Friday, September 20, 2013

Acts that the Christian Should Perform Every Day


Acts that the Christian Should Perform Every Day

On Rising, after having made the Sign of the Cross

My God! I adore You, I love You with my whole heart. I thank You for all Your benefits, especially for having preserved me during the past night. I offer You all my actions and sufferings of this day, in union with the actions of Jesus and Mary; and I make the intention of gaining all the indulgences that I can gain. I purpose, O Lord! to avoid offending You this day, especially.

It is good to make a resolution, particularly about the fault into which we fall the most often.

I beg You, for the love of Jesus, to grant me the grace of perseverance. I resolve to conform myself to Your holy will, and particularly in those things that are contrary to my inclination, saying always, O Lord! Your will be done. My Jesus, keep Your hand over me this day! Most Holy Virgin Mary, take me beneath your mantle. And do You, O Eternal Father, help me for the love of Jesus and Mary! O my angel guardian and my holy patron saints, assist me.

Say the Our Father, Hail Mary, Creed; three Hail Marys: in honor of the purity of Mary.

Prayer to Jesus


By the Merit of Each Particular Pain which He Suffered in His Passion

O my Jesus! by that humiliation which Thou didst practise in washing the feet of Thy disciples, I pray Thee to bestow upon me the grace of true humility, that I may humble myself to all, especially to such as treat me with contempt. 

My Jesus, by that sorrow which Thou didst suffer in the garden, sufficient, as it was, to cause Thy death, I pray Thee to deliver me from the sorrow of Hell, from living for ever more at a distance from Thee, and without the power of ever loving Thee again. 

My Jesus, by that horror which Thou hadst of my sins, which were then present to Thy sight, give me a true sorrow for all the offences which I have committed against Thee. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst experience at seeing Thyself betrayed by Judas with a kiss, give me the grace to be ever faithful unto Thee, and nevermore to betray Thee, as I have done in time past. 


My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst feel at seeing Thyself bound like a culprit to be taken before the judges, I pray Thee to bind me to Thyself by the sweet chains of holy love, that so I may nevermore see myself separated from Thee, my only good.

Consecration to the Holy Child of Prague


Consecration to the Holy Child of Prague

O Divine Child Jesus, only-begotten Son of the Father, You are the true light that enlightens everyone coming into this world. It is through You that I am, it is through You that all things have been made, and without You nothing would be. It is therefore just that I devote myself to You without reserve.

In gratitude for all the love with which You love me, I devote to you all the love my heart is capable of. I ardently desire to love you still more, to offer You a heart less unworthy of You. Accept this ardent desire, O amiable Child-God, and kindly bless it.

You have suffered for us and have borne Your infirmities, in order that we might one day deserve to be associated with Your eternal happiness. I want to unite my sufferings to Yours, so that You may give them merit and they may be sanctified. As You have been weeping for me, because of my sins, help me by Your grace to weep for them myself.

I also devote to You all my joys. I only have the ambition and the will to seek those pleasing to your service, by the practice of the virtues taught in the mysteries of Your Divine Childhood. I beg You to help me by Your grace to acquire the gentleness, the humility, the childlike simplicity, the filial confidence and the perfect obedience, of which you give me such a splendid example.

May I progress in holiness and one day possess the rewards promised in heaven to those who practice the lessons of your Holy Childhood.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

Devotion to the Holy Face


Devotion to the Holy Face

This ancient and venerable Catholic practice is rooted in the representation of the face of Christ said to have been left on the towel or veil used by a holy woman thought to be named, Veronica. In response tot he visions of given to Sr. Mary of St. Peter, an Arch confraternity of the Holy Face was established in Tours, France, 1884; its members make reparation for the blasphemies hurled at Christ. Since St. Therese's devotion to the Holy Face has become known, this devotion has spread worldwide.

In addition, a devout and pious nun, Sr. Pierina, who died in 1945, was given many visions through Our Blessed Lady who appeared to her, as did Our Lord Jesus. They urged her to make reparation for the many insults Jesus suffered in His Passion, such as to be slapped, spit upon and kissed by Judas, as well as now being dishonored in many ways in the Blessed Sacrament by neglect, sacrileges, and profanations.

She was given a medal which on one side bore a replica of the Holy Shroud and the inscription: "Illumina, Domine, vultum tuum super nos." [O Lord, the light of Thy countenance shine upon us.] On the reverse side was a radiant host with the words: "Mane nobiscum, Domine." [Stay with us, O Lord.] After great difficulties, Sr. Pierina obtained permission to have the medal cast. Even the expenses for the casting were miraculously met when she found on her desk an envelope with the exact amount of the bill-----11,200 lire.

Offering of the Holy Face to Appease God's Justice and Draw Down Mercy


Offering of the Holy Face 
to Appease God's Justice and Draw Down Mercy

ETERNAL Father, turn away Thine angry gaze from all guilty people whose faces have become unsightly in Thy eyes. Look instead upon the face of Thy Beloved Son, for this is the Face of Him in Whom Thou art well pleased. We now offer Thee this Holy face, covered with shame and disfigured by bloody bruises, in reparation for the crimes of our age, in order to appease Thee anger, justly provoked against us. Because Thy Divine Son, our Redeemer, has taken upon His head all the sins of His people that they might be spared, we now beg of tTee, Eternal Father, to grant us mercy. Amen. 

Archconfraternity of the Holy Face 
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

Offering of the Saviors Life to the Eternal Father


Offering of the Saviors Life to the Eternal Father

O most loving Father, in atonement and satisfaction for all my sins, I offer Thee the whole Passion of Thy most beloved Son, from the plaintive wail He uttered when laid upon the straw in the manger, through all the helplessness of His infancy, the privations of His boyhood, the adversities of His youth, the sufferings of His manhood, until that hour when He bowed His head upon the Cross and with a loud cry gave up His Spirit. 

And, in atonement and satisfaction for all my negligences, I offer Thee, O most loving Father, the most holy life and conversation of Thy Son, most perfect in His every thought, word, and action, from the hour when he came down from His lofty throne to the Virgin's womb, and thence came forth into our dreary wilderness, to the hour when He presented to Thy fatherly regard the glory of His conquering flesh. Amen.


Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

My Week in the Wounds


My Week in the Wounds

“Everyday of the week enter into one of the Wounds of the Saviour and remain in it with love.”  - Saint Francis of Sales to Saint Jeanne of Chantal

SUNDAY

O my most amiable Lord Jesus, filled with respect, I associate myself to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, to adore your Holy Humanity humiliated. I adore the Holy Wound of your Right Hand and I thank You for the infinite love with which You wanted to endure so numerous and cruel sufferings to expiate for my sins which I detest with all my heart. I recommend to You your Cherished People, your Church for which You gave yourself up, out of love. Bless and protect your Vicar on earth.

O my most amiable Lord Jesus, Immolated Lamb, United to the whole Celestial Court and with all the faithful on earth, I adore the Wound of your Left Hand. I thank You, 0 Lord, it is on account of our sins that You have been transfixed. I recommend to You all the dying people of this day. Touch the hearts of the most hardened sinners.

Eternal Father, Father of mercy and God of all consolations, under the movement of your Holy Spirit and through the most pure hands of Mary, I offer You my humble life in union with the Passion and Resurrection of your Son Jesus. Receive his Sacred Wounds which implore mercy for everyone of us and heal the wounds of humanity.

O my most amiable Jesus, You, who for our sins have been struck unto death, I love You. Humbly, I adore the Sacred Wound of your Right Foot. Help all people who want to serve You more closely. Make of your priests and of all your consecrated souls ardent lamps that light and warm up today's world.

O my most amiable Jesus, in union with all the souls that are still detained far from You in the expiatory flames of Purgatory and who yearn to be with You, I adore the Sacred Wound of your Left Foot. Have mercy on those souls that languish while waiting for your mercy. Help the persons tried by the difficulties of life and who walk in darkness. Be their only hope.

Eternal Father, most loving Father, I offer You the Wounds of Jesus crucified and resurrected to heal the wounds of our souls.

O my most amiable Jesus, it is through your sufferings that You have saved the multitudes. You who let Yourself be crushed under the weight of the sins of the world, receive our love, receive our worship. I particularly adore the Wound of your Open Side, your Transfixed Heart. Be our refuge; it is through your Wounds that we are healed.

O my most amiable Lord Jesus, your Holy Face was marred by the wickedness of men, by our sins. The chastisement which brings us peace fell upon You. The Crown of thorns ploughs into your Skull, your venerable Brow, your Sacred Head, Temple of the Divine Wisdom. I love You and adore You, 0 Lord Jesus. The Wound of your Bruised Shoulder, the Wounds of your Lacerated Knees and those of your atrocious scourging are as so many mouths that shout to us your love, amiable Savior. I recommend to You all the miserable and those for whom I must pray and who rely upon my prayers.

Eternal Father, most loving Father, I offer You with my humble life all the Bloody and Triumphant Wounds of your Son Jesus to heal the wounds of humanity.

MONDAY

Through You, Lord Jesus crucified and resurrected, the world will be renewed. Change the hearts, one by one, through contact with your Transfixed Heart, rectify the minds through contact with your Sacred Head crowned with thorns, Temple of the Divine Wisdom; change all our habits through contact with every one of your Bloody and Triumphant Wounds.

O Mary, Sorrowful Mother, offer to the Holy Trinity the Wounds and sufferings of the Sacred Humanity of our Savior Jesus Christ, your Son; to this offering, join our sinful lives with their joys, their pains, their worries, their works.

Lord Jesus crucified, your hands are nailed down; we will be your hands throughout the world, to bless, to work, to nurse, and to serve; your feet are nailed down; everywhere we will bear your Presence and your Word. Yes, 0 beloved Jesus, we will be your Head in humiliation, your Limbs in action, your Heart in love!

Lord Jesus, your Body crucified and resurrected is an immense glowing fire. Every one of your Glorious Wounds radiates beneficial light and redeeming warmth upon the world.

TUESDAY

O my amiable Jesus crucified and resurrected, You are the BOOK of the unlearned and of the simple of heart, the PARDON of sinners, the LIGHT of the unbelievers, the CONQUEROR of the godless, the FIRE that set ablaze the lukewarm. Bea most loving BROTHER, the ALL to the fervent souls.

Eternal Father, most loving Father, under the loving impulse of your Holy Spirit, I offer You the Painful and Glorious Wounds of your beloved Son; receive also, for our salvation, the co-redemptrix tears of his Immaculate Mother.

Mary, Immaculate Mother, compassionate Mother of Jesus crucified, trade our hearts for yours. We give you our heart, our thoughts, our miseries, our wishes, and you will give us your Heart which burns in unison to that of your Son's, with his thoughts, his mercies and his wishes.

With all the Celestial Court, I adore You, 0 Jesus crucified and resurrected, particularly with the angels of God. I cling to You, my only certitude; I hold fast to You, my life-saving buoy.

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, compassionate Mother, you have contemplated the Wounds of Jesus one by one, your motherly Heart has also been deeply transfixed. All those sufferings, you wanted them, accepted them, offered them because they were the Father's will to save us through the Wounds and the Blood of your beloved Son.

WEDNESDAY

Eternal Father, Author of all perfect gift, in order to make us understand your merciful love for us, You have not disdained to send us your only-begotten Son on earth where He lived in the conditions of a slave. It is through love for us that He has wanted to endure his horrible Passion, be scourged, crowned with thorns, be overlaid with wounds and die on the Cross. You have therefore exalted Him by giving Him a Name that is above all names. Lord, your mysteries are unfathomable!

Most loving Father, I offer You my life and my actions, in union with the Holy Wounds of Jesus and the tears of his Blessed Mother.

O Sorrowful Mother, with you, I contemplate, one after the other, the Wounds of your Divine Son. I contemplate those Glorious Wounds through which the sufferings of humanity are transformed into eternal glory.

O Jesus, your Wounds are wide-opened doors to Heaven; remember me in your Paradise.

THURSDAY

O Lord Jesus, You have loved us so much that You have given Yourself up for every one of men; You have become one of us, spoken our language, You the Word, and You have wanted to restore everything in your Blood with which You sprinkled the whole earth. You have given Yourself up into our hands: "Take... eat... for this is my Body"! However, in daily life, men do not believe You and do not trust your love. You, "who has vanquished the world", when, Lord Jesus, will You conquer our mistrusting and incredulous hearts?

Lord Jesus, through your Sacrifice on the Cross, You have kindled the fire of love on hearth. This fire, You wish to see it revived and spread through the whole world so that it become a huge and unextinguishable glowing fire. May the sight of your Wounds, O amiable Jesus, rekindle a simple feeling of compassion in the most hardened hearts. That humble spark, all humane, will suffice to fan the ardour of your Love and then it will burst out like a violent conflagration. Yes, 0 Jesus, You are truly marvelous in your tenderness and your might! Your Glorified Wounds are as so many suns which light and purify hearts. By your sign, the sign of the Cross, you shall conquer!

FRIDAY

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, we often experience confusion but we rarely practice true humility which is the virtue of the trusting, simple and pure souls. It is in the widely-opened Wounds of your Sacred Heart, that through your merits, we shall acquire it. It is there also that we shall understand meekness and gentleness and that we shall renounce our own will as your dead Heart has let itself be transfixed by the lance. May your love teach us renouncement of self, so that we wish only your glory and the salvation of souls.

Lord Jesus crucified and resurrected, let us hear anew your supreme cry of mercy: "Father, pardon them for they do not know what they are doing!" We shall hear You deplore the thirst of souls; we join our voices to yours and shout out a vibrant call to all, particularly to those who oppose it, the revolted, the embittered, the lukewarm, the apostates, and the divorced... Father, hear our sighs united to that of your beloved Son; rectify all minds and purify all hearts in the love of your Holy Spirit.

O Jesus, the absence of your apostle Peter on Calvary has torn your Heart; it was then that your imploring gaze was directed towards a criminal who was insulting You. Cast, 0 Lord, a glance of kindness and love upon us as You did for the thief, and after his example, repentant, grant us to openly proclaim your glory, being assured of your might and mercy.

SATURDAY

O Mary, Sorrowful Mother, you want to bring everyone of us to recognize your Son crucified and resurrected as our only Savior; unite our lives to His and His Sacrifice, offer them to our common Heavenly Father. Gather us all in the Wounds of Jesus as in a safe shelter. You are, 0 Mary, the mother of the weak, the suffering, the discouraged, the embittered, the revolted and the soiled. We rely upon you to lead us, full of hope, to the foot of the Crucifix, the standard of the Holy Church. Make us all zealous and faithful standard-bearers.

O Mary, Immaculate Mother, the Wounds of your Son Jesus are eternally engraved in your Heart; grant us that, for us also, his Sacred Wounds be deeply imprinted in our hearts.

In your Glorious Wounds, Lord Jesus, I have nothing to fear neither from myself, nor from others, nor from the devil; You are, 0 Jesus, my shield, my ram part, my refuge, my rock; before whom should I tremble?

Most Holy Father, most Merciful Father, through the breath of your Spirit and the most pure hands of Mary, I offer You my humble life, the cruel Passion of your Son, his transfixed Heart, his Sacred Head crowned with thorns, his Holy Face marred, his Precious Blood, the Wounds of his Hands, of his Feet, of his Shoulder and of all his dislocated Body. Father, receive this infinite offering and make us the zealous apostles and the faithful companions of Jesus crucified and resurrected and of Mary Immaculate.

Lord Jesus, we lay our humble lives in your Sacred Wounds; make us participants of your Divinity so that with You and all humanity, we constitute a pure offering to the glory of our Heavenly Father.

O my Jesus, through the merits of your Holy Wounds and your Precious Blood, we beseech You, inflame with the zeal of your love and your glory all the priests of the world, all the missionaries and every one of us, so that we proclaim your Word and, by so doing, the souls be taken away from the devil and led into the asylum of your Heart where they will, with You, eternally be able to glorify the infinite mercy of the Father. Amen.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

Prayers and Meditations to Our Lady of Sorrows for each Day of the Week


Prayers and Meditations 
to Our Lady of Sorrows for each Day of the Week

MONDAY

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be ...

The First Sorrow of Mary

St. Simeon’s  Prophecy
In the Temple, St. Simeon had received the Divine Child in his arms and predicted that this Child would be a sign (of God) which shall be contradicted by men. “Behold this Child is set … for a sign which shall be contradicted. And Thy own soul a sword shall pierce.” (Lk. 2:34-35).

Verse: My Mother! share Thy grief with me, and let me bear Thee company to mourn Thy Jesus’ death with Thee.

Meditation
The Blessed Virgin told St. Matilda that when St. Simeon pronounced these words “all Her joy was changed into sorrow.” For, as was revealed to St. Teresa, although the Blessed Mother already knew that the life of Her Son would be sacrificed for the salvation of the world, She then learned more distinctly and in greater detail what sufferings and what a cruel death awaited Him. She knew that He would be persecuted and opposed in every way. He would be opposed in His teaching: instead of being believed, He would be called a blasphemer for claiming to be the Son of God. The reprobate Caiphas was to say: “He hath blasphemed … He is guilty of death” (Mt. 26:65-66). He would be opposed in His reputation: for though He was of noble, even of royal descent, He was despised as a peasant: “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (Mt. 13:55). “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mk. 6:3). He was Wisdom itself, and was treated as ignorant: “How doth this man know letters, having never learned?” (Jn. 7:15). As a false prophet: “And they blindfolded Him, and smote His face … saying: Prophesy, who is it that struck Thee?” (Lk. 22:64). He was treated as a madman: “He is mad, why hear you Him?” (Jn. 10:20). As a drunkard, a glutton, and a friend of sinners: “Behold a man that is a glutton, and a drinker of wine, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Lk. 7:34). As a sorcerer: “By the prince of devils He casteth out devils” (Mt. 9:34). As a heretic and one possessed by the evil spirit: “Do not we say well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” (Jn. 8:48). In short, Jesus was considered so notoriously wicked that, as the Jews said to Pilate, no trial was necessary to condemn Him. “If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up to thee” (Jn. 18:30).

One Our Father … Seven Hail Marys ...

Prayer to Saint Joseph to be Said Especially after the Rosary


Prayer to Saint Joseph to be Said Especially after the Rosary

To you, O Blessed Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most holy spouse, we confidently ask your patronage also. Through that sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the fatherly love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by his blood, and to aid us in our necessities with your power and strength.

O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ. Most beloved father, dispel the evil of falsehood and sin. Our most mighty protector, graciously assist us from heaven in our struggle with the powers of darkness. And just as you once saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God's Holy Church from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity. Shield each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your help, we may be able to live a virtuous life, to die a holy death, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

Go To Joseph! by Saint Teresa of Avila

 

Go To Joseph! by Saint Teresa of Avila

Finding myself so crippled and so young too, and earthly doctors having failed to cure me, I looked to heavenly physicians for help...

I took for my advocate and comforter the glorious Saint Joseph, and commended myself fervently to him; and I clearly saw that it was he who both cured me of my sickness and delivered me from great dangers that threatened my good name and the loss of my soul. His aid has brought me more good than I ever desired to receive from him. I do not remember at any time having asked him for anything which he did not grant. I am quite amazed at the great favors Our Lord has given me, and the many dangers, both of soul and body, from which He has delivered me through the intercession of this blessed saint. Our Lord seems to have given to other saints the power to help us in only one kind of necessity, but I know from experience that this glorious Saint Joseph helps us in all kinds of needs. It appears then that God wishes us to understand that as He was obedient to Joseph when He was on earth (for Saint Joseph was called His father and he could command Him) so now in Heaven God grants whatever Joseph asks.

Others, on my advice, have turned to Saint Joseph and they have had the same experience; and now there are many people who honor him and keep discovering the truth of what I have told them.

I strove to celebrate his feast day [March 19] with all possible solemnity, but I must admit that there was more vanity than true devotion mixed in with the celebration, for I always wanted everything to be done impressively and properly, even though my intentions were good. But it was always a fault of mine that whenever Our Lord gave me the graces to do something good, I added many faults and imperfections with it; whereas when it was a question of doing anything vain, worthless, or bad, I spent much time and effort with it. May Our Lord pardon me!

I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, because long experience has shown me what wonderful blessings he obtains for us from God. Of all those I have known with a true devotion to Saint Joseph, I have never known any who did not advance in virtue, for he assists in a very special way those souls who place themselves under his protection.

For many years now I have always asked favors from him and they were always granted. But if sometimes my petitions had something wrong about them, dear Saint Joseph granted something much better for my own good. Were I a person who had authority to write, I should gladly relate in detail all the favors this dear patron obtained both for me and others; but under obedience I must tell some things briefly, and at length those incidents suggested by my superiors. I only request, for the love of God, that those of you who doubt what I say will prove it for yourselves. And you will see, through experience, how great a blessing it is to commend yourselves to this glorious patriarch, and to be devoted to him. Those persons, especially, who are given to prayer should ever be devoted to him, for I do not know how anyone can think of the Queen of Angels, at the time when she suffered so much on account of the Child Jesus, and not give thanks to Saint Joseph for taking care of them the way he did.

Whoever wants a model to imitate on how to pray, let him take this glorious saint as a guide and he will not lose his way!

God grant that I have not committed any error in speaking as I have....for although I profess to be devoted to him, yet I feel I have always failed in imitating his virtues. But he acted like himself, and showed us his virtues when he enabled me to rise and walk, and to be no more a cripple, And I, by making so bad use of this favor, show what sort of person I am.  The Indulgence is a partial one.

by Saint Teresa of Avila
From her Autobiography, Chapter VI
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

The Cord of Saint Joseph

 

The Cord of Saint Joseph

The devotion to the Cord of St. Joseph took its rise in the town of Antwerp, Belgium, in 1637, in consequence of a miraculous cure effected by the wearing of this precious girdle. At that time there lived there an Augustinian nun of great piety, named Sr. Elizabeth, who had suffered for three years excruciating pains occasioned by a cruel distemper. She had reached such a stage that the doctors, seeing no possible recourse, declared her death to be inevitable and imminent. Sr. Elizabeth turned to Heaven, and having always been particularly devoted to St. Joseph, she asked him to intercede to Our Lord for her recovery. At the same time she had a cord blessed in the Saint's honor, girded herself with it, a few days after, as she prayed before st. Joseph's image, she felt herself suddenly free of the pain. Those who were acquainted with her illness declared her recovery miraculous; an act of authenticity was drawn up with a public notary and the doctor, who happened to be a Protestant, concurred. The miracle was recorded and published at Verona and Rome between 1810-42. During the month of March of the latter year, the Devotion to the Cord came into existence. Cords were blessed in the Church of St. Nicholas, Verona, for hospital patients.

The Office of the Passion of the Lord


The Office of the Passion of the Lord

Marian Antiphon

Holy Virgin Mary, among the women born into the world,  there is no one like you. Daughter and servant of the most high and supreme King and of the Father in heaven, Mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us with Saint Michael the Archangel, all the powers of heaven and all the saints, at the side of your most holy beloved Son, our Lord and Teacher.

Offering of the Bitterness of Our Lord’s Passion


Offering of the Bitterness of Our Lord’s Passion

I offer to You, O Lord, all the bitterness of Your Passion, in reparation for the offenses committed against You.

“I make over to you all the bitterness of My Passion, that you may offer it to Me again, as though it were your own possession. And whoever shall do this shall receive double at My hand, and whenever he renews this offering he shall assuredly receive the double; and this is that hundredfold which a man receives in this life, and in the world to come, life everlasting.” - Our Lord to Saint Mechtilde

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

Visit to Our Lady after the Stations


Visit to Our Lady after the Stations

O most holy Mother, Queen of Sorrows, who didst follow thy beloved Son through all the way of the cross, and whose heart was pierced with a fresh sword of grief at all the stations of that most sorrowful journey; obtain for us, we beseech thee, O most loving Mother, a perpetual remembrance of our blessed Saviour's cross and death, and a true and tender devotion to all the mysteries of His most holy passion; obtain for us the grace to hate sin, even as He hated it in the agony in the garden; to endure wrong and insult with all patience, as He endured them in the judgment hall; to be meek and humble in all our trials, as He was before His judges; to love our enemies even as He loved His murderers, and prayed for them upon the cross; and to glorify God and do good to our neighbors, even as He did in every mystery of His sufferings. O Queen of Martyrs, who, by the dolours of thy Immaculate Heart on Calvary, didst merit to share the passion of our Blessed Redeemer, obtain for us some portion of the compassion, that for the love of Jesus crucified we may be crucified to the world in this life; and in the life to come, may, by His infinite merits and thy powerful intercession, reign with Him in glory everlasting.

Image Credit Waiting for the Word

Sighs of Love and Tears of Devotion


 Sighs of Love and Tears of Devotion

With heartfelt grief, I sigh while considering Your Holy Passion, O Lord, 
and I beg You to wound my heart with the arrow of Your love.

“Whenever anyone sighs towards Me with love in meditating on My Passion, it is as though he gently touched My wounds with a fresh-budding rose, and I wound his heart in return with the arrow of My Love. Moreover, if he sheds tears of devotion over My Passion, I will accept them as though he had suffered for Me.”  - Our Lord to St. Mechtilde

“Ask My Father for as many souls as I shed drops of Blood during My Passion.” - Our Lord to Sr. Mary of St. Peter

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

A Loving Gaze towards the Crucifix


A Loving Gaze towards the Crucifix

After she had devoutly touched a crucifix St. Gertrude learned a holy truth. 

“ … If anyone only looks at the image of the Cross of Jesus Christ with a holy intention, God rewards him with such goodness and mercy that he receives in his soul, as in a spotless mirror, an image which is so agreeable that the whole court of Heaven delights therein; and this serves to increase his eternal glory in the life to come in proportion as he has practiced this act of devotion in this life.”

Saint Gertrude the Great
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

The Five Holy Wounds


The Five Holy Wounds

Repeat any one of the following ejaculations five times in honor of the Five Holy Wounds of Our Lord:

Jesus, Saviour of the world, have mercy on me. You to Whom nothing is impossible, bestow mercy to the wretched.

O Christ, Who by Your Cross has redeemed the world, hear us.

Hail, Jesus, my loving Spouse. I salute You in the ineffable joys of Your divinity; I embrace You with the affection of all creatures, and I kiss the sacred wound of Your love.

The Lord is my strength and my glory; He is my salvation.

Our Lord made known to St. Gertrude that if any one of the above ejaculations is repeated five times in honor of the Five Wounds of the Lord, spiritually kissing the wounds devoutly, adding some prayers or good works, and offering them through the Heart of Jesus, they will be as acceptable to God as the most difficult devotion.

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

O Eternal and incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father, and of Mary, always virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendors of Thy Father during eternity; and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thine incarnation. 

I give Thee thanks for that Thou hast annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee for that Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Thy child, nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare not come by myself before Thy most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me for a mediatrix with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom. 

Hail, then, O immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to thee. 

I, N_____, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and 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. 

Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honor of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity; in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored thee. I declare that I wish henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all things. 

O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me! O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God; and for that end receive me among those whom thou lovest and teachest, whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and thy slaves. 

O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and by thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen. 


by Saint Louis de Montfort

Image Credit Waiting for the Word

Night Prayer in Response to a Request from Our Lord


Night Prayer in Response to a Request from Our Lord

ETERNAL FATHER, I desire to rest in Thy Heart this night. I make the intention of offering to Thee every beat of my heart, joining to them as many acts of love and desire. I pray that even while I am asleep, I will bring back to Thee souls that offend Thee. I ask forgiveness for the whole world, especially for those who know Thee and yet sin. I offer to Thee my every breath and heartbeat as a prayer of reparation. Amen.

“During the night you will rest in My Heart! My Heart will listen to the beats of yours, which will be so many acts of love and desire. Thus even while you are sleeping, you will bring back to Me souls that offend Me… Ask forgiveness for the whole world, especially for those that know Me and yet sin; offer yourself in reparation!” Our Lord to Sr. Josefa Menedez


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Evening Prayer to the Holy Spirit


Evening Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O Holy Spirit, most merciful Comforter: You proceed from the Father in a manner beyond our understanding. Come, I beseech You, and take up your abode in my heart. Purify and cleanse me from all sin, and sanctify my soul. Cleanse it from every impurity, water its dryness, melt its coldness, and save it from its sinful ways. Make me truly humble and resigned, that I may be pleasing to You, and that You might abide with me forever. Most Blessed Light, most Amiable Light, enlighten me. O Rapturous Joy of Paradise, Fount of Purest Delight, My God, give yourself to me and kindle in my innermost soul the fire of Your love. My Lord, instruct, direct, and defend me in all things. Give me strength against all immoderate fears and against despondency. Bestow upon me a true faith, a firm hope, and a sincere and a perfect love. Grant that I always do Thy Most Gracious Will. Amen. 

By Saint Antiochus
Image Credit Waiting for the Word

An Evening Prayer


An Evening Prayer to Jesus

Grant O Dearest Jesus, that I may repose upon Thy breast, and draw sweetness with every breath from Thy affectionate Heart.  Let Thy loving Spirit penetrate my soul, and absorb it and unite it inseparably to Thyself. Remain with me, I beseech Thee, through the night, that whilst my body sleeps, my spirit may wake to Thee, and see Thee always near me.

God my Creator, look upon me in Thy mercy, and so rule my slumbers, that my heart may rest calmly in Thy love as in its all-absorbing sleep; and grant that I may repose in Thee this night and for all eternity. Amen.

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Prayers Before and After Work

 

Prayers Before and After Work

Prayer before Work
Our Lord directed St. Gertrude to tell a certain person to form the following inten tion before beginning any work: O LORD Jesus; in union with Thy most perfect actions I commend to Thee this my work; to be directed according to Thine adorable will; for the salvation of all mankind. Amen. 

Prayer After Work
O LORD Jesus; in union with Thy most perfect actions I offer Thee this my work; to be amended and cleansed; and presented as is fit to God the Father; to His eternal praise. Amen.

An Efficacious Method of Offering Our Actions
O Lord, I offer Thee this work through Thine Only Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the praise of Thine eternal Majesty; it was revealed to her that whatever action was thus offered would acquire a worth and acceptableness to God beyond all human comprehension. For as all things appear to be green when seen through a green glass, so whatever is offered to God through His Only-begotten Son cannot be otherwise than most precious and pleasing in His sight. 

That you may understand how useful it is to offer all your works to God, listen to what our Lord said on one occasion to St. Gertrude: All thy works are most perfectly pleasing to Me. And as she could not believe this, He added: If you held in your hand some object which you had the means and the skill to render perfectly pleasing to everyone, and if you tenderly loved that object, would you neglect to adorn it? Even thus, because you are accustomed to offer all your works to Me, I hold them in My hand; and as I have both the power and the skill, My love rejoiceth to cleanse and perfect them all, that they may be most perfectly pleasing in My sight.

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