December 17: The Commencement of the Great Antiphons

 

The Church enters to-day on the seven days, which precede the Vigil of Christmas, and which are known in the Liturgy under the name of the Greater Ferias. The ordinary of the Advent Office becomes more solemn; the Antiphons of the Psalms, both for Lauds and the Hours of the day, are proper, and allude expressly to the great Coming. Every day, at Vespers, is sung a solemn Antiphon, which consists of a fervent prayer to the Messias, whom it addresses by one of the titles given him by the sacred Scriptures.

In the Roman Church, there are seven of these Antiphons, one for each of the Greater Ferias, They are commonly called the O's of Advent, because they all begin with that interjection. In other Churches, during the Middle Ages, two more were added to these seven; one to our Blessed Lady, O Virgo Virginum; and the other to the Angel Gabriel, O Gabriel; or to St. Thomas the Apostle, whose feast comes during the Greater Ferias; it began O Thoma Didyme [It is more modern than the O Gabriel; but dating from the 13th century, it was almost universally used in its stead.] There were even Churches, where twelve Great Antiphons were sung; that is, besides the nine we have just mentioned, there was Rex Pacifice to our Lord, O mundi Domina to our Lady, and O Hierusalem to the city of the people of God.

The canonical Hour of Vespers has been selected as the most appropriate time for this solemn supplication to our Saviour, because, as the Church sings in one of her hymns, it was in the Evening of the world (vergente mundi vespere) that the Messias came amongst us. These Antiphons are sung at the Magnificat, to show us that the Saviour, whom we expect, is to come to us by Mary. They are sung twice; once before and once after the Canticle, as on Double Feasts, and this to show their great solemnity. In some Churches it was formerly the practice to sing them thrice; that is, before the Canticle, before the Gloria Patri, and after the Sicut erat. Lastly, these admirable Antiphons, which contain the whole pith of the Advent Liturgy, are accompanied by a chant replete with melodious gravity, and by ceremonies of great expressiveness, though, in these latter, there is no uniform practice followed. Let us enter into the spirit of the Church; let us reflect on the great Day which is coming; that thus we may take oar share in these the last and most earnest solicitations of the Church imploring her Spouse to come, and to which He at length yields.

First Antiphon (Listen to the Chant)
O Sapientia, quæ ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia; veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiæ.	O Wisdom, that proceedest from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end, disposing all things with strength and sweetness! come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Uncreated Wisdom! that art so soon to make thyself visible to thy creatures, truly thou disposest all things. It is by thy permission that the Emperor Augustus issues a decree ordering the enrollment of the whole world. Every citizen of the vast Empire is to have his name enrolled in the city of his birth. This prince has no other object in this order, which sets the world in motion, but his own ambition. Men go to and fro by millions, and an unbroken procession traverses the immense Roman world; men think they are doing the bidding of man, and it is God whom they are obeying. This world-wide agitation has really but one object; it is to bring to Bethlehem a man and woman who live at Nazareth in Galilee, in order that this woman, who is unknown to the world but dear to heaven, and it at the close of the ninth month since she conceived her child, may give birth to this Child in Bethlehem, for the Prophet has said of him: “His going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity. And thou, O Bethlehem! art not the least among the thousand cities of Juda, for out of thee He shall come.” O divine Wisdom! how strong art thou, in thus reaching thine ends by means which are infallible, though hidden! and yet, how sweet, offering no constraint to man’s free will! and withal, how fatherly, in providing for our necessities! Thou choosest Bethlehem for thy birth place, because Bethlehem signifies the House of Bread. In this, thou teachest us that thou art our Bread, the nourishment and support of our life. With God as our food, we cannot die. O Wisdom of the Father, Living Bread that hast descended from heaven, come speedily into us, that thus we may approach to thee and be enlightened by thy light, and by that prudence which leads to salvation.

Prayer to St. Lucy from the Liturgical Year, 1905

 We present ourselves before thee, O virgin martyr, beseeching thee to obtain for us that we may recognize in His lowliness that same Jesus whom thou now seest in His glory. Take us under thy powerful patronage. Thy name signifies light; guide us through the dark night of this life. O fair light of virginity! enlighten us; evil concupiscence has wounded our eyes : pray for us, O thou bright light of virginity ! that our blindness be healed, and that rising above created things, we may be able to see that true light, which shineth in darkness, but which darkness cannot comprehend.

Pray for us, that our eye may be purified, and may see, in the Child who is to be born at Bethlehem, the new Man, the second Adam, the model on which the life of our regeneration must be formed. Pray too, O holy virgin, for the Church of Rome and for all those which adopt her form of the holy Sacrifice; for they daily pronounce at the altar of God thy sweet name ; and the Lamb, who is present, loves to hear it. Heap thy choicest blessings on the fair Isle, which was thy native land, and where grew the palm of thy martyrdom. May thy intercession secure to her inhabitants firmness of faith, purity of morals, and temporal prosperity, and deliver them from the disorders which threaten her with destruction.

Prayer to St. Lucy

 

Dear Saint Lucy, whose name doth signify the light, we come to thee filled with confidence: do thou obtain for us a holy light that shall make us careful not to walk in the ways of sin, nor to remain enshrouded in the darkness of error. We ask also, through thy intercession, for the preservation of the light of our bodily eyes and for abundant grace to use the same according to the good pleasure of God, without any hurt to our souls. Grant, O Lucy, that, after venerating thee and giving thee thanks for thy powerful protection here on earth, we may come at length to share thy joy in paradise in the everlasting light of the Lamb of God, thy beloved Bridegroom, Jesus. Amen

Prayer to the Virgin of Guadalupe

 

Hail, O Virgin of Guadalupe! We, to whom the admirable disposition of Divine Providence, not taking notice of our unworthiness, the salvation of the souls of all, place once more the crown upon your brow. May you keep forever under your powerful patronage the purity and integrity of our holy Faith, both in Mexico and on the entire American continent. For we know and are certain that as long as you are acknowledged as Queen and Mother, America and Mexico are safe.

Prayer of St. Pius X to the Immaculate Virgin Mary

With in the Octave of the Immaculate Conception 

O most holy Virgin who didst find favor in God’s sight and hast become His Mother;

O Virgin, immaculate in body and soul, in thy faith and in thy love, look down with pity on the wretched who in our need seek thy powerful protection.

The evil serpent on whom was cast the primal curse continues, alas, to attack and ensnare the poor children of Eve. But thou, our Blessed Mother, our Queen and our Advocate, thou who from the first instant of thy conception didst crush the head of this cruel enemy, receive our prayers.

United to thee with one heart, we beseech thee to present them before the throne of God. May we never be caught in the snares around us, but rather may we all reach the harbor of salvation. Despite the awful perils which threaten, may God’s Church and all Christian society sing out once again the hymn of deliverance, of victory and of peace. Amen.

St. Pius X, pray for us.

Amen.

December 15 – The Octave of the Immaculate Conception

This, the eighth day from that on which we kept the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, is the Octave properly so called; whereas the other days were simply called days within the Octave. The custom of keeping up the principal Feasts for a whole week is one of those which the Christian Church adopted from the Synagogue. God had thus spoken in the Book of Leviticus: “The first day shall be called most solemn and most holy: you shall do no servile work therein … The eighth day also shall be most solemn and most holy, and you shall offer holocausts to the Lord, for it is the day of assembly and congregation: you shall do no servile work therein.” (Leviticus 25:35-36) We also read in the Book of Kings that Solomon, having called all Israel to Jerusalem for the dedication of the Temple, suffered not the temple to return home until the eighth day. (1 Kings 8:65-66)

We learn from the Books of the New Testament that this customer was observed in our Savior’s time, and we find him authorizing, by his own example, this solemnity of the Octave. Thus, we read in Saint John that Jesus once took part in one of the Jewish Festivals about the midst of the Feast; and the same Evangelist relating how our Lord cried out to the people: If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink: observes that it was on the last and great day of the festivity. (John 7:37)

In the Christian Church, there are two kinds of Octaves: Privileged Octaves and Non-privileged Octaves. The first are so solemn that no feast of a Saint, occurring during them, can be kept, but must be transferred to some other time out of the Octave. Neither, during these Octaves, can a Mass De Requiem be said unless the corpse be present for burial. Non-privileged Octaves admit the Feasts of Saints, which occur during them, provided they are semi-doubles or of higher class; but a commemoration of the Octave must be made both in the Office and the Mass of the Feast, which thus takes precedence of the Octave, unless this Feast be itself one of a first or second Class.

The Octave of the Immaculate Conception, the first that occurs in the Liturgical Year, is not privileged. It gives place not only to the Sunday, but also to the feasts of St. Damasus and St. Lucy, and to the various local feasts which are of a double or semi-double rite.

Let us once more devoutly reverence the Mystery of Mary’s Immaculate Conception: our Emmanuel loves to see his Mother honored. After all, is it not for him and for his sake that this Bright Star was prepared from all eternity, and created when the happy time fixed by the divine decree came? When we honor the Immaculate Conception of Mary, it is really to the divine Mystery of the Incarnation that we are paying our just homage. Jesus and Mary cannot be separated, for Isaias tell us that She is the Branch, and He the Flower. (Isaiah 11:1)

We give thee thanks, O Jesus our Emmanuel because thou hast granted us to live during the time that the privilege of thy Blessed Mother was proclaimed on this earth; the glorious privilege wherewith thou didst enrich the first instant of the life of the happy creature from whom thou didst take upon thyself our human nature! This Definition of thy Church has given us a clearer knowledge of thine infinite holiness. It has taught us to see more distinctly the harmony there is in all thy divine mysteries. But it also has impressed upon us the great truth that we ourselves, being destined to the most intimate union with thee here, and to the face-to-face vision of thy infinite Majesty hereafter, must labor without ceasing to purify ourselves from the smallest stains of sin. Thou hast said: Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8); and thou showest us, by the dogma of thy Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Conception, what is the purity which thy sovereign sanctity demands of us. Ah! by the love which led thee to preserve her from every stain of sin, have mercy on us who are her devoted children. Thou art so soon to be among us! Before many days are past, we shall have yielded to thy invitations, and have presumed to approach thy sacred Crib. We are not yet ready, dear Jesus! The effects of original sin are still so plainly upon us, and , what is worse, there are so many of our own sins, which we have added to this of our first parent: Oh! prepare our hearts and our senses, for we will not approach to Bethlehem unworthily. The sinless purity of thy Mother is not for us; we ask not for that; but we ask for forgiveness of our countless sins, for conversion, for hatred of the world and the world’s maxims, and for perseverance in thy holy love.

O Mary! created Mirror of divine Justice, and purer than the Cherubim and Seraphim, in return for the homage paid thee by this our generation, on that blissful day when the glory of thy Immaculate Conception was proclaimed throughout the world, give us that abundant richness of thy protecting love, which thou didst reserve till now. The world is shaken to its very foundations: thy hand can help it to rest again. Hell has let loose upon mankind the most terrible of its spirits of wickedness, who breathe but blasphemy and destruction; but at the same time, the Church of thy Jesus feels that her youth has been renewed within her, and that the seed of the divine word is broadcast and healthy in a thousand fresh portions of the earth. Never was the battle more fierce on both sides: so that we need all our hope to make us feel that hell will not prevail. Is this the great struggle which is to be followed by the day of judgment?

O Blessed Mother of Jesus! O Queen of the universe! can it be that the Star of thy Immaculate Conception has shone in the heavens only to light up the ruin and wreck of this earth? The sign foretold by the Beloved Disciple St. John (Revelation 12:1) of the woman that appeared in the heavens clad with the Sun, bearing on her head a crown of twelve stars, and crushing the Crescent beneath her feet—has it not more brightness and power than that other, which appeared in the heavens telling men that God’s anger was appeased, and that the deluge was over? The light which shines upon us is from a Mother. It is our Mother that comes to console and heal us is from a Mother. It is our Mother that comes to console and heal us. It is heaven that smiles upon poor guilty earth. We have deserved the chastisement we have received, and more than we have received: but the anger of God will give way, and he will spare us.

The graces which God poured out upon the world on that great Day of the Church’s Definition of Mary’s Immaculate Conception were not to be without their effect; a new period then commenced. Mary, on whom heresy had heaped its blasphemies for three hundred years, will again reign in the love of those whom her Son redeemed; countries will abandon those errors which have made them slaves and dupes of men’s doctrines; the old serpent will again writhe under that crushing pressure which God set up from the beginning; and the divine Sun of Justice will pour out on the regenerated world the floods of a light, more than ever dazzling and resplendent. We may not live to see that time; but we have signs of its near approach.

It was two centuries ago that thy devout servant whom the Church has placed upon her altars, Leonard of Porto-Manrizio, predicted that when this dogma of thy Immaculate Conception should be defined, the world would enjoy a long period of peace. The troubles of the present time in which we are living are, we doubt not, a prelude to that happy peace, during which the divine word will traverse the whole world unimpeded, and the Church militant will reap her harvest for the Church in heaven. Sweet Mother of our Jesus! the world was also in agitation in those times which preceded the Birth of thy divine Son; but peace reigned throughout the whole earth when thou didst give it its Savior in Bethlehem. Until that grand time come when thou wilt show to the world the magnificence of the power which God has given to thee, assist us, each year, to prepare for the glorious solemnity of Christ: oh! pray for us, that we may be cleansed from all our sins when that splendid Night comes, during which will be born of thee Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Light eternal.

Prose in Honor of the Holy Mother of God (Taken from the ancient Roman-French Missals)
Cor devotum elevetur, Ut devote celebretur Virginis Conceptio.	Let every heart, that is devout, now raise itself and devoutly celebrate the Conception of the Virgin ever blessed.
Mens amore inflammetur Et amori copuletur Laus et jubilatio.	Let the mind be inflamed with love; and let praise and jubilee unite with the love.
Hæc concepta miro more Est ut rosa cum nitore, Est ut candens lilium.	In her admirable Conception, she is a rose in its beauty, she is a lily in its whiteness.
Ut fructus exit a flore, Est producta cum pudore, Præventa per Filium.	As fruit that comes from the flower, so was Mary brought forth in her purity, for her Son had possession of her from the first.
Sicut ros non corrupmpitur, Quando in terra gignitur Elementi rubigine;	As a dew-drop contracts not a stain from the earth whereon ’tis formed,
Sic Virgo non inflicitur, Quum in matre concipitur, Originali criminæ.	So was Mary untainted by original sin when she was conceived  in her mother’s womb.
Nos ergo dulci carmine, Laudemus in hac Virgine Conceptum sine nubilo.	Let us then sing our sweetest hymn in praise of a cloudless brightness,  the Immaculate Conception.
Hanc conceptam ex semine, Et mundam ab origine, Laudet chorus cum jubilo.	Put on all your joy, ye choirs of earth, and sing of her, that was a daughter of Adam, but not of his sin.
Ut mota dulci modulo, Nos servet in hoc sæculo Mundos ab omni crimine.	May she be pleased with our hymns, and defend us from all sin in this our present life,
Et in mortis articulo, Liberet a periculo Et inferni voragine.	And when our last hour comes, deliver us by her prayers from the abyss of hell into which the devil will seek to drag us.
Amen.	Amen.

FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS – 6th DECEMBER

 

Sequence from the Mass of St. Nicholas

The sick are restored to health by the miraculous oil.

They who are in danger of shipwreck are delivered

by Nicholas' prayers.

He raised from amongst the dead a corpse which lay on the road.

A Jew asks for baptism, on witnessing the miraculous recovery of his money.

A vase that had sunk in the deep sea, and a child that was lost to his father, are both recovered.

Oh how great a saint did he appear by multiplying corn in a famine!

Let, then, this congregation sing the hymns of Nicholas' praise;

For all who pray to him with earnest hearts, will go back cured of their spiritual ailments. Amen.

PRAYER

O God, who has glorified blessed Nicholas, Thine illustrious Confessor and Bishop, by means of countless signs and wonders, and who dost not cease daily so to glorify him; grant, we beseech Thee, that we, being assisted by his merits and prayers, may be delivered from the fires of hell and from all dangers. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayer of the Church

O God, who by innumerable miracles hast honoured blessed Nicholas the Bishop: grant, we beseech Thee, that by his merits and intercession we may be delivered from eternal flames.

PRAYER: I thank Thee, my divine Saviour, for all the gifts and graces which Thou hast given me, and I am grieved from my heart, that I have so illused and neglected them. Be merciful to me, and give me the grace to use my talents, as did St. Nicholas, with all energy for Thy honor and my own salvation, so that Thou mayest say to me on the Day of Judgment: Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

Prayer to St. Nicholas by Dom Gueranger

 

Holy pontiff Nicholas, how great is thy glory in God's Church! Thou didst confess the name of Jesus before the proconsuls of the world's empire and suffer persecution for His name's sake; afterwards thou wast witness to the wonderful workings of God, when He restored peace to His Church; and a short time after this again, thou didst open thy lips, in the assembly of the three hundred and eighteen fathers, to confess with supreme authority the Divinity of our Saviour Jesus Christ, for whose sake so many millions of martyrs had already shed their blood. Receive the devout felicitations of the Christian people throughout the universe, who thrill with joy when they think of thy glorious merits. Help us by thy prayers during these days when we are preparing for the coming of Him, whom thou didst proclaim to be consubstantial with the Father. Vouchsafe to assist our faith and to obtain fresh fervour to our love. Thou now beholdest face to face that Word by whom all things were made and redeemed; beseech Him to permit our unworthiness to approach Him. Be thou our intercessor with Him. Thou hast taught us to know Him as the sovereign and eternal God; teach us also to love Him as the supreme benefactor of the children of Adam. It was from Him, O charitable pontiff, that thou didst learn that tender compassion for the sufferings of thy fellow-men, which made all thy miracles to be so many acts of kindness: cease not, now that thou art in the company of the angels, to have pity on us and to succour our miseries.

Stir up and increase the faith of mankind in the Saviour whom the Lord hath sent them. May this be one of the fruits of thy prayer, that the divine Word may be no longer unknown and forgotten in this world, which He has redeemed with His Blood. Ask for the pastors of the Church that spirit of charity, which shone so brilliantly in thee; that spirit which makes them like their divine Master, and wins them the hearts of their people.

Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

“Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary,

at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.

In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires

(here mention your requests)

through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother.

Amen.”

 

The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often called simply the “Christmas Novena” or the “Christmas Anticipation Prayer,” because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30) until Christmas.

The First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew (30th November) until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

Imprimatur

+MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York

New York, February 6, 1897

24 Quotes About Purity That Every Young (& Old) Catholic Should Know

 by John Ritchie

Impurity is plastered everywhere today: Movies, TV, billboards, music, entertainment, books, and magazines.

We must fight back.

To that end the following collection of quotes — many of which are authored by Doctors of the Church — will provide you with the support and encouragement you need to stand your ground and fight for purity.

1.  “Blessed are the pure in heart, they shall see God.”
— Matthew 5:8

2.  “Holy Purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh.”
— Saint John Bosco

3.  “We must be pure. I do not speak merely of the purity of the senses. We must observe great purity in our will, in our intentions, in all our actions.”
— Saint Peter Julian Eymard

4.  “Those whose hearts are pure are the temples of the Holy Spirit.”
— Saint Lucy

5.  “We must practice modesty, not only in our looks, but also in our whole deportment, and particularly in our dress, our walk, our conversation, and all similar actions.”
— Saint Alphonsus Liguori

6.  “In the realm of evil thoughts none induces to sin as much as do thoughts that concern the pleasure of the flesh.”
— Saint Thomas Aquinas

7.  “In temptations against chastity, the spiritual masters advise us, not so much to contend with the bad thought, as to turn the mind to some spiritual, or, at least, indifferent object. It is useful to combat other bad thoughts face to face, but not thoughts of impurity.”
— Saint Alphonsus Liguori

8.  “Lust indulged became habit, and habit unresisted became necessity.”
— Saint Augustine

9.  “More souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.”
— Our Lady of Fatima

10.  “Filthy talk makes us feel comfortable with filthy action. But the one who knows how to control the tongue is prepared to resist the attacks of lust.”
— Saint Clement of Alexandria

11.  “The man of impure speech is a person whose lips are but an opening and a supply pipe which hell uses to vomit its impurities upon the earth.”
— Saint John Vianney

12.  “Either we must speak as we dress, or dress as we speak. Why do we profess one thing and display another? The tongue talks of chastity, but the whole body reveals impurity.”
— Saint Jerome

13.  “A pure soul is like a fine pearl. As long as it is hidden in the shell, at the bottom of the sea, no one thinks of admiring it. But if you bring it into the sunshine, this pearl will shine and attract all eyes. Thus the pure soul, which is hidden from the eyes of the world, will one day shine before the Angels in the sunshine of eternity.”
— Saint John Vianney

14.  “The pure soul is a beautiful rose, and the Three Divine Persons descend from Heaven to inhale its fragrance.”
— Saint John Vianney

15.  “Chastity is the lily of virtues, and makes men almost equal to Angels. Everything is beautiful in accordance with its purity. Now the purity of man is chastity, which is called honesty, and the observance of it, honor and also integrity; and its contrary is called corruption; in short, it has this peculiar excellence above the other virtues, that it preserves both soul and body fair and unspotted.”
— Saint Francis de Sales

16.  “Humility is the safeguard of chastity. In the matter of purity, there is no greater danger than not fearing the danger. For my part, when I find a man secure of himself and without fear, I give him up for lost. I am less alarmed for one who is tempted and who resists by avoiding the occasions, than for one who is not tempted and is not careful to avoid occasions. When a person puts himself in an occasion, saying, I shall not fall, it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with great injury to his soul.”
— Saint Philip Neri

17.  “Your good resolutions must not make you proud, but humble and diffident; you carry a large sum of gold about you, take care not to meet any highwaymen. In this life there is nothing certain: we are in a continual warfare, and, therefore, ought to be on our guard day and night. We sail in a tempestuous sea that threatens us on every side, and in a poor leaky vessel: the devil, who aims at nothing less than our destruction, never ceases to increase the storm, to overwhelm us thereby, if he can; hence it was that the Apostle gave this precaution, even to the virtuous: ‘Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall’ (1 Cor. x.12).”
— Saint Jerome, Epistle to Saint Eustochium

18.  “The state of grace is nothing other than purity, and it gives heaven to those who clothe themselves in it. Holiness, therefore, is simply the state of grace purified, illuminated, beautified by the most perfect purity, exempt not only from mortal sin but also from the smallest faults; purity will make saints of you! Everything lies in this!”
— Saint Peter Julian Eymard

19.  “Chastity, or cleanness of heart, holds a glorious and distinguished place among the virtues, because she, alone, enables man to see God; hence Truth itself said, ‘Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.’”
— Saint Augustine

20.  “There is no remedy so powerful against the heat of concupiscence as the remembrance of our Savior’s Passion. In all my difficulties I never found anything so efficacious as the wounds of Christ: In them I sleep secure; from them I derive new life.”
— Saint Augustine

21.  “God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves.”
— Saint Augustine

22.  “He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor.”
— Saint Bede the Venerable

23.  “You carry your snare everywhere and spread your nets in all places. You allege that you never invited others to sin. You did not indeed, by your words, but you have done so by your dress and your deportment.”
— Saint John Chrysostom

24.  “Let your modesty be a sufficient incitement, yea, an exhortation to everyone to be at peace on their merely looking at you.”
— Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

 

OPENING PRAYER

V. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

R. Amen.

V. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.

R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.

V. Let us pray: O God, who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in His consolation, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

R. Amen.

V. O Mary, conceived without sin,

R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee. ( 3 times.)

Lord Jesus Christ who hast vouchsafed to glorify by numberless miracles the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate from the first moment of her Conception, grant that all who devoutly implore her protection on earth may eternally enjoy Thy presence in heaven who, with the Father and Holy Ghost livest and reignest, God, for ever and ever. Amen. O Lord Jesus Christ who for the accomplishment of Thy greatest works hast chosen the weak things of the world that no flesh may glory in Thy sight and who for a better and more widely diffused belief in the Immaculate Conception of Thy Mother hast wished that the Miraculous Medal be manifested to Saint Catherine Laboure grant, we beseech Thee that filled with like humility we may glorify this mystery by word and work. Amen.

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 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.

NOVENA PRAYER

O Immaculate Virgin Mary Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother penetrated with the most lively confidence in thy all powerful and never failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we thy loving and trustful children implore thee to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this Novena, if they be beneficial to our immortal souls, and the souls for whom we pray. [Here mention your intentions] Thou knowest, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of thy Son who hates iniquity. Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where thou art the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO

OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate our selves to thee under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of thy affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward thee. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by thy loving protection and preserved in the grace of thy Son. O most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to thee every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, thy children, the grace of a happy death; so that, in union with thee, we may enjoy the bliss of heaven forever. Amen.

V. O Mary, conceived without sin,

R. Pray for us who have recourse to thee. ( 3 times.)

Prayer for the Poor Souls

 

My God! I recommend to Thee the souls of my relations, my benefactors, my friends, and my enemies, and of those who are in purgatory on my account. I recommend to Thee the souls of evangelical laborers, of Religious and priests, and especially of those who had charge of my soul. I recommend to Thee the souls of those who were most devout to the passion of Our Lord, to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the souls who are most abandoned, those who suffer most, and those who are nearest to the entrance into paradise.

Eternal rest give to them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. And may the divine assistance always remain with us and bring us to life everlasting. Amen.

Prayer for Those we are Bound to Pray for

 Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that the souls of Thy servants and handmaidens, the commemoration of whom we keep with special reverence, and for whom we are bidden and are bound to pray, and the souls of all our benefactors, relations, and connections, and all the faithful, may rest in the bosom of Thy Saints; and hereafter, in the Resurrection from the dead, may please Thee in the land of the living. Amen

Efficacy of the Rosary for the Suffering Souls
(from the Manual of the Purgatorial Society 1907)

St. Dominic declared that the redemption of the holy souls from Purgatory is one of the principal effects of the Rosary. The venerable Alanus writes that many of the brethren had assured him that numerous souls had appeared to them whilst reciting the Rosary, and had declared that next to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass there was no more powerful means of helping the suffering souls than the Rosary. And numerous souls were daily released thereby, who otherwise would have been obliged to remain there for years. St. Alphonsus Liguori, therefore, says: " If we wish to be of assistance to the souls in Purgatory, we must always remember them in our prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and especially offer the holy Rosary for them."

Let us then frequently and with devotion recite the Rosary, which is so pleasing to our Blessed Mother, recommended most especially by Holy Church, discloses to us a rich source of grace, and is so efficacious in relieving the suffering souls and opening Heaven to them. Should our labor prevent us from reciting the entire Rosary every day, let us, at least, say a part of it. This simple homage to the Queen of Heaven will draw great blessing down upon us. And the holy souls will be wonderfully consoled and relieved if this devotion be offered in their behalf.

Prayer:

Graciously hear, O Lord, the prayer we offer Thee in the holy Rosary in honor of Mary, Thy Virgin Mother, for the relief of the souls in Purgatory, while in devout meditation upon Thy holy life and suffering we implore Thy Divine assistance. Thou, who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.

Special Intercession: Pray for the souls who were most devoted to the holy Rosary. Lord grant them eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. (Three times.)

Practice: Recite the Rosary for the suffering souls.
Invocation: My Jesus, mercy!

A Prayer For Deceased Parents

 

O God, who hast commanded us to honor our father and our mother, in Thy mercy have pity on the souls of my father and mother, and forgive them their trespass, and make me to see them again in the joy of everlasting Brightness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen

(Roman Breviary)

The Special Duty of Children Towards Thier Deceased Parents

"Honor thy father, and forget not the groanings of thy mother. Remember that thou hadst not been born but through them, and make a return to them; as they have done for thee." (Eccl. vii. 29-30.) Next to God, our parents are our greatest benefactors, entitled to most tender love and gratitude, which is the sacred duty of every child. This duty does not end with this life; it is extended even to eternity. Should our departed parents find no relief in their pains? Must they cry out in bitter anguish: "I have reared sons and daughters, but they have forgotten me?"

If we compassionate the misery of strangers, if we do not heartlessly send a beggar from our doors, oh, let us remember how near and dear father and mother are to us, and how greatly we are indebted to them. They cry out to us for mercy. Would it not be the lowest degree of ingratitude were we to forget those who bestowed their best love and care upon us in life? The commandment of God, "Honor thy father and thy mother," is an obligation also, towards our deceased parents.

Prayer:

O God, Who hast commanded us to honor father and mother, look in loving kindness upon the souls of my father and mother, and forgive them their trespasses and grant unto me the joy of being re-united to them in the glorious light of everlasting life. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord. Amen.

Special Intercession: Pray for the souls of parents who have been forgotten by their children. Lord grant them eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. (Three times)

Practice: Mortify yourself by an act of obedience.

Invocation : My Jesus, mercy!