Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel (September 29)

 

From Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year.

The glorious Archangel appears to-day at the head of the heavenly army: There was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.[1] In the sixth century, the dedication of the churches of St. Michael on Monte Gargano and in the Roman Circus increased the celebrity of this day, which had however been long before consecrated by Rome to the memory of all the heavenly Virtues.

The east commemorates on the sixth of September an apparition of the victorious Prince at Chone[2] in Phrygia; while the eighth of November is their solemnity of the angels, corresponding to our feast of to-day, and bearing the title: ‘Synaxis of Saint Michæl prince of the heavenly host, and of the other spiritual Powers.’ Although the term synaxis is usually applied only to religious assemblies here on earth, we are informed that in this instance it also signifies the gathering of the faithful angels at the cry of their chief, and their union eternally sealed by their victory.[3]

Who, then, are these heavenly Powers, whose mysterious combat heads the first page of history? Their existence is attested by the traditions of all nations as well as by the authority of holy Scripture. If we consult the Church, she teaches us that in the beginning God created simultaneously two natures, the spiritual and the corporal, and afterwards man who is composed of both.[4] The scale of nature descends by gradation from beings made to the likeness of God, to the very confines of nothingness; and by the same degrees the creature mounts upwards to his Creator. God is infinite being, infinite intelligence, infinite love. The creature is for ever finite: but man, endowed with a reasoning intellect, and the angel, with an intuitive grasp of truth, are ever, by a continual process of purification, widening the bounds of their imperfect nature, in order to reach, by increase of light, the perfection of greater love.

God alone is simple with that unchangeable productive simplicity, which is absolute perfection excluding the possibility of progress; He is pure Act, in whom substance, power, and operation are one thing. The angel, though entirely independent of matter, is yet subject to the natural weakness necessary to a created being; he is not absolutely simple, for in him action is distinct from power, and power from essence[5] How much greater is the weakness of man’s composite nature, unable to carry on the operations of the intellect without the aid of the senses!

One of the most enlightened brethren of the angelic doctor says:

Compared with ours, how calm and how luminous is the knowledge of pure spirits! They are not doomed to the intricate discoursing of our reason, which runs after the truth, composes and analyzes, and laboriously draws conclusions from premisses. They instantaneously apprehend the whole compass of primary truths. Their intuition is so prompt, so lively, so penetrating, that it is impossible for them to be surprised, as we are, into error. If they deceive themselves, it must be of their own will. The perfection of their will is equal to the perfection of their intellect. They know not what it is to be disturbed by the violence of appetites. Their love is without emotion; and their hatred of evil is as calm and as wisely tempered as their love. A will so free can know no perplexity as to its aims, no inconstancy in its resolutions. Whereas with us long and anxious meditation is necessary before we make a decision, it is the property of the angels to determine by a single act the object of their choice. God proposed to them, as He does to us, infinite beatitude in the vision of His own Essence; and to fit them for so great an end, He endowed them with grace at the same time as He gave them being. In one instant they said Yes or No; in one instant they freely and deliberately decided their own fate.[6]

Let us not be envious. By nature the angel is superior to us; but, to which of the angels hath He said at any time, ‘Thou art My Son?’[7] The only begotten Son of God did not take to Himself the angelic nature. When on earth, He acknowledged the temporary subordination of humanity to those pure spirits, and deigned to receive from them, even as do His brethren in the flesh, the announcements of the divine will,[8] and help and strength.[9] But ‘God hath not subjected unto angels the world to come,’ says the apostle.[10] How can we understand this attraction of God towards what is feeblest? We can only worship it in humble, loving faith. It was Lucifer’s stumbling-block on the day of the great battle in heaven. But the faithful angels prostrated themselves in joyous adoration at the feet of the Infant-God foreshown to them enthroned on Mary’s knee, and then rose up to sing: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.’

O Christ, my Christ as St. Denis calls Thee,[11] the Church to-day delightedly proclaims Thee the beauty of the holy angels.[12] Thou, the God-Man, art the lofty height whence purity, light, and love flow down upon the triple hierarchy of the nine choirs. Thou art the supreme Hierarch, the centre of worlds, controller of the deifying mysteries at the eternal feast.

Flaming Seraphim, glittering Cherubim, steadfast Thrones, court of honour to the Most High, and possessed of the noblest inheritance: according to the Areopagite, ye receive your justice, your splendour, and your burning love by direct communication from our Lord:[13] and through you, all grace overflows from Him upon the holy city.

Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; sovereign disposers, prime movers, and rulers of the universe: in whose name do ye govern the world? Doubtless in His whose inheritance it is; in the name of the King of glory, the Man-God, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord of hosts.

Angels, Archangels, and Principalities; heaven’s messengers, ambassadors, and overseers here below: are ye not also, as the apostle says, ministers of the salvation wrought on earth by Jesus, the heavenly High-Priest?

We also, through this same Jesus, O most holy Trinity, glorify Thee, together with the three princely hierarchies, which surround Thy Majesty with their nine immaterial rings as with a many-circled rampart. To tend to Thee, and to draw all things to Thee, is their common law. Purification, illumination, union: by these three ways in succession, or simultaneously, are these noble beings attracted to God, and by the same they attract those who strive to emulate them. Sublime spirits, it is with your gaze ever fixed on high that ye influence those below and around you. Draw plentifully, both for yourselves and for us, from the central fires of the Divinity; purify us from more than the involuntary infirmities of nature; enlighten us; kindle us with your heavenly flames. For the same reason that satan hates us, ye love us: protect the race of the Word made Flesh against the common enemy. So guard us, that we may hereafter be worthy to occupy among you the places left vacant by the victims of pride.

(...)

Prayer in Choosing a State of Life

 

O  My GOD, Thou who art the GOD of wisdom and of counsel, Thou who readest in my heart the sincere will to please Thee alone, and to govern myself with regard to my choice of a state of life, entirely in conformity with thy most holy desire; grant me, by the intercession of the most blessed Virgin, my Mother, and of my holy patrons, specially of St Joseph and St Aloysius, the grace to know what state I ought to choose, and when known to embrace it, so that in it I may be able to pursue and increase thy glory, work out my salvation, and merit that heavenly reward which Thou hast promised to those who do thy holy will. Amen.

Prayer for the Conversion of the Jews

 

GOD of goodness and FATHER of mercies, we beseech Thee, by the immaculate heart of Mary, and by the intercession of the Patriarchs and holy Apostles, to look with compassion upon the remnant of Israel, so that they may come to a knowledge of our only SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, and share in the precious graces of Redemption. Amen.

Raccolta

Prayer to Our Lady of Africa for the Conversion of the Mussulmans and other Infidels

 

O THOU, our Lady of Africa, whose stainless heart is full of mercy and maternal compassion; consider 

the deep misery of the Mussulmans and other infidels of Africa; remember that the souls of these poor 

infidels are the work of the hands of thy divine Son, that they have been created in his image and 

redeemed at the price of his Precious Blood. Do not allow, O Mother of mercy, that these unhappy 

people, who are, like us, thy children, should continue to fall into hell, despite the merits of JESUS 

CHRIST and the most cruel death he suffered for their salvation. Obtain for them knowledge of our holy 

religion, and the grace to love, to embrace, and to practise it faithfully. And since thou art the mistress 

and sovereign of Africa, O Queen of the Apostles, be pleased to choose and send legions of holy 

missionaries to these abandoned countries, to conquer them, to rescue them from death and Satan, and to 

bring them into the fold of Holy Church. So shall we be all united in one and the same hope and in one 

and the same love, in thy stainless heart, and in the adorable Heart of thy divine Son our LORD JESUS 

CHRIST, who was crucified and died for the salvation of all men, and who rose full of glory, and liveth 

and reigneth in the unity of the FATHER and the HOLY SPIRIT, world without end. Amen.

Raccolta

Act of Spiritual Communion of Saint Alphonsus Liguori

 

MY JESUS, I believe that Thou art in the Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above everything, and I long for Thee in my soul. Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though Thou wert already come, I embrace Thee and unite myself entirely to Thee; allow me not to be separated from Thee. 

 JESUS, my good, my sweet love, Wound, inflame this heart of mine. So that it may be always and all on fire for Thee.

Prayer for the Conversion of Sinners

O LORD JESUS, most merciful SAVIOUR of the world, we beg and beseech Thee, through thy most 

Sacred Heart, that all wandering sheep may now return to Thee, the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls. 

Who livest and reignest with GOD the FATHER and the HOLY SPIRIT, GOD for ever and ever. Amen. 

 Raccolta

Prayer for Peace

 

Give peace, O LORD, in our days; for there is none 

other that fighteth for us, but only Thou, our GOD. 

V/ Let there be peace in thy strength, O LORD. 

R/ And plenty in thy strong places. 

Let us pray. 

O GOD, from whom proceed all holy desires, all 

right counsels and just works; grant unto us thy 

servants that peace which the world cannot give, 

that our hearts may be devoted to thy service, and 

that, being delivered from the fear of our enemies, 

we may pass our time in peace under thy 

protection. Through CHRIST our LORD. Amen. 

Raccolta

 DA pacem, DOMINE, in diebus nostris: quia non est alius qui pugnet pro nobis nisi tu, DEUS noster. V/ Fiat pax in virtute tua R/ Et abundantia in turribus tuis. Oremus. DEUS, a quo sancta desideria, recta consilia, et justa sunt opera: da servis tuis illam, quam mundus dare non potest, pacem: ut et corda nostra mandatis tuis dedita, et hostium sublata formidine, tempora sint tua protectione tranquilla. Per CHRISTUM DOMINUM nostrum. Amen.

Novena Prayer to St. Michael

 

St. Francis de Sales: 

"Veneration of St. Michael is the greatest remedy against despising the rights of God, against insubordination, skepticism and infidelity" 

---

(Pray for nine consecutive days)

Saint Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His Catholic people, I turn to thee with confidence and seek thy powerful intercession. For the love of God, Who hast made thee so glorious in grace and power, and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to hear my prayer.

Thou knowest the value of my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts me. I desire to imitate thy loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and thy great love for God and men. And since thou art God’s messenger for the care of His people, I entrust to thee this special request: (here mention your request).

Saint Michael, since thou art, by the will of the Creator, the powerful intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in thy prayers. I earnestly trust that if it is God’s holy will, my petition will be granted.

Pray for me, Saint Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs. Through thy powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy death and reach Heaven where we may praise and love God with thee forever. Amen.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

St. Michael, Guardian of souls, Vanquisher of rebel spirits, Pray for us.

The archangel Saint Michael will lead the fight against Satan during the end times

Daniel 12:1 

But at that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people: and a time shall come such as never was from the time that nations began even until that time. And at that time shall thy people be saved, every one that shall be found written in the book. 

The Feast of the Sweet Name of Mary Celebrates the victory of the Battle of Vienna that saved Europe from the Islamic conquest

 

 In 1513, Rome approved the feast of the Holy Name of Mary that was celebrated in a Spanish diocese. But Pope Innocent XI extended this feast to all of Christianity after the victory of John Sobieski, King of Poland, over the Turks on September 12, 1683, outside the walls of Vienna.

Dedicated to the sweet name of Mary, this victory shows the triumph of the beauty of the Mother of God and religion over the ugliness of infidelity and paganism, but also the success of the Christian armies who entrusted themselves to the Queen of Heaven, she who presides over the combats of the Church, strong “as an army arrayed for battle”.

 SOURCE: FSSPX.NEWS

Novena Prayer to the Holy Name of Mary

O Mother of Perpetual Help! grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living, and the salvation of the dying. O purest Mary! O sweetest Mary! let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O blessed Lady! to succor me, whenever I call on thee; for in all my temptations, in all my needs, I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary. Oh, what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fills my soul when I utter thy sacred name, or even only think of thee! I thank the Lord for having given thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering thy name. Let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.

(Indulgence 100 days once a day.--Pius IX., May 17, 1866.)

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. (Here mention your intentions)

(Indulgence of three years. Raccolta 339.

Plenary indulgence once a month for the daily recitation of this prayer.)

Prayer in Honor of the Name of Mary by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri

 

O great Mother of God and my Mother Mary, it is true that I am unworthy to name thee; but thou, who lovest me and desirest my salvation, must, notwithstanding the impurity of my tongue, grant that I may always invoke thy most holy and powerful name in my aid, for thy name is the succor of the living, and the salvation of the dying. Ah, most pure Mary, most sweet Mary, grant that henceforth thy name may be the breath of my life. O Lady, delay not to help me when I invoke thee, for in all the temptations which assail me, and in all my wants, I will never cease calling upon thee, and repeating again and again, Mary, Mary. Thus it is that I hope to act during my life, and more particularly at death, that after that last struggle I may eternally praise thy beloved name in heaven, O clement, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Ah, Mary, most amiable Mary, with what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what tenderness, is my soul penetrated in only naming, in only thinking of thee! I thank my Lord and God, who, for my good, has given thee a name so sweet and deserving of love, and at the same time so powerful. But, my sovereign Lady, I am not satisfied with only naming thee, I wish to name thee with love: I desire that my love may every hour remind me to call on thee, so that I may be able to exclaim with St. Bonaventure, "O name of the Mother of God, thou art my love." My own dear Mary, O my beloved Jesus, may your most sweet names reign in my heart, and in all hearts. Grant that I may forget all others to remember, and always invoke, your adorable names alone. Ah! Jesus my Redeemer, and my Mother Mary, when the moment of death comes when I must breathe forth my soul and leave this worid, deign, through your merits, to grant that I may then pronounce my last words, and that they may be, "I love thee, O Jesus; I love thee, O Mary; to you do I give my heart and my soul."     Amen

The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

 The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

from the Liturgical Year, 1903

"'And the Virgin's name was Mary (St. Luke, i. 27).' Let us speak a little about this name, which signifies Star of the sea, and which so well befits the Virgin Mother. Sightly is she likened to a star: for as a star emits its ray without being spoilt, so the Virgin brought forth her Son without receiving any injury; the ray takes nought from the brightness of the star, nor the Son from his Mother's integrity. This is the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the whole world, whose splendour shines in the heavens, penetrates the abyss, and traversing the whole earth, gives warmth rather to souls than to bodies, cherishing virtues, withering vices. Mary, I say, is that bright and incomparable star, whom we need to see raised above this vast sea, and shining by her merits, giving us light by her example.

"O whosoever thou art, that seest thyself, amid the tides of this world, tossed about by storms and tempests rather than walking on the land, turn not thine eyes away from the shining of this star if thou wouldst not be overwhelmed by the hurricane. If squalls of temptations arise, or thou fall upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call upon Mary. If thou art tossed by the waves of pride or ambition, detraction or envy, look to the star, call upon Mary. If anger or avarice or the desires of the flesh dash against the ship of thy soul, turn thine eyes towards Mary. If, troubled by the enormity of thy crimes, ashamed of thy guilty conscience, terrified by dread of the judgment, thou beginnest to sink into the gulf of sadness, or the abyss of despair, think of Mary. In dangers, in anguish, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let her be ever on thy lips, ever in thy heart; and the better to obtain the help of her " prayers, imitate the example of her life. Following her, thou strayest not; invoking her, thou despairest not; thinking of her, thou wanderest not; upheld by her, thou fallest not; shielded by her thou fearest not; guided by her, thou growest not weary; favoured by her, thou reachest the goal. And thus dost thou experience in thyself how good is that saying: 'And the Virgin's name was Mary (Lessons of the 2nd Nocturn of the Feast, ex Bernard. Homil II. superMissus est).'"

Thus speaks the devout St. Bernard, in the name of the Church. But his pious explanation does not exhaust the meanings of this blessed name of Mary. St. Peter Chrysologus adds in this same Night Office: "Mary in Hebrew signifies Lady or Sovereign; and truly the authority of her Son, who is the Lord of the world, constituted her Queen, both in fact and in name from her very birth (Petr. Chrys. Sermo cxlii, de Annuntiat. Homily of the 3rd Nocturn)."

Our Lady: such is the title which befits her in every way, as that of Our Lord beseems her Son; it is the doctrinal basis of that worship of hyperdulia which belongs to her alone. She is below her Son, whom she adores as we do; but above all God's servants, both Angels and men, inasmuch as she is His Mother. At the Name of Jesus every knee is bent; at the Name of Mary every head is bowed. And although the former is the only Name whereby we may be saved; yet, as the Son can never be separated from His Mother, heaven unites their two Names in its hymns of praise, earth in its confidence, hell in its fear and hatred.

It was therefore in the order of Divine Providence that devotion to the most holy Name of Mary should spread simultaneously with the cultus of the adorable Name of Jesus, of which St. Bernadin of Siena was the apostle in the 15th century. In 1513 the Church of Cuenca in Spain was the first to celebrate, with the approbation of the Holy See, a special feast in honour of the Name of Mary; while the Franciscan Order had not yet succeeded in obtaining a Like privilege for the adorable Name of Jesus. The reason of this is that the memory of that sacred Name included in the Feast of the Circumcision, seemed to the prudence of the Pontiffs to suffice. From the same motive we find the Feast of the most holy Name of Mary extended to the universal Church in the year 1683, and that of the most holy Name of Jesus not until 1721.

Our Lady justifies her beautiful title by partaking in the warlike exploits of the King of kings her Son. The city of Vienna having been delivered by her from the power of the Crescent, contrary to all hope, the venerable Innocent XI. made this feast the memorial of universal gratitude to the liberatrix of the West.

The Name of Mary, which is the joy of Angels and the terror of demons, protects man against countless evils, and supports him on his way to heaven. All the delight of heaven, all the hopes of earth, are centered on the cradle where Mary sleeps, while her heart is watching before God. Wisdom praises her own self: by the blessed daughter of Anne and Joachim, the loving preference shown by that Divine Wisdom from the beginning of the world, is already justified; for ever more it will be her delight to be with the children of men. The chosen vine, the vine of the Peaceful One is before us, announcing, by its fragrant blossom, the divine grape, whose juice, pressed out in the wine-press of the cross, will give fruitfulness to every soul, and will inebriate earth and heaven.

Prayer to St. Nicholas of Tolentino as your Patron Saint

 

St. Nicholas of Tolentino, whom I have chosen as my special patron, pray for me that I, too, may one day glorify the Blessed Trinity in heaven. Obtain for me your lively faith, that I may consider all persons, things, and events in the light of almighty God. Pray, that I may be generous in making sacrifices of temporal things to promote my eternal interests, as you so wisely did.

Set me on fire with a love for Jesus, that I may thirst for His sacraments and burn with zeal for the spread of His kingdom. By your powerful intercession, help me in the performance of my duties to God, myself and all the world.

Win for me the virtue of purity and a great confidence in the Blessed Virgin. Protect me this day, and every day of my life. Keep me from mortal sin. Obtain for me the grace of a happy death. Amen

Prayer to Saint Nicholas of Tolentino for protection against all evil and danger

 

O brightly shining star of sanctity! splendour and boast of the Augustinian Order; our powerful protector, St. Nicholas, hear from heaven the prayers of your devoted clients. Teach us to imitate the example you gave here below of heroic virtue, to curb our passions and restrain our unruly appetites, that we may ever live in the light of divine grace, and escape the foul contagion of habitual sin. Procure for us a love of Jesus like that which filled your own sinless heart, and a tender devotion to Mary his Mother, that we may be more like you in childlike love of her. Fortify us in efforts to reach heaven, that we may be ever faithful to Jesus and Mary; and strengthen us by your prayers, to merit a share in the bright and endless joys you now enjoy, and that for eternity. Amen.

Prayer to St. Nicholas of Tolentino

 

O brightly shining star of sanctity! splendour and boast of the Augustinian Order; our powerful protector, St. Nicholas, hear from heaven the prayers of your devoted clients. Teach us to imitate the example you gave here below of heroic virtue, to curb our passions and restrain our unruly appetites, that we may ever live in the light of divine grace, and escape the foul contagion of habitual sin. Procure for us a love of Jesus like that which filled your own sinless heart, and a tender devotion to Mary his Mother, that we may be more like you in childlike love of her. Fortify us in efforts to reach heaven, that we may be ever faithful to Jesus and Mary; and strengthen us by your prayers, to merit a share in the bright and endless joys you now enjoy, and that for eternity. Amen.

Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, protector of the Militant and Penitent Church, pray for us.

For the Assistance of the Blessed Virgin

 

O Rod of Jesse, holy Flower of David, most blessed Virgin Mary: thou hast brought forth for us the long-awaited Emmanuel. Thou art the Holy City, founded by God Himself, O Virgin worthy of all praise, who never hadst, nor ever wilt have, an equal. Truly art thou "blessed among women," who didst bring down from heaven the Fruit of Life. Thou art, O matchless Virgin, she whom God has laden with all the riches of the universe, the true Tree of Life, planted in the very midst of Paradise, from whose branches do not hand the fruit of sin, but the food of Immortality.

Hail, Queen, clothed with the sun, for whose feet the moon is footstool, whose diadem is set with the stars of heaven! Hail, Mother, than all other mothers more fortunate, in that thou becamest for fallen man the Gate of Paradise! Hail, Glory of heaven, Splendor of the Kingdom of God, Ark of the Eternal Alliance, first Fruit of our regeneration, fairest Creature of the Hand of God!

More beautiful than the rose art thou, purer than the lily's purity, more spotless than the fallen snow: thou dost shine with greater glory than the radiant sun. Thou art above all angels and all saints. Thou art the Child of grace and blessing who hast given children of Eve Eternal Life, in giving them thy Son.

O sweet, O loving Mother: to God, thy Son, do thou commend us, for by Him thy every prayer is honorable. Obtain for us that while on earth we praise thee, we may by the innocence of our lives please thee, and thus merit to reach heaven one time, where, for all eternity, in thy glorification, we shall rejoice. Amen.

September 8 – The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

Wisdom 1:4 For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.

Happy Birthday Dear Mother and Queen

from the Liturgical Year, 1903

Let us celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin, Mary; let us adore her Son, Christ our Lord (Invitatory of the Feast). Such is the invitation addressed to us today by the Church. Let us hearken to her call; let us enter into her overflowing joy. The Bridegroom is at hand, for His throne is now set up on earth; yet a little while, and He will appear in the diadem of our human nature, wherewith His Mother is to crown Him on the day of the joy of His heart, and of ours. Today, as on the glorious Assumption, the sacred Canticle is heard (Lessons of the 1st Nocturn); but this time it belongs more to earth than to heaven.

Truly a better Paradise than the first is given us at this hour. Eden, fear no more that man will endeavour to enter thee; thy Cherubim may leave the gates and return to heaven. What are thy beautiful fruits to us, since we cannot touch them without dying? Death is now for those who will not eat of the fruit so soon to appear amid the flowers of the virgin earth to which our God has led us.

Hail, new world, far surpassing in magnificence the first creation! Hail blessed haven, where we find a calm after so many storms! Aurora dawns; the rainbow glitters in the heavens; the dove comes forth; the ark rests upon the earth, offering new destinies to the world. The haven, the aurora, the rainbow, the dove, the ark of salvation, the Paradise of the heavenly Adam, the creation whereof the former was but a shadow: all this art thou, sweet infant, in whom already dwell all grace, all truth, all life.

Thou art the little cloud, which the father of prophets in the suppliant anguish of his soul awaited; and thou bringest refreshment to the parched earth. Under the weakness of thy fragile form, appears the Mother of fair love and of holy hope. Thou art that other light cloud of exquisite fragrance, which our desert sends up to heaven. In the incomparable humility of thy soul, which knows not itself, the Angels, standing like armed warriors around thy cradle, recognize their Queen. O Tower of the true David; citadel withstanding the first shock of Satan's attack, and breaking all his power; true Sion, founded on the holy mountains, the highest summits of virtue; temple and palace, feebly foreshadowed by those of Solomon; house built by Eternal Wisdom for herself: the faultless lines of thy fair architecture were planned from all eternity. Together with Emmanuel, who predestined thee for His home of delights, thou art thyself, O blessed child, the crowning point of creation, the divine ideal fully realized on earth. Let us, then, understand the Church, when, even on this day, she proclaims thy divine maternity, and unites in her chants of praise the birth of Emmanuel and thine own. He who, being Son of God by essence, willed to be also Son of man, had, before all other designs, decreed that he would have a Mother. Such, consequently, was the primordial, absolute character of that title of mother, that, in the eternal decree, it was one with the very being of the chosen creature, the motive and cause of her existence, as well as the source of all her perfections natural and supernatural. We too, then, must recognize thee as Mother, even from thy very cradle, and must celebrate thy birthday by adoring thy Son our Lord.

Inasmuch as it embraces all the brethren of the Man-God, thy blessed maternity sheds its rays upon all time, both before and after this happy day. God is our king before ages: He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth (Psalm, lxxiii. 12). "The midst of the earth," says the Abbot of Clairvaux, "admirably represents Mary. Mary is the centre of the universe, the ark of God, the cause of creation, the business of ages. Towards her turn the inhabitants of heaven and the dwellers in the place of expiation, the men that have gone before us, and we that are now living, those that are to follow us, our children's children and their descendants. Those in heaven look to her to have their ranks filled up; those in purgatory look for their deliverance; the men of the first ages, that they may be found faithful prophets; those that come after, that they may obtain eternal happiness. Mother of God, Queen of heaven, Sovereign of the world, all generations shall call thee blessed, for thou hast brought forth life and glory for all. In thee the Angels ever find their joy, the just find grace, sinners pardon; in thee, and by thee, and from thee, the merciful hand of the Almighty has reformed the first creation (Bern. in festo Pentecost. Sermo ii. 4)."

Andrew of Crete calls this day a solemnity of entrance, a feast of beginning, whose end is the union of the Word with our flesh; a virginal feast, full of joy and confidence for all (Oratio i, in Nativit. Deiparae, 1). "All ye nations, come hither," cries St. John Damascene; "come every race and every tongue, every age and every dignity, let us joyfully celebrate the birthday of the world's gladness (In Natal. B.M. Homilia 1)." "It is the beginning of salvation, the origin of every feast," says St. Peter Damian; " for behold! the Mother of the Bride-groom is born. With good reason does the whole world rejoice to-day; and the Church, beside herself, bids her choirs sing wedding songs (Sermo xlv, in Nativit. B.M.V)."

Not only do the Doctors of East and West use similar language in praise of Mary's birth, but moreover the Latin and Greek Churches sing, each in its own tongue, the same beautiful formula, to close the office of the Feast: " Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God, brought joy to the whole world: for out of thee arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God: Who, taking off the curse, hath bestowed blessing; and, defeating death, hath given us life everlasting (Trope of the dismissal in utroque Vespertino; Magnificat Ant. of 2nd Vespers)."

This union of Rome and Byzantium in the celebration of today's festival, dates back as far as the seventh century at least (Liber Pontific. in Sergio I); beyond that we cannot speak with anything like certitude, nor is it known when the feast was first instituted. It is supposed to have originated at Angers, towards the year 430, by an apparition of our Lady to the holy bishop Maurillus in the fields of Marillais; and hence the name of Notre Dame Angevine often given to the feast. In the eleventh century Chartres, the city of Mary, claims for its own Fulbert, together with Robert the Pious, a principal share in the spreading of the glorious solemnity throughout France. It is well known how intimate the bishop was with the king; and how the latter himself set to music the three admirable Responsories composed by Fulbert, wherein he celebrates the rising of the mysterious star that was to give birth to the Sun; the branch springing from the rod of Jesse, and producing the divine Flower whereon the Holy Spirit was to rest; and the merciful power which caused Mary to blossom in Judaea like the rose on the thorn.

In the year 1245, in the third Session of the first Council of Lyons, (the same session which deposed Frederick II. from the empire), Innocent IV. established for the whole Church, not the feast, which was already kept everywhere, but the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mansi. xxiii, 612). It was the accomplishment of a vow made by him and the other Cardinals during the Church's widowhood, which, through the intrigues of the crafty emperor, lasted nineteen months after the death of Celestine IV., and which was brought to a close by the election of Sinibaldo Fieschi under the name of Innocent.

In 1377, the great Pope Gregory XI., who broke the chains of captivity in Avignon, wished to add a Vigil to the solemnity of our Lady's birthday. But, whether he merely expressed a desire to this effect, as did his successor Urban VI. with regard to a fast on the eve of the Visitation, or whether for some other reason, the intentions of the holy Pope were carried out for only a very short time during the years of trouble that fallowed his death. Together with the Church, let us ask, as the fruit of this sweet feast, for that peace which seems to flee ever farther and farther from our unhappy times. Our Lady was born during the second of the three periods of universal peace wherewith the reign of Augustus was blest, the last of which ushered in the Prince of peace Himself.

The temple of Janus is closed; in the eternal City a mysterious fountain of oil has sprung up from the spot where the first sanctuary of the Mother of God is one day to be built; signs and portents are multiplied; the whole world is in expectation; the poet has sung: "Behold the last age, foretold by the Sybil, is at hand; behold the great series of new worlds is beginning; behold the Virgin (Virg. Eclog. iv. Pollio)!"

In Judaea, the sceptre has been taken away from Juda; but the usurper of his power, Herod the Idumaean, is hastening to complete the splendid restoration, which will enable the second Temple worthily to receive within its walls the Ark of the New Covenant.

It is the sabbatical month, the first of the civil year, the seventh of the sacred cycle; the month of Tisri which begins the repose of each seventh year, and in which is announced the holy year of Jubilee; the most joyous of months, with its solemn Neomenia celebrated with trumpets and singing, its feast of Tabernacles, and the commemoration of the completion of Solomon's Temple. On earth, two obscure descendants of David, Joachim and Anne, are thanking God for having blessed their long barren union.

Prayer:

At length, O Mary, our earth possesses thee! Thy birth reveals to it the secret of its destiny, the Secret of that love which called it from nothingness, that it might become the palace of the God who dwelt above the heavens. But what a mystery, that poor, weak humanity, inferior to the Angels by nature, should be chosen to give to the Angels their King and their Queen! Their King they will soon adore, a new-born Babe in thine arms; their Queen they reverence today, admiring thee in thy cradle as only Angels can admire. In the beginning these morning stars, these noble spirits, contemplated the manifestations of Almighty Power, and praised the Most High; yet never did their eager gaze discover such a marvel as that which delights their eyes at this hour: God, more purely imaged under a corporeal veil, under the fragile form of an infant one day old, than in all the strength and all the beauty of their nine angelic choirs; God, so captivated by such weakness united, by His grace, to such love, that He made it the culminating point of His work by determining to manifest his Son therein.

Queen of Angels, thou art our Queen also; accept us as thy liegemen. On this day, when the first movement of thy holy soul was towards God, and the first smile of thy lovely eyes was for thy happy parents, may holy Anne allow us to kneel and kiss thy little hand, already filled with the divine bounties of which thou art the predestined dispenser. And now, grow up, sweet little one! Let thy feet be strengthened to crush the serpent, and thy arms to carry the treasure of the world! Angels and men, the whole of nature, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, all are awaiting the solemn moment, when Gabriel may fly down from heaven, to hail thee full of grace, and bring thee the message of Eternal Love.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Rosary Prayers in Latin & English

 Our Lady gave the Holy Rosary to Saint Dominic as a weapon to Defeat Heresy and other sins.

Turn away from sin! It is the distinguishing characteristic of every genuine child of God. No one who sincerely invokes the name of God can continue to sin. (Cf. 2 Timothy 2:19)  

“No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: Either they will give up sin or they will give up the Rosary.”—Bishop Hugh Boyle 

 

 St. Pius X: What this most prudent Virgin said to the servants at the marriage feast of Cana she addresses also to us: "Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye" (John ii., 5). Now here is the word of Jesus Christ: "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. xix., 17). Let them each one fully convince himself of this, that if his piety towards the Blessed Virgin does not hinder him from sinning, or does not move his will to amend an evil life, it is a piety deceptive and Iying, wanting as it is in proper effect and its natural fruit.

AD DIEM ILLUM LAETISSIMUM

Encyclical Of Pope Pius X On The Immaculate Conception 

TIA

In 1214, when the Albigensian heresy was infecting the pure air of Christendom, Our Lady appeared to St. Dominic de Guzman and told him she would give him a weapon to convert the world. “Preach my Psalter,” she said, “if you want to reach these hardened souls and win them over to God.”

Fatima seer Sister Lucia: “There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.”

Symbolum Apostolorum - Apostles Creed

Crédo in Déum, Pátrem omnipoténtem, Creatórem cáeli et térræ. Et in Jésum Chrístum, Fílium éjus unícum, Dóminum nóstrum, qui concéptus est de Spíritu Sáncto, nátus ex María Vírgine, pássus sub Póntio Piláto, crucifíxus, mórtuus, et sepúltus. Descéndit ad ínferos: tértia díe resurréxit a mórtuis: ascéndit ad cáelos: sédet ad déxteram Déi Pátris omnipoténtis: índe ventúrus est judicáre vívos et mórtuos. Crédo in Spíritum Sánctum, sánctam Ecclésiam Cathólicam, Sanctórum communiónem, remissiónem peccatórum, cárnis resurrectiónem, vítam ætérnam. Amen.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Pater Noster - Our Father

Páter nóster, qui es in cáelis, sanctificétur nómen túum. Advéniat régnum túum. Fíat volúntas túa, sícut in cáelo et in térra. Pánem nóstrum quotidiánum da nóbis hódie, et dimítte nóbis débita nóstra, sícut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nóstris. Et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem: sed líbera nos a málo. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Ave Maria - Hail Mary

Áve María, grátia pléna, Dóminus técum; benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus frúctus véntris túi, Jésus. Sáncta María, Máter Déi, óra pro nóbis peccatóribus, nunc et in hóra mórtis nóstræ. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen.

Gloria - Glory be

Glória Pátri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sáncto. Sícut érat in princípio et nunc et sémper et in sáecula sæculórum. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Oratio Fatima - Fatima Prayer

O Jésu mi, ignósce nóbis, libera nos ab ígne inférni, ad caélum tráhe ómnes ánimas, praesáertim máxime indigéntes.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

Salve Regina - Hail, Holy Queen

Sálve Regína, máter misericórdiæ: víta, dulcédo, et spes nóstra, sálve. Ad te clamámus, exsúles fílii Hévæ. Ad te suspirámus, geméntes et fléntes in hac lacrimárum válle. Éja érgo, Advocáta nóstra, íllos túos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte. Et Jésum, benedíctum frúctum véntris túi, nóbis post hoc exsílium osténde. O clémens, O pía, O dúlcis Vírgo María, V. Óra pro nóbis sáncta Déi Génitrix R. Ut dígni efficiámur promissiónibus Chrísti. Orémus: Déus, cújus Unigénitus per vítam, mórtem et resurrectiónem súam nóbis salútis ætérnæ præmia comparávit: concéde, quæsumus: ut hæc mystéria sacratíssimo beátæ Maríæ Vírginis Rosário recoléntes, et imitémur quod cóntinent, et quod promíttunt, assequámur. Per eúndem Chrístum Dóminum nóstrum. Amen.

Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: O God, Who by the life death and resurrection of Thy only-begotten Son, hath purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary


I. Mysteria Gaudiosa / The Joyful Mysteries

Prímum mystérium est: Annuntiátio Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis Secúndum mystérium est: Visitátio Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis ad Sánctam Elízabethem Tértium mystérium est: Natívitas Dómini nostri Jésu Christi Quartum mystérium est: Praesentátio Puéri Jésu in Templo et Purificátio Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis Quintum mystérium est: Invéntio Puéri Jésu in Templo

The first mystery is: The Annunciation The second mystery is: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth The third mystery is: The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ The fourth mystery is: The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary The fifth mystery is: The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

II. Mysteria Dolorosa / The Sorrowful Mysteries

Prímum mystérium est: Orátio in horto Dómini nostri Jésu Christi Secúndum mystérium est: Flagellátio Dómini nostri Jésu Christi Tertium mystérium est: Coronátio spinis Dómini nostri Jésu Christi Quartum mystérium est: Bajulátio Crúcis Dómini nostri Jésu Christi Quintum mystérium est: Crucifíxio et mors Dómini nostri Jésu Christi

The first mystery is: The Agony of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden The second mystery is: The Scourging of Our Lord Jesus Christ The third mystery is: The Crowning of Our Lord Jesus Christ with Thorns The fourth mystery is: The Carrying of the Cross The fifth mystery is: The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ

III. Mysteria Gloriosa / The Glorious Mysteries

Prímum mystérium est: Resurréctio Dómini nostri Jésu Christi a mórtuis Secúndum mystérium est: Ascénsio in cáelis Dómini nostri Jésu Christi Tértium mystérium est: Advéntus Spíritus Sancti in discípulos et Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis Quartum mystérium est: Assúmptio Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis ad cáelum Quintum mystérium est: Coronátio Beátæ Maríæ Vírginis in cáelis

The first mystery is: The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Dead The second mystery is: The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven The third mystery is: The Coming of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary The fourth mystery is: The Assuption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven The fifth mystery is: The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven

Prayer to Pope Saint Pius X

 

Glorious Pope of the Eucharist, Saint Pius X, you sought "to resore all things in Christ." Obtain for me a true love of Jesus so that I may live only for Him. Help me to acquire a lively fervor and a sincere will to strive for sanctity of life, and that I may avail myself of the riches of the Holy Eucharist in sacrifice and sacrament. By your love for Mary, mother and queen of all, inflame my heart with tender devotion to her.

Blessed model of the priesthood, obtain for us holy, dedicated priests, and increase vocations to the religious life. Dispel confusion and hatred and anxiety, and incline our hearts to peace and concord. so that all nations will place themselves under the sweet reign of Christ. Amen.

Saint Pius X, pray for me.