;
Nails His tender flesh are tearing, and His side is opened now
Whence to cleanse the whole creation streams of blood and water flow.
O faithful Cross among all others, one and only noblest tree;
No forest yet in leaf or flowers, or fruit thine equal did it see.
O lofty tree, bend down thy branches, loosen thy tense rigidity;
Soften all that native tenseness of thy hard rigidity;
And with gentle arms extending clasp His body tenderly.
O sweetest wood, and nails still sweeter, sweetest weight is borne on thee.
Thou alone wert thought worthy Earths one victim to sustain
Thou the harbor of mercy chosen Ark that saved the world again;
Thou tree with sacred blood anointed of the Lamb for sinners slain.
O faithful Cross among all others, one and only noblest tree;
No forest yet in leaf or flowers, or fruit thine equal did it see.
Honor, glory everlasting Blessing to the Trinity: To the Father, Son and Spirit,
Praise be made so-equally: Let all the nations join in singing
Hymns to God - both One and Three. Amen.
O sweetest wood, and nails still sweeter, sweetest weight is borne on thee.
Prayer From The Roman Raccolta 1957.
O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly the Mother of God, ever virgin, conceived without stain of sin, co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
St. Joseph, patron of the dying, I have recourse to thee, and I earnestly entreat thee, at whose death Jesus and Mary assisted, for this twofold and most dear pledge, to assist me in my last agony, that, under thy protection I may be delivered from the snares of the Devil and from eternal death, and may merit to attain the eternal joys of Heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord". Amen.
Saint Joseph, father and guardian of virgins, into whose faithful keeping were entrusted innocence itself, Christ Jesus, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, I pray and beseech thee through Jesus and Mary, those pledges so dear to thee, to keep me from all uncleanness, and to grant that my mind may be untainted, my heart pure and my body chaste; help me always to serve Jesus and Mary in perfect chastity. Amen.
“In all dangers, doubts and difficulties think of Mary! With her for your guide, you shall never go astray. While invoking her, thou shalt never lose heart. As long as she is in thy mind, thou art safe from deception. While she holds thy hand, thou cannot fall. With her protection, thou hast nothing to fear. If she shows thee favor, thou shalt reach the goal. Thus, thou shalt experience in thyself the truth that is written”. (St. Bernard, preaching the Crusades).
X Jesus, King and centre of all hearts, through the advent of Thy Kingdom, grant us peace!
Where He Is King, She Is Queen
Hail, Virginal Mother, Hail, purity’s cell, Fair shrine where the Trinity loves to dwell, Hail, garden of pleasure, Celestial balm, Cedar of chastity, Martyrdoms palm. Thou land set apart from uses profane, and free from the curse which in Adam began. Thou city of God, Thou gate of the East, In thee is all grace, O joy of the blest. Amen.
V. As a lily among the thorns R. So is my beloved among the daughters of Adam. V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Hail Solomon’s throne, Pure Ark of the law, Fair rainbow and bush which the Patriarch saw. Hail, Gideon’s fleece, Hail, blossoming rod, Samson’s sweet honeycomb, Portal of God. Well fitting it was that a Son so Divine should preserve from all touch of original sin. Nor suffer the smallest defect to be stained that Mother whom He for Himself had ordained. Amen.
V. I dwell in the highest. R. And my throne is on a pillar of clouds V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Hail, Virgin most wise, Hail, Deity’s shrine, With seven fair pillars, And table Divine. Preserved from the guilt which hath come on us all; Exempt in the womb from the taint of the fall. O new Star of Jacob, of angels the queen, O gate of the Saints, O Mother of men. O terrible as the embattled array, be thou of the faithful the refuge and stay. Amen
V. The Lord Himself created her in the Holy Ghost. R. And poured her out among all His works. V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Hail Queen of the heavens, hail, mistress of earth, Hail, Virgin most pure of immaculate birth. Clear star of the morning, in beauty enshrined, O Lady, make speed to the help of mankind. Thee God in the depth of eternity chose, and formed Thee all fair as His glorious spouse. And called thee His Words Own Mother to be, by Whom He created the earth, sky, and sea. Amen.
V. God elected her, and pre-elected her. R. He made her to dwell in His tabernacle. V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Hail, city of refuge, Hail, David’s high tower, With battlements crowned and girded with power. Filled at thy conception with love and with light, the dragon by thee was shorn of his might. O Woman most valiant, O Judith thrice blest. As David was nursed at fair Abisag’s breast. As the Savior of Egypt upon Rachel’s knee, So the worlds great Redeemer was cherished by thee. Amen.
V. Thou art all fair my beloved, R. And the original stain was never in thee. V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Hail dial of Achaz, on thee the true sun, told backward the course which of old he had run. And that man might be raised, submitting to shame, a little more low than the angels became. Thou wrapt in the blaze of His infinite light, dost shine as the morn on the confines of night. As the moon on the lost through obscurity dawns, the serpents destroyer, a lily amid thorns. Amen.
V. I made an unfailing light to arise in heaven. R. And as a mist I overspread the whole earth. V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Hail, mother most pure, Hail, Virgin renowned, Hail, Queen of the stars as a diadem crowned. Above all the angels in glory untold, standing next to the King in a vesture of gold. O Mother of mercy, O star of the wave, O hope of the guilty, O light of the grave. Through thee may we come to the haven of rest. And see Heaven’s King in the courts of the blest. Amen.
V. Thy name, O Mary, is as oil poured out. R. Thy servants have loved thee exceedingly. V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee.
These praises and prayers I lay at thy feet, O Virgin of virgins, O Mary most sweet. Be thou my true guide though this pilgrimage here, and stand by my side when death draws near.
V. Thanks be to God. There is a bough in which no blur of any kind, original or wrought, hath touched the Virgin rind. V. In thy conception, O Virgin, thou wast immaculate. R. Pray for us to the Father whose Son thou didst bear.
Let us pray: O God Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, didst prepare a worthy habitation for Thy Son, we beseech thee that, as by the foresight of His death Thou didst exempt her from all stain, so we, purified by her intercession, may come to Thee, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
Let us pray: O holy Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, Queen of Heaven and mistress of the world, who never forsakes or despises anyone, look upon us with an eye of pity, and beg of thy beloved Son the pardon of all our sins, that we who now devoutly celebrate thy Immaculate Conception may receive the reward of eternal joy, through the mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord, Whom thou, pure Virgin, didst bring into the world, and Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, in perfect Trinity, lives and reigns, one God, world without end. Amen.
V. O lady hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee. V. Let us bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R. Amen.
V. O Lady, make speed to befriend me. R. From the hands of the enemy mightily defend me. Glory be to the Father… Alleluia.
Queen Of The Holy Rosary: O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, in these times of brazen impiety, show again thy power, with the signs which accompanied thy victories of old, and from the throne where thou art seated, dispensing pardon and grace, in pity watch over the Church of thy Son, without Vicar, at this time, and every order of clergy and laity, suffering in grievous warfare. Hasten, O most powerful destroyer of heresy, hasten the hour of mercy, seeing that the hour of Gods justice is everyday provoked by the sins of men. Obtain for me, the least of men, kneeling suppliant in thy presence, the grace which will enable me to live a just life on Earth, and reign with the just in Heaven, while with the faithful throughout the world, O Queen of the most holy Rosary, I salute thee and cry out: Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us! (500 days Ind.).
X Sacred Heart of Jesus, I give myself to Thee through Mary.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and Who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified… (The Nicene Creed)
Short Litany Of The Holy Ghost
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world. "
God The Holy Ghost, ...
Holy Trinity, One God, ...
Holy Ghost Who proceeds from The Father and The Son,
Promise of the Father, most loving and most bounteous,
Gift of the Most High God,
Author of all good,
Source of living water,
Consuming Fire,
Burning Love,
Spiritual Unction,
Spirit of truth and of power,
Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding
Spirit of Counsel and of Fortitude,
Spirit of Knowledge and of Piety,
Spirit of the Fear of the Lord,
Spirit of compunction and of penance,
Spirit of grace and of prayer,
Spirit of charity, peace and joy,
Spirit of patience, longanimity and goodness,
Spirit of benignity, mildness and fidelity,
Spirit of modesty, continence and chastity,
Spirit of adoption of the sons of God,
Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier,
Who in the beginning didst move over the waters,
By Whose inspiration spoke the holy men of God, have mercy on us.
Who didst overshadow Mary, "
Who didst co-operate in the miraculous conception of the Son of God.
Who dids't descend upon Him at His baptism,
Who on the day of Pentecost, didst appear in firey tongues upon the Apostles of the Lord,
By Whom we are also born again,
Who dwells in us,
Who governs the Church,
Who fills the whole world,
Holy Ghost, we beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldst renew the face of the Earth, "
That Thou would shed abroad Thy light in our hearts,
That Thou wouldst write Thy law in our hearts,
That Thou wouldst inflame them with the fire of Thy love,
That Thou wouldst open to us the treasures of Thy grace,
That Thou wouldst teach us to ask for them according to Thy will,
That Thou wouldst help us to love and bear with one another,
That Thou wouldst lead us in the way of Thy Commandments,
That Thou wouldst make us obedient to Thy inspirations,
That Thou wouldst teach us to pray, and Thyself pray with us,
That Thou wouldst clothe us with love and compassion towards our brethren,
That Thou wouldst inspire us with a horror of evil,
That Thou wouldst direct us in the practice of good,
That Thou wouldst give us the grace of all virtues,
That Thou wouldst cause us to persevere in justice,
That Thou wouldst be Thyself our everlasting reward,
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord,
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord,
Lamb of God Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V. Create in us a clean heart, O God.
R. And renew a right spirit within us.
Let us pray,
O Holy Ghost, Creator blest, mercifully aid Thy Holy Catholic Church, and by Thy Divine assistance strengthen and confirm it against all the assaults of the enemy; by Thy love and grace, renew the spirits of Thy servants whom Thou hast anointed, that in Thee they may glorify the Father and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Oblation To The Holy Ghost: On my knees before a great cloud of Heavenly witnesses, I offer myself body and soul to Thee, God The Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, One God. I adore the brightness of Thy purity, the unerring keenness of Thy justice and the might of Thy love. Thou art the strength and light of my soul. In Thee I live and move and have my being. I desire never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace, and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against Thee. Make me faithful in every thought, and grant that I may always listen to Thy voice, and watch for Thy light, and follow Thy gracious inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee, and I ask Thee in Thy compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced feet of Jesus, looking at His five wounds, trusting in His precious blood and adoring His opened side and stricken Heart, I implore Thee, adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against Thee with the sin which Thou wilt not forgive. Grant to me the grace, O Holy Spirit, Spirit of The Father and The Son, to say to Thee always and everywhere: “Speak Lord, for Thy servant heareth Thee”. Amen.
Prayers After Holy Communion
Affirmation Of Loyalty
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, I love thee, O my God.
God the Holy Ghost, “
Holy Trinity, One God.
Thou, Who art infinite love,
Thou, Who did first love me,
Thou, Who Commanded me to love Thee,
With all my heart,
With all my soul,
With all my mind,
With all my strength,
Above all pleasures and enjoyment,
More than myself,
More than anything belonging to me,
More than all my friends and relatives,
Above all created things in Heaven and on Earth,
Only for Thyself,
Because Thou art Sovereign Good,
Because Thou Art infinitely worthy of being loved,
Even had Thou not promised me Heaven,
Even had Thou not menaced me with Hell,
Even should Thou try me with want and misfortune,
In wealth and in poverty,
In prosperity and adversity,
In health and in sickness,
In time and in eternity,
In union with that love wherewith the Saints loved Thee,
In union with that love wherewith all the Angels love Thee in Heaven,
In union with that love wherewith the Blessed Virgin loves Thee,
In union with that love wherewith Thou lovest Thyself eternally.
Spiritual Communion: O my Jesus, I believe that Thou are present in the most Holy Sacrament on the altar. I love Thee above all things, and I desire to receive Thee into my soul. Since I cannot receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as if Thou wert already here, and I unite myself wholly to Thee; never permit me to be separated from Thee, no matter what it may cost me. Amen.
The Exultet: Let the Angelic choirs of Heaven now rejoice; let the Divine mysteries rejoice; and let the trumpet of salvation sound forth the victory of so great a King. Let the earth also rejoice, made radiant by such splendor; and, enlightened with the brightness of the eternal King, let it know that the darkness of the whole world is scattered. Let our mother the Church also rejoice, adorned with the brightness of so great a light; and let this temple resound with the loud acclamation of the people.
This is the night in which, destroying the chains of death, Christ arose victorious from the grave. For it had not profited us to be born, if it profited us not to be redeemed. O, inestimable affection of love! To redeem a slave Thou didst deliver up Thy Son! O truly needful sin of Adam, which was blotted out by the death of Christ! O happy fault, which merited to possess such and so great a Redeemer! O truly blessed night, which alone deserved to know the time and hour when Christ rose again from the tomb! (1958 Roman Missal, from the Holy Saturday Liturgy, Prayer after “The Blessing of the New Fire”, and “The Blessing of the Paschal Candle”).
Anima Christi: Including the original petition: “Light of the Sacred Countenance…” as composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, omitted from the 16th century.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me!
Body of Christ, save me!
Blood of Christ, inebriate me!
Water from the side of Christ, wash me!
Passion of Christ, strengthen me!
Light of the Sacred Countenance of Jesus, shine down upon me!
O good Jesus, hear me!
Within Thy wounds, hide me!
Permit me never to be separated from Thee!
From the malignant enemy, defend me!
In the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to Thee! That with Thy saints I may praise Thee, forever and ever! Amen.
W By: St. Bonaventure, Seraphic Doctor of the Church Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous healthful wound of Thy love, with true, serene, and most holy Apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish, and melt with love and longing for Thee, that it may yearn for Thee and faint for Thy courts, and long to be dissolved and to be with Thee. Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having all sweetness and savor, and every delight of taste; let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, upon whom the Angels desire to look; and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst after Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the riches of the house of God; may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, attain to Thee, meditate upon Thee, speak of Thee, and do all things to the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, and with perseverance unto the end; mayest thou alone be ever my hope, my entire assurance, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my fragrance, my sweet savor, my food, my refreshment, my refuge and my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession and my treasure, in whom may my mind and my heart be fixed and firm and rooted immovably henceforth and forever. Amen.
W By: St. Francis De Sales, Doctor of the Church Ah Jesus! Who will give me the grace to be one spirit with Thee! At last, Lord, rejecting the multiplicity of creatures, I desire Thine only unity! O God, Thou art the only one and only unity necessary for my soul! Alas! dear love of my heart, unite my poor one soul, to Thy one singular goodness! Thou art wholly mine, when shall I be wholly Thine? The adamant draws and unites iron to it; O Lord, my lover, be my draw-heart, clasp, press and unite my heart forever unto Thy fatherly breast! Ah! since I am made for Thee, why am I not in Thee? Swallow up, as a single drop, this spirit which Thou hast bestowed upon me, into the sea of Thy goodness from whence it proceeds. Lord, seeing that Thy heart loves me, why does it not force me to itself, since I truly will it? Draw me, and I will run after Thy drawings, to cast myself into Thy fatherly arms, to leave them no more forever and ever. Amen.
W O Jesus Hidden God I cry to Thee! O Jesus hidden light, I turn to Thee, O Jesus hidden love, I run to Thee. With all the strength I have I cling to Thee, With all my soul I long to be with Thee, And fear no more to fail or fall from Thee. O Jesus deathless love who seekest me. Thou, who did die for longing love for me. Thou King in all Thy beauty, come to me. And go no more dear Lord away from me. O God most beautiful most perfect One. O God, most glorious, uncreated One: O God, eternal, Beatific One; O God infinite and hidden One; O God Immense, O God the living One, Thou Wisdom of the Everlasting One, Thou ever-loved and ever-loving One. Make me, Holy God, Thy treasured one. Make me, O Highest God, Thy longing one. Make me, O blessed light, Thy chosen one. My soul is dark, away from Thee, my own. My eyes are dim in seeking Thee, my own; My flesh doth pine away from Thee, my own. My heart leaps up with joy to Thee, my own. My spirit faints receiving Thee, my own. Where in the breath of Heaven is bliss like Thee? Where in the height of Heaven is light like Thee? Where in the depth of Heaven is peace like Thee? Where in the home of love is love like Thee? With all my heart I give myself to Thee. Till I am one forever more with Thee. O dearest Jesus bring me home to Thee. Free me, O dearest God, from all but Thee. Call me, O thrilling love I follow Thee. O tender love, who now art loving me, O wounded love, who once was dead for me, O sun-crowned love, who are alive for me. O patient love Who wearies not of me; Alone of all, Thou weariest not of me. O bear with me, till I am lost in Thee, O bear with me, till I am found in Thee". (An Official Prayerbook, imprimatured 1937. Title no longer discernable from age and use).
W As the hart pants after the fountains of water, so my soul pants after Thee, O God! My soul hath thirsted after the strong, living God; When shall I come and appear before the face of the living God? For what have I in Heaven, and besides Thee what do I desire upon earth? Let blind and infatuated worldlings intoxicate themselves with the false, transient, and fading pleasures of this life; for my part, nothing besides Thyself can content me, either in Heaven or on earth. Come then, O Thou Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world! Come Thou, beloved of my heart! Adorable flesh and precious Blood of my Savior! Come to nourish, comfort, and enliven my sickly soul. O God of my heart! Let me neither love, seek, nor think of any other object but Thyself alone; for Thou alone are my consolation, my treasure, my joy, my life, my all! My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God… Thou art, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God! – Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest! Amen. (1958 Bridal Missal, Irish Edition).
Litany Of The Passion By St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Jesus unknown and despised, Have mercy on me Jesus calumniated and persecuted, Jesus, abandoned by men and tempted, Jesus, betrayed and sold for a paltry sum, Jesus, blamed, accused and unjustly condemned, Jesus, clothed with a garment of opprobrium and shame, Jesus, buffeted and mocked, Jesus, dragged with a rope around Thy neck, Jesus, scourged unto blood, Jesus, reputed to be a fool and possessed by a Devil, Jesus, to Whom Barabbas was preferred, Jesus, shamefully stripped of Thy garments, Jesus, crowned with thorns and saluted with derision, Jesus, laden with the Cross and disowned by Thy people, Jesus, overwhelmed with insults, sorrow, and humiliations, Jesus, sorrowful unto death, Jesus, insulted, spat upon, beaten, outraged and scoffed at, Jesus, hanged on the infamous tree in company with robbers, Jesus, set at nought and deprived of honor before men, Jesus, overwhelmed with all kinds of sorrow,
O Good Jesus, who has suffered an infinity of insults and humiliations for love of me, imprint deeply on my heart a great love and appreciation for them, and the desire to endure them willingly for Thee. Amen. (“Devotion To The Sacred Heart of Jesus”, P. 314, Appendix: Prayers of St. Margaret Mary, by Fr. Croiset, S.J., 1694, from Tan Books 1-800-437-5876, only $ 16.50 U.S. funds, ISBN 3348).
Veneration Of The Thorn-Crowned Head Of The Savior
A nd platting a crown of thorns, they put it on His head. And they blindfolded Him. They began to spit on Him, and they struck Him. Others smote His face and said: “Prophecy to us, who is it that struck Thee?” O Holy Redeemer! Thou art clothed with a scarlet cloak. A reed is placed in Thy hands for scepter, and the sharp points of a thorny crown are pressed into Thy adorable head.
M y soul, thou can never conceive the sufferings, the insults, and the indignities offered to our Blessed Lord during this scene of pain and mockery. I therefore salute Thee and offer Thee supreme homage as King of Heaven and Earth, the Redeemer of the world, the Eternal Son of the living God.
O my afflicted Savior, O King of the world, Thou art ridiculed as a mock King. I believe in Thee, and I adore Thee, as the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, as the supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth.
O Jesus, I devoutly venerate Thy sacred Head pierced with thorns, struck with a reed, overwhelmed with pain and derision. I adore the Precious Blood flowing from Thy bleeding wounds. To Thee be all praise, all thanksgiving, and all love forevermore! O meek Lamb, Victim for sin! May Thy thorns penetrate my heart with fervent love, that I may never cease to adore thee as my God, my King and my Savior.
Leader: Behold, O God our protector! All: And look upon the face of Thy Christ.
Leader: Let us pray – O my beloved Savior, at the sight of Thy most Holy face disfigured by suffering, at the sight of Thy Sacred Heart so full of love, I cry out with St. Augustine: “Lord Jesus, imprint on my heart Thy sacred wounds, so that I may read therein sorrow and love. Sorrow, to endure every sorrow for Thee. Love, to despise every love for Thee. All: Amen!
Where She Is Queen, He Is King!
Iesu Rex Admirabilius O Jesus, King most wonderful! Thou conqueror renowned Thou sweetness most ineffable! In Whom all joys are found! When once You visit the heart, then truth begin to shine; then earthly vanities depart; Then kindles love Divine. O Jesus, light of all below! Thou fount of life and fire! Surpassing all the joys we know, and all we can desire. May every heart confess Thy Name, and ever Thee adore; And seeking Thee itself inflame to seek Thee more and more. Thee may our speech forever bless; Thee may we love alone; and ever in our lives express the image of our own. Amen.
Consecration of the Human Race To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus By Pope Leo XIII, 1899 on the occasion of his encyclical on The Consecration of Mankind to The Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Thee. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be; but to be more surely united to Thee, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Thy Most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known Thee; many too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to their Fathers house lest they die of wretchedness and hunger. Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be one flock and one Shepherd. Be Thou King of all those who are still involved in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism, and refuse not to draw them all into the light and the Kingdom of God. Turn Thine eyes of mercy toward the children of that race, once Thy chosen people. Of old they called down upon themselves the Blood of the Savior; may it now descend upon them as a laver of redemption and of life. Grant, O Lord to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor forever. Amen.
Cor Arca Legem Continens O Heart, Thou Ark where lies the law. Not of the servitude of Old, but that from which we pardon draw, and grace and mercies manifold. Heart, the pure and stainless shrine, where that New Covenant was lain; Temple than Salem’s more Divine; Veil, better than it’s veil in twain. With such a wound as must appear Love willed that Thou should wounded be, That we might all the wounds revere, which love doth bear invisibly. ‘Neath this, loves symbol, suffering twice, things mystical and bloody both, Christ, as priest, in sacrifice to Heaven uplifted nothing loth. Who would not love for love repay? What man, redeemed, could love refuse to this Heart, or herein, for ‘aye, His tabernacle fail to choose? Jesu, to Thee be glory given, Who from Thy Heart doth grace outpour; To Father and to Paraclete be endless praise for evermore. Amen. 5 years Indulgence. Plenary on usual conditions. Roman Raccolta 1957.
Act Of Consecration To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus By St. Margaret Mary Alacoque I give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, my person, and my life, my actions, penances and sufferings, not wishing to make use of any part of my being for the future except in honoring, loving and glorifying that Sacred Heart. It is my irrevocable will to be entirely His and to do everything for His love, and I renounce with my whole heart whatever might displease Him. I take thee, then, O most Sacred Heart, as the sole object of my love, as the protector of my life, as the pledge of my salvation, as the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, as the repairer of all the defects of my life, as my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be then, O Heart of Goodness, my justification before God the Father, and remove far from me the thunderbolts of His just wrath. O Heart of love I place my whole confidence in Thee. While I fear all things from my malice and frailty, I hope all things from Thy goodness. Consume in me whatever can displease or be opposed to Thee, and may Thy pure love be so deeply impressed on my heart that it may be impossible that I should ever be separated from Thee, or forget Thee. I implore Thee, by Thy goodness, that my name may be written in Thee, for in Thee I wish to place all my happiness and glory, living and dying in very bondage to Thee. Amen
Renewal Of Donation To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus By St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. O my amiable Jesus, although I have long ago given Thee my heart, I now offer and consecrate it to Thee anew. O unique object of my love, O delight of my soul, give me Thy heart, love me good Jesus, and I will be content. O dear and Divine heart of my Jesus, what caress I would give Thee if I had Thee! How I would embrace Thee, O most amiable heart, how I would kiss Thee 1,000 times and throw myself on my knees to adore Thee! A thousand times I would clasp thee tightly to my breast in order to receive from Thee the burning flames of Thy holy love. O Sacred Heart, O burning Heart, O Heart all on fire, O Divine heart, which has so many times breathed and sighed for me, I wish henceforth to breathe only for Thee. O good Jesus, drive from my poor heart all that displeases Thee, and make it meek, and simple, and humble... grant that I may live completely united to Thee and hidden in Thy Divine Heart, which I choose as my dwelling in time and in eternity. Amen.
The Golden Collar Prayer by St. Gertrude The Great
"Thou art the life of my soul! May all the desires of my heart be united to Thee by Thy burning love! May they languish and die whenever they turn to any object apart from Thee; for Thou art the beauty of all colors, the sweetness of all taste, the fragrance of all perfumes, the harmony of all sounds, the charm of all embraces! In Thee is voluptuousness of delight; from Thee flows forth a torrent of love; to Thee are all drawn by Thy powerful attractions; and by Thee all receive the sweet influences of love! Thou art the overflowing Abyss of the Divinity! O King greater than all Kings! Supreme Emperor, sovereign Prince, peaceful Ruler, faithful Protector! Thou art the vivifying gem of human nobility with the noblest of sentiments! Thou art a Worker full of skill; a Master full of clemency; a Counselor full of wisdom; a Defender full of kindness; a Friend most faithful! Thou art the sweet savor of all delights! O gentle caresser whose touch imparts healing! O ardent lover, sweet and chaste spouse! Thou art the Spring flower of unchanging beauty! O loving Brother, beautiful Youth, joyful Companion, liberal Host, careful Administrator! I prefer Thee to every creature; for Thee I renounce all pleasures; for Thee I seek all adversity; in all this I desire only Thy glory. My heart and lips testify that Thou art the quickener of all good. I unite, by the merit of Thy love, the fervor of my devotions to the virtue of Thy prayers, so that by the power of this Divine union I may be raised to the highest perfection, and all rebellious movements may be calmed within me. Amen".
Iesu Decus Angelicum O Jesus Thou the beauty art of angel worlds above! Thy Name is sweetness to the heart, enchanting it with love! Celestial sweetness unalloyed! Who eat Thee hunger still, who drink of Thee still feel a void which naught but Thou can fill! O my sweet Jesus hear the sighs which unto Thee I send! To thee my inmost spirit cries, my beings hope and end! Stay with us, Lord, and with Thy light illumine the souls abyss; Scatter the darkness of our night, and fill the world with bliss. O Jesus spotless virgin flower! Our life and joy, to Thee be praise, beatitude and power, through all eternity! Amen.
Iesu, Dulcis Memoria Jesus the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills the heart! Yet sweeter far Thy face to see, and in Thy presence rest. No voice can sing, no heart can frame, nor can the memory find a sweeter sound than Jesus Name, the Savior of mankind. O hope of every contrite heart, O joy of all the meek! To Those who fall how kind Thou art! How good to those who seek! But what to those who find? Ah! This, nor tongue nor pen can show – the love of Jesus, what it is, none but His loved ones know. Jesus, our only hope be Thou, as Thou our prize shalt be; In Thee be all our glory now, and through eternity. Amen. 5 years Ind. Plenary once a month on usual conditions. Roman Raccolta, 1957.
X Glory be to Thee, most sweet, most gentle, most benign, most noble, most excellent, effulgent and ever peaceful Trinity, for the roseate wounds of my only love. Amen. (By: St. Gertrude The Great)
U Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, let me breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
I see His blood upon the rose, and in the stars they glory of His eyes. His body gleams amid eternal snows, His tears fall from the sky. I see His face in every flower. The thunder and the singing of the birds are His voice. And carved by His power, rocks are His written words. All pathways by His feet are worn. His strong Heart stirs the ever beating seas. His crown of thorns is crowned with every thorn. His Cross is every tree.
By Joseph Mary Plunkett – an Irish patriot of the 1916 Easter rising, executed by a British firing squad. Written in jail while awaiting execution.
X Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine!
The Man Of Lies At the foot of the Cross at Calvary, two soldiers sat and diced.
And one of them was the Devil, he won the robe of Christ. When the Devil comes in his proper form to the chamber where I dwell, I know him and make the sign of the Cross, which drives him back to Hell. I saw him through 1,000 veils and has not this sufficed? Now must I look on the Devil robed in the radiant robe of Christ? How can I tell who am a fool, if this be Christ or no? Those bleeding hands outstretched to me, those eyes that love me so. I see the robe, I look, I hope, I fear, but there is one, Who will direct my troubled soul, Christ's Mother knows her Son! This is the man of lies, she said, disguised with fearful art, he has the wounded hands and feet, but not the wounded heart!"
by Joyce Kilmer, an American soldier killed in action during W.W. I, July 30, 1918).
St. Michael the Archangel, glorious Prince, chief and champion of the Heavenly hosts; guardian of the souls of men; conqueror of the rebel angels! How beautiful art thou in thy Heaven made armor. We love thee dear Prince of Heaven! We thy happy clients yearn to enjoy thy special protection. Obtain for us from God a share of thy sturdy courage; pray that we may have a strong and tender love of our Redeemer and, in every danger and temptation, be invincible against the enemy of our souls. O standard bearer of our salvation! Be with us in our last moments and when our souls quit this Earthly exile, carry them safely to the judgment seat of Christ, and may our Lord and Master bid thee bear us speedily to the Kingdom of eternal bliss. Teach us ever to repeat thy sublime cry: "Who is like unto God". Amen
Prayer to St. Michael from Exorcism (Approved 18 May 1890.)
NOTE: In 1902 the Congregation of Rites issued a decree approving a new version of the prayer. The passages indicated in bold face below were removed.
O GLORIOUS ARCHANGEL St Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, defend us in battle, and in the struggle which is ours against the principalities and Powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against spirits of evil in high places. (Eph 6.) Come to the aid of men, whom God created immortal, made in his own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil, (Wis 2, 1 Cor 6.)
Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in Heaven, But that cruel, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan, who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with all his angels, (Apoc 12.)
Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of man has taken courage, Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name of God and of his Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity.
These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions.
In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered.
Arise then, O invincible prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and bring them the victory.
The Church venerates thee as protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defence against the malicious powers of this world and of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude.
The Church venerates thee as protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defence against the malicious powers of this world and of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude.
Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations.
Prayer To St. Raphael Archangel
Vouchsafe, O Lord God, to send unto our assistance St. Raphael the Archangel: and may he, who, we believe, evermore stands before the throne of Thy Majesty, offer unto Thee our humble petitions to be blessed by Thee. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. (3 years indulgence, plenary under the usual conditions of Confession, Holy Communion and prayers for the Pope when this prayer is recited daily for a month. "Preces et Pia Opera", 414).
Prayers To St. Gabriel Archangel
O holy Angel who didst strengthen Jesus Christ Our Lord, come and strengthen us also; come, and tarry not! (300 days indulgence Preces et Pia Opera).
I salute thee holy Angel who did comfort my Jesus in His agony, and with thee I praise the most Holy Trinity for having chosen thee amongst all the holy Angels to comfort and strengthen Him who is the comfort and strength of all that are in affliction. by the honor thou didst enjoy and by the obedience, humility and love wherewith thou didst assist the sacred humanity of Jesus, my Savior, when He was fainting at very sorrow at seeing the sins of the world and especially my sins, I beseech thee to obtain for me perfect sorrow for my sins; deign to strengthen me in the afflictions that now overwhelm me, and in all other trials, to which I shall be exposed henceforth, and, in particular, when I find myself in my final agony. Amen. (500 days indulgence, "Preces et Pia Opera", 418).
% Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, On Chastity:
"No price is worthy of a continent soul" (Ecclus. 26: 20). "In comparison with the chaste soul, all the riches, all the titles, all the dignities of the earth are contemptible. Chastity is called by St. Ephrem, the life of the Spirit; by St. Peter Damian, the queen of virtues; and by St. Cyprian, the acquisition of triumphs. He who conquers the vice opposed to chastity, easily subdues all other vices; and, on the other hand, the man who submits to the tyranny of impurity, easily falls into many other vices, into hatred, injustice, sacrilege, etc... Chastity, says St. Ephrem, changes a man into an angel. St. Bernard says, "Chastity makes an angel of man". And according to St. Ambrose, "he who has preserved chastity is an angel: he who has lost it is a devil". The chaste who live at a distance from all carnal pleasures, are justly assimilated to the angels: "They shall be as the angels of Heaven" (Matt. 22: 30). The angels are pure by nature, but the chaste are pure by virtue... And St. Bernard asserts that a chaste man differs from an angel only in felicity, not in virtue; and although the chastity of an angel is more blissful, that of man is stronger. St. Basil adds, that chastity renders man like to God, who is pure in spirit... Chastity is not more excellent than it is necessary for the attainment of salvation. But for priests it is especially necessary. For the priests of the Old Law the Lord ordered so many white vestments and ornaments, and so many external purifications, as symbols of bodily purity, merely because they were to touch the sacred vessels, and because they were a figure of the priests of the New Law, who were to handle and to immolate the Sacred flesh of the Incarnate Word" (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bp., Dr., "Dignity and Duties of the Priest", P. 243, Pt.2, Ins. 3, 'The Chastity of the Priest', from Tan Books).
"What is the good thing of Him, and what is the beautiful thing of Him, the corn of the elect, and wine springing forth virgins" (Zach. 9: 17).
U Judith Ch. 5: 7-25 “They first dwelt in Mesopotamia because they would not follow the Gods of their fathers, who were in the land of the Chaldeans. Wherefore, forsaking the ceremonies of their fathers, which consisted in the worship of many Gods, they worshipped the One God of Heaven, Who also commanded them to depart from thence, and to dwell in Charan. And when there was a famine over all the land, they went down into Egypt, and there for 400 years were so multiplied, that the army of them could not be numbered. And when the King of Egypt oppressed them, and made slaves of them to labor in clay and brick, in the building of his cities, they cried to their Lord, and He struck the whole land of Egypt with various plagues. And when the Egyptians had cast them out from them, and the plague had ceased from them, and they had a mind to take them again, and bring them back to their service, the God of Heaven opened the sea to them in their flight, so that the waters were made to stand firm as a wall on either side, and they walked through the bottom of the sea and passed it dry foot. And when the innumerable army of the Egyptians pursued them in that place, they were so overwhelmed with the waters, that there was not one of them left, to tell what had happened to the posterity. And after they came out of the Red Sea, they abode in the desert of Mount Sina, in which never man could dwell, or the son of man rested. There, bitter fountains were made sweet for them to drink, and for 40 years they received food from Heaven. Wheresoever they went in without bow and arrow, and without shield and sword, their God fought for them and overcame. And there was no-one that triumphed over this people, but when they departed from the worship of the Lord their God. But as often as besides their own God they worshipped any other, they were given to spoil, and to the sword, and to reproach. And as often as they were penitent for having revolted from the worship of their God, the God of Heaven gave them power to resist. So they overthrew the King of the Chanaaites, and of the Jesubites, and of the Pherezites, and of the Hevites, and of the Amorrites, and all the mighty ones in Hesebon, and they possessed their lands, and their cities; And as long as they sinned not in the sight of their God, it was well with them, for their God hates iniquity. And even some years ago when they had revolted from the way which God had given them to walk therein, they were destroyed in battles by many nations, and very many of them were led away captive into a strange land. But of late, returning to the Lord their God, from the different places to which they were scattered, they are come together and are gone up into all these mountains, and possess Jerusalem again where their holies are. Now, therefore, my lord, search if there be any iniquity of theirs in the sight of God: let us go up to them, because their God will surely deliver them to thee, and they shall be brought under the yoke of thy power. But if there be no offense of this people in the sight of their God, we cannot resist them, because their God will defend them: and we shall be a reproach to all the Earth”. U
% O Holy Virgin Mary, No-one like thee was ever born in the world among women, O Ark of the Covenant, O Mother of God our Savior, Gate of Heaven and Cause of our Joy, Pray for us!
August Queen of Heaven sovereign Mistress of the Angels, thou who from the beginning did receive from God the power and mission to crush the head of Satan, I humbly beseech thee, to send thy holy legions, that under thy command and by thy power, they may pursue the evil spirits, encounter them on every side, resist their bold attacks, and drive them hence into the abyss of eternal woe. Amen
Prayer To The Blessed Virgin: Never known to fail.
O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity. O star of the sea, help me and show me herein thou art my mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech thee, from the bottom of my heart, to help me in this necessity; there are none that can withstand thy power. O show me herein that thou art my mother.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! (3 times).
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in thy hands! (3 times)
The Memorare: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known, that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins my mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the word incarnate, despise not my petitions but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
God the Holy Ghost, The Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, through the sorrowful and immaculate Heart of Mary, make me Thine instrument in spreading the reign of Jesus Christ on Earth. Amen.
The Angelus: L. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary:
A. And she conceived by the Holy Ghost. Hail Mary…
L. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
A. Be it done unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary …
L. And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. Hail Mary …
L. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. A. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Christ, Our Lord, Amen.
% O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Our Lady Of Guadalupe “The lady said speaking in his own Nahuatl language : 'My son, Juan Diego, where are you going? 'Noble Lady', he answered, 'I'm on my way to... hear Mass'. Then she said: 'You must know and be very certain in your heart, my son, that I am the truly perpetual and perfect Virgin Mary, Holy mother of the true God through Whom everything lives, the Creator and Master of Heaven and earth. I wish and intensely desire, that in this place my sanctuary be erected so that in it I may show and make known and give all my love, my compassion, my help, and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here, I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate their suffering, necessities and misfortunes. So that my intentions may be known, you must go to the house of the Bishop of Mexico and tell him that I send you, and that is my desire to have a sanctuary built here’.
Juan Diego did her bidding, but the Bishop did not believe him, at first, but on second thoughts, he told him that the lady must provide some proof of who she was. The bishop sent two emissaries to follow him, but they could not keep up with him. At sunset of this day, Juan Diego was back on the top of Tepeyac hill again, where the Lady assured him that she would give the bishop the sign he was looking for. But the next day, his uncle was ill, and so instead of returning to Tepeyac, he cared for his uncle.
On Tuesday morning, Dec.12, Juan Diego set out to bring a priest to administer the sacrament of Extreme Unction to the dangerously ill uncle, avoiding the hill out of fear because he had not kept his appointment to return there. But the Blessed Virgin intercepted him, asking him where he was going. He explained about his uncle. She responded: 'Listen and be sure, my dear son, that I will protect you, do not be frightened or grieved, or let your heart be dismayed, however great the illness that you speak of, am I not here? I who am your mother, and is not my help a refuge? Am I not of your kind? Do not be concerned about your uncle’s illness, for he is not going to die. Be assured, he is already well. Is there anything else you need? ...’
The Blessed Virgin Mary gave back to those who had been Satan's captives their dignity and hope. She was of their kind. She was no alien, no stranger. She was theirs. Then she told Juan Diego to climb the hill, saying that he would find flowers blossoming there which he would pluck and bring to her. The hill was a desert where only cactus, thistles and thornbrush grew... but when he reached the top, it was covered with beautiful Castilian roses, covered with dew, of exquisite fragrance. Mary took them from him as he gathered them, arranged them with her own hands in his cloak, or Tilma, made of the fiber of Maguey cactus, and tied in a knot behind his neck to hold the roses in place. She told him: 'This is the sign you must take to the Lord Bishop. In my name tell him that in this he will see and recognize my will and that he must do what I ask; and you are my ambassador, worthy of my confidence, I counsel you to take every care to open your mouth only in the presence of the Bishop, and you must make it known to him, what it is you carry, and tell him that I asked you to climb to the top of the hill to gather flowers. Tell him also, all that you have seen, so that you will persuade the Lord Bishop and he will see that the Church is built for which I ask'. When he arrived at the Bishops house, Juan Diego was kept waiting a long time by the Bishops attendants who insisted on seeing the roses. When they tried to take some of them, they could not. because they became, not roses that they touched, but were as if painted or embroidered. When they finally admitted him to the Bishops presence, Juan Diego told him all that happened, and opened his cloak. The roses cascaded onto the floor; and there upon the Tilma, was a full portrait of The Mother of God, in Indian dress, her small hands joined in prayer... That portrait still exists today, just as it was then, in brilliant color. The normally short-lived cactus fiber cloth is untouched by the passage of 450 years. Anyone can go to Mexico and see it". (The Wonder of Guadalupe, ch. 2, from Tan Books: Ph. 1-800-437-5876).
St. Francis De Sales: On Charity: "As love tends towards the good of the thing beloved, either by taking delight in it if he have it, or in desiring and procuring it if he have it not; so it produces hatred, by which it flies the evil that is contrary to the thing beloved, either by desiring or seeking to remove it if it be there, or by keeping it off and preventing it coming if it be not there. But if evil can neither be hindered from approaching, nor be removed, love at least fails not to have it hated and detested. When love therefore is fervent, and is come to that height that it would take away, remove and divert, what is opposite to the thing beloved, it is termed zeal... Zeal is no other thing than love in its ardor, or rather, the ardor that is in love... If the love be good, its zeal is good... Jealousy is a species of zeal... in some sort resembles envy, but in reality is very different from it. Envy makes us sorry that our neighbor enjoys a greater good than, or a like good with ourselves; although he is taking nothing from us that we have; and here envy is unreasonable... But jealousy is not grieved at our neighbor having some good provided that it is not our good: for the jealous man does not grieve at his fellows being beloved by other women, so long as he is not loved by the jealous man's wife... Jealousy never happens but in a matter of love, but envy is extended to all kinds of goods - honors, favors, beauty" (St. Francis DeSales, "On The Love of God", bk.10, ch. 12, p.442-3, Tan Books: 1-800-437-5876).
"What love, what care, and what jealousy a mother hen has for her chickens (for our Savior esteemed not this comparison unworthy of His Gospel). The hen... is a creature without any courage or nobility while she is not yet a mother, but with her mothership she puts on a lions heart: ever her head up, her eyes on guard, darting glances on every side to espy the smallest appearance of danger to her little ones. There is no enemy at whose eyes she will not fly in defence of her dear brood, for which she has a continual solicitude... What was the zeal of Job from the apprehension and fear he had that his children might have offended God? What was the zeal of St. Paul for his brethren according to the flesh, and for his children according to God... " (Ibid. ch. 14, p. 450).
"God wills us to have enemies, and it is also His will that we should repulse them. Let us then behave ourselves courageously between the one and the other will of God, enduring with patience to be assaulted, and endeavoring with courage by resistance to make head against and resist our assailants" (Ibid. ch.7, p. 385).
St. Teresa of Avila: on Love & Fear of God: “… What His Majesty gave us are love and fear. Love will quicken our steps; fear will make us watch our steps to avoid falling on the way. On this way, there are many stumbling blocks for all of us who are alive and continue our journey. With this fear we will be secure against being deceived. You will ask me how you can tell if you have these two virtues which are so great… If we possess love, we certainly are in the state of grace… Love and fear of God: what more could you ask for! They are like two fortified castles from which one can wage war on the world and on the Devils! (The Saint presupposes that her readers are good Catholics, or willing to become so, who keep Gods Commandments and are resolved to rather die than sin. “Love is the keeping of His laws” (Wisd. 6: 19) & “If you love Me, keep My Commandments” (Jn. 14: 15). Those who love God, love every good, desire every good, favour every good, praise every good. They always join, favour, and defend good people. They have no love for anything but truth and whatever is worthy of love. Do you think it is possible for a person who really loves God to love vanities? No, indeed, he cannot; nor can he love riches, or worldly things, or delights, or honour, or strife, or envy. All of this is so because he seeks only to please God. These persons… dedicate their lives to learning how to please Him more. Hide itself? Oh, with regard to the love of God – if this is genuine love – this is impossible. If you don’t think so, look at St. Paul or the Magdalene… Love has this characteristic: it can be greater or lesser in degree… When slight, it shows itself but slightly; when strong, it shows itself strongly. But where there is love of God, whether little or great, it is always recognized… (The Collected Works Of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. II: “The Way Of Perfection”, Ch. 40, P. 192,193. By Kavanaugh & Rodriguez, O.C.D. From: Institute of Carmelite Studies, Wa. D.C., U.S.A.).
… On False Fears and Temptations: “…In order to disturb your soul so that you will not be able to enjoy these wonderful blessings, the Devil will set 1,000 false fears before you, and strive that others do so. Since he cannot win us over, he can at least try to make us lose something… Do you think it matters little to the Devil to set up these kinds of fears? No, it matters a great deal, for he causes two kinds of harm. First, those who listen to him are struck with terror of approaching prayer, for they think they will be deceived. Second, if it were not for these fears, many more would come closer to God seeing that He is so good… They covet these favours, and they are right, for I know some persons who were encouraged by such favours and began prayer; and in a short time the favours became authentic, and The Lord granted them great ones”. (Ibid.).
Pope St. Pius X: “The Church is called: One, Holy, Catholic, and Roman, and I will add, persecuted. Did not Jesus Christ foretell it?... It is one of the marks of the Church always to be persecuted. Persecution is the sign that we are truly the children of the Church of Jesus Christ” (Pope (Now Saint) Pius X, in “Struggles of the Church in France”, Jan. 6 & 26, To The Capranica. 3500 clerics leaving the seminaries for the barracks”, P. 370, in Papal Teachings, from The Daughters of St. Paul).
Pope Leo XIII: Therefore, the Church “makes no terms with error, but remains faithful to the commands which it has received… The assaults that are made upon religion are so many blows struck at the very heart of society. In making man a being destined to live in society, God in His providence also founded a Church, which, as the Holy Text expresses it, He has established Mount Sion in order that it might be a light which, with its life-giving rays, would cause the principle of life to penetrate into the various degrees of human society by giving it Divinely inspired laws, by means of which society might establish itself in that order which would be most conducive to its welfare. Hence, in proportion as society separates itself from the Church, which is an important element in its strength, by so much does it decline ... To accuse the Church of ambitious views is only to repeat the ancient calumny... which it's powerful enemies have more than once employed as a pretext to conceal their own purposes of oppression. Far from oppressing the State, history clearly shows... that the Church like it's Divine founder has been, on the contrary, most commonly the victim of oppression and injustice. The reason is that it's power rests, not on force of arms, but on the strength of thought and truth” (Pope Leo XIII, “Review of His Pontificate”, in “A Light In the Heavens”, from Tan Books: Ph. 1-800-437-5876).
12 Promises of the Sacred Heart To St. Margaret Mary
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.
10.I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11.Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.
12. The all powerful love of My heart will grant to all those who shall receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of 9 consecutive months, the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
“He made me understand the ardent desire He had of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of perdition
The 15 Promises of The Blessed Virgin to those who recite the Rosary
1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by reciting the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armour against Hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul that recommends itself to me by recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice,
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion to the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise.
9. I shall deliver from Purgatory, those who
into which Satan was hurrying them in great numbers, had caused Him to fix upon this plan of manifesting His heart to men, together with all its treasures of love, mercy, grace, sanctification and salvation. This He did in order that those who were willing to do all in their power to render and procure for Him honour, love, and glory might be enriched abundantly, even profusely, with these Divine treasures of the Heart of God, which is their source. It must be honoured under the symbol of this Heart of flesh, Whose image He wished to be publicly exposed. He wanted me to carry it on my person, over my heart, that He might imprint there His love, fill my heart with all the gifts with which His own is filled, and destroy all inordinate affection. Wherever this sacred image would be exposed for veneration He would pour forth His graces and blessings. This devotion was the last effort of His love which He wished to favour men in these last centuries with this loving redemption, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan, which He intended to destroy, and in order to put us under the sweet liberty of the empire of His love. This He would establish in the hearts of all those who would embrace this devotion”. (St. Margaret Mary, Letter 133)
have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in all their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of their death.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan in 1214 by The Blessed Virgin herself. (“The Secret of the Rosary” by St. Louis DeMontfort: $4.95, from The Fatima Crusader 1-800-263-8160).
Jesus Christ told Sr. Lucia of Fatima, that He wishes The Immaculate Heart of Mary to be put beside His Sacred Heart in these times. The Blessed Virgin said about devotion to her Immaculate Heart: “I promise salvation to those who embrace it. Their souls will be like flowers around the throne of God”.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus told St. Margaret Mary that “He takes great pleasure in being honored by His creatures. He then seemed to promise her that all who are devoted to His Sacred Heart will never perish and that, since He is the source of all blessings, He will shower them in abundance on every place where an image of this loving Heart shall be exposed to be loved and honored. By this means He will unite broken families and assist and protect those in any necessity. He will spread the soothing unction of His ardent charity on every religious community in which this Divine image is honored. He will turn aside the just wrath of God by restoring them to His grace when through sin they have fallen from it. He will turn aside the blows of the just wrath of God by restoring them to His grace when through sin they have fallen from it. He will bestow a special grace of salvation and sanctification on the first person who gives Him the pleasure of having this holy image made”. (Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, letter 35, P. 47, from Tan Books, Ph. 1-800-437-5876).
The Lorica by St. Patrick (452 A.D.). “The Legacy of St. Patrick”, P. 140, by Fr. M. Harney, S.J., The Daughters of St. Paul editions).
I bind to myself today, the strong power of the invocation of The Trinity,
The faith of The Trinity in unity. The Creator of the universe.
I bind to myself today, the might of the Incarnation of Christ with that of His baptism,
The might of His crucifixion with that of His burial,
The might of His resurrection with that of His ascension,
The might of His coming on the judgment day.
I bind to myself today, the power in the love of the Seraphim,
In the obedience of the Angels, in the ministrations of the Archangels,
In the hope of the resurrection unto reward,
In the prayers of the patriarchs, in the predictions of the prophets,
In the preaching of the Apostles, in the faith of the Confessors,
In the purity of the holy virgins, in the deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself today, the power of Heaven, the brightness of the sun,
The whiteness of the snow, the splendor of fire, the speed of lightening,
The swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea, the stability of the Earth, the firmness of rocks,
I bind to myself today, Gods power to pilot me,
Gods might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to teach me,
God’s eye to watch over me, God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to give me speech, God’s hand to guide me,
God’s Way to lie before me, God’s host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons, against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature, against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near, whether few or many.
I invoke today all these virtues, against every hostile and merciless power,
which may assail my body or my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism, against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry, against the spells of women, smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that blinds the soul of man.
Christ protect me today, against poison, against burning, against drowning,
against wounding, that I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ under me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ in lying down, Christ in sitting, Christ in rising up.
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me. Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind to myself the strong power of the invocation of The Trinity. The faith of The Trinity in unity.
The Creator of the universe.
Salvation is of The Lord, salvation is of The Lord, salvation is of Christ;
May Thy salvation, O Lord, be with us forever.
The Canticle of the Three Children
“The Angel of the Lord went down with Azarias and his companions into the furnace; and he drove the flames of the fire out of the furnace, and made the midst of the furnace like the blowing of a wind bringing dew, and the fire touched them not at all, nor troubled them, nor did them any harm. Then these three as with one mouth, praised, and glorified, and blessed God in the furnace saying: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord the God of our fathers: and worthy to be praised and glorified, and exalted above all forever: and blessed is the Holy Name of Thy glory: and worthy to be praised, and exalted above all in all ages.
Blessed art Thou in the Holy Temple of Thy glory: and exceedingly to be praised, and exceedingly glorious forever.
Blessed art Thou, on the throne of Thy kingdom, and exceedingly to be praised, and exalted above all forever. Blessed art Thou, that behold the depths and sittest upon the Cherubims and worthy to be praised and exalted above all forever.
Blessed art Thou, in the firmament of Heaven: and worthy of praise, and glorious forever. All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever.
O, ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever.
O all ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye stars of the heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O every shower and dew, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever.
O all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever.
O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye dews and hoar frosts, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye frost and cold, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye nights and days, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye light and darkness, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye lightening and clouds, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O let the earth praise the Lord, and let it praise and exalt him above all forever.
O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O all things that spring up in the earth, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye fountains, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever.
O ye sons of men, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O let Israel bless the Lord: let them praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever.
O Ananias, Azarias, Misael, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all forever. For He hath delivered us from Hell, and saved us out of the hand of death, and delivered us out of the midst of the burning flame, and saved us out of the midst of the fire. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: because His mercy endures forever and ever. O all ye religious, bless the Lord the God of gods: praise Him and give Him thanks, because His mercy endures forever and ever.” Amen.
Then Nabuchodonosor the King was astonished, and rose up in haste, and said to his nobles: ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered the King, and said: True, O king. He answered and said: Behold, I see four men loose, and walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt in them, and the form of the fourth is like the son of God. Then Nabuchodonosor came to the door of the burning firey furnace, and said: Sidrach, Misach, Abdenago, ye servants of the Most High God, go ye forth, and come. And immediately Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago went out from the midst of the fire”. (Dan. 3: 49-93).
Hymn Of The Holy Ghost
Veni, Creator Spiritus, Creating Spirit, come, possess our souls,
Mentes tuorum visita and with Thy presence bless,
Imple superna gratia, And in our hearts, framed by Thy hand,
Quae tu creasti pectora. Let Thy celestial grace command.
Qui diceris Paraclitus, Come Thou, the titled Paraclete,
Altissimi donum Dei, The Almighty Father’s gift complete;
Fons vivus, ignis, charitas, The living fountain, fire and love,
Et Spiritalis unction. And sacred unction from above.
Tu septiformis munere, Thou dost a sevenfold gift supply,
Digitus Paterne dexterae, Thou finger called of God Most High,
Tu rite promissium Patris, Thou art the promised Spirit sent,
Sermone ditans guttura. To make the Apostles eloquent.
Accende lumen sensibus, Illuminate our earthly being,
Infunde amorem cordibus, and with Thy love inflame our hearts,
Infirma nostri corporis, Thus human weaknesss fortify
Virtute firmans perpeti. With grace and virtue from on High.
Hostem repellas longius, Drive far from us the infernal foe,
Pacemque dones protinus, And peace, the fruit of love bestow;
Dutore sic te previo, Embracing Thee our surest guide,
Vitemus omne noxium. We shall not into evil slide,
Per te sciamus da Patrem, Let us by Thee the Father own,
Noscamus atque Filium, And to us let the Son be known,
Teque utriusque Spiritum, Let us believe in Thee Who dost,
Credamus omni tempore. From both proceed, the Holy Ghost.
Deo Patri sit Gloria, To God the Father and the Son,
Et Filio, qui a mortuis, Who rose from death, be homage done,
Surrexit, ac Paraclito, This praise forever, let’s repeat,
In seculorum secula. Amen. To God the Holy Paraclete. Amen.
Ind. 10 years if recited New Years Day.
Plenary indulgence with Confession, Holy Communion
and prayers for the Popes intentions.
The Ballad of Father Gilligan" by William Butler Yeats.
"The old priest Peter Gilligan,
was weary night and day;
For half his flock were in their beds,
or under green sods lay.
Once while he nodded in his chair,
at the moth hour of eve,
another poor man sent for him,
and he began to grieve.
'I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,
for people die and die;
and after cried he, 'God forgive!' '
My body spake, not I'.
He knelt, and leaning on a chair,
he prayed and fell asleep;
and the moth hour went from the fields,
and the stars began to peep.
They slowly into millions grew,
and leaves shook in the wind,
and God covered the world with shade,
and whispered to mankind.
Upon the time of sparrow chirp,
when the moths came once more,
the old priest Peter Gilligan,
stood upright on the floor.
'Mavrone, mavrone, the man has died,
while I slept in my chair';
he roused his horse out of it's sleep,
and rode with little care.
He rode now as he never rode,
by rocky lane and fen.
The sick man's wife opened the door;
Father, you come again'!
'And is the poor man dead?' he cried.
"He died an hour ago".
The old priest Father Gilligan
in grief swayed to and fro.
‘When you were gone,
he turned and died, as merry as a bird".
The old priest Peter Gilligan,
he knelt him at the word.
He who had made the night of stars for souls who tire and bleed,
sent one of His great angels down to help me in my need.
He who is wrapped in purple robes with planets in His care,
had pity upon the least of things asleep upon a chair".
Crux Fidelis, inter omnes arbour una nobilis:
nulla silva talem profert, fronde, flore, germinae.
Dulce lignum, dulce clavos, dulce pondus sustinet.
Pange, lingua, gloriosi lauream certaminis
et super Crucis trophaeo, dic triumphum nobilem:
Qualiter Redemptor orbis immolates vicerit.
Crux Fidelis, inter omnes arbour una nobilis:
nulla silva talem profert, fronde, flore, germinae.
De parentis protoplasti fraude factor condolens,
quando pomo noxialis in necem morsu ruit:
ipse lignum tunc notavit, damna ligni ut solveret.
Dulce lignum, dulce clavos, dulce pondus sustinet.
Hoc opus nostrae salutis ordo depoposcerat:
multiformis proditoris ars ut artem falleret:
Et medelam ferret inde, hostis unde laeseret.
Crux Fidelis, inter omnes arbour una nobilis:
nulla silva talem profert, fronde, flore, germinae.
Quando venit ergo sacri plenitudo temporis, missus est ab arce Patris
Natus, orbis Conditor: atquae ventre virginali carne amictus prodiit.
Dulce lignum, dulce clavos, dulce pondus sustinet.
Vagit infans inter arcta conditus praesepia: membra pannis involuta
Virgo Mater alligat: et Dei manus, pedesque stricta cingit fascia.
Crux Fidelis, inter omnes arbour una nobilis:
nulla silva talem profert, fronde, flore, germinae.
Lustra sex qui jam peregit, tempus implens corporis,
Sponte libera Redemptor passion deditus,
Agnus in Crucis levatur immolandus stipite.
Dulce lignum, dulce clavos, dulce pondus sustinet.
Felle potus ecce languet: spina, clavi, lancea mite corpus perforarunt,
Unda mandate, et cruor: terra, Pontus, astra, mundus, quo lavantor flumine!
Crux Fidelis, inter omnes arbour una nobilis:
nulla silva talem profert, fronde, flore, germinae.
Flecte ramos, arbor alta, tensa laxa viscera, et rigor lentescat ille,
Quem dedit nativitas: et superni membra Regis tende miti stipite.
Dulce lignum, dulce clavos, dulce pondus sustinet.
Sola digna tu fuisti ferre mundi victimam: atque portum praeparare
Arca mundo naufrago, quam sacer cruor pernuxit, fusus corpore.
Crux Fidelis, inter omnes arbour una nobilis:
nulla silva talem profert, fronde, flore, germinae.
Sempiterna sit beatae Trinitate gloria: aequa Patri, Filioque; par decus Paraclito:
Unius, Trinique nomen laudet universitas. Amen.
Dulce lignum, dulce clavos, dulce pondus sustinet.
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The Ritual Of Extreme Unction, 1959 Roman Missal, St. Paul Edition
How to prepare for this sacrament:
Cover a small table with a white table cloth. Place a Crucifix in the centre with a small candle on either side of it. On the table also have: holy water, a dish with 5 cotton balls, a napkin, and a glass of water.
Holy Viaticum
The priest on enterring the sick person's with the Most Blessed Sacrament says:
"Peace be unto this house.
R. And to all those who dwell therein.
Then the priest, placing the Most Blessed Sacrament on the corporal spread on the table, with two lighted candles, kneels and adores, all those present doing the same; after which he takes holy water, and sprinkles the sick person, the bed, and the room saying:
"Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, O Lord, and I shall be cleanse; Thou shalt wash me and I will be made whiter than snow. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy great mercy. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it wa s in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Antiphon: Thou shalt sprinkle me, etc., is repeated.
"Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
R. Who made Heaven and earth.
O Lord hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray
"Hear us, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, Everlasting God; and vouchsafe to send Thy holy Angel from Heaven, to guard, to cherish, to protect, to visit, to defend all thoise who dwell in this house. Through Christ Our Lord". Amen.
Let us pray
"O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, we earnestly beseech Thee that the most Sacred Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, which our brother (sister), hath now received, may be to him (her) and eternal remedy both of body and of soul. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world, without end". R. Amen.
If any particle of the Most Blessed Sacrament remains, the priest genuflects, rises, takes the most Blessed Sacrament in its receptacle, and makes with it the sign of the Cross over the sick person in silence. If no particle remains, the priest blesses the sick person with his hand in the usual way:
"The blessing of God Almighty, the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, descend upon you and remain with you always". R. Amen.
Extreme Unction
Extreme Unction is the Sacrament which, through the anointing with blessed oil by the Priest, and through his prayer, gives health and strength to the soul, and sometimes to the body when we are in danger of death from sickness, accident, or old age. Therefore, Catholics who are over the age of reason (about 7 years), and are in danger of death, should receive Extreme Unction. A person does not have to be actually dying in order to receive this Sacrament. It is well to call the Priest to visit the sick person in any serious illness, even though there be no apparent danger of death.
Those who are in danger of death should be told of their condition so that they prepare themselves to receive this Sacrament worthily. Extreme Unction will not harm them, in fact, it often helps them physically. It is false mercy to keep a very sick person ignorant of the fact that he or she may soon face God, his just Judge. Never wait until someone has lost consciousness or has gone into a coma before calling the Priest.
In case of a sudden or unexpected death, always call a Priest, because absolution and Extreme Unction can be given conditionally for some time after apparent death.
Recommendation of a Departing Soul
The Priest vested in surplice and violet stole, enters the room of the dying person, saying:
Peace be to this house.
R. And to all who dwell herein.
He then sprinkles the dying person, the room, the bed, and the bystanders, with holy water in the form of a Cross, saying "the Asperges". He next presents a crucifix to the dying person to be kissed; and exhorts him to look forward with hope to life everlasting, placing the Crucifix so that he may continue to look upon it and hope in his eternal salvation. The Priest then lights a candle, kneels, and together with the bystanders, recites the shorter litany, as follows:
Litany For The Dying
Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
Holy Mary pray for him (her).
All ye holy Angels and Archangels, pray for him (her).
Holy Abel,
All ye choirs of the just,
Holy Abraham,
St. John the Baptist,
St. Joseph,
All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets,
St. Peter,
St. Paul,
St. Andrew,
St. John,
All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists,
All ye holy disciples of the Lord,
All ye Holy Innocents,
St. Stephen,
St. Lawerence,
All ye holy Martyrs,
St. Sylvester,
St. Gregory,
St. Augustine,
All ye holy Bishops and Confessors,
St. Benedict,
St. Francis,
St. Camillus,
St. John of God,
All ye holy monks and hermits,
St. Mary Magdalene,
St. Lucy,
All ye holy virgins and widows,
All ye holy saints of God, make intercession for him (her).
Be merciful, spare him (her).
Be merciful,
Be merciful,
From Thy anger,
From the danger of death,
From an ill death,
From the pains of Hell,
From all evil,
From the power of the Devil,
Through Thy nativity,
Through Thy Cross and Passion,
Through Thy death and burial,
Through Thy glorious Resurrection,
Through Thy admirable Ascension,
Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, the comforter,
In the day of judgment,
We sinners, beseech Thee hear us.
That Thou spare him (her), we beseech Thee, hear us.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
When the last agony begins, the priest says the following prayers:
"Depart, O Christian soul, from this world, in the name of God, the Father Almighty, Who created you; in the name of Jesus Chriast, the Son of the living God, Who suffered and died for you; in the name of the glorious and Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God; in the Name of Blessed Joseph, chaste spouse of the same virgin; in the name of the Angels and in the name of the Archangels; the Thrones and Dominations; in the names of the Principalities and Powers; in the name of the Virtues, Cherubim, and Seraphim; in the name of the Patriarchs and prophets; in the name of the holy Apostles and Evangelists; in the name of the holy Martyrs and Confessors; in the name of the holy Monks and Hermits; in the name of the holy Virgins and of all the Saints of God; may your place be this day in peace, and your abode in holy Sion. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
"O merciful God, O benign God, O God, Who according to the abundance of Thy mercy, dost blot out the sin of those who repent, and dost graciously remit the guilt of past offences; look favorably upon this, Thy servant N.; and in Thy mercy, hear him (her) as he (she) craves, with heartfelt confession, full remission of all his (her) sins. Renew within him (her) O most loving Father, what soever has been corrupted through human weakness, or violated through the deceit of the Devil; and associate him (her) as a redeemed member to the unity of the body of Thy Church. Have pity, O Lord, on his (her) groanings; have pity on his (her) tears; anmd admit him (her) who hath no other hope except in Thy mercy, to the sacrament of reconciliation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
"I commend you, dearest brother (sister) to Almighty God, and commit you to Him, whose creature you are; that having paid the debt of humanity by passing through death, you may return to your Maker, Who formed you from the dust of the earth. When, therefore, your soul goes forth from your body, may the glorious company of Angels meet you; and may the council of the Apostles who shall judge the world greet you; and may the triumphant army of white-robed Martyrs come out to welcome you; may the band of shining Confessors, crowned with lilies, encircle you; may the choir of jubilant Virgins receive you; and unto the bosom of blessed rest may the embrace of the Patriarchs clasp you; may St. Joseph, most sweet patron of the dying, lift you up in great hope; may the holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, mercifully turn her eyes on you; may the face of Jesus Christ appear to you meek and cheerful, anad may He give you a place among those who stand before Him forever. May you never know the terror of darkness, the gnashing of teeth in flames, the agonies of torment. May Satan, most foul, with his wicked spirits give way before you; may he tremble at your coming with the Angels that attend you, and flee away into the vast chaos of eternal night. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Him flee before His face. As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God; and let the just feast and rejoice before God. May, then, all the legions of Hell be confounded and put to shame, nor may the ministers of Satan dare to hinder your way.
May Christ, who was crucified for you, deliver you from torment. May Christ, Who vouchsafed to die for you, deliver you from everlasting death. May Christ, the Son of the living God, place you within the green pastures of His paradise, and may He, the true Shepherd, acknowledge you as one of His sheep. May He absolve you from all your sins, and set you at His right hand in the company of all His elect. May you behold your redeemer face to face; ; and standing ever before Him, gaze with blessed eyes on the Truth made manifest. And set thus among the company of the Blessed, may you enjoy the sweetness of Divine contemplation for all eternity. Amen.
"Receive, O Lord, Thy servant into the place of salvation, which he (she) hopes for from Thy mercy. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant from all the dangers of Hell, and from the bonds of punishments, and from all tribulations. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Enoch and Elias from the common death of the world. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Noe from the flood. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Job from His sufferings. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Isaac from being sacrificed by the hand of his father Abraham. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Lot from Sodom, and from the flames of fire. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Moses from the hands of Pharaoh, king of the Egyptians. R: Amen.
Deliver, O lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Daniel from the lions den. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver the three children from the flaming furnace, and from the hands of a wicked king. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Susanna from a false accusation. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver David from the hands of Goliath. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Peter and Paul from prison. R: Amen.
Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou dids't deliver Thecla, Thy most blessed Virgin and Martyr, from the most cruel torments, so vouchsafe to deliver the soul of this Thy servant, and make it rejoice with Thee in the bliss of Heaven. R: Amen.
"We commend to Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, N: and we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, that Thou would not refuse to place it in the bosom of Thy Patriarchs, Who dids't mercifully come down upon Earth for it. Acknowledge, O Lord, Thy creature, made, not by strange gods, but by Thee, the only living and true God: for there is no other God besides Thee, and none that works according to Thy wonders. Make glad his (her) soul, O Lord, with Thy presence, and remember not his (her) old sins, and the excesses which wrath or heat of evil desire may have aroused. For though he (she) has sinned, he (she) has not denied The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost; but has believed and has had a zeal for God, and has faithfully worshipped God, the Creator of all things.
Remember not, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the sins of his (her) youth, nor his (her) ignorance; but according to Thy great mercy, be mindful of him (her) in the brightness of Thy glory. Open the Heavens to him (her), and let the Angels rejoice with him (her). Into Thy kingdom, O Lord, receive Thy servant. May St. Michael the Archangel of God, prince of the Heavenly host, receive him (her). May the holy Angels of God come forth to meet him (her) and lead him (her) into the Heavenly City, Jerusalem. May Blessed Peter the Apostle, to whom were given by God the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, receive him (her). May St. Paul the Apostle who was worthy to be a vessel of election, assist him (her). May John, the chosen Apostle of God, to whom were revealed the secrets of Heaven, intercede from him (her). May all the holy Apostles, to whom the Lord gave the power of binding and loosing, pray for him (her). May all the saints and elect of God, who in this world, suffered torments for the Name of Christ, intercede for him (her): that being loosed from the bonds of the flesh, he (she) may come to the glory of the Heavenly kingdom, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, world without end. R: Amen.
May the most clement Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the most loving consoler of the afflicted, commend to her Son the soul of this servant, N: so that through her maternal intercession he (she) may not fear the terrors of death, but may joyfully enter the desired Heavenly home in her company". R: Amen.
"I have recourse to thee, O St. Joseph, the patron of the dying, and I earnestly commend to thee, at whose death Jesus and Mary assisted, for this twofold and most dear pledge, the soul of this Thy servant, N.; in his (her) last agony, that, under thy protection he (she) may be delivered from the snares of the Devil and from eternal death, and may merit to attain the eternal joys of Heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord". R: Amen.
The Last Agony When the soul is about to depart from the body, then more than ever, those who are present should pray earnestly around the dying persons bed; and if he is unable to speak, the Holy Name of Jesus should be constantly invoked, and such words as the following be repeated in his ear:
"Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit - O Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit - Holy Mary, Mother of Grace, Mother of Mercy, do thou protect me from the enemy, and receive me at the hour of death. - St. Joseph, pray for me. St. Joseph, in company with the Blessed Virgin, they spouse, open to me the bosom of Divine mercy.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, let me breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
When the soul has departed, the following should be said:
"Come to his (her) assistance, ye saints of God, come forth to meet him (her), ye angels of the Lord: Receiving his (her) soul: Offering it in the sight of the Most High. May Christ receive you, Who hath called you, and may the Angels bear you into Abraham's bosom".
R: Receive his (her) soul.
Eternal rest grant unto him (her), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him (her).
R: Offering it in the sight of the Most High.
Lord have mercy. R: Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy. Our Father... And lead us not into temptation. R: But deliver us from evil.
Eternal rest grant unto him (her), O Lord.
R: And let perpetual light shine upon him (her).
From the gate of Hell.
R: Deliver his (her) soul, O Lord.
May he (she) rest in peace.
R: Amen.
O Lord, hear my prayer.
R: And let my cry come unto Thee.
The Lord be with you.
R: And with your spirit.
Let Us Pray: "To Thee, O Lord, do we commend the soul of Thy servant N., that being dead to the world, he (she), may live unto Thee; and whatever sins he (she) has committed through the frailty of his (her) mortal nature, do Thou, in Thy most merciful goodness, forgive and wash away. Through Christ our Lord". Amen.
"What is the good thing of Him, and what is the beautiful thing of Him, the corn of the elect, and wine springing forth virgins" (Zach. 9: 17).
Well fitting it was that a Son so Divine, should preserve from all touch of original sin. Nor suffer the smallest defect to be stained,
that Mother whom He for Himself had ordained. See: “Hail Solomon’s Throne”, P. 4
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APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION OF
POPE PIUS XII
MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS
DEFINING THE DOGMA OF THE ASSUMPTION
November 1, 1950
1. The most bountiful God, who is almighty, the plan of whose providence rests upon wisdom and love, tempers, in the secret purpose of his own mind, the sorrows of peoples and of individual men by means of joys that he interposes in their lives from time to time, in such a way that, under different conditions and in different ways, all things may work together unto good for those who love him.(1)
2. Now, just like the present age, our pontificate is weighed down by ever so many cares, anxieties, and troubles, by reason of very severe calamities that have taken place and by reason of the fact that many have strayed away from truth and virtue. Nevertheless, we are greatly consoled to see that, while the Catholic faith is being professed publicly and vigorously, piety toward the Virgin Mother of God is flourishing and daily growing more fervent, and that almost everywhere on earth it is showing indications of a better and holier life. Thus, while the Blessed Virgin is fulfilling in the most affectionate manner her maternal duties on behalf of those redeemed by the blood of Christ, the minds and the hearts of her children are being vigorously aroused to a more assiduous consideration of her prerogatives.
3. Actually God, who from all eternity regards Mary with a most favorable and unique affection, has "when the fullness of time came"(2) put the plan of his providence into effect in such a way that all the privileges and prerogatives he had granted to her in his sovereign generosity were to shine forth in her in a kind of perfect harmony. And, although the Church has always recognized this supreme generosity and the perfect harmony of graces and has daily studied them more and more throughout the course of the centuries, still it is in our own age that the privilege of the bodily Assumption into heaven of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, has certainly shone forth more clearly.
4. That privilege has shone forth in new radiance since our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, solemnly proclaimed the dogma of the loving Mother of God's Immaculate Conception. These two privileges are most closely bound to one another. Christ overcame sin and death by his own death, and one who through Baptism has been born again in a supernatural way has conquered sin and death through the same Christ. Yet, according to the general rule, God does not will to grant to the just the full effect of the victory over death until the end of time has come. And so it is that the bodies of even the just are corrupted after death, and only on the last day will they be joined, each to its own glorious soul.
5. Now God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.
6. Thus, when it was solemnly proclaimed that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, was from the very beginning free from the taint of original sin, the minds of the faithful were filled with a stronger hope that the day might soon come when the dogma of the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven would also be defined by the Church's supreme teaching authority.
7. Actually it was seen that not only individual Catholics, but also those who could speak for nations or ecclesiastical provinces, and even a considerable number of the Fathers of the Vatican Council, urgently petitioned the Apostolic See to this effect.
8. During the course of time such postulations and petitions did not decrease but rather grew continually in number and in urgency. In this cause there were pious crusades of prayer. Many outstanding theologians eagerly and zealously carried out investigations on this subject either privately or in public ecclesiastical institutions and in other schools where the sacred disciplines are taught. Marian Congresses, both national and international in scope, have been held in many parts of the Catholic world. These studies and investigations have brought out into even clearer light the fact that the dogma of the Virgin Mary's Assumption into heaven is contained in the deposit of Christian faith entrusted to the Church. They have resulted in many more petitions, begging and urging the Apostolic See that this truth be solemnly defined.
9. In this pious striving, the faithful have been associated in a wonderful way with their own holy bishops, who have sent petitions of this kind, truly remarkable in number, to this See of the Blessed Peter. Consequently, when we were elevated to the throne of the supreme pontificate, petitions of this sort had already been addressed by the thousands from every part of the world and from every class of people, from our beloved sons the Cardinals of the Sacred College, from our venerable brethren, archbishops and bishops, from dioceses and from parishes.
10. Consequently, while we sent up earnest prayers to God that he might grant to our mind the light of the Holy Spirit, to enable us to make a decision on this most serious subject, we issued special orders in which we commanded that, by corporate effort, more advanced inquiries into this matter should be begun and that, in the meantime, all the petitions about the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven which had been sent to this Apostolic See from the time of Pius IX, our predecessor of happy memory, down to our own days should be gathered together and carefully evaluated.(3)
11. And, since we were dealing with a matter of such great moment and of such importance, we considered it opportune to ask all our venerable brethren in the episcopate directly and authoritatively that each of them should make known to us his mind in a formal statement. Hence, on May 1, 1946, we gave them our letter "Deiparae Virginis Mariae," a letter in which these words are contained: "Do you, venerable brethren, in your outstanding wisdom and prudence, judge that the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin can be proposed and defined as a dogma of faith? Do you, with your clergy and people, desire it?"
12. But those whom "the Holy Spirit has placed as bishops to rule the Church of God"(4) gave an almost unanimous affirmative response to both these questions. This "outstanding agreement of the Catholic prelates and the faithful,"(5) affirming that the bodily Assumption of God's Mother into heaven can be defined as a dogma of faith, since it shows us the concordant teaching of the Church's ordinary doctrinal authority and the concordant faith of the Christian people which the same doctrinal authority sustains and directs, thus by itself and in an entirely certain and infallible way, manifests this privilege as a truth revealed by God and contained in that divine deposit which Christ has delivered to his Spouse to be guarded faithfully and to be taught infallibly.(6) Certainly this teaching authority of the Church, not by any merely human effort but under the protection of the Spirit of Truth,(7) and therefore absolutely without error, carries out the commission entrusted to it, that of preserving the revealed truths pure and entire throughout every age, in such a way that it presents them undefiled, adding nothing to them and taking nothing away from them. For, as the Vatican Council teaches, "the Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter in such a way that, by his revelation, they might manifest new doctrine, but so that, by his assistance, they might guard as sacred and might faithfully propose the revelation delivered through the apostles, or the deposit of faith."(8) Thus, from the universal agreement of the Church's ordinary teaching authority we have a certain and firm proof, demonstrating that the Blessed Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven- which surely no faculty of the human mind could know by its own natural powers, as far as the heavenly glorification of the virginal body of the loving Mother of God is concerned-is a truth that has been revealed by God and consequently something that must be firmly and faithfully believed by all children of the Church. For, as the Vatican Council asserts, "all those things are to be believed by divine and Catholic faith which are contained in the written Word of God or in Tradition, and which are proposed by the Church, either in solemn judgment or in its ordinary and universal teaching office, as divinely revealed truths which must be believed."(9)
13. Various testimonies, indications and signs of this common belief of the Church are evident from remote times down through the course of the centuries; and this same belief becomes more clearly manifest from day to day.
14. Christ's faithful, through the teaching and the leadership of their pastors, have learned from the sacred books that the Virgin Mary, throughout the course of her earthly pilgrimage, led a life troubled by cares, hardships, and sorrows, and that, moreover, what the holy old man Simeon had foretold actually came to pass, that is, that a terribly sharp sword pierced her heart as she stood under the cross of her divine Son, our Redeemer. In the same way, it was not difficult for them to admit that the great Mother of God, like her only begotten Son, had actually passed from this life. But this in no way prevented them from believing and from professing openly that her sacred body had never been subject to the corruption of the tomb, and that the august tabernacle of the Divine Word had never been reduced to dust and ashes. Actually, enlightened by divine grace and moved by affection for her, God's Mother and our own dearest Mother, they have contemplated in an ever clearer light the wonderful harmony and order of those privileges which the most provident God has lavished upon this loving associate of our Redeemer, privileges which reach such an exalted plane that, except for her, nothing created by God other than the human nature of Jesus Christ has ever reached this level.
15. The innumerable temples which have been dedicated to the Virgin Mary assumed into heaven clearly attest this faith. So do those sacred images, exposed therein for the veneration of the faithful, which bring this unique triumph of the Blessed Virgin before the eyes of all men. Moreover, cities, dioceses, and individual regions have been placed under the special patronage and guardianship of the Virgin Mother of God assumed into heaven. In the same way, religious institutes, with the approval of the Church, have been founded and have taken their name from this privilege. Nor can we pass over in silence the fact that in the Rosary of Mary, the recitation of which this Apostolic See so urgently recommends, there is one mystery proposed for pious meditation which, as all know, deals with the Blessed Virgin's Assumption into heaven.
16. This belief of the sacred pastors and of Christ's faithful is universally manifested still more splendidly by the fact that, since ancient times, there have been both in the East and in the West solemn liturgical offices commemorating this privilege. The holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church have never failed to draw enlightenment from this fact since, as everyone knows, the sacred liturgy, "because it is the profession, subject to the supreme teaching authority within the Church, of heavenly truths, can supply proofs and testimonies of no small value for deciding a particular point of Christian doctrine."(10)
17. In the liturgical books which deal with the feast either of the dormition or of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin there are expressions that agree in testifying that, when the Virgin Mother of God passed from this earthly exile to heaven, what happened to her sacred body was, by the decree of divine Providence, in keeping with the dignity of the Mother of the Word Incarnate, and with the other privileges she had been accorded. Thus, to cite an illustrious example, this is set forth in that sacramentary which Adrian I, our predecessor of immortal memory, sent to the Emperor Charlemagne. These words are found in this volume: "Venerable to us, O Lord, is the festivity of this day on which the holy Mother of God suffered temporal death, but still could not be kept down by the bonds of death, who has begotten your Son our Lord incarnate from herself."(11)
18. What is here indicated in that sobriety characteristic of the Roman liturgy is presented more clearly and completely in other ancient liturgical books. To take one as an example, the Gallican sacramentary designates this privilege of Mary's as "an ineffable mystery all the more worthy of praise as the Virgin's Assumption is something unique among men." And, in the Byzantine liturgy, not only is the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption connected time and time again with the dignity of the Mother of God, but also with the other privileges, and in particular with the virginal motherhood granted her by a singular decree of God's Providence. "God, the King of the universe, has granted you favors that surpass nature. As he kept you a virgin in childbirth, thus he has kept your body incorrupt in the tomb and has glorified it by his divine act of transferring it from the tomb."(12)
19. The fact that the Apostolic See, which has inherited the function entrusted to the Prince of the Apostles, the function of confirming the brethren in the faith,(13) has by its own authority, made the celebration of this feast ever more solemn, has certainly and effectively moved the attentive minds of the faithful to appreciate always more completely the magnitude of the mystery it commemorates. So it was that the Feast of the Assumption was elevated from the rank which it had occupied from the beginning among the other Marian feasts to be classed among the more solemn celebrations of the entire liturgical cycle. And, when our predecessor St. Sergius I prescribed what is known as the litany, or the stational procession, to be held on four Marian feasts, he specified together the Feasts of the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Purification, and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.(14) Again, St. Leo IV saw to it that the feast, which was already being celebrated under the title of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God, should be observed in even a more solemn way when he ordered a vigil to be held on the day before it and prescribed prayers to be recited after it until the octave day. When this had been done, he decided to take part himself in the celebration, in the midst of a great multitude of the faithful.(15) Moreover, the fact that a holy fast had been ordered from ancient times for the day prior to the feast is made very evident by what our predecessor St. Nicholas I testifies in treating of the principal fasts which "the Holy Roman Church has observed for a long time, and still observes."(16)
20. However, since the liturgy of the Church does not engender the Catholic faith, but rather springs from it, in such a way that the practices of the sacred worship proceed from the faith as the fruit comes from the tree, it follows that the holy Fathers and the great Doctors, in the homilies and sermons they gave the people on this feast day, did not draw their teaching from the feast itself as from a primary source, but rather they spoke of this doctrine as something already known and accepted by Christ's faithful. They presented it more clearly. They offered more profound explanations of its meaning and nature, bringing out into sharper light the fact that this feast shows, not only that the dead body of the Blessed Virgin Mary remained incorrupt, but that she gained a triumph out of death, her heavenly glorification after the example of her only begotten Son, Jesus Christ-truths that the liturgical books had frequently touched upon concisely and briefly.
21. Thus St. John Damascene, an outstanding herald of this traditional truth, spoke out with powerful eloquence when he compared the bodily Assumption of the loving Mother of God with her other prerogatives and privileges. "It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God's Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God."(17)
22. These words of St. John Damascene agree perfectly with what others have taught on this same subject. Statements no less clear and accurate are to be found in sermons delivered by Fathers of an earlier time or of the same period, particularly on the occasion of this feast. And so, to cite some other examples, St. Germanus of Constantinople considered the fact that the body of Mary, the virgin Mother of God, was incorrupt and had been taken up into heaven to be in keeping, not only with her divine motherhood, but also with the special holiness of her virginal body. "You are she who, as it is written, appears in beauty, and your virginal body is all holy, all chaste, entirely the dwelling place of God, so that it is henceforth completely exempt from dissolution into dust. Though still human, it is changed into the heavenly life of incorruptibility, truly living and glorious, undamaged and sharing in perfect life."(18) And another very ancient writer asserts: "As the most glorious Mother of Christ, our Savior and God and the giver of life and immortality, has been endowed with life by him, she has received an eternal incorruptibility of the body together with him who has raised her up from the tomb and has taken her up to himself in a way known only to him."(19)
23. When this liturgical feast was being celebrated ever more widely and with ever increasing devotion and piety, the bishops of the Church and its preachers in continually greater numbers considered it their duty openly and clearly to explain the mystery that the feast commemorates, and to explain how it is intimately connected with the other revealed truths.
24. Among the scholastic theologians there have not been lacking those who, wishing to inquire more profoundly into divinely revealed truths and desirous of showing the harmony that exists between what is termed the theological demonstration and the Catholic faith, have always considered it worthy of note that this privilege of the Virgin Mary's Assumption is in wonderful accord with those divine truths given us in Holy Scripture.
25. When they go on to explain this point, they adduce various proofs to throw light on this privilege of Mary. As the first element of these demonstrations, they insist upon the fact that, out of filial love for his mother, Jesus Christ has willed that she be assumed into heaven. They base the strength of their proofs on the incomparable dignity of her divine motherhood and of all those prerogatives which follow from it. These include her exalted holiness, entirely surpassing the sanctity of all men and of the angels, the intimate union of Mary with her Son, and the affection of preeminent love which the Son has for his most worthy Mother.
26. Often there are theologians and preachers who, following in the footsteps of the holy Fathers,(20) have been rather free in their use of events and expressions taken from Sacred Scripture to explain their belief in the Assumption. Thus, to mention only a few of the texts rather frequently cited in this fashion, some have employed the words of the psalmist: "Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark, which you have sanctified"(21); and have looked upon the Ark of the Covenant, built of incorruptible wood and placed in the Lord's temple, as a type of the most pure body of the Virgin Mary, preserved and exempt from all the corruption of the tomb and raised up to such glory in heaven. Treating of this subject, they also describe her as the Queen entering triumphantly into the royal halls of heaven and sitting at the right hand of the divine Redeemer.(22) Likewise they mention the Spouse of the Canticles "that goes up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense" to be crowned.(23) These are proposed as depicting that heavenly Queen and heavenly Spouse who has been lifted up to the courts of heaven with the divine Bridegroom.
27. Moreover, the scholastic Doctors have recognized the Assumption of the Virgin Mother of God as something signified, not only in various figures of the Old Testament, but also in that woman clothed with the sun whom John the Apostle contemplated on the Island of Patmos.(24) Similarly they have given special attention to these words of the New Testament: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women,"(25) since they saw, in the mystery of the Assumption, the fulfillment of that most perfect grace granted to the Blessed Virgin and the special blessing that countered the curse of Eve.
28. Thus, during the earliest period of scholastic theology, that most pious man, Amadeus, Bishop of Lausarme, held that the Virgin Mary's flesh had remained incorrupt-for it is wrong to believe that her body has seen corruption-because it was really united again to her soul and, together with it, crowned with great glory in the heavenly courts. "For she was full of grace and blessed among women. She alone merited to conceive the true God of true God, whom as a virgin, she brought forth, to whom as a virgin she gave milk, fondling him in her lap, and in all things she waited upon him with loving care."(26)
29. Among the holy writers who at that time employed statements and various images and analogies of Sacred Scripture to Illustrate and to confirm the doctrine of the Assumption, which was piously believed, the Evangelical Doctor, St. Anthony of Padua, holds a special place. On the feast day of the Assumption, while explaining the prophet's words: "I will glorify the place of my feet,"(27) he stated it as certain that the divine Redeemer had bedecked with supreme glory his most beloved Mother from whom he had received human flesh. He asserts that "you have here a clear statement that the Blessed Virgin has been assumed in her body, where was the place of the Lord's feet. Hence it is that the holy Psalmist writes: 'Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark which you have sanctified."' And he asserts that, just as Jesus Christ has risen from the death over which he triumphed and has ascended to the right hand of the Father, so likewise the ark of his sanctification "has risen up, since on this day the Virgin Mother has been taken up to her heavenly dwelling."(28)
30. When, during the Middle Ages, scholastic theology was especially flourishing, St. Albert the Great who, to establish this teaching, had gathered together many proofs from Sacred Scripture, from the statements of older writers, and finally from the liturgy and from what is known as theological reasoning, concluded in this way: "From these proofs and authorities and from many others, it is manifest that the most blessed Mother of God has been assumed above the choirs of angels. And this we believe in every way to be true."(29) And, in a sermon which he delivered on the sacred day of the Blessed Virgin Mary's annunciation, explained the words "Hail, full of grace"-words used by the angel who addressed her-the Universal Doctor, comparing the Blessed Virgin with Eve, stated clearly and incisively that she was exempted from the fourfold curse that had been laid upon Eve.(30)
31. Following the footsteps of his distinguished teacher, the Angelic Doctor, despite the fact that he never dealt directly with this question, nevertheless, whenever he touched upon it, always held together with the Catholic Church, that Mary's body had been assumed into heaven along with her soul.(31)
32. Along with many others, the Seraphic Doctor held the same views. He considered it as entirely certain that, as God had preserved the most holy Virgin Mary from the violation of her virginal purity and integrity in conceiving and in childbirth, he would never have permitted her body to have been resolved into dust and ashes.(32) Explaining these words of Sacred Scripture: "Who is this that comes up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved?"(33) and applying them in a kind of accommodated sense to the Blessed Virgin, he reasons thus: "From this we can see that she is there bodily...her blessedness would not have been complete unless she were there as a person. The soul is not a person, but the soul, joined to the body, is a person. It is manifest that she is there in soul and in body. Otherwise she would not possess her complete beatitude.(34)
33. In the fifteenth century, during a later period of scholastic theology, St. Bernardine of Siena collected and diligently evaluated all that the medieval theologians had said and taught on this question. He was not content with setting down the principal considerations which these writers of an earlier day had already expressed, but he added others of his own. The likeness between God's Mother and her divine Son, in the way of the nobility and dignity of body and of soul - a likeness that forbids us to think of the heavenly Queen as being separated from the heavenly King - makes it entirely imperative that Mary "should be only where Christ is."(35) Moreover, it is reasonable and fitting that not only the soul and body of a man, but also the soul and body of a woman should have obtained heavenly glory. Finally, since the Church has never looked for the bodily relics of the Blessed Virgin nor proposed them for the veneration of the people, we have a proof on the order of a sensible experience.(36)
34. The above-mentioned teachings of the holy Fathers and of the Doctors have been in common use during more recent times. Gathering together the testimonies of the Christians of earlier days, St. Robert Bellarmine exclaimed: "And who, I ask, could believe that the ark of holiness, the dwelling place of the Word of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, could be reduced to ruin? My soul is filled with horror at the thought that this virginal flesh which had begotten God, had brought him into the world, had nourished and carried him, could have been turned into ashes or given over to be food for worms."(37)
35. In like manner St. Francis de Sales, after asserting that it is wrong to doubt that Jesus Christ has himself observed, in the most perfect way, the divine commandment by which children are ordered to honor their parents, asks this question: "What son would not bring his mother back to life and would not bring her into paradise after her death if he could?"(38) And St. Alphonsus writes that "Jesus did not wish to have the body of Mary corrupted after death, since it would have redounded to his own dishonor to have her virginal flesh, from which he himself had assumed flesh, reduced to dust."(39)
36. Once the mystery which is commemorated in this feast had been placed in its proper light, there were not lacking teachers who, instead of dealing with the theological reasonings that show why it is fitting and right to believe the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, chose to focus their mind and attention on the faith of the Church itself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ without stain or wrinkle(40) and is called by the Apostle "the pillar and ground of truth."(41) Relying on this common faith, they considered the teaching opposed to the doctrine of our Lady's Assumption as temerarious, if not heretical. Thus, like not a few others, St. Peter Canisius, after he had declared that the very word "assumption" signifies the glorification, not only of the soul but also of the body, and that the Church has venerated and has solemnly celebrated this mystery of Mary's Assumption for many centuries, adds these words of warning: "This teaching has already been accepted for some centuries, it has been held as certain in the minds of the pious people, and it has been taught to the entire Church in such a way that those who deny that Mary's body has been assumed into heaven are not to be listened to patiently but are everywhere to be denounced as over-contentious or rash men, and as imbued with a spirit that is heretical rather than Catholic."(42)
37. At the same time the great Suarez was professing in the field of mariology the norm that "keeping in mind the standards of propriety, and when there is no contradiction or repugnance on the part of Scripture, the mysteries of grace which God has wrought in the Virgin must be measured, not by the ordinary laws, but by the divine omnipotence."(43) Supported by the common faith of the entire Church on the subject of the mystery of the Assumption, he could conclude that this mystery was to be believed with the same firmness of assent as that given to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. Thus he already held that such truths could be defined.
38. All these proofs and considerations of the holy Fathers and the theologians are based upon the Sacred Writings as their ultimate foundation. These set the loving Mother of God as it were before our very eyes as most intimately joined to her divine Son and as always sharing his lot. Consequently it seems impossible to think of her, the one who conceived Christ, brought him forth, nursed him with her milk, held him in her arms, and clasped him to her breast, as being apart from him in body, even though not in soul, after this earthly life. Since our Redeemer is the Son of Mary, he could not do otherwise, as the perfect observer of God's law, than to honor, not only his eternal Father, but also his most beloved Mother. And, since it was within his power to grant her this great honor, to preserve her from the corruption of the tomb, we must believe that he really acted in this way.
39. We must remember especially that, since the second century, the Virgin Mary has been designated by the holy Fathers as the new Eve, who, although subject to the new Adam, is most intimately associated with him in that struggle against the infernal foe which, as foretold in the protoevangelium,(44) would finally result in that most complete victory over the sin and death which are always mentioned together in the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles.(45) Consequently, just as the glorious resurrection of Christ was an essential part and the final sign of this victory, so that struggle which was common to the Blessed Virgin and her divine Son should be brought to a close by the glorification of her virginal body, for the same Apostle says: "When this mortal thing hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory."(46)
40. Hence the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination,(47) immaculate in her conception, a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the glory of heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendor at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages.(48)
41. Since the universal Church, within which dwells the Spirit of Truth who infallibly directs it toward an ever more perfect knowledge of the revealed truths, has expressed its own belief many times over the course of the centuries, and since the bishops of the entire world are almost unanimously petitioning that the truth of the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven should be defined as a dogma of divine and Catholic faith--this truth which is based on the Sacred Writings, which is thoroughly rooted in the minds of the faithful, which has been approved in ecclesiastical worship from the most remote times, which is completely in harmony with the other revealed truths, and which has been expounded and explained magnificently in the work, the science, and the wisdom of the theologians - we believe that the moment appointed in the plan of divine providence for the solemn proclamation of this outstanding privilege of the Virgin Mary has already arrived.
42. We, who have placed our pontificate under the special patronage of the most holy Virgin, to whom we have had recourse so often in times of grave trouble, we who have consecrated the entire human race to her Immaculate Heart in public ceremonies, and who have time and time again experienced her powerful protection, are confident that this solemn proclamation and definition of the Assumption will contribute in no small way to the advantage of human society, since it redounds to the glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, to which the Blessed Mother of God is bound by such singular bonds. It is to be hoped that all the faithful will be stirred up to a stronger piety toward their heavenly Mother, and that the souls of all those who glory in the Christian name may be moved by the desire of sharing in the unity of Jesus Christ's Mystical Body and of increasing their love for her who shows her motherly heart to all the members of this august body. And so we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father's will and to bringing good to others. Thus, while the illusory teachings of materialism and the corruption of morals that follows from these teachings threaten to extinguish the light of virtue and to ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them, in this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined. Finally it is our hope that belief in Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven will make our belief in our own resurrection stronger and render it more effective.
43. We rejoice greatly that this solemn event falls, according to the design of God's providence, during this Holy Year, so that we are able, while the great Jubilee is being observed, to adorn the brow of God's Virgin Mother with this brilliant gem, and to leave a monument more enduring than bronze of our own most fervent love for the Mother of God.
44. For which reason, after we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
45. Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.
46. In order that this, our definition of the bodily Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven may be brought to the attention of the universal Church, we desire that this, our Apostolic Letter, should stand for perpetual remembrance, commanding that written copies of it, or even printed copies, signed by the hand of any public notary and bearing the seal of a person constituted in ecclesiastical dignity, should be accorded by all men the same reception they would give to this present letter, were it tendered or shown.
47. It is forbidden to any man to change this, our declaration, pronouncement, and definition or, by rash attempt, to oppose and counter it. If any man should presume to make such an attempt, let him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.
48. Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year of the great Jubilee, 1950, on the first day of the month of November, on the Feast of All Saints, in the twelfth year of our pontificate.
PIUS XII
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Our Lady of Good Fortune
At Quito, Ecuador, 1634
"And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven: and the Ark of the Testament as seen in His Temple, and there were lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake, and great hail. And a great sign appeared in Heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Apoc. 11: 19. 12: 1).
On February 2, 1634, Mother Mary Anne of Jesus Torres was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament when suddenly the Sanctuary light went out. While she was trying to relight it, a supernatural light filled the Church. In the light, the Mother of God appeared to her and said:
"Beloved daughter of my heart, I am Our Lady of Good Fortune, your mother and protectress, carrying My Most Holy Son on my left arm and holding the scepter in my right hand. I have come to tell you some good news. In ten months and ten days, you will close your eyes to the earthly light of this world, to open them to the brightness of light everlasting.
O, if only human beings and religious knew what Heaven is, and what it is to possess God, how differently they would live, sparing no sacrifice in order to enter more fully into possession of it! But some let themselves be dazzled by the false glamour of honors and human greatness, while others are blinded by self-love, not realizing that they are falling into lukewarmness, that immense evil which in religious houses destroys fervor, humility, self-renunciation and the ceaseless practice of religious virtues and fraternal charity, and that child-like simplicity which makes souls dear to My Divine Son and to me their mother".
Then The Blessed Virgin began to speak of the Order of the Immaculate Conception, and in particular, the Convent of the Conception at Quito:
"This house will be attacked with a fury out of Hell to destroy and annihilate it: but Divine Providence and I will be watching over it to preserve it, by favoring the virtues practiced by the nuns in this house. Know also my beloved daughter, that my motherly love will watch over the convents of the Order of My Immaculate Conception, because this Order will give me great glory through the daughters I shall have here. I shall take care of the convents formed in this land by the members of this house. Often, they will be on the brink of annihilation, but miraculously they will come to life again. Only one will close in conformity with Gods will: you will know which, when you are in Heaven.
The Sanctuary lamp burning in front of The Prisoner of Love, which you saw go out, has many meanings: The first meaning: At the end of the 19th century and for a large part of the 20th century, various heresies will flourish on this earth, which will have a republican government. The precious light of the Faith will go out in souls because of the almost total moral corruption: in those times, there will be great physical and moral calamities, in private and in public. The little number of souls keeping the Faith and practicing the virtues, will undergo cruel and unspeakable sufferings. Through their long drawn out martyrdom, many of them will go to death, because of the violence of their sufferings, and they will count as martyrs who gave their lives for Church and for country. To keep from being enslaved by these heresies will call for great strength of will, constancy, courage, and great trust in God, all of which are gifts from the merciful love of My Divine Son to those He will have chosen for His work of restoration. To put to the trial the faith and trust of these just souls, there will come moments when all seems lost and paralyzed, and just then comes the happy beginning of the complete restoration.
Second meaning: My communities will be abandoned. They will be swamped in a fathomless sea of bitterness, and will seemed drowned in tribulations. How many true vocations will be lost for want of skillful and prudent direction to form them! Each mistress of novices will have to be a soul of prayer knowing how to discern spirits" "The third meaning of the lamp going out: In those times the air will be filled with the spirit of impurity, which, like a deluge of filth will fill the streets and public places. The licentiousness will be such that there will be no more virgin souls in the world. The fourth meaning: By having gained control of all the social classes, the sect (Freemasonry/organized atheism) will tend to penetrate with great skill into the heart of families and destroy even the children. The Devil will take glory in feeding perfidiously on the hearts of children. The innocence of childhood will almost disappear. Thus, priestly vocations will be lost, it will be a real disaster. Priests will abandon their sacred duties and will depart from the path marked out for them by God. The Church will go through a dark night for lack of a Prelate and Father to watch over it with love, gentleness, strength, and prudence, and numbers of priests will lose the Spirit of God, thus placing their souls in great danger.
Pray constantly, and weep unceasingly with bitter tears in the depths of your heart, asking your Father in Heaven, for the love of The Eucharistic Heart of My Most Holy Son, for the Precious Blood, so generously shed, and for the profound bitterness and sufferings of His Passion and death, that He have pity on His ministers and that He put an end to such fatal times, by sending to His Church the Prelate who will restore the spirit of His priests. Upon this my beloved son, whom My Divine Son and I will love with a predilection, we will heap many gifts, of humility of heart, of docility to varying inspirations, of strength to defend the rights of the Church, and of a heart with which he will, like My Son, take possession of the mightiest of men, as well as of the lowliest, without scorning the least fortunate among them. With a wholly Divine gentleness he will lead consecrated souls to the service of God in religious houses without making the Lords yoke weigh heavily upon them. He will hold in His hands the scales of the sanctuary for everything to be done in an orderly fashion for God to be glorified. This prelate and father will act as a counterweight to the lukewarmness of souls consecrated in the priesthood and in religion. (Quoted from Crying In The Wilderness Newsletter" from the traditional Benedictine Monks now in New York).
And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that Thou should render reward to Thy servants the prophets and the saints, and to them that fear Thy Name, little and great, and should destroy them that have corrupted the earth. (Apoc. 11: 18).
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Guadalupe, A Testimony To The Light We could well apply the words of the first chapter of the Gospel of St.John - the so called "last Gospel" in the traditional Latin Rite Mass, to the Blessed Virgin: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony to the light, that all might believe through him" (Jn. 1: 6,7).
"The lie that the Spanish destroyed a flourishing Indian civilization. Rather, they ended an Aztec reign of terror over the other Indian tribes, highlighted by human sacrifice and cannibalism on an unprecedented scale - some estimates being 80,000 a year sacrificed, and as many as 20,000 at one festival". Most Rev. Francis Clement Kelley, in his book "shows that during the 300 years that Spain ruled Mexico - 1521-1821 - she raised that country and her native peoples to equality with the Europeans - in religion, in education, and opportunity - and produced in the process, a flourishing and prosperous Catholic civilization... But... all this was swept away in the wanton devastation of the great Masonic revolution of 1810-1828... The result of the revolution has been that Mexico, despite her rich resources and former prosperity, became abjectly poor; that Mexico despite her population's being almost all Catholic, must suffer an anti-Catholic government; that Mexico despite proclaiming herself to be a democratic republic is governed by one party, which alone possess the "right" to rule" ("Blood Drenched Altars, A Catholic Commentary on the History of Mexico", back cover, by Most Rev. F. C. Kelley, Bishop of Oklahoma and Tulsa, 1935. Tan Books, Rockford, Illinois. Call: 1-800-437-5876). The Aztecs made war on the other tribes to obtain victims for sacrifice when the supply from the lower casts of their own people were exhausted. The Aztec priest would manually tear the beating heart from the unwilling victim and cast it on a brazier before the God of war: Tezcatlipoca or "Witchywolves", and the God of Hell: Huitzilopochtli atop the great pyramids still remaining in that land today, and dispose of the body by cannibalism, and by using the bones for construction. When Cortez and his 500 men landed, they easily made friends with some of the outlying tribes, and they tried to do so with the Aztecs, who at first reciprocated, but later turned on them, as Cortes' own records recorded the words of old Chief Xicotentatl to him: "We told you many times not to trust the Mexicans, for one day or another they would attack you, but you would not believe us. Now it has happened, and no more can be done at present but to attend you and give you food..." (p. 68, ch.6). Before the Spaniards won the decisive battle, Bernal Diaz, the record keeper and chief officer of Cortez recorded the following quote from their adversaries: "Why does Malinche come every day asking peace with us? Our idols have promised us victory, and we have plenty of water and provisions! We will leave none of you alive! Don't talk anymore about peace. Words are for women - arms for men!" (Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness, p. 68, ch. 6, & 7: 77, by W.H. Carroll, Ph.D., From: Christendom Press, Crossroads Books, Front Royal, Virginia 22630). It was when they were faced with on onrush of attackers who "outnumbered the Spaniards three hundred to one" (P. 23, ch. 2), that the Spaniards and their allies from neighboring tribes, fought back, and won big! and miraculously, with only: "600 men, forty horses and nine canons... later reinforced by 350 infantry and 46 cavalry, and 28,000 natives from other tribes" (Ibid., p. 69-71, ch. 6, by W.H. Carroll, Ph.D.).
Mexico was not made Catholic at the point of a sword, indeed the twelve Franciscans, under the wise and gentle direction of Bishop Zummaraga, was having some success, but comparatively little, evangelizing the country, until the following event:
"At dawn, Saturday, Dec. 9th, 1531, the day after the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Juan Diego was on his way from the village... where he lived to... for morning Mass, which he attended every morning when he could. His route ran over the hill Tepeyac and across the Tepeyac causeway to Tlatelolco next to Mexico city... As Juan Diego came to the summit of the hill, he heard singing, and saw a brilliant white cloud aureoled in a rainbow. The white light was coming from the midst of the cloud, and was intensely bright. A beautiful young woman appeared before the cloud, her clothes were shining so gloriously, that they seemed to turn the rocks into pendants of jewels, cactus leaves into emeralds, and cactus trunks into gold". (When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Fatima in Portugal 386 years later... Lucia saw her clad in a white, which she described as "more brilliant than the sun dispensing light, clearer and more intense than a cup full of crystalline water penetrated by the rays of the most glaring sun" -ed.). "Juan Diego fell to his knees. The lady said speaking in his own Nahuatl language : 'My son, Juan Diego, where are you going? 'Noble Lady', he answered, 'I'm on my way to... hear Mass'. Then she said: 'You must know and be very certain in your heart, my son, that I am the truly perpetual and perfect Virgin Mary, Holy mother of the true God through Whom everything lives, the Creator and Master of Heaven and earth. I wish and intensely desire, that in this place my sanctuary be erected so that in it I may show and make known and give all my love, my compassion, my help, and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here, I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate their suffering, necessities and misfortunes. So that my intentions may be known, you must go to the house of the Bishop of Mexico and tell him that I send you, and that is my desire to have a sanctuary built here" (Ibid.). Juan Diego did her bidding, but the Bishop did not believe him, at first, but on second thoughts, he told him that the lady must provide some proof of who she was. The bishop sent two emissaries to follow him, but they could not keep up with him. At sunset of this day, Juan Diego was back on the top of Tepeyac hill again, where the Lady assured him that she would give the bishop the sign he was looking for. But the next day, his uncle was ill, and so instead of returning to Tepeyac, he cared for his uncle. On Tuesday morning, Dec.12, Juan Diego set out to bring a priest to administer the sacrament of Extreme Unction to the dangerously ill uncle, avoiding the hill out of fear because he had not kept his appointment to return there. But the Blessed Virgin intercepted him, asking him where he was going. He explained about his uncle. She responded: 'Listen and be sure, my dear son, that I will protect you, do not be frightened or grieved, or let your heart be dismayed, however great the illness that you speak of, am I not here? I who am your mother, and is not my help a refuge? Am I not of your kind? Do not be concerned about your uncles illness, for he is not going to die. Be assured, he is already well. Is there anything else you need? ... The Blessed Virgin Mary gave back to those who had been Satan's captives their dignity and hope. She was of their kind. She was no alien, no stranger. She was theirs. Then she told Juan Diego to climb the hill, saying that he would find flowers blossoming there which he would pluck and bring to her. The hill was a desert where only cactus, thistles and thornbrush grew... but when he reached the top, it was covered with beautiful Castilian roses, covered with dew, of exquisite fragrance. Mary took them from him as he gathered them, arranged them with her own hands in his cloak, or Tilma, made of the fiber of Maguey cactus, and tied in a knot behind his neck to hold the roses in place. She told him: 'This is the sign you must take to the Lord Bishop. In my name tell him that in this he will see and recognize my will and that he must do what I ask; and you are my ambassador, worthy of my confidence, I counsel you to take every care to open your mouth only in the presence of the Bishop, and you must make it known to him, what it is you carry, and tell him that I asked you to climb to the top of the hill to gather flowers. Tell him also, all that you have seen, so that you will persuade the Lord Bishop and he will see that the Church is built for which I ask'. When he arrived at the Bishops house, Juan Diego was kept waiting a long time by the Bishops attendants who insisted on seeing the roses. When they tried to take some of them, they could not. because they became, not roses that they touched, but were as if painted or embroidered. When they finally admitted him to the Bishops presence, Juan Diego told him all that happened, and opened his cloak. The roses cascaded onto the floor; and there upon the Tilma, was a full portrait of The Mother of God, in Indian dress, her small hands joined in prayer... That portrait still exists today, just as it was then, in brilliant color. The normally short-lived cactus fiber cloth is untouched by the passage of 450 years. Anyone can go to Mexico and see it". (Ibid.ch. 10).
From the Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe, taken from the Mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Tridentine Rite).
"As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth. In me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me shall yet hunger. They that drink me shall yet thirst. He that hearkens to me shall not be confounded, and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting" (Ecclusus. 24: 23-31).
That's Not All, Folks! Like the Holy Shroud of Turin, photography manifested forensic exactitudes from the miraculous image of The Blessed Virgin on the tilma, unknown when they were discovered first in 1929, of human figures reflected in the eyes of Our Lady: "In 1956, Dr. Lavoignet undertook a meticulous examination of the eyes with an ophthalmoscope... I examined by means of the ophthalmoscope the eyes of various paintings, both in oils, and water-colors, and photographs. On none of them, all of different people, was the least reflection to be seen, whereas, the eyes of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe give the impression of life... it all looks as though a ray of light were entering a cavity, filling out a volumetric ocular globe, radiating from within, a diffuse light... the bronze, hazel colored eye of the Blessed Virgin lights up, and on the surface there shines quite distinctly a human silhouette... as though, at the moment of the Image being impressed, a man who was facing the Blessed Virgin, and reflected in the cornea of her eye, had himself been photographed in this indirect way... The image shows a distortion in exact conformity with the laws of such a reflection 'in vivo'."
"How beautiful art thou! Thy eyes are doves eyes, besides what is hid within" (Cant. 4: 1, title page). (The Verdict of Science, ch.7, p. 122, 123, "The Wonder of Guadalupe" by Francis Johnson. Available from Tan Books, Rockford, Illinois. Call: 1-800-437-5876).
Like when Julian the Apostate tried to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, and falling rocks from the construction killed him in a freak earthquake, fulfilling to the letter the Lords words that "not a stone would be left upon a stone" (Luke 21: 6). His dying words were: "Thou hast conquered O Galilean"! So also, when the powers of darkness tried to blow up the main altar at Guadalupe in 1921, the Lord gave a final blow to Satan: "Though the bomb shattered the windows and bent this crucifix, it did not even crack the protective glass over the image" (Ibid. p.120). This beautiful crucifix was bent backwards, as the Lords final mockery of Satan in his defeat, by Him who destroyed death by death, and broke the hold of the empire of Hell. The representation on p.19, shows the human sacrifice victim bent backwards and held down over the stone while the priest of these devils tore the still beating heart out of the chest cavity, having to displace the live and conscious unwilling victims rib cage to do so. But now, the many sacrifices of those unfortunates, is now replaced by the one unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of Calvary of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (Jn. 1: 29), "that through death He might destroy him who had the empire of death, that is to say, the Devil" (Heb. 2: 14), and destroyed the works of the Devil (1 Jn. 3: 8): "I Am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10: 10).
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Vowed Celibacy (Holy Virginity)
The following text, is made up of selected passages taken from the encyclical of Pope Pius XII, "On Holy Virginity":
"Holy virginity and that perfect chastity which is concecrated to the service of God is without doubt among the most precious treasures which the founder of the Church (Jesus Christ) has left in heritage to the society He established." ..."Indeed right from Apostolic times this virtue has been thriving and flourishing in the garden of the Church."... "The Fathers of the Church, such as Cyprian, Athanasius, Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, and many others, have sung the praises of virginity. And this doctrine of the Fathers, augmented through the course of the centuries by the Doctors of the Church and the masters of asceticism, helps greatly to inspire in the faithful of both genders the firm resolution of dedicating themselves to God by the practise of perfect chastity and of persevering until death, or to strengthen them in the resolution already taken. Innumerable is the multitude of those who from the beginning of the Church until our time, have offered their chastity to God. Some have preserved their virginity unspoiled, others after the death of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in the unmarried state, and still others, after repenting their sins, have choosen to lead a life of perfect chastity; all of them at one in this common oblation, that is, for love of God to abstain for the rest of their lives from sexual pleasure." ..."However there are some who, straying from the right path in these matters, so exalt marriage so as to rank it ahead of virginity and thus depreciate chastity consecrated to God and clerical celibacy, Our apostolic duty demands that We now in a particular manner declare and uphold the Church's teaching on the sublime state of virginity, and so defend Catholic truth against these errors." ..."Here it must be added, as the Fathers and Doctors of the Church have clearly taught, that virginity is not a Christian virtue unless we embrace it "for the Kingdom of Heaven"; that is, unless we take up this way of life precisely to be able to devote ourselves more freely to divine things to attain Heaven more surely, and with skilful efforts, to lead others more readily to the Kingdom of Heaven. Those therefore who do not marry because of exaggerated self-interest, or because they shun the burdens of marriage, or because like the Pharisees they proudly flaunt their bodily integrity, an attitude condemned by the Council of Gangra, lest men and women renounce marriage as though it were something despicable, instead of because virginity is something beautiful and holy, - none of these can claim for themselves the honor of Christian virginity." ..."Virginity is not honoured because it is bodily integrity, but because it is something dedicated to God. Nor do we extol virgins because they are virgins, but because they are virgins dedicated to God in loving continence." ..."Virginity does not possess the stability of virtue, unless there is a vow to keep it forever intact." ..."This then is the primary purpose, this the central idea of Christian Virginity: to aim only at the Divine, to turn thereto the whole mind and soul; to want to please God in everything, to think of Him continually, to consecrate body and soul completely to Him." ..."Moreover the Fathers of the Church considered this obligation of perfect chastity as a kind of spiritual marriage, in which the soul is wedded to Christ; so that some go so far as to compare breaking the vow with adultery. Thus St.Athanasius writes that the Catholic Church has been accustomed to call those who have the virtue of virginity the Spouses of Christ. ... She is a virgin who is married to God. ...As early as the fourth century the rite of consecration of a virgin was very like the rite the Church uses... in the marriage blessing. For the same reason the Fathers exhort virgins to love their Divine Spouse more ardently than they would love a husband had they married, and always in their thoughts and actions to ftilfill His will. Augustine writes to virgins: "Love with all your hearts Him who is the most beautiful of the sons of men: you are free, your hearts are not fettered by conjugal bonds... If then you owe your husbands great love, how great is the love you owe Him because of whom you have chosen to have no husband? And this ... is in harmony with the sentiments and resolutions the Church herself requires of virgins on the day they are solemnly consecrated to God by inviting them to recite these words: "The Kingdom of this earth and all worldly trappings I have valued as worthless for love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom I have seen, loved, believed, and preferred above all else" ..."That strongly inspires her to spend her life and strength in works of mercy for the sake of her neighbour".
As for those men "who were not defiled with women, being virgins, they follow the Lamb wherever He goes." ..."You follow the Lamb because the body of the Lamb is indeed virginal. Rightly do you follow Him in virginity of heart and body wherever He goes. For what does following mean but imitation." ..."Hence all these disciples and spouses of Christ embraced the state of virginity, ...in order to become like unto Christ the spouse, for that state makes virgins like unto Him. ... "sacred ministers do not renounce marriage solely on account of their apostolic ministry, but also by reason of their service at the altar. For if even the priests of the Old Testament had to abstain from the use of marriage during the period of their service in the temple, for fear of being declared impure by the law just as other men, is it not much more fitting that the ministers of Jesus Christ, who offer every day the Eucharistic Sacrifice, possess perfect chastity? It is first and foremost for the foregoing reasons that, according to the teaching of the Church, holy virginity surpasses marriage in excellence. Our Divine Redeemer had already given it to His disciples as a counsel for a more perfect life. St.Paul after having said that a father who gives his daughter in marriage "does well", immediately adds that "he who gives her not does better." (I Cor.7:38) "For I would that all men were even as myself ... But I say to the unmarried and to widows: it is good for them if they so continue, even
as I. Virginity is preferable to marriage then, as we have said, because it has a higher aim: that is to say, it is a very efficacious means for devoting oneself wholly to the service of God, while the heart of married persons will always remain more or less "divided" (1 Cor.7:33). Finally, virginity concecrated to Christ is in itself such an evidence of faith in the Kingdom of Heaven, such a proof of love of Our Divine Redeemer, that there is little wonder that it bears abundant fruits of sanctity. Innumerable are the virgins and apostles vowed to chastity who are the honor of the Church by the lofty sanctity of their lives. In truth, virginity gives souls a force of spirit capable of leading them even to martyrdom, if needs be... Virginity fully deserves the name of angelic virtue, which St.Cyprian writing to virgins affirms: "What we are to be, you have already commenced to be. You already possess in this world the glory of the resurrection; you pass through this world without suffering its contagion. In preserving virgin chastity, you are the equals of the angels of God. To souls, restless for a purer life or inflamed with the desire to possess the Kingdom of Heaven, virginity offers itself as a "Pearl of great price" for which one "sells all that he has, and buys it". Married people and even those who are captives of vice, at the contact of virgin souls, often admire the splendor of their transparent purity, and feel moved to rise above the pleasures of sense. When St.Thomas states "that to virginity is awarded the tribute of the highest beauty", it is because its example is captivating: ... by their perfect chastity do not all these men and women give a striking proof that the mastery of the spirit over the body is the result of a Divine assistance and the sign of proven virtue? In the ceremony of consecrating virgins, the consecrating prelate prays God: "that there may exist more noble souls who distain the marriage that consists in the bodily union of man and woman, but desire the mystery it enshrines, who reject its practice while loving its mystic signification". The greatest glory of virgins is undoubtedly to be the living images of the perfect integrity of the union between the Church and Her Divine Spouse. For this society founded by Christ it is a profound joy that virgins should be the marvellous sign of its sanctity and fecundity, as St.Cyprian so well expresses it: "They are the flower of the Church, the beauty and ornament of spiritual grace, a subject of joy, a perfect and unsullied homage of praise and honor, the image of God corresponding to the sanctity of The Lord, the most illustrious portion of Christs flock."
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