Prayer of the Month

AT THE ECCE ANCILLA DOMINI

Our blessed Lady said to St. Gertrude: Whoever shall devoutly recall to my mind the joy which I felt in uttering the words: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, I will most truly show him that I am his Mother, and will unfailingly succour him. 

O MOTHER of blessedness and most august Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, I praise and greet thee, and with most devout intention of mind recall to thee that unspeakable joy which thou didst feel when with calmest trustfulness thou didst commend to the Divine Will thy whole unreserved self, and all that was to be done to thee and in thee, saying: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: beseeching thee that thou wouldst show thyself my Mother, and evermore succour me with the saving help of thy compassionate heart. Amen. 

On another occasion, when the Mother of God herself appeared to St. Mechtilde, the Saint asked her how she could honor her, and Mary replied:  "Remind me of the joy which I experienced when the Son of God left the bosom of His Father in order to come into my womb. Rejoice with me again in the ineffable bliss with which I was filled when that same Son was born of me, and when I saw Him and pressed Him in my arms as a Mother."

"Everything I say to One of my Children is for all of them... Each Soul is my favorite... If Only you knew my Love for each One." ~ Our Lord to Gabrielle Bossis (1874-1950)

The Month of January is dedicated to The Holy Name and The Child of Jesus

Spiritual Exercise: The Divine Infant revealed to His faithful servant how pleasing to Him is this holy practice; He promised her that He would grant special graces, above all purity of heart and innocence, to all who carried the chaplet (Chaplet of the Holy Infant Jesus) on their person and recited it in honor of the mysteries of His holy infancy. As a sign of His approval, He showed her these chaplets shining with a supernatural light. - This devotion owes its origin to the zeal of Sister Marguerite, a Carmelite religious, who died in France in 1648. She was distinguished for her devotion to the Holy Child Jesus.

TIps on Prayer

I will be posting a new prayer each Month....  I recommend memorizing you favorite prayers so that you will have them with you whereever you go, especially recommended are those that carry precious Heavenly Promises.  For example most Catholics know how to say the Rosary by heart and know the Mysteries, and some if not all the beginning and ending prayers to the Rosary (The Apostles Creed, Hail Holy Queen, Come Holy Ghost, Let Us Pray, Memorare, Prayer to St. Michael) due to daily recitation.. If there is a prayer in the Rosary that isn't known by memory yet, I recommend memorizing it; then even without a Rosary in hand you can begin and end a rosary anytime you find yourself in instances where your mind is unoccupied for any length of time.. 

By memorizing your favorite prayers, you are also more likely to say them and you can recall them to mind in instances when your mind is unoccupied such as first thing when you wake up in the morning, When you are showering or getting ready for the Day, when you are stuck in traffic, washing dishes or cleaning the House, waiting in line at the supermarket, in the waiting room of a doctor's office, standing in the line at the DMV and so on and so on.. . 

The way I memorize prayers is to go over the prayer I would like to memorize for about a half an hour, (longer if the prayer is lengthy)  refering to the copy of the prayer until I can recite it completely without looking.. Once I have memorized the prayer,  I recall it throughout the day many times for the first day or two... Then I remember to pray it once daily..  After a month or so the prayer is completely familiar and easily recalled.. 

If you are consistant doing this with your favorite prayers, they will in time become as easy to recall as the "Hail Mary" or the "Our Father".  You will be surprised how many prayers you will be able to memorize this way! 

Spiritual Exercises

Honoring 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.”

Jesus once said to St. Gertrude: 

“It is very agreeable to Me to see thee thus honoring the Crucifix.  It is always an effect of Divine grace when men’s eyes meet the Image on the Cross, and never once do they rest upon it, but their soul is benefited.  The oftener they do this here on earth with reverence and love, the greater will be their reward in heaven. “

"Whenever you Kiss My image, I in turn kiss you; whenever you press My image to your heart, I in turn press you to My heart; whenever you think of me, I in turn think of you.  Indeed, you are always in My thoughts, but at these times I think of you with a special love and 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

The Hour of Great Mercy

Promise:  During a vision of the Divine Mercy devotion, Our Lord said to Sr. Faustina, “At three o’clock implore My mercy especially for sinners; and if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in my Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony.  This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world…  In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.”

Later He added, “… as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul.   In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking: it was the hour of grace for the whole world – mercy triumphed over justice.” 

Uniting our Sufferings to Christ

St. Gertrude suffered during the greater part of her life.  Once when she was confined to bed by illness, this consoling revelation was imparted to her:

“Whoever in his trials and adversities unites himself with My sufferings, and strives to imitate My patience and resignation, will truly repose on My Heart and participate in all the merits of My life.”

Bodily and spiritual afflictions are the surest sign of Divine predilection, yea, even a mark of the espousal of the soul with God.  Gratitude for suffering is a precious jewel for our heavenly crown.

Offering Our Corporeal Necessities

‘Whoever offers Me the satisfaction of his corporal necessities such as eating, drinking, sleeping, etc, saying in his heart or with his lips, ‘Lord, I take this food’ (or whatever it may be) in union with the love with which You performed the like actions when on earth, for the glory of Your Father and the salvation of men’…. Each time he makes his offering in union with My divine Love, he presents Me with a strong shield to protect Me against the insults and outrages of sinners.” – St. Gertrude

Offering our Actions

‘From time to time during the day, repeat a little phrase such as: ‘This is for You, my Jesus’ It will warm your heart and bring balm to mine.’

Before ever act, before entering or leaving a room or before any activity, simply say Jesus’ and I will accept it as a dedication.” 

Simply say: Jesus’ when ever you make an error, or are cold.  I will accept the suffering as borne for My sake.”

Sacrifice Prayer

Our Lady of Fatima said: Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially when you make some sacrifice:

O Jesus it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

After Falling into Sin

St. Gertrude said to our Lord: Teach me, O best of Teachers, how to efface the stains of sin, which I contract from time to time. She received this answer: Never allow these stains to remain upon thy conscience; but as soon as thou feelest thyself defiled by any fault, say to Me with a devout heart: 

O CHRIST Jesus, my only Salvation and Hope, grant that all my transgressions may be blotted out by Thine most efficacious death. Amen. 

Spiritual Communions

"...Make as many Spiritual Communions as possible, to supply for the many Sacramental Communions which are not made.. One every quarter of an hour is not enough. Make them shorter, but more numerous.." ~ Our Lord to Sr. Benigna Consolata (1916) 

'If you practice the holy exercise of Spiritual Communion a good many times each day, within a month you will see yourself completely changed.' -- St. Leonard of Port Maurice

While St. Gertrude was offering a certain action to God, saying:

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. 

In Reparation for Blasphemy

“Oh, if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, “Admirable is the Name of God,” in the spirit of reparation for blasphemy!” – Our Lord to Sr. Mary of St. Peter.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HEAVENLY PROMISES

Prayer will be updated every Month...
Sources: The Herald of Divine Love by Saint Gertrude of Helfta
Prayers and Heavenly Promises (Compiled by approved sources) Joan C. Cruz

Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons