Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day Six – 3 October
Day Six: We Pray for the Virtue of Meekness along with our private intentions.
O Jesus, our pride, stubbornness and lack of faith labelled each thorn as it pierced Your Sacred Head. Our exclusion of spiritual realities tightened the branches around Your Head. Our lack of confidence in Your Mercy and the lukewarmness of our love, braided torture into a wreath of unspeakable pain. O Jesus, let us NEVER forget Your love for us all and the reparation You offered the Father for our sake. Let our soul magnify the Lord by humility of heart, purity of mind and a gentle spirit, so that we may overcome pride, vainglory and resentments and look forward for an increase in faith. Send Your beloved Mother and ours, O Lord, to teach us meekness and humility. Make us like unto Yourself, O Lord, “for I am meek and humble of heart.” Amen
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
Thought for the Day – 3 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“Month of the Holy Rosary” The First Joyful Mystery The Annunciation
“Consider now Mary’s reaction to the reverence and praise with which the Angel greets her. Is she carried away by delight and exaltation at this solemn moment? Nothing of the sort! In her humility and modesty, she is disturbed by the Angel’s salutation and wonders what the reason is for it. “She was troubled at his word and kept pondering what manner of greeting this might be” (Lk 1:29).
How do we behave when we receive praise from our superiors or from our friends and acquaintances? We are pleased and overcome perhaps by feelings of vanity. We smile to ourselves and are convinced that we are of more consequence than we really are. We even feel the need to reveal our thoughts to others and, thereby, seek further aggrandisement! There is a world of difference between the simplicity and humility of the Blessed Virgin and our vain hunger for praise and honour.”
Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day Five – 2 October
Day Five – We Pray for Purity of Heart and our personal intention:
The Ever-Virgin Mary was and remains pure in charity, chastity and love of truth and orthodoxy of faith. And that purity is divine because it is inspired by God! Each of us benefits from the purity of Mary, regardless of how difficult it is to be pure in charity, chastity and right belief, IT IS POSSIBLE… We WILL be pure when we adopt the attitude of Our Blessed Lady and seek the divine purity that even yet radiates from Her. By abandoning ourselves to God as she did, we open ourselves to fresh opportunities of achieving purity. (The Virtue of Purity: An Undivided Heart by Msgr Charles M Mangan)
To Our most holy Mother. To you do we pray first with heartfelt thanks for your YES to the Father. Grant us your guidance and assistance to become as pure as you are.
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
Accept, mighty Maid, we beseech thee, This prayer with its fragrance of flowers; With one soul we seek thus to reach thee And hail thee, God’s Mother and ours.
Thy heart is made glad by our praying; Thy bounty is generous and wise; Thy hands are enriched for conveying What God’s tender Mercy supplies.
We kneel at thy Shrines in the Churches; Oh, gently look down from above, And welcome the heart that then searches For worthy expressions of love.
Let others present precious caskets Of gems, or heap Altars with gold; Slight prayer-beads shall serve us for baskets To bring thee the garland they hold.
With violets lowly we fashion This wreath and with these combined Red roses–our faith in the Passion With Chastity’s lilies entwined.
Our minds, as the Mysteries vary, Are active, our hands play their part; And always thy name, Holy Mary, Oft-uttered, rejoices the heart.
Be with us, we trust thee to guide us Through life and when labouring breath At the last, seeks thine aid, be beside us To help at the hour of our death.
Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day Four – 1 October
Day Four – We Pray for the Virtue of Humility and our personal intention:
May Almighty God give us compassion and humility in our hearts. Let us be kind, gentle, generous, loving, giving and forgiving wherever we may go. Allow pride to never get the best of us as You fulfill our dreams. Help us not to have a boastful tongue against our brothers. Let humility invade our souls… Amen
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
“One of the main advantages of the Rosary is that it enables us to unite with our vocal prayer, meditation on the principal Mysteries of our faith. During each decade we should meditate briefly on one of these Mysteries. In this way, our faith will be enlivened and we shall be roused to imitate, in our lives, the example of Jesus and Mary.
The Rosary is composed of the Church’s most beautiful prayers – the Our Father, which Jesus Himself taught us to say when addressiug our heavenly Father and the Hail Mary, which consists of the Angel’s greeting to the Blessed Virgin when he came to announce to her, that she was to be the Mother of God, of the inspired words of St Elizabeth on the occasion of the Visitation and of the moving plea for mercy, both now and at the hour of our death, which the Church places upon the lips of her sinful children (composed and proposed by St Peter Canisius 1521-1597) Doctor of the Church). Each decade concludes with the short hymn of praise in honour of the Blessed Trinity: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. This prayer, expresses the two principal Mysteries of our faith, namely, the Unity and Trinity of God and, in an indirect fashion, the Incarnation of the Second Divine Person.
If we think of all this when we are fervently reciting the Holy Rosary, it will prove to be a treasury of grace.”
Quote/s of the Day – 1 October – “Month of the Most Holy Rosary”
“The Rosary is a treasure of graces.”
Pope Paul V (1550-1621)
“The Rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.”
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
Praise of the Rosary From a sermon of St Francisco Coll
“… Oh Rosary! You are a book, brief yes but that teaches the holiest and most sacred of our Religion. You are an ark, that conceals a very rich treasure worthy of all men seeking it with great eagerness. You are a gift from Heaven, that you reveal to us the elements of religion, the principles, the motives and the practice of all the virtues, you light us in charity and love towards that God Who so deigned to do and suffer for us. You wake up the drowsy, enflame the lukewarm, you push the lazy, you embrace the righteous, you convert sinners, you reduce or confuse heretics, you frighten the devil, you tremble to hell or, to put it better, you are a devotion that includes and contains all the devotions.”
St Francisco Coll y Guitart OP (1812-1875) “The Apostle of Modern Times”
“There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessing upon the family, than the daily recitation of the Rosary.”
Ven Servant of God Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
“The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves, the simultaneous use of three powers – the physical, the vocal and the spiritual and in that order.”
Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day Three – 30 September
Day Three – We Pray for the Priesthood and Consecrated Life and our personal intention:
To Our most holy Mother. To you do we pray first with heartfelt thanks for those who have said YES to the Father. Help them to trust in you and your Son, Jesus, in all the challenges that they face. Teach them patience in all things and to accept all that happens and when it happens, in God’s time. We join them in total consecration to you. Reclaim us all as you own and mould us in all ways necessary to conform to God’s will. We love you, Mother Mary, Help us all!
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
Our Morning Offering – 30 September – The last day of the Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Mother Mary
My Sorrowful Mother, Help Me to Bear My Crosses By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
My sorrowful Mother, by the merit of that grief which you felt at seeing your beloved Jesus led to death, obtain for me the grace to bear with patience, those crosses which God sends me. I will be fortunate if I also shall know how to accompany you with my cross until death. You and Jesus, both innocent, have borne a heavy cross and shall I, a sinner who has merited hell, refuse mine? Immaculate Virgin, I hope you will help me to bear my crosses with patience. Amen
Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day Two – 29 September
Day Two – We pray for the Persecuted Church and our personal intention:
The joy of the Spirit, which was in the heart of Jesus and Mary, is ours in the experience of sincere prayer.
We pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit for the leaders of the Church and all the baptised, that we may walk faithfully the way of Jesus Christ.
We pray for a deep devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and in our prayer to her know that we are primarily opening our hearts to the God of love.
We pray for those who are oppressed by war and poverty,that they may take courage from God who loves us constantly and unconditionally. Let us pray to the Lord.
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offenses committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary – Day One – 28 September
Day One – We pray for the Holy Church and our personal intention:
To Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, who sees how the Catholic Faith is assailed by the devil and the world, To Thy protection, we entrust ourselves . Kindly offer to Thy Divine Son our resolutions and obtain from Him the graces necessary for us to keep them unto the end. Amen
Daily Prayer along with our Daily Rosary:
My dearest Mother Mary, behold me, your child, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer you, as a proof of my tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offences committed against your Immaculate Heart and for this special favour which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: ………………………….. (Mention your request).
I beg you to present my petition to your Divine Son. If you will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that you want me to seek God’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.
I offer you this spiritual Bouquet of Roses because I love you. I put all my confidence in you, since your prayers before God are most powerful. For the greater glory of God and for the sake of Jesus, your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for our Holy Mother Church and for our country.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sweet Heart of Mary, at the hour of my death, lead me home.
Announcing a Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary Begins 28 September The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is on 7 October.
Please join me in praying a Novena in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary for the nine days preceding her Feast on 7 October and, of course, October is the Month of the Holy Rosary.
This Feast was instituted to commemorate the victory of Christianity over the forces of Islam at the battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571. The victory was brought about through the recitation of the Rosary. In thanksgiving for another victory over the same foes in Hungary in 1715, the Feast was extended to the entire Church. In the course of centuries the Rosary has been a source of abundant blessings. In her apparitions at Lourdes, France, in 1858 and again at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, Mary urged Catholics to pray the Rosary daily in order to bring about the conversion of sinners and a lasting world peace. Resolve to say your Rosary every day. Besides being a beautiful tribute of love and filial piety, to your Heavenly Mother, it will be your support and joy in life and your consolation at the hour of death.
One Minute Reflection – 22 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”- Readings: Ezra 9: 5-9; Tobit 13: 2-4, 7-8; Luke 9: 1-6
And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. … Luke 9:1-2
REFLECTION – “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25). Yes, the Cross is a foolishness and weakness in appearance only … It was through unlearned men that the Cross brought conviction and drew the world to itself. It spoke to men, not of chance things but of God and of piety in the truth, of the Gospel polity, of future judgement and it made uncouth and illiterate men, philosophers. This is how “the foolishness of God is wiser than man and His weakness stronger,” (1 Cor. 1:25).
How is it stronger? It is stronger in that it spread over the whole earth and seized all men by force and, whereas, thousands and thousands did their utmost, to stamp out the Name of the Crucified One, just the contrary came to pass. For this Name took root and was propagated all the more, whereas its enemies, were destroyed and consumed and, living men fighting a dead One, gained not a stroke. … For publicans and fishermen set up those very things, by the goodness of God, which philosophers and orators and despots and the whole world, vainly striving with all its might, could not even devise.… This was in Paul’s mind when he said: “the weakness of God is stronger than all men put together.” How, otherwise, was it, that twelve unlettered men attempted things of this importance?! – St John Chrysostom 345-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (4th Homily on 1 Corinthians)
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.
Our Morning Offering – 18 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” and Mary’s Saturday
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
Thought for the Day – 15 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Mary’s Only Treasure
“Jesus had only one consolation in the midst of His terrible sufferings. His Mother, Mary was beside the Cross along with His beloved Apostle and the holy women who had always followed Him. Mary loved her Son with a love greater than that of any mother, which is the greatest love possible on earth. She loved Jesus with the heart of a Mother and of a Virgin – He was her only treasure. Moreover, she loved Him, not only as her Son but, also as her God. Precisely because she loved Him as her God, her love was in perfect harmony with the divine will.
She understood the mystery which led Jesus to accept death on the Cross – the mystery of the Redemption. “He was offered because it was his own will” (Isa 53:7). He was offered on our behalf, as a voluntary victim to His heavenly Father.”
Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and Memorial of the Seven Sorrows of our Mother
“Let my heart languish and my soul melt away and be consumed with love of You, my beloved Saviour Jesus and my dear Mother Mary! But because I cannot love You unless You give me grace, then give me grace, O Jesus and Mary — by Your merits, not mine — to love You as You deserve to be loved. O God, lover of humankind, You loved sinful human beings to the point of death. Will You deny Your love and Your Mother’s to anyone who begs for it?”
St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
“During the entire course of her life, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, never deviated in the slightest from the precepts and examples of her Divine Son. This was true both in the most sweet joys Mary experienced and in the cruel sufferings she underwent, which made the the Queen of Martyrs.”
Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
When Mary Weeps By Father Frederick M Lynk (1881-unknown)
When Mary weeps, her mother’s heart Is full to overflowing. When Mary weeps, pain’s piercing dart Stabs Him beyond all knowing, Who is by sinners Crucified, Blasphemed, forsaken and denied.
When Mary weeps, God’s holy wrath Is kindling cruel fires. When Mary weeps, poor mankind’s path Leads through war’s blood-soaked mires And makes all human mothers moan In love and pity for their own.
When Mary weeps, it’s time to pray To have our sins forgiven. When Mary weeps, each night and day By sorrow must be riven, Until His and her children will Once more seek peace on Calvary’s hill. When Mary weeps, we all must try To dry her tears of sorrow. When Mary weeps, we too must cry To glimpse a brighter morrow, When her Son’s name is recognised And all, in love adore the Christ. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 15 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and Memorial of the Seven Sorrows of our Mother – Readings: First Timothy 3: 14-16; Psalm 111: 1-6; John 19: 25-27 or Luke 2: 33-35
“Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27
REFLECTION – “Woman, this is thy son. This is thy mother.” By what right is the disciple. whom Jesus loved, the son of the Lord’s mother? By what right is she his mother? By the fact that, without pain, she brought into the world the salvation of us all, when she gave birth in the flesh to the God-Man. But now, she is in labour, with great pain as she stands at the foot of the Cross!
At the hour of His Passion, the Lord Himself rightly compared the Apostles to a woman in childbirth, when He said: “When a woman is in labour she is in anguish because a child is born into the world” (cf Jn 16:21). How much more, then, might such a Son compare such a Mother, the Mother standing at the foot of His Cross, to a woman in labour? What am I saying? “Compare?” She is indeed truly a woman and truly a mother and, at this hour, she is truly experiencing the pains of childbirth. When her Son was born she did not experience the anguish of giving birth in pain as other women do; it is now that she is suffering, that she is crucified, that she experiences sorrow; like a woman in labour because her hour has come ( Jn 16:21; cf 13:1; 17:1). …
When this hour has passed, when the sword of sorrow has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35), then, no more will she “remember the pain because a child has been born into the world” – the new Man Who renews the entire human race and reigns forever over the whole world, truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal, the Firstborn from the Dead. If the Virgin has thus brought the salvation of us all into the world, in her Son’s Passion, then she is, indeed, the Mother of us all!” – Rupert of Deutz (c1075-1130) Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer – (Commentary on Saint Johns Gospel, 13).
PRAYER – Our Father, when Jesus Your Son, was raised up on the Cross, it was Your will that Mary, His Mother, should stand there and suffer with Him in her heart. Grant that in union with her, the Church may share in the passion of Christ and so be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Be our intercessor and our consolation, Our Lady of Sorrows, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 15 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and Memorial of the Seven Sorrows of our Mother
O Afflicted Virgin! By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
O afflicted Virgin! O soul, great in virtues and great also in sorrows! for both arise from that great fire of love thou hast for God; thou “whose heart can love nothing but God.” O Mother, have pity on me, for I have not loved God and I have so much offended Him. Thy sorrows give me great confidence to hope for pardon. But this is not enough; I wish to love my Lord and who can better obtain this for me than thou, thou who art the Mother of fair love? O Mary, thou dost console all, comfort me also. Amen
Saint of the Day – 15 September – Our Sorrowful Mother Mary –
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary Also known as: • Septem Dolorum. • Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens • Beata Vergine Addolorata • Dolorosa • Maria Santissima Addolorata • Mater Dolorosa • Mother of Sorrows • Our Lady of the Seven Dolours • Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows • Sorrowful Mother
The Seven Sorrows of Mary
The Prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple: Forty days after Christ’s birth, Mary presented Him in the temple. The aged Simeon, a just and devout servant of the Lord, took Jesus into his arms and inspired by the Holy Spirit, exclaimed:
“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35
The Flight Into Egypt: No sooner did the heartless Herod hear that Jesus, the Infant King of the Jews, had been born, than he sought His life. But an Angel of the Lord appeared to Saint Joseph in a dream and warned:
“Arise, take the Child and His mother and flee into Egypt and remain there until I tell thee.” – Matthew 2:13
The Loss of Child Jesus for 3 Days: The third sword that pierced Our Lady’s heart was the three-day loss in the temple. At the age of twelve, Jesus went with Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem. Only when Mary and Joseph were travelling home, realise that Jesus was not with them. They hurried back and for three days sought Him among friends and relatives in Jerusalem. Finally, they found Him in the temple, listening and discussing with the teachers there , who were amazed at his knowledge and wisdom.
The Meeting of Jesus on the Way of The Cross: Mary’s fourth great sorrow we remember in the fourth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary and also the fourth Station of the Cross. Mary meets Jesus carrying His Cross to Calvary. What a mournful meeting. Imagine the pain in Mary’s heart to see her Jesus groaning and staggering under the cruel Cross. What an anguish to see the One she loved so dearly, being tortured by the taunts of the crowd, as well as the weight of the wood. And there is nothing she is able to do to help Him.
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus: But the sword will plunge still deeper. She must see Him shamefully stripped of His garments, rudely thrown upon the Cross and then hear the sickening strokes of the hammer. Helplessly and heartbroken, she must stand beneath His cross watching Him writhe in torture, listening to His parting words, listening for His parting breath.
The Pieta – Jesus Is Laid In The Arms Of His Mother: And now comes the moment when they take Him down from the Cross. As each nail and each thorn was pulled from His body, it was a new blow to the heart of His Mother. How she must have hugged Him to her heart!
Jesus is Laid in The Tomb: The seventh sword was to witness that broken body laid in the grave. It was a Mother putting her child to bed. What a grief-stricken good-night that was. Mary must have wished that she could bury her heavy heart with Him.
During Passiontide, on the Friday before Palm Sunday, a second feast of Mary’s Dolors is held, which emphasises particularly, the four last mentioned of the seven sorrows above.
Thus the Church reflects on the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The prayers of the Mass and the Office are indicative of her sorrows.
The first trace of the feast, St Alphonsus Liguori tells us, is found in Germany towards the beginning of the fifteenth century. Archbishop Theodoric’s ordered the keeping of this day at an assembly convened at Cologne in 1413 to wage battle against heresies of the iconoclast “Hussites,” who were very active in destroying images and pictures of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Before the sixteenth century the feast was observed only in the Diocese of North Germany, Scandinavia and Scotland but by the end of the sixteenth century, it extended over the south of Europe. In 1506 the celebration was granted the Friday before Passion Sunday as the feast of the Sorrows of Mary. To the whole German Church this last date was later assigned. On 22 April 1727, Pope Benedict XIII, extended it to the entire Latin Church under the title “Septem dolorum.”
St Aichardus St Albinus of Lyon Bl Anton Maria Schwartz St Aprus of Toul St Bond of Sens
St Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) Married laywoman, Mystic, Apostle of the sick, the poor and the needy, Writer. Her body is incorrupt and rests in a glass reliquary at the Capuchin Church in Genoa. Catherine’s writings were examined by the Holy Office and declared to contain doctrine that would alone be enough to prove her sanctity and she was accordingly Beatified in 1675 by Pope Clement X and Canonised in 1737 by Pope Clement XII. Her writings also, became sources of inspiration for other religious leaders such as Robert Bellarmine and Francis de Sales and Cardinal Henry Edward Manning. Pope Pius XII declared her Patroness of the hospitals in Italy. Her Life: https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/15/saint-of-the-day-15-september-st-catherine-of-genoa-1447-1510/
Bl Camillus Constanzo St Emilas of Cordoba St Eutropa of Auvergne St Hernan Bl Jacinto de Los Ángeles and Bl Juan Bautista St Jeremias of Cordoba St Joseph Abibos St Mamillian of Palermo St Melitina St Mirin of Bangor St Nicetas the Goth St Nicomedes of Rome
St Porphyrius the Martyr St Ribert St Ritbert of Varennes Bl Rolando de Medici Bl Tommasuccio of Foligno St Valerian of Châlon-sur-Saône St Valerian of Noviodunum St Vitus of Bergamo Bl Wladyslaw Miegon — Martyrs of Adrianopolis – 3 saints: Three Christian men martyred together in the persecutions of Maximian – Asclepiodotus, Maximus and Theodore. They were martyred in 310 at Adrianopolis (Adrianople), a location in modern Bulgaria.
Martyrs of Noviodunum – 4 saints: Three Christian men martyred together, date unknown – Gordian, Macrinus, Stratone and Valerian. They were martyred in Noviodunum, Lower Moesia (near modern Isaccea, Romania).
Mercedarian Martyrs of Morocco – 6 beati: A group of six Mercedarians who were captured by Moors near Valencia, Spain and taken to Morocco. Though enslaved, they refused to stop preaching Christianity. Martyrs. – Dionisio, Francis, Ildefonso, James, John and Sancho. They were crucified in 1437 in Morocco.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: Bl Antonio Sierra Leyva Bl Pascual Penades Jornet
Thought for the Day – 14 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Crucifix
“The Crucifix is a simple meditation manual, open and intelligible to all, even to the most illiterate. Anyone who turns to it, can study the sorrowful gaze of Jesus, His heart pierced with love for men. His head crowned with thorns, His hands and feet transfixed with nails which support His divine body, streaming blood and writhing in anguish. The Crucifix should be dear and sacred to every Catholic. It should stand at the head of his bed, hang around his neck and hold a prominent position in his place of work or study.
Above all, however, the Crucifix should have its place in the heart of every fervent Catholic. At every moment of his life, in time of sadness and of joy, he should remember, that God became man and suffered and died for him. He should remember also, that this implies an obligation on his part, to work, suffer and die, for the love of God alone!
Many people meditate on the Crucifix. They kiss it and claim to love it. But while they love the Crucifix, they have no love for their particular cross, which they try, by every means in their power, to fling far away from them. Now, it is very certain, that anyone who does not love his own cross, does not really love the Crucifix, for Jesus has told us that, “if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).”
Thought for the Day – 12 September – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
Mary, the Source of Peace
“Mary is surrounded by an atmosphere of peace. The countenance of the Virgin Mother, reflects the serenity of her soul. She was conceived free from original sin and endowed with every grace ad with every supernatural gift. There was no struggle in her, between good and evil, for this conflict is the effect of concupiscence. She never experienced the rule of sin of which St Paul complains. “I see another law in my members,” says St Paul, “warning against the law of my mind and making me prisoner to the law of sin that is in my members. Unhappy man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:23-25). It was quite otherwise with Mary. Her lower inclinations were completely subject to her spiritual faculties, which were, in their turn, perfectly submissive to the commands and inspirations of God. Nevertheless, while she enjoyed complete interior harmony, Mary had to endure external conflict and suffering. Holy Simeon foretold, that the sword of sorrow would pierce her heart. In fact, her life was altogether interwoven with hardship, want and suffering until, eventually, she knelt at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus was dying for the love of mankind and offered the divine Victim for our salvation. At the last moment, however, torn with sorrow though she was, she did not depart in the slightest from her spirit of perfect acceptance of God’s will. Consequently, her peace of soul was never diminished or extinguished. Let us learn from her to accept everything from God’s hands, both the tiny pleasures which brighten our lives, from time to time and the humiliations, sufferings and death, which it pleases God to keep in store for us.”
Our Morning Offering – 4 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and always Mary’s Saturday
Catholic Time,Saturday: Our Lady – There are a number of theological reasons Saturdays are dedicated to Our Lady, perhaps the most significant is that on Holy Saturday, when everyone else had abandoned Christ in the tomb, she was faithful to Him, confidently waiting for His Resurrection on the first day of the week On Saturdays, we make the “First Saturdays Devotion” which entails going to Mass and receiving Communion and going to Confession, for the first Saturday of the month for 5 consecutive months in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady promises those who make the 5 First Saturdays to be with them at the hour of their death.
Mother of Love, of Sorrow and of Mercy By St Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Immaculate Mother of God, who endured a martyrdom of love and grief, beholding the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus! Thou didst co-operate in the benefit of my redemption by thy innumerable afflictions and by offering to the Eternal Father, His only-begotten Son, as a holocaust and victim of propitiation for my sins. I thank thee for the unspeakable love which led thee to deprive thyself of the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus, true God and true Man, to save me, a sinner. Oh! make use of the unfailing intercession of thy sorrows with the Father and the Son, that I may steadfastly amend my life and never again crucify my loving Redeemer by my sins and that, persevering till death in His grace, I may obtain eternal life through the merits of His Cross and Passion. Amen Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us!
Our Morning Offering – 10 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
On Fridays in Catholic Time, we honour the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour – Jesus was Scourged, Mocked and Crucified on a Friday. Because of this, the Church has always set aside Fridays as days of penance and sacrifice. While in South Africa, the Bishops have sadly removed abstinence from meat on Fridays, although many still continued the practice, penance is still required in one form or another. This day should always be a day of repentance and a day in which we recall Christ’s complete self-sacrifice to save us from our sins.
I Rise – An Old Morning Prayer – Excerpt From The Blossoms of the Cross — 1894 The Sisters of St Joseph
I rise In God’s strength, In God’s power, In the Agony of Christ, In the Cross of Christ, In Christ’s Precious Blood, These will sustain me against my enemies, visible and invisible. I rise in the blessing of Christ which my dearest Jesus left to the whole world. Protect me, All-Holy Trinity, God the Father, Who created me, God, the Son, Who redeemed me in His Precious Blood, God, the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified me in Holy Baptism. God, the Father, I give myself to Thee! God, the Son, I commend myself to Thee! God, the Holy Ghost, teach me! Mary, Mother of God, assist me! All you Saints of God, pray for me! All you Holy Angels, protect me! The Cross of Christ preserve me! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 9 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
In Catholic Time, Thursday is the day of the Holy Eucharist – Our Lord instituted the most Holy Eucharist on a Thursday, so it is fitting that we remember this greatest of Sacraments on this day. The Eucharist is the greatest gift of God to mankind, as it is nothing less than Jesus Himself. What gift could be greater? Therefore, on Thursdays, many spend an hour in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as an aspect of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
O Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament By The League of the Sacred Heart 1929 (Ireland)
O Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, overflowing with gentleness, tenderness and charity, I bury in the abyss of The Mercy, all my iniquities and all my negligence. I offer Thee my labours and my sufferings, my sorrows and my miseries, I recommend to Thee my life and my death. Solace my doubts Sweet Jesus, calm my fears and grant, that day by day, I may become more united to Thy Sacred Heart, learning Thy love and Thy holiness. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 8 September – Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“Mary, Mother of Grace, it becomes you to be mindful of us, as you stand near Him who granted you all graces, for you are the Mother of God and our Queen. Help us for the sake of the King, the Lord God and Master, Who was born of you.”
St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
“Go to Mary and sing her praises and you will be enlightened. For it is through her, that the true Light shines on the sea of this life.”
St Ildephonsus (607-670)
“Mary seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children. ”
St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church
“We may seek graces but shall never find them without the intercession of Mary.”
St Cajetan (1480-1547)
“If you put all the love, of all the mothers into one heart, it still would not equal the love of the Heart of Mary for her children.”
St Louis de Montfort (1673-1716)
“Never do anything that your heart tells you, is displeasing to Mary and, in addition, never deny her anything that you know she would welcome and desire from you.”
St Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)
Mary, Mother of Grace St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor of the Church
It becomes you to be mindful of us, as you stand near Him who granted you all graces, for you are the Mother of God and our Queen. Help us for the sake of the King, the Lord God and Master, Who was born of you. For this reason, you are called full of grace. Remember us, most holy Virgin, and bestow on us gifts from the riches of your graces, Virgin full of graces. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 4 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” and Mary’s Saturday
To Our Lady of Sorrows By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church
O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the Martyrdom, the Crucifixion and the Death, of your Divine Son, look upon me, with eyes of compassion and awaken in my heart, a tender commiseration for those sufferings and a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that, being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem and that, henceforward, all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object, the honour, glory and love of our divine Lord Jesus, and to you, the Holy and Immaculate Mother of God. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 3 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary” – The Memorial of St Pope Pius X (1835-1914) (Pontiff 1903-1914)
O Divine Jesus! Lonely in So Many Tabernacles By St Pope Pius X (1835-1914) “Pope of the Blessed Sacrament”
O Divine Jesus! Lonely today in so many Tabernacles, without visitor or worshipper, I offer Thee my lonely heart. May it’s every beat be a prayer of love to Thee. Thou art ever watching under the Sacramental Veils, in Thou love, Thou never sleeps and Thou art never weary of Thy vigils for sinners. O Loving Jesus! O Lonely Jesus! may my heart be a lamp, the light of which shall burn and beam for Thee alone. Watch, Sacramental Sentinel! Watch for the weary world, for the erring soul and for Thy poor lonely child. O Jesus, my God, I adore Thee, here present in the Sacrament of Thy love. Amen
Indulgences: 100 days each time before the Tabernacle 300 days each time before the Blessed Sacrament Exposed (St Pope Pius X – 3 July 1908) Prayers to the Sacred Heart 15th Ed 1936
September – Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1, The prophecy of Simeon 2. The Flight to Egypt 3. Loss of Child Jesus for 3 days 4. Meeting Jesus carrying His Cross 5. The Crucifixion of Jesus 6. The Pieta – receiving Jesus’ Body The Burial of Jesus
The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin – Altarpiece by Albrecht Dürer.
During this month of September, we are drawn into the spiritual Martyrdom which the Blessed Mother experienced during the physical Martyrdom of Jesus. The evils of sin are manifest but conquered through intense suffering. The Blessed Mother’s tears of anguish reflect God’s washing away of sin.
We see this theme of joy followed by affliction mirrored in the liturgical calendar in two September Feasts – the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 14 September and the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on 15 September. Happy the heart of the blessed Virgin Mary! She, without dying, earned the treasure of Martyrdom beneath the Cross of our Lord for her anguish.
The name of Our Lady of Sorrows centres on the extraordinary and bittersweet suffering the Blessed Mother experienced during Christ’s Passion. As seen in the artwork above, her agony is composed of “The Seven Dolors,” that pierced the Heart of Mary. Dürer’s portrayal of each event encompasses the central figure of Christ’s sorrowful Mother.
Our Morning Offering – 1 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”
As we enter the Month of our Sorrowful Mother, let us unite ourselves to her and offer her our meagre consolation.
What Can I Say? By St Anselm (1033-1109) Magnificent Doctor Marian Doctor
My most merciful Lady, what can I say about the fountains that flowed from your most pure eyes when you saw your only Son before you, bound, beaten and suffering? What do I know of the flood that drenched your matchless face, when you beheld your Son, your Lord and your God, stretched on the Cross without guilt, when the flesh of your flesh was cruelly butchered by wicked men? How can I judge, what sobs, troubled your most pure breast, when you heard, “Woman, behold your son,” and the disciple, “Behold, your Mother,” when you received as a son the disciple in place of the Master, the servant for the Lord? Amen
From “The Prayers and Meditations of Saint Anselm with the Proslogion,” Benedicta Ward, trans,1973, Penguin classics, Penguin Group (UK)
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