Saints Digna and Emerita of Rome, martyrs, were consecrated virgins in the 3rd century. When dragged to court for the crime of Christianity during the persecutions of Valerian, they simply stood in front of the judge and prayed.
And at the sound of their voices I was awakened, still tasting a sweetness which I cannot describe. And I immediately related this to my brother, and we understood that it was to be a passion, and we ceased henceforth to have any hope in this world.
St Perpetua
Madonna di Porto Salvo / Our Lady of Porto Salvo, Lampedusa, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy (1843) – 22 September:
The island of Lampedusa lies far south of Sicily, closer to Tunisia than to Italy. Since the time of the Crusades, it has been home to a rural Shrine frequented by mariners both Christian and Muslim in the 1500s and 1600s, who kept an oil lamp burning constantly before the crude stone Statue of the Madonna and Child.
But the island was not inhabited until 22 September 1843, when two steamships of Italian colonists arrived under Governor Bernardo Maria Sanvisente. In Madonna Valley, they found the Chapel dilapidated and the mutilated Statue of the Virgin on the ground. Sanvisente ordered the Chapel and Statue to be restored and a Mass sung every year on 22 September in honour of the Madonna of Porto Salvo and the settlement of the island. During World War II, bombs destroyed the Church, but the Madonna was unhurt and no-one killed.
In 1967, the Virgin and Child were crowned but in 1979 the precious crowns were stolen. The faithful soon raised money for new ones and the Madonna of Porto Salvo was recrowned on 21 September 1980.
She is the Patron of fishermen and her celebration now lasts two weeks. On the first Sunday of September, the Statue processes from its Shrine to the main Church in town, where it is honoured with special services until the big day of the 22nd, when it processes solemnly through the City streets. Of course, the festa is the occasion for general entertainment, games and food as well. On the 23rd, a final procession returns the Madonna to the Sanctuary outside town.
St Augustinus Yu Chin-Kil
St Basilia
St Digna of Rome
St Emerita of Rome
St Emmeramus
St Florentius the Venerable
St Gunthildis of Suffersheim (Died c 1057) Laywoman
St Ignatius of Santhia OFM Cap (1686-1770) Priest and Friar of the Capuchin Franciscans, renowned Spiritual Director, servant of the Confessional, apostle of charity Known as the “Father of Sinners and the Lost”
St Irais
St Jonas
Bl Joseph Marchandon
St Lauto of Coutances
St Lindru of Partois
St Maurice & Co
Bl Otto of Freising
St Sadalberga
St Sanctinus of Meaux
St Silvanus of Levroux
St Thomas of Villanueva/Villanova OSA (1488-1555) Archbishop, Religious Priest of the Order of St Augustine, Confessor, Writer, Preacher, Teacher, Apostle of Charity, Mystic, Miracle-Worker often called “the Almsgiver” and “the Father of the Poor“, Reformer.
Martyrs of the Theban Legion: Martyrs (c 287)
A Roman imperial legion of 6,600 soldiers, all of whom were Christians; they had been recruited from the area around Thebes in Upper Egypt, were led by Saint Maurice and served under Emperor Maximian Herculeus. Around the year 287, Maximian led the army across the Alps to Agaunum, an area in modern Switzerland, in order to suppress a revolt by the Bagandre in Gaul. In connection with battle, the army offered public sacrifices to the Roman gods; the Theban Legion refused to participate. For refusing orders, the Legion was decimated – one tenth of them were executed. When the remainder refused to sacrifice to the gods, they were decimated again. When the survivors still refused to sacrifice, Maximinian ordered them all killed. Martyrs.
Known members of the Legion include:
• Alexander of Bergamo
• Candidus the Theban
• Chiaffredo of Saluzzo
• Exuperius
• Fortunato
• Innocent of Agaunum
• Maurice
• Secundus the Theban
• Ursus the Theban
• Victor of Agaunum
• Victor of Xanten
• Victor the Theban
• Vitalis of Agaunum
Other profiled saints associated with the Legion include:
• Antoninus of Piacenza (martyred soldier; associated by later story tellers)
• Adventor of Turin (not a member; associated by later story tellers)
• Cassius (may have been a member)
• Florentius the Martyr (may have been a member)
• George of San Giorio (not a member; associated by later story tellers)
• Gereon (not a member, but another soldier who was martyred for refusing to make a sacrifice to Roman gods)
• Octavius of Turin (not a member; associated by later story tellers)
• Pons of Pradleves (escaped the massacre to become an evangelists in northern Italy)
• Secundus of Asti (not a member but linked due to art work)
• Solutor of Turin (not a member; associated by later story tellers)
• Tiberio of Pinerolo (may have been a member)
• Verena (wife of a member of the Legion)
They were martyred c 287 in Agaunum (modern Saint-Maurice-en-Valais, Switzerland. A basilica was built in Agaunum to enshrine the relics of the Legion.
Martyrs of Valencia, Spain – Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Alfonso Lopez
• Blessed Antonio Gil-Monforte
• Blessed Antonio Sáez de Ibarra López
• Blessed Carlos Navarro Miquel
• Blessed Esteban Cobo-Sanz
• Blessed Federico Cobo-Sanz
• Blessed Félix Echevarría Gorostiaga
• Blessed Francisco Carlés González
• Blessed Francisco Vicente Edo
• Blessed Germán Gozalvo Andreu
• Blessed Josefina Moscardó Montalvá
• Blessed Luis Echevarría Gorostiaga
• Blessed María Purificación Vidal Pastor
• Blessed Miguel Zarragua Iturrízaga
• Blessed Simón Miguel Rodríguez
• Blessed Vicente Sicluna Hernández
Our Morning Offering – 22 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”
Lord, May Your Kingdom Come into My Heart
By Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751)
Lord, may Your Kingdom come into my heart
to sanctify me, nourish me and purify me.
How insignificant is the passing moment,
to the eye without faith!
But how important each moment is,
to the eye enlightened by faith!
How can we deem insignificant anything,
which has been caused by You?
Every moment and every event is guided by You
and so, contains Your infinite greatness.
So, Lord, I glorify You
in everything that happens to me.
In whatever manner You make me live and die,
I am content.
Events please me for their own sake,
regardless of their consequences,
because Your action lies behind them.
Everything is heaven to me
because, all my moments,
manifest Your love.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 22 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”- Readings: Sir 45:30, Ps. 131:1, Sir 44:16-27; 45:3-20, Matt 25:14-23
And he who had received the five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; behold, I have gained five others in addition.’
Matt 25:14-23
REFLECTION – The man in travelling into a far country is our Redeemer, who ascended into heaven in that flesh which He had taken upon Him. For the proper home of the flesh is the earth, and it, as it were, travels into a foreign country, when it is placed by the Redeemer in heaven.
Otherwise; The five talents denote the gift of the five senses, that is, the knowledge of things without; the two signify understanding and action, the one talent understanding only.
There are also some who though they cannot pierce to things inward and mystical, yet for their measure of view of their heavenly country they teach rightly such things as they can, what they have gathered from things without, and while they keep themselves from wantonness of the flesh, and from ambition of earthly things, and from the delights of the things that are seen, they restrain others also from the same by their admonitions.
Again, there are some who by their understanding and their actions preach to others, and thence gain as it were a twofold profit in such merchandize. This their preaching bestowed upon both sexes is thus a talent doubled.
To hide one talent in the earth is to devote the ability we have received to worldly business.
This lesson from this Gospel warns us to consider whether those who seem to have received more in this world than others shall not be more severely judged by the Author of the world; the greater the gifts, the greater the reckoning for them. Therefore should every one be humble concerning his talents in proportion as he sees himself tied up with a greater responsibility.St Gregory the Great
PRAYER – O God of love, You sent Your beloved Son to the world to proclaim the Good News of Salvation, to heal every illness and to cure all infirmity of body and soul. Help us to continue the mission of the merciful Christ in the service towards our neighbour, preaching the Gospel and offering our help in whatever way we can. May the example of suffering of our Blessed Mother Mary, teach us how to love and serve You. Through her intercession, grant us the grace to go forth in love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
The first house is Eve in a state of innocence, beautiful, comely, innocent, wise; the second house is the Virgin Mary, lowly and mortal. But do not grieve, O sinners: Great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first. The first killed us, the last gave us life. The first led us to death, the last to life. The first is the creation of God, the last the Mother of God. The first is the world’s destruction, the last the world’s salvation.
Do you suppose that the Virgin suffers only a slight loss if you say that she was the captive of sin for only a moment? That she was a daughter of perdition, subject to an evil spirit, infected by the universal stain? How did she bruise the devil’s head, if she was first bruised by it? God forbid, God forbid, that we should impute such a stain to the glory of our sinful nature!
The Virgin is called an unspotted mirror (Wis 7:26). For just as a mirror contains two things, glass and lead, which allow it to reflect a likeness, so the Virgin contains the glass of purity and the lead of humility, by virtue of which the visible likeness of God the Father appeared in her in the flesh. Bernard says: the royal Virgin rises above all.
The most holy Virgin is first in worthiness. Anselm says, Nothing is equal to you, O Lady, nothing is comparable; for all that exists is either above you, and this is God; while that which is below you — and that is everything — is not God.
How was the Virgin created from the beginning? The answer: It does not say from the beginning of time, but as a condition of manner; not that she was created from the beginning, but that she followed the manner and condition of creatures who were created first and from the beginning, because they were without defect and sin.
For as the sun surpasses all the lights of heaven by virtue of its distinguished renown, so Mary surpasses all rational creation, after the Son, by the splendor and fairness of virtue and grace. And the moon under her feet. For every defect, and whatever weakness or corruption that exists, is beneath the Virgin, who rises above and surpasses creatures by virtue of a certain most excellent loftiness beyond all others; so that the moon may rightly be said to be under her feet.
Lord have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us.
Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the World, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.
Mother of Dolours, Pray for us.
Thou who didst find no room in the inn, Pray for us.
Who wast forced to take refuge in a stable, Pray for us.
Who didst lay thy first-born in a manger, Pray for us.
Who didst witness the circumcision of thy Son, Pray for us.
Who didst hear that thy Son was set as a sign that should be contradicted, Pray for us.
Who didst hear that thy own soul should be pierced with a sword, Pray for us.
Who didst fly into Egypt with thy Son, Pray for us.
Who didst grieve for the murder of the Innocents, Pray for us.
Who for three days didst seek sorrowing thy Son, lost in the
Temple when He was twelve years old, Pray for us.
Who didst note the constant hatred of the Jews against Him, Pray for us.
Who on the day of the last Supper didst bid farewell to thy Son going to Jerusalem to die. Pray for us.
Who didst learn that He was betrayed by Judas, and led away captive, Pray for us.
Who didst see Him delivered us as a malefactor by the chief priests, Pray for us.
Who didst hear that He was falsely accused, Pray for us.
Who didst learn that his blessed face was struck, Pray for us.
Who didst learn that He was most cruelly treated by the Jews and
the soldiers, Pray for us.
Who didst hear thy Son rejected for Barabbas, Pray for us.
Who didst behold Him beaten with scourges and crowned with thorns, Pray for us.
Who didst hear sentence pronounced against Him, Pray for us.
Who didst go to meet thy Son loaded with the Cross, Pray for us.
Who didst see his blessed hands and feet pierced with nails, Pray for us.
Who didst receive the last words of Jesus upon the Cross. Pray for us.
Who didst stand by Him in his agony, Pray for us.
Who didst receive into thy bosom the lifeless Body of thy Son taken down from the Cross, Pray for us.
Who after the Body of Jesus was buried didst return home all sad and desolate. Pray for us.
O Queen of Martyrs,
O Mirror of the afflicted,
Ο Comfort of the weak,
O Strength of the fearful,
Refuge of Sinners.
Through the most bitter Passion and Death of thy Son,
Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
Through the most poignant sorrow
of thy heart, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
Through thy exceeding sadness and desolation, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
Through thy extreme anguish, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
Through thy groans and tears, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
Through thy maternal compassion, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
Through thy most powerful patronage, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From immoderate sadness, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From a pusillanimous spirit, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From every occasion and danger of sin, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From the snares of the devil, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From hardness of heart, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From impenitence, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From sudden and unprovided death, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
From eternal damnation, Deliver us from sin and evil, O Queen of Martyrs.
We sinners,
Beseech thee hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve us by thy patronage in true faith, hope, and charity,
We beseech thee hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to obtain for us perfect sorrow and repentance for our sins, We beseech thee hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring consolation and assistance to those who call upon thee, We beseech thee hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to succour us in the agony of death, We beseech thee hear us.
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to obtain for us a happy death, We beseech thee hear us.
Mother of God, We beseech thee hear us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Christ hear us,
Christ graciously hear us.
Lord have mercy on us,
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
V. In all our tribulations and
afflictions,
R. Succour us, O Virgin Mary,
PRAYER.
Write, O afflicted Mother, on my repentant heart thy Seven Dolours and the five bleeding Wounds which thy dear Son bore, that I may read therein sorrow and true love; sorrow, to endure for Jesus and for thee every sorrow; love, to despise every love for Him and for thee. Live, crucified Jesus and heartbroken Mary, for ever and ever! Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Memorare Triste.
Remember, O Virgin Mary, most sorrowful of the afflicted daughters of suffering Eve, that from all ages it has never been known that anyone imploring thy assistance failed to gain thy compassion and protection. Animated with the confidence which this inspires, to thee, O Queen of Martyrs and Virgin Mother, I come, as a contrite sinner, weeping and kneeling. Do not, O Mother of Jesus crucified, despise my suppliant voice, but hear and grant my prayer. Amen.
St Matthew – Apostle and Evangelist (Feast)
Beata Vergine del Tresto / The Blessed Virgin of Tresto, Ospedaletto Euganeo, Italy (1468) – 21September:
The complex of the Sanctuary of Tresto was built in the place of the miraculous Marian apparition to the boatman Giovanni di Bartolomeo Zielo da Ponso on the night of 21 September 1468, in the locality of Tresto, current fraction of the Municipality of Ospedaletto Euganeo near Padua, from where he was returning. Reaching Este in the evening, the man had stopped to sleep in the boat under the Borini bridge. Around midnight he was awakened by a female voice who called him three times. The man saw two beautiful ladies who enjoined him to follow them.
Strangely finding the drawbridge of the City lowered, they walked towards the countryside where, in the locality of Tresto, one of the two ladies sat on the bank of a ditch and told the other to fetch her a bunch of grapes. Then she asked Giovanni if he knew her. To his negative answer she said that she was Mary, the Mother of God. She then enjoined him not to amend his life and to do his best to have a Church built on that place according to the plan and the measures she illustrated to him.
But Giovanni objected saying that because of his poverty and ignorance, he would not be believed. Then Mary gave him a knife, instructing him to stick it into the ground and then to remove it. Giovanni obeyed and when he removed the blade from the ground, blood gushed. After having blessed him, the Madonna disappeared with her companion. T he next day Giovanni, afraid of not being believed, did not carry out the commands he had received but only confided in three friends. Losing his peace of mind, he eventually went with some people to the site of the apparition, where he tried to stick the knife into the ground, pulling it back wet with blood. Others wanted to try: the incredulous could not move the blade from the ground, while the others withdrew it bloody.
The miraculous event, renewed several times, convinced everyone to work together to erect the required Church. At the halfway point, due to the exceptional drought that had hit the area, there was no water. Everyone then invoked the help of Mary, who caused a spring appear next to the construction site. This spring since then, over the centuries, has been a source of miraculous cures just like the one at Lourdes. The custody of the Church, built in 9 months, was entrusted by the Paduan clergy to a Congregation of Mendicants of whom Giovanni wore the habit in a lay state.
The Sanctuary of Tresto became and remains a site of devotion and pilgrimage with the powerful and healing waters of the miraculous Spring, bringing many sick seeking cures. The Sanctuary preserves several works of art among which the painting on wood depicting the Virgin and Child shown above, stands out, a masterpiece attributed to Jacopo da Montagnana who created it between 1475 and 1480.
St Alexander of the Via Claudia
Bl Diego Hompanera París
St Eusebius of Phoenicia
St Francisco Pastor Garrido
St François Jaccard
St Gerulph
St Herminio García Pampliega
St Iphigenia
St Isaac of Cyprus
Bl Jacinto Martínez Ayuela
St Jacques Honoré Chastán
St Johannes Ri
St Jonah the Prophet
Bl José María Azurmendi Mugarza
Bl Josep Vila Barri
St Landelino of Ettenheim
Bl Manuel Torró García
Blessed Mark Scalabrini of Modena OP (c 1420-1498)
St Maura of Troyes
St Meletius of Cyprus
Bl Nicolás de Mier Francisco
St Pamphilus of Rome
St Pierre Philibert Maubant
St Tôma Tran Van Thien
Bl Vicente Galbis Gironés
Bl Vicente Pelufo Orts
—
Martyrs of Gaza – 3 saints: Three brothers, Eusebius, Nestulus and Zeno, who were seized, dragged through the street, beaten and murdered by a pagan mob celebrating the renunciation of Christianity by Julian the Apostate. They were burned to death in 362 on a village garbage heap in Gaza, Palestine.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Diego Hompanera París
• Blessed Jacinto Martínez Ayuela
• Blessed José María Azurmendi Mugarza
• Blessed Josep Vila Barri
• Blessed Manuel Torró García
• Blessed Nicolás de Mier Francisco
• Blessed Vicente Galbis Gironés
• Blessed Vicente Pelufo Orts
Saint Jonah the Prophet, also known as Ionas, Jonas, Yona, Yunaan, Yunus, was an Old Testament patriarch and prophet. Hero of the Book of Jonah, he was so reluctant to deliver his prophecy against the city of Nineveh that God had to have him swallowed by a giant fish and then spat out on the city’s shore.
Jesus calls himself “greater than Jonah” and promises the Pharisees “the sign of Jonah” when referring to his resurrection. Jonah is viewed as a type of Jesus.
He died in 761 B.C. Tradition says he was buried in a tomb in modern Mosul, Iraq. The tomb was enclosed in a shrine in the 8th century BC. The tomb and shrine were destroyed by Muslims in July 2014.
Our Morning Offering – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
O Matthew, Christ
Just Bade You Come
The glory that surrounds your name,
O blessed Levi, is a proof
Of God’s all loving clemency
Besides a sign of hope for us.
While seated at your counting board,
O Matthew, Christ just bade you come,
Without a word of all the wealth
Of grace He had in store for you.
Your heart no hesitation knew,
From then your house became His own,
In following, you gave up all
To earn the triumph of the Twelve.
The life the Son of David led,
The words He spoke, you stored as gold,
Which, handed down the centuries,
Have fed and taught the Christian world.
You spread the Gospel fearlessly;
Until at last you shed your blood,
In witness to your faith in Christ
And pledge of your undying love.
Apostle and evangelist
With Martyrdom as final crown,
Bring us to heaven, that with you
God’s praises we may ever sing.
Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist- Readings: Ps 36:30-31, Ps 36:1, Ezek 1:10-14, Matt 9:9-13
At that time, Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting in the tax-collector’s place, and said to him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him.
Matt 9:9-13
REFLECTION – Seated at his customs post, this unfortunate publican was in an even worse situation than the paralytic about whom I spoke to you the other day – the one who was lying on a stretcher. The latter was afflicted with bodily paralysis but this man with paralysis of soul. Where the first was concerned, all his members were deformed, but in the case of the second, all his powers of judgement were in disarray. The former was lying a prisoner of his own flesh; the latter was seated, captive in soul and body. The paralytic fell a prey to suffering in spite of himself, but as for the publican, it was with full consent that he was a slave of evil and sin. This latter, innocent in his own eyes, was accused of covetousness by others; the former, in the midst of his sores, knew himself to be a sinner. This man piled up his gains, all of which were sinful; the other wiped out his sins while groaning in misery. Hence the words addressed to the paralytic were absolutely just: “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven you”, since by his sufferings he was making up for his offences. As for the publican, these were the words he heard: “Come, follow me,” which is to say: “You will make reparation by following me, you who were lost by following after money.”
Someone may say: Why did the publican, apparently the more culpable, receive a higher gift? Straightaway he becomes an apostle. He himself received forgiveness and grants to others the remission of their sins; he illumines the whole earth with the brightness of the preaching of the Gospel. Whereas the paralytic is barely accounted worthy even to receive forgiveness. Would you like to know why the publican obtained greater graces? It is because, according to the apostle Paul’s words: “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,”.
St Peter Chrysologus
PRAYER – We thank You, heavenly Father,
for the witness of Your Apostle
and Evangelist, Matthew,
to the Gospel of Your Son, our Saviour
and we pray that, after his example,
we may with ready wills and hearts,
obey the calling of our Lord, to follow Him;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
“He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.”
Matthew 9:9
“Our Lord chose Matthew, the tax collector,
to encourage his fellows to join him.
He looked on sinners, called them
and brought them to sit beside Him.
What a wonderful sight!
Angels stand trembling,
while publicans, seated, rejoice!”
St Ephrem
“Why did Jesus not call Matthew
at the same time as He called Peter
and John and the rest?
He came to each one
at a particular time
when He knew that they would respond to Him.
He came at a different time to call Matthew
when He was assured
that Matthew would surrender to His call.
For He Who is acquainted
with our inmost hearts
and knows the secrets of our minds,
knows when each one of us is ready
to respond fully.”
St John Chrysostom
I. The heartrending anguish which Mary felt in her pure soul when she heard from the prophetic lips of Holy Simeon the future sufferings of her Son.
One Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
II. The sword of grief which transfixed Mary’s heart during the flight into Egypt.
One Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
III. Mary’s misery and woe when Jesus was lost for three days.
One Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
IV. Mary meets Jesus carrying his cross, and she faints at his feet.
One Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
V. Mary stands beneath the cross, beholds Him die, and falls into the arms
of St. John, with a broken heart. One Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
VI. Mary recovers from her swoon, and receives on her lap the corpse of her Son. One Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
VII. Mary with tears in her eyes follows her Son to the tomb and sees Him buried. One Our Father and seven Hail Marys.
In honour of the tears Mary shed during her Dolours.
Three Hail Marys.
V. Pray for us, O sorrowful Mother of Jesus.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
PRAYER.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the Blessed Virgin thy Mother may intercede for us with thy clemency, now and at the hour of our death; who, in the hour of thy Passion, was pierced in her most holy soul by a sword of sorrow ; grant this, O Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
INDULGENCES FOR THE ABOVE ROSARY.
I. 200 days for each Our Father and Hail Mary, when recited in the churches of the Order of the Servants of Mary.
II. 200 days for each Our Father and Hail Mary, when recited on Friday, on all the days of Lent, and on the Feast and Octave of the Seven Dolours, in any place whatever.
III. 100 days for each recital, in any place or at any time, together with seven years and seven quarantines.
IV. Plenary, with confession and communion, for those who have said it daily for a month.
V. 100 years for each recital.
VI. 150 years for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
VII. Plenary once a year for those who recite it at least four times a week.
VIII. 200 years for those who recite it after confession.
IX. For those who frequently recite this Rosary, and have one about their persons, an indulgence of ten years each time they assist at Mass, hear sermons, accompany the Blessed Sacrament to the sick, bring sinners to repentance, &c., &c.; and the same indulgence for those who perform some
spiritual or corporal work in honour of our Blessed Lord, the Blessed Virgin, or their patron Saints, reciting at the same time seven Our Fathers and seven Hail Marys.
All these indulgences are applicable to the dead.
Notre-Dame-au-Pied-d’Argent / Our Lady with the Silver Foot), Toul, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, France (1284) – 20 September:
At Toul, in Lorraine, there was a Statue, which, according to an ancient tradition, informed a woman on 20 September in the year 1284, of an act of treachery which was being planned against the City.
The Statue was called Our Lady with the Silver Foot, or Notre-Dame au pied d’argenth. The faithful keep the memory of this stone Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was located just inside the entrance of the Church and placed over a sculpted clam. In those days there would be a lamp burning before it on feast days and almost every day, the faithful offered small candles which they lit and rested on a circular iron candlestick that was placed before the Statue. It was well known that several people who prayed before this Statue were cured of various diseases but the devotion and respect of the people toward this image, grew more than ever at the time of the Bishop Conrad because of the miracle that occurred in the following manner:
A woman named Helwide was in the Cathedral Saint-Etienne de Toul praying to the Blessed Virgin for consolation and the repose of the souls of her husband and daughter who had recently died. It was about midnight, when the Canons were praying Matins, that the Blessed Virgin Mary suddenly appeared to her.
The Virgin Mary ordered Helwide to go immediately to find a man named Rimbert, who was the guardian of “The Door to the Chair.” The Door to the Chair gave access to the Castrum, a little entrance to the City near Tanner Street. Helwide was urged to go quickly, for an enemy proposed to enter the City by the door to set their homes on fire and fill the streets with blood.
Regaining her senses after the vision, Helwide got up feeling very puzzled. She was hesitant about what she should do, though as Rimbert’s home was not far distant and was on her way home anyway, she decided she would indeed go there.
No sooner had Helwide stepped out of the Church, than she met the night-watch on patrol. She told them the tale of her vision and they responded by mocking her and making derogatory jokes. Despite this, two of them still decided to follow and actually see what would happen if Helwide could find the porter she sought.
The pair arrived with Helwide at the house and simply thrust the door open. Rimbert sat on his bunk, seeming startled, yet as if expecting the visit. Helwide briefly stated the purpose of her visit and Rimbert exclaimed, “I had precisely the same vision and the same warning! I do not know if it occurred in my sleep or in the state of wakefulness but I have been told that the Statue will move her foot in testimony of the truth!”
At these words, all those present were seized with a great desire to see such a prodigy. With a rush they ran to the Cathedral and removed the candles and all that stood before the image. To their disappointment they found that the Virgin’s feet remained mostly hidden beneath the folds of the clothing of the Statue as before.
In the interim, several scholars and some laymen who were called to see the wonder, arrived on the scene. Seeing that nothing was apparently going to happen, they began cursing all the rest as senseless interpreters of dreams. As they stood not far from the Statue, many of them fell silent as they saw the Statue suddenly move as an entire foot of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared from beneath the folds of her garment.
Terrified, but convinced, this time they all agreed to announce the peril which they now knew actually threatened them. Quickly rendering their thanks to Mary, they agreed to defend the City and call for reinforcements. They arrived just in time to take up their positions to defend the entrance to the City with the assistance of the Episcopal palace guards.
A tremendous struggle occurred when the invaders broke down the door and entered the courtyard, but the defenders were committed to the fight and held their own. When reinforcements arrived, the invaders fell to the last man.
To perpetuate the memory and recognize the protection granted to them by the Blessed Virgin Mary, the people of Toul had a shoe of pure silver made to cover the foot on the Blessed Virgin’s Statue. From that time on the Statue was known as Our Lady with the Silver Foot. They also hung on the wall of the cathedral a picture which represented the heavenly vision and Mary was declared Patroness of the City.
The image of Our Lady with the Silver Foot was venerated in the City and the surrounding areas and in case of the threat of any public calamity, the Blessed Virgin was invoked and ,henceforth, the Statue would be carried in procession throughout the streets of the City. The Governors themselves considered it an honour to take the Statue upon their own shoulders. Pilgrimages were made to Our Lady of the Silver Foot; prayers answered, graces bestowed and miracles wrought.
The original Statue of Our Lady with the Silver Foot was destroyed during the ravages of the French Revolution and was replaced later by a modern statue that was stolen in the 1980’s. The Gothic Cathedral was repaired after being damaged during the French Revolution but still awaits repair after the damage caused when it was struck during an aerial bombardment in the Second World War. There was once also a Monastery at Toul,but no trace of it remains.
Vigil of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
St Agapitus of Rome
St Candida of Carthage
St Dionysius of Phrygia
St Dorimedonte of Synnada
St Eusebia of Marseilles
St Eustachius, Wife and Sons – Martyrs (Died c 188) St Eustachius is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – Patronages – against fire, difficult situations, fire prevention, firefighters, hunters, hunting, huntsmen, Madrid, torture victims, trappers.
St Evilasius of Cyzicum
St Fausta of Cyzicum
Bl Francisco Martín Fernández de Posadas
St Glycerius of Milan
St John Charles Cornay
Bl John Eustace
St Lawrence Mary Joseph Imbert
St Paul Chong Hasang
St Priscus
St Susanna of Eleutheropolis (Died 362) Virgin Martyr
Bl Thomas Johnson
—
Martyrs of Korea: St Andrew Kim Taegon, St Paul Chong Hasang & Companions – 103 saints and beati. The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution against Catholics during the 19th century in Korea. At least 8,000 (as many as 10,000) adherents to the faith were killed during this period. (Memorial)
Martyrs of Constantinople – 3 saints: A priest and two bishops who were imprisoned, tortured and martyred for the defense of icons in the iconoclast persecutions of emperor Leo the Isaurian. – Andrea, Asiano and Hypatius. They were martyred in 735 in Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) and their bodies were thrown to the dogs.
Martyrs of Pergen – 6 saints: A group of lay people martyred in the persecutions of Emperor Elagabalus. The names that have come down to us are Dionysius, Dioscorus, Philippa, Privatus, Socrates and Theodore. They were crucified c 220 at Pergen, Pamphylia, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey).
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Cristobal Iturriaga-Echevarría Irazola
• Blessed Santiago Vega Ponce
• Blessed Juan Antonio López Pérez
Saint Fausta of Cyzicus also known as Saint Fausta, was a thirteen year old girl born in 298, in modern-day Turkey. At the age of 13, she was arrested, tortured, and executed for being a Christian in the year 311. A pagan priest, Saint Evilasius was the one responsible for torturing and executing her. Seeing her courage, and moved by her prayers, he converted, and died with her in a cauldron of boiling water.
And I went up, and I saw an immense extent of garden, and in the midst of the garden a white-haired man sitting in the dress of a shepherd, of a large stature, milking sheep; and standing around were many thousand white-robed ones. And he raised his head, and looked upon me, and said to me, ‘You are welcome, daughter.’
St Perpetua
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions in our necessities, but ever deliver us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(5 years every time said. Plenary indulgence at the point of death to all who have frequently recited it during life)
Grant us, thy servants, we beseech thee, O Lord God, to enjoy perpetual health of mind and body, and, by the intercession of glorious Blessed Mary ever a Virgin, to be delivered from present sorrow and to enjoy everlasting gladness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
(3 years every time said)
O holy Mary, help the unfortunate, aid the weak, refresh the sorrowful, pray for the people, intercede for the clergy, plead for religious women; let all enjoy thine aid who keep holy commemoration of thee.
(3 years every time said)
In thy conception, O Virgin Mary, thou wast immaculate; pray for us to the Father, whose Son, Jesus, conceived of the Holy Ghost, thou didst bring forth.
(300 days every time said)
To thee, O Virgin Mother, who wast never defiled with the slightest stain of original or actual sin, I commend and entrust the purity of my heart.
(300 days every time said)
O Mary, who didst come into this world free from stain, do thou obtain for me from God that I may pass out of it free from sin.
(300 days every time said)
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
(300 days every time said)
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
(300 days every time said)
By thy Immaculate Conception, O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy.
(300 days every time said)
One Minute Reflection – 20 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Readings: Ps 118:137; 118:124, Ps 118:1, Eph 4:1-6, Matt 22:34-46
‘You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matt 22:34-46
REFLECTION – When our Master was asked which was the greatest of the commandments, he replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength. There is no other commandment greater than this”. I think so, too, since it concerns primary and essential Being, God our Father, through whom all things were made, all things remain in being, and to whom all who are saved will return. He it is who loved us the first, who gave birth to us. It would be sacrilege to think there exists any being more ancient or more wise. Our thanksgiving may be insignificant compared to his great gifts, yet we cannot offer him any other recognition, he who is perfection itself and has no need of anything. Let us love our Father with all our strength and ardor of soul and we shall win immortality. The more we love God, the more is our nature incorporated and mingled with his own.
The second commandment, Jesus says, yields in nothing to the first: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” When the scholar of the Law asks Jesus: “And who is my neighbor?” , he does not reply by giving the Jewish definition of neighbor – family, fellow Jews, proselytes, those who live according to the same Law – but tells the story of a traveler who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Wounded by robbers, the man was cared for by a Samaritan who “showed himself a neighbor”.
And who is even more of a neighbor to me than our Savior? Who showed more compassion to us when the powers of darkness had left us battered by blows? Jesus alone knew how to heal our wounds and root out the evils planted in our hearts. That is why we should love him just as much as we love God. And loving Christ Jesus is to carry out his will and keep his commandments.
St Clement of Alexandria
PRAYER – Lord, be the beginning and the end of all that we do, all that we say, in every moment be our Light. Prompt our actions with Your grace and complete them with Your all-powerful love. May we always seek Your Face in every circumstance, in every moment, so that Your Light may become our life. Holy and Mother, you lived your life in the Presence of the Holy Face of Christ our Lord, please intercede for us and for all the world. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
You are just, O Lord, and Your ordinance is right. Deal with Your servant according to Your kindness.
Ps 118:137; 118:124
Can we have any conception of a greater love for men than that of our Saviour, since, however wicked or ungrateful we may have been, He does not cease to love us? He forgives us our trespasses so readily that one would say that He was under an obligation to us. He rewards us for our good works liberally, never revealing how much He has contributed towards their performance. Although, in fact, we have done next to nothing for Him, He does not cease to be grateful, and showers down graces with profusion, just as if we had rendered Him some important service.
Fr Juan Eusebio Nieremberg SJ (17th century)
We should love our neighbour with a genuine affection, and not in the same way as we love things necessary or useful, such as bread, a house, and other things which are for our use or for our amusement, these we not love as ourselves, but for ourselves.
St Bernadine of Siena
When the Son of God gave us the best of prayers, He did not intend that we should say ‘My Father’ but Our Father, inasmuch as we have a common Father in heaven we should consider all men as our brethren, and that in this way we should love each other with a mutual love, with a love stronger on grace than in nature, as we have all an equal right to a vocation to a supernatural life, the same hope of a heavenly reward,
St John Chrysostom
How sweet is this command! Does it not appear worthy of the goodness and wisdom of God? Is it not reasonable that men who are endowed with one and the same nature, who have one and the same Father in heaven, who are obliged to live in society, who are all fellow-travellers, and who ought to meet again in heaven, is it not reasonable that we should love one another here below, and should help one another in the same degree as we would wish to be helped ourselves?
Pere de la Colombiere
The love of our neighbour may be placed in the same category as the love we owe to God. All who say ‘Lord, Lord’ (that is to say, all who say that they love God) shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Good works and proof of that love requisite. He alone will enter the kingdom of heaven who does the will of My Father. The same may be said of the love of our neighbour. We must show it by solid proofs.
St Augustine
He who does not believe that he has aught to pay to his neighbour, as if he had discharged the debt, ought rather to weep for himself as being without charity.
St Fulgentius
V. O God, stretch forth to aid me.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
I. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate the grief of thy tender heart at the prophecy of Simeon. O beloved Mother, through that afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the fear of God. Hail Mary.
II. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate those afflictions which thy most sensitive heart endured during the flight into Egypt and thy dwelling there. O beloved Mother, by that afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of liberality, specially towards the poor, and the gift of pity. Hail Mary.
III. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate that intense distress which thine anxious heart experienced in the loss of thy dearest Jesus. O beloved Mother, by that deeply- troubled heart obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge. Hail Mary.
IV. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate the consternation which thy maternal heart experienced when thou didst see Jesus bearing the cross. O beloved Mother, of thy tender heart obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude. Hail Mary.
V. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate that martyrdom which thy generous heart endured in witnessing the last agony of Jesus. O beloved Mother, by that martyred heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel. Hail Mary.
VI. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate that wound which thy mournful heart endured from the lance which tore the side of Jesus and wounded his heart. O beloved Mother, by thy pierced heart obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding. Hail Mary.
VII. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate the convulsions which thy most loving heart experienced at the burial of Jesus. O beloved Mother, by this extreme grief of thy sacred heart obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom. Hail Mary.
V. Pray for us, O Dolorous Virgin Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray.
Grant we beseech thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the Blessed Virgin Mary, thy Mother, may intercede for us with thy clemency, now and at the hour of our death; who, at the time of thy Passion, was transfixed in her most holy soul by seven swords of sorrow; grant us this great blessing, O Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest ever, world without end. Amen.
NOTE. – A perpetual indulgence of 300 days applicable to the dead, to all Christians every time they recite the above exercise in honour of Mary’s Woes.
Notre-Dame de la Salette / Our Lady of La Salette, La Salette-Fallavaux, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France
(1846) 19 September:
Mary appeared to two small children, Melanie Mathieu and Maximin Giraud, on the mountain of La Salette in the French Alps. She was crying and around her neck was a crucifix, with a hammer and pincers on either side – 19 September 1846. Approved by the Diocesan Bishop in 1851.
St Januarius of Naples Martyr (Died c 304) (Optional Memorial)
St Alonso de Orozco Mena OSA (1500 – 1591) Augustinian Priest, Preacher, Writer, Apostle of Charity, Spiritual Director, Marian Devotee, Ascetic.
St Arnulph of Gap
St Carolus Hyon Song-Mun
St Constantia of Nocera
St Desiderius of Pozzuoli
St Emilie de Rodat (1787–1852) Nun and Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family, Mystic. Venerable Pope Pius XII Beatified her on 9 June 1940 and Canonised her on 23 April 1950.
St Eustochius of Tours
St Felix of Nocera
St Festus of Pozzuoli
St Goeric of Metz
St Maria de Cervellón OdeM (1230 – 1290) Virgin, Second Order of the Mercedarians.
St Pomposa
St Sequanus
St Sosius of Puzzuoli
St Theodore of Canterbury
St Trophimus of Synnada
—
Martyrs of Antioch – (3 saints): Christians imprisoned, tortured and executed in various ways in the persecutions of Emperor Probus; some names have come down to us – Dorymedon, Sabbatius and Trophimus. c 277 at Antioch (in modern Turkey).
Martyrs of Phunon – (4 saints): Four bishops in Egypt who were sentenced to forced labour in a rock quarry and martyred in the persecution of Diocletian. Noted for celebrating Mass in prison. – Elias, Nilus, Patermuzio and Peleus. They were burned to death in 310 at Phunon, near Petra in Palestine.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Consuelo Aguiar-Mella Díaz
• Blessed Herman José Fernández Sáenz
• Blessed Juan Pérez Rodrigo
• Blessed Lucas Martín Puente
• Blessed María de La Encarnación de La Yglesia de Varo
• Blessed María Dolores Aguiar-Mella Díaz
• Blessed Miguel Faúndez López
• Blessed Sebastián Obeso Alario
Saint Pomposa of Cordoba, a martyr from Spain. She was a nun in a convent near Cordoba. When the muslims invaded Spain, she refused to deny her faith and convert to Islam. As such, she was beheaded by them in 835.
‘Perpetua, I am waiting for you; but be careful that the dragon does not bite you.’ And I said, ‘In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall not hurt me.’ And from under the ladder itself, as if in fear of me, he slowly lifted up his head; and as I trod upon the first step, I trod upon his head.
The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity (Tertullian)
Our Morning Offering – 19 September – Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
O Christ, our Master and God
Thanksgiving after Holy Mass
By St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church
O Christ, our Master and our God,
King of the ages and Creator of all,
I thank You for all the good things
that You have given to me
and for the reception
of Your most pure and life-giving Mysteries.
I pray You, therefore,
O good Lover of Humankind,
keep me under Your protection,
in the shadow of Your Wings.
Grant that with a pure conscience,
until my last breath,
I may worthily partake of Your Holy Gifts,
for the forgiveness of sins
and for life everlasting.
For You are the Bread of Life,
the Fountain of Holiness
and the Bestower of all Blessings
and to You we give glory
together with the Father
and the Holy Ghost,
now and forever and ever.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 19 September – Readings: Ps 36:39, Ps 36:1, Heb 10:32-38, Matt 24:3-13
And many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. And because iniquity will abound, the charity of the many will grow cold. But whoever perseveres to the end, he shall be saved.
Matt 24:3-13
REFLECTION – To prevent his disciples from questioning him about the time of his coming Christ said: “Of that hour no one knows, neither the angels nor the Son”. It is not for you to know the days or the hour”. He hid the time from us so that we would be on the watch and so that each of us might think that the coming will happen in his own lifetime. If he had revealed when he was to come again, his coming would have been made pointless and the peoples and ages in which it will take place would no longer yearn for it. He said that he will come again, indeed, but he did not say exactly when. Hence, all generations and ages live in eager expectation of him.
The Lord pointed out the signs of his coming but we have no knowledge of when they will be completed. In many varied ways they have happened and passed away and are still happening. His last coming is, in fact, like his first: the just and the prophets longed for him, thinking that he was to appear in their day. So, today, each of the faithful wants to receive him in his own lifetime, and even more so in that Jesus did not reveal the day of his coming. His reason for this was so that no one might think that the Christ is subject to a law of time or a given hour, he who is lord over numbers and times.
Saint Ephrem
PRAYER – Grant us Lord, a true knowledge of salvation, so that, freed from fear and from the power of our foes, we may serve You faithfully in love and sorrow for our sins. May we, through the love You grant us, extend our love to all we meet and may the tears of the Holy Virgin of la Salette and of Sorrows, not reject our prayers but intercede for us, obtain for us the grace to love and follow our Lord Jesus above all else. May we console you by a holy life and so come to share the eternal life Christ gained by His Cross. Our Lady of La Salette, pray for us, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
“If my people will not submit,
I shall be forced to let fall
the arm of my Son.
It is so strong, so heavy,
that I can no longer withhold it.
… ‘Six days I have given you to labour,
the seventh I have kept for Myself –
and they will not give it to Me.’
It is this which makes
the arm of my Son so heavy.”
Our Lady of la Salette
19 September 1846
To Maximin Giraud (11)
and Melanie Calvat (14)
I have suffered all of the time for the rest of you! If I do not wish my Son to abandon you, I must take it upon myself to pray for this continually. And the rest of you think little of this. In vain you will pray, in vain you will act, you will never be able to make up for the troubles I have taken over for the rest of you.
Those who drive carts cannot speak without putting the name of my Son in the middle.
Priests, my Son’s ministers, priests, by their evil life, by their irreverences and their impiety in celebrating the holy mysteries, love of money, love of honor and pleasures, priests have become sewers of impurity. Yes, priests call forth vengeance, and vengeance is suspended over their heads. Woe to priests, and to persons consecrated to God, who by their infidelities and their evil life are crucifying my son anew! The sins of persons consecrated to God cry to heaven and call for vengeance, and now here is vengeance at their very doors, for no longer is anyone found to beg mercy and pardon for the people; there are no more generous souls, there is now no one worthy of offering the spotless Victim to the Eternal on the worlds behalf.
God will strike in an unparalleled manner. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! God will exhaust His anger, and no one will be able to escape so many evils at once. The heads, the leaders of the people of God, have neglected prayer and penance, and the devil has darkened their minds; they have become those wandering stars which the ancient devil will drag with his tail to destruction. God will permit the ancient serpent to sow divisions among rulers, in all societies and in all families; both physical and moral punishments will be suffered.
Society is on the very eve of most terrible scourges and greatest events; one must expect to be governed by a rod of iron and to drink the chalice of God’s wrath.
Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.
A dutiful child, beloved reader, is never unmindful of the sorrows of his mother. Her sighs and labours are ever deeply imprinted on his memory, and he is bent on fulfilling that sacred command of Heaven which venerable Tobias gave to his faithful son : “Thou must be mindful what and how great were the perils which thy mother suffered for thee;” and which Ecclesiasticus, inspired by the Holy Ghost, gives to all mankind, in these words: “Forget not the groanings of thy mother.”
As Christians, we are all children of Mary. “As Christ has begotten us,” says St. Antoninus, “to a spiritual life, in the word of truth, by suffering on the cross, so, likewise, Mary has begotten us, and brought us forth in the midst of most acute pains, by sharing in the sufferings of the crucifixion of her Son.” Ah, then, never let us forget her sighs and groans, her bitter pains and sorrows. Deeply should we fix them in our memory, and day after day call them to mind.
But that you, my dear reader, may be still more encouraged to think of the Seven Dolours, let me remind you of some other advantages which you will gain from this most beautiful and consoling devotion. It was revealed to St. Elizabeth, a Benedictine nun, that our Lord will bestow four graces on those who are devout to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin. First, that whoever invokes her by her Dolours, shall obtain the grace of true repentance. Secondly, that she will console such in all their tribulations, and especially at the hour of death. Thirdly, that the Lord will imprint on their minds a remembrance of his Passion, and inspire them with great devotion to it. Lastly, that He has empowered Mary to obtain for them whatever blessings’ she pleases.
The following striking example, revealed to St. Bridget, will greatly confirm the promises made to St. Elizabeth. She narrates that there was a certain nobleman, who had bound himself by compact to Satan for sixty years, and had during that time led a very criminal life; that before his death he obtained forgiveness, because he felt compassion for the Blessed Virgin whenever he heard the Dolours mentioned.
Therefore, I present this little book of Mary’s sorrows. Receive it with affection, and peruse it attentively; and as the bee, when it lights upon a flower, does not leave it until it has gathered all the honey that flower affords, so if you meet with anything which may touch or move your heart, dwell upon that until you have derived from it all the profit you can.
Saint Ariadne of Phrygia, also known as Ariadna, Ariane, Arianna, was a martyr and slave woman in the the 2nd century, who was owned by a Phrygian prince called Tertullus. When by an edict of emperors Hadrian and Antoninus, Christianity was outlawed. When she refused to partake in the pagan rituals on the birthday of Tertullus’ son, she was punished and her case became known to the provincial governor, Gordios.
Both she and Tertullus were convened before a tribunal where Tertullus was acquitted while she was condemned to be crucified. The people of Prymnessus intervened on her behalf to give her three days of repentance in which she then escaped the Roman authorities, fleeing into the nearby mountains where she was saved from her pursuers by a rock which opened miraculously before her and closed behind her, providing her with a tomb.
September 18: Our Lady of Smelcem, Flanders
In the 10th century two shepherd boys out tending their flock in a field of Flanders when one of the boys noticed that some of the sheep seemed to be acting strangely.
The boys ran together through the field until they drew closer to the sheep that were acting curiously. Slowing with suspicion as they approached the furthest sheep, the boys carefully made their way through the grazing flock searching the ground and watching for anything unexpected as they neared the place.
When they arrived at the head of the flock, the boys observed that each sheep, upon coming to a certain spot, went down with their front legs bent and their nose touching the ground. Then, gracefully and quickly, they arose and continued to graze. It appeared as if the sheep were bowing in greeting, or even genuflecting, to someone or something. It was all very odd. Turning to look in the direction the sheep faced, the boys suddenly saw a small statue of the Virgin Mary that stood peacefully in the niche of the rocks that marked the end of the pasture.
The news of what the shepherds had experienced when they had observed their sheep bending their knees before the image of the Blessed Virgin, spread throughout all of Flanders. The faith of the people, and the sudden pilgrimages, occasioned Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders and surnamed Fair Beard, to visit Our Lady of Smelcem seeking a cure for a malady from which he had suffered for seventeen years. Praying to the Mother of God for relief, Baldwin was miraculously cured of his malady, and decided to finance the building a church at the place in thanksgiving for having received the favor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Blessed Ambrosio María de Torrent (Salvador Chuliá Ferrandis) TC (1866-1936) Priest and Martyr, Friar and Priest of The Amigonian Friars. He was a man of deep piety, a devotee of the Eucharist, a great apostle of the confessional and a competent director of souls.
St Ariadne
St Eumenius Thaumaturgus
St Eustorgius of Milan (Died c 349) Bishop
St Ferreolus the Tribune
St Ferreolus of Limoges
St Hygbald
St Irene of Egypt
St Joseph of Cupertino OFM Conv. (1603-1663) Religious Priest of the First Order of St Francis and Friar, Mystic, Confessor, Miracle-worker.
If ever a tiny child began life with nothing in his favour it was Joseph of Cupertino; he had only one hopeful and saving quality—that he knew it.
St Józef Kut
St Juan Macias OP (1585-1645) Dominican Lay Friar, Mystic, Apostle of Charity and Prayer, MiracleWorker.
St Oceano of Nicomedia
St Richardis (839-c 895) Holy Roman Empress, Benedictine Abbess.
St Sophia of Egypt
—
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Ambrosio María de Torrent (Salvador Chuliá Ferrandis)
• Blessed Carlos Eraña Guruceta
• Blessed Fernando García Sendra
• Blessed Jacinto Hoyuelos Gonzalo
• Blessed Jesus Hita Miranda
• Blessed José García Mas
• Blessed José María Llópez Mora
• Blessed Justo Lerma Martínez
• Blessed Salvador Fernández Pérez
• Blessed Vicente Gay Zarzo
• Blessed Vicente Jaunzarás Gómez
Our Morning Offering – 18 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”
O Mother of Sorrows,
Stand by Me in My Last Agony
By St Gabriel Francis Possenti
of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)
O Mother of Sorrows,
by the anguish and love
with which thou did stand at the Cross of Jesus,
stand by me in my last agony.
To thy maternal heart
I commend the last three hours of my life.
Offer these hours to the Eternal Father
in union with the agony of our dearest Lord,
in atonement for my sins.
Offer to the Eternal Father
the most Precious Blood of Jesus,
mingled with your tears on Calvary,
that I may obtain the grace
of receiving Holy Communion
with the most perfect love and contrition
before my death
and that I may breathe forth my soul
in the adorable presence of Jesus.
Dearest Mother,
when the moment of my death has at last come,
present me as your child to Jesus.
Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him,
for I knew not what I did.
Beg Him to receive me into His kingdom of glory
to be united with Him forever.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 18 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – Readings: Ecclus 1:14-15, Ps 83:2, 1 Cor 13:1-8, Matt 22:1-14
“The marriage feast indeed is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy; go therefore to the crossroads, and invite to the marriage feast whomever you shall find.”
Matt 22:1-14
REFLECTION – The Lord warns us that flattering words and sweet promises should be judged by the fruits they produce. We have to value someone, therefore, not by how they present themselves in speech but as they really are in their deeds. Often enough, beneath an outward show of a lamb a ravening wolf is concealed. And just as thorns do not produce grapes nor thistles produce figs, even so, Jesus says, genuinely good works do not consist in fine words such as these. Each one should be judged according to their fruits.
No indeed, a service that was limited to fine words would not suffice to obtain the Kingdom of heaven. It is not those who say “Lord, Lord” who will inherit it. What sense would a holiness be that was limited to the invocation of a name? For the Kingdom of heaven is to be found in obedience to God’s will.
We ought, then, to put something of our own into it if we want to attain eternal blessedness. We have to give something out of our own resources: desire good, avoid evil and obey the divine precepts with all our hearts. An attitude such as this will make us worthy of being acknowledged as one of his own by God. Therefore, let us conform our actions to his will instead of taking pride in his power. For he will resist and reject those who have themselves turned away from him by the injustice of their deeds.
St Hilary of Poitiers
PRAYER – All-powerful, eternal God, splendour of true light and never-ending day, turn our ears and hearts to Your Word, that we may hear and live by the seed You have sown. May all that grows in us be of Your good seed and yield fruit a hundredfold. Grant us the grace of imitating the virtues of Mary, the Mother of Your only-begotten Son and our Mother and may her prayers intercede on our behalf. May we may be filled with courage and love and spread Your Word by our lives. We make our prayer through Jesus, our Lord and Word, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever, amen.
Brethren: If I should speak with tongues of men and of angels, but do not have charity, I have become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
1 Cor 13:1-8
Young children, susceptible as they ever are, listen attentively, soon share in their parent’s dislikes, they enter into the passionate feelings of their fathers, they suck in with their milk, so to speak, their corrupt inclinations, and scarcely have they arrived to man’s estate, than they have imbibed through those bad discourses, dispositions which will lead them to perdition.
Pere Jean Lejeune
Those who insult us and treat us contumeliously are anxious for a spiteful sarcastic reply, the silence we then affect, disheartens them, and they cannot avoid showing their vexation, they do all they can to provoke us and to elicit a reply, but the best way to baffle them is to say nothing, refuse to argue with them and to leave them to chew the cud of their hasty anger, This method of bringing down their pride disarms them, and shows them plainly that we slight and despise them.
St Ambrose
St Augustine compares the blindness of a soul to a man who is asleep. When our eyes are shut during sleep, we are blind, nevertheless we see something, for though our eyes are shut, our imagination is at work. We dream that we are very rich, we fancy that we are living in the lap of luxury, in a word, we picture to our mind strange events. This is our case. We do not see things in the right light, we do not hear the mute language that ought to lead us up to God. We thought to have found true happiness in the wealth and riches of this world, and they have vanished. We sought for earthly joys, and these pleasures have become insipid. When our soul is preparing to leave the body, then our eyes will be opened, and we shall then feel and know our terrible darkness.
Jules Mascaron
Hardness of heart leads to sad results. Light blinds or dazzles a hardened heart, it does not enlighten it. The just punishments of God, which weigh heavily on it, only make it rebellious, and do not subdue it. The scourge which God inflicts on it overwhelms, but does not humble it, miracles astonish, but do not convert it.
La Pere Nepveu
It is the characteristic of sin to over-shadow every action, whether it be the banishment of grace, which is the light of the soul, or whether it blinds the understanding, thus rendering it incapable of receiving the light of the Holy Spirit, who abandons the sinner, and leaves him exposed to all kinds of dangers and misfortunes.
Pere Nouet
Would you wish to know the sure marks of hardness of heart? St Bernard will give them to us. A hardened heart, he says, is a heart unbroken by remorse, unsoftened by devotion, and unmoved by prayer. It yields to no threats, which only harden it the more, it is unmindful of all the blessings of God, and unfaithful to grace. It blushes not at things most shameful, heeds no danger, has no love for brethren, no fear of God.
La Pere Nepveu
When a mother is by the side of a suffering and dying child, she no doubt then feels and suffers all his pains; but when the afflicted child is really dead and about to be buried, and the sorrowful mother takes her last leave of him, oh God! the thought that she is to see him no more is a sorrow that exceeds all other sorrows. Behold, the last sword of sorrow which we are to consider, when Mary, after being present at the death of her Son upon the cross, after having embraced his lifeless body, was finally to leave him in the sepulchre, never more to enjoy his beloved presence.
Thus Mary, clinging to her Son, was dissolved in grief; but those holy disciples, fearing lest this poor mother would expire there through agony, went to take the body of her Son from her arms, to bear it away for burial. Therefore, with reverential force they took him from her arms, and having embalmed him, wrapped him in a linen cloth already prepared, upon which our Lord wished to leave to the world his image impressed, as may be seen at the present day in Turin. And now they bear him to the sepulchre. The sorrowful funeral train sets forth; the disciples place him on their shoulders; hosts of angels from heaven accompany him; those holy women follow him; and the afflicted mother follows in their company her Son to the grave. When they had reached the appointed place, how gladly would Mary have buried her self there alive with her Son! “Oh how willingly,” said the Virgin to St. Bridget, “would I have remained there alive with my Son, if it had been his will!” But since this was not the divine will, the authors relate that she herself accompanied the sacred body of Jesus into the sepulchre, where, as Baronius narrates, they deposited the nails and the crown of thorns. In raising the stone to close the sepulchre, the disciples of the Saviour had to turn to the Virgin, and say to her: Now, oh Lady, we must close the sepulchre; have patience, look upon thy Son, and take leave of him for the last time. Then, oh my beloved Son, must the afflicted mother have said, then shall I see thee no more? Receive then, this last time that I look upon thee, receive the last farewell from me thy dear mother, and receive my heart which I leave buried with thee.
Mary left her heart buried with Jesus, because Jesus was all her treasure: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” And where shall we keep our hearts buried? With creatures? In the mire? And why not with Jesus, who, although he has ascended to heaven, has wished to remain, not dead but alive, in the most holy sacrament of the altar, precisely in order that he may have with him and possess our hearts? But let us return to Mary. Before quitting the sepulchre, according to St. Bonaventure, she blessed that sacred stone, saying: Oh happy stone, that doth now inclose that body which was contained nine months in my womb, I bless thee, and envy thee; I leave thee to guard my Son for me, who is my only good, my only love. And then turning to the eternal Father, she said: Oh Father, to thee I recommend him, who is thy Son and mine; and thus bidding a last farewell to her Son, and to the sepulchre, she returned to her own house. This poor mother went away so afflicted and sad, according to St. Bernard, that she moved many to tears even against their will: “Multos etiam invitos ad lacrymas provocabat;” so that wherever she passed, all wept who met her: “Omnes plorabant qui obviabant ei,” and could not restrain their tears. And he adds, that those holy disciples, and the women who accompanied her, mourned for her even more than for their Lord.
St. Bonaventure says, that her two sisters covered her with a mourning cloak: The sisters of our Lady wrapped her in a veil as a widow, covering as it were her whole countenance. And he also says, that passing, on her return, before the cross, still wet with the blood of her Jesus, she was the first to adore it : Oh holy cross, she exclaimed, I kiss thee and adore thee; for thou art no longer an infamous wood, but a throne of love, and an altar of mercy, consecrated by the blood of the divine Lamb, who has been sacrificed upon thee, for the salvation of the world.
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