CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month – Page 65

DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 4 May – Run, hasten, O Lady – St Bernard

Posted on May 4, 2020May 3, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 4 May – ‘Mary’ Month’ -Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

O Lady, I Call upon You
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Doctor of the Church

Run, hasten, O Lady,
and in your mercy help your sinful servant,
who calls upon you,
and deliver him from the hands of the enemy.
Who will not sigh to you?
We sigh with love and grief,
for we are oppressed on every side.
How can we do otherwise than sigh to you,
O solace of the miserable,
refuge of outcasts,
ransom of captives?
We are certain that when you see our miseries,
your compassion will hasten to relieve us.
O our sovereign Lady and our Advocate,
commend us to your Son.
Grant, O blessed one,
by the grace which you have merited,
that He, who through you,
was graciously pleased to become a partaker
of our infirmity and misery,
may also, through your intercession,
make us partakers, of His happiness and glory.
Amen o-lady-i-call-upon-you-st-bernard-run-hasten-o-lady-30-may-2018 and 23 dec 2019 and 26 jan 2019

MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thoughts of Mary – 2 May -The Sweet Name of Mary with Saint Pope John XXIII

Posted on May 3, 2020May 3, 2020 by AnaStpaul

“Mary’s Month” – 2 May – Thoughts of Mary

The Sweet Name of Mary
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

“We are in the month of Mary – what could be found more beautiful and more encouraging, than a visit to the altar of Mary, there to join our voices with the songs of spring, with the birds of the air, the murmur of the wind, the blossoming of nature and above all, with the chants of those innocent children of our families?
Nothing is more joyful than this vision of youth, which is the promises of a sure future and an augury and fountain of blessings, because, pure young people who have flowered in innocence, are the pledge of the Lord’s most wonderful graces.
The Pope recalls his Lenten visits to some parishes of his Diocese of Rome, in newly built areas. He knew then, that all felt in their innermost hearts, the sweetness of this meeting of Christians and welcomed the Pope’s endeavour to bring to everyone, the name of Mary and the blessing of Jesus, to describe to them and recall to their minds, the great wonders and miracles, which, by the Lord’s grace, the Catholic faith and the practice of virtue, bring into the world.
So all feel greatly comforted, even when the road is sown with thorns, we have more courage to remove these thorns and to endure them with patience, turning our mind and heart to heaven, to call on the sweet name of Mary and ask her to bring us the true inspiration from on high and the source of all blessings, Jesus our Lord.” so all feel greatly comforted - st john XXIII the sweet name of mary 3 may 2020

CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 3 May – Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary Before Holy Mass

Posted on May 3, 2020May 2, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 3 May – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday and “Mary’s Month”

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Before Holy Mass

O most blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of tenderness and mercy,
I, a miserable and unworthy sinner,
fly to you with all the affection of my heart
and I beseech your motherly love,
that, as you stood by your most dear Son,
while he hung on the Cross,
so, in your kindness,
you may be pleased to stand by me, a poor sinner,
and all Priests who today are offering the Sacrifice
here and throughout the entire holy Church,
so that with your gracious help,
we may offer a worthy and acceptable oblation
in the sight of the most high and undivided Trinity.
Amen.

(This prayer is adapted from the Priests’ Prayers Before each Mass)

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thoughts of Mary – 2 May – Mother of Good Counsel by St John XXIII

Posted on May 2, 2020May 2, 2020 by AnaStpaul

“Mary’s Month” – 2 May – Thoughts of Mary

Mother of Good Counsel
By St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

O Mary, your name has been on my lips and in my heart, from my early infancy.
When I was a child, I learnt to love you as a Mother, turn to you in danger and trust to your intercession.
You see in my heart, the desire to know the truth, to practise virtue, to be prudent and just, strong and patient, a brother to all.
O Mary, help me to keep my purpose of living as a faithful disciple of Jesus, for the building up of Christian society and the joy of the Holy Catholic Church.
I greet you, Mother, morning and evening;
I pray to you as I go upon my way;
from you, I hope for the inspiration and encouragement, that will enable me to fulfil the sacred promises of my earthly vocation, give glory to God and win eternal salvation.
O Mary!
Like you in Bethlehem and on Golgotha, I too wish to stay always close to Jesus.
He is the eternal King of all ages and all peoples.
Amen

o mary your name has been on my lips and in my heart - st john XXIII 2 mary 2020

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, To JESUS through MARY

Thought for the Day – 2 May – The Intercession of Our Lady

Posted on May 2, 2020July 13, 2025 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 2 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Intercession of Our Lady

“Our Lady’s intercession is very powerful with God.
St Bernard tells us that it is the will of God, that everything comes to us through her holy hands (Sermo in Nativ BMV no 7).
He assures us, that Mary is the Mediatrix through whom we receive all favours from God (In Assump. BMV sermo 2, no 2).
Her power of intercession is the result of her divine and human motherhood.
Because she is the Mother of God, Jesus refuses her nothing; because she is our mother, she loves us dearly and is eager to obtain from God, the spiritual favours, for which we ask.
For this reason, we should approach her with complete confidence.
St Bernard also writes: “If anyone feels that he is overwhelmed by the tempests of this world and cannot keep an even course, let him raise his eyes towards Mary, let him remember Mary and call upon her…. In danger and in doubt, let him remember and call upon her. Let the thought of Mary never leave his mind; let her name never be far from his lips and from his heart …” (Super Miss. Homil 2, no 17).
In all our necessities, we should have confident recourse to our heavenly Mother.
Let us remember, however, that if we wish to be true sons of Mary and to be sure of being heard by her, we should ask especially, for spiritual graces.
Afterwards, we may ask, with equal confidence but, with resignation to God’s will, for temporal favours, provided they will not stand in the way of our eternal salvation.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Our Morning Offering – 2 May – Mary, Mother of Grace by St Athanasius

Posted on May 2, 2020May 1, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 2 May – “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Third Week of Easter, the Memorial of St Athanasius (c 295-373) – Father and Doctor of the Church, “The Father of Orthodoxy”

Mary, Mother of Grace
St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor

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 mary mother of grace no 2 st athanasius 2 may 2020

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 1 May – The Month of Mary

Posted on May 1, 2020April 29, 2022 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 1 May – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Month of Mary

“It is often said, that May is the most beautiful month of the year.
The flowers are in full bloom, the weather is mild and the first fruits of the soil are beginning to reward man’s labour.
It is fitting that we should dedicate to Mary, the most beautiful month of the year, for she is the most beautiful of God’s creatures.

We should offer this month to Mary, by increasing our love for her.
We should love her with a filial love, for she loves us with the heart of a mother.
If we contemplate her beauty and goodness, we shall be inflamed with love for her.
It will be a tender love, such as we have for our earthly mother and, at the same time, a respectful and worshipful love, such as we ought to have for the Mother of God.
Our offering of the month of May to Mary, should result in a twofold resolution:
the resolution to make good our failings and to advance in holiness.
This, is the only way, in which we can prove the sincerity of our affection, by deeds rather than by words.
It is certain that we have many faults of character.
Let us examine ourselves in front of Our Lady’s Altar, by comparing our weakness with her magnificence of soul.
When we have discovered our failings, let us be courageous in eradicating them.
We can offer this sacrifice to Mary, with love and generosity, no matter how hard it may be.

We can spend everyday of this month, digging out those weeds in the garden of our soul, which, our passions and the influence of the devil have helped to flourish.
Let us plant and bring to perfection in their place, the flowers of Christian virtue.
In this way, we shall make the month of May, very pleasing to Mary.“

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN POETRY

Quote of the Day – 1 May – Mary’s Month

Posted on May 1, 2020May 1, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 1 May – Friday of the Third Week of Easter

Mary’s Month
By Fr Dennis John Burns (1920-2009)

Blue skies,
Blue waters, blue as Mary’s eyes
God scatters with a lavish hand,
On every land.
Still night,
Made lovely with soft, silver light,
God wraps about the world when day
Has slipped away.
Each field
Holds up a golden-flowered shield
Against the shining shafts of sun,
Yet each is won.
Bright rain
God spills to bring to earth again
New freshness. Then like sudden tears
It disappears.
Green trees,
The vagabonding summer breeze,
The golden days and silver nights
His will unites
In one.
And when His work of love is done,
His will decrees a holiday,
The month of May.
And why?
That she, as pure as summer sky,
Who found within an earth-born Boy
What earth contained of joy and pain
Might find her full content of joy
On earth again. mary's month by fr dennis burns 1 may 2020

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Rejoice! It’s 1 May and the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Posted on May 1, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Rejoice! It’s 1 May and the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“God wills that all his gifts should come to us through Mary”

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Mellifluous Doctor

“This is the month in which, in the churches and individual homes,
the most affectionate and fervent homage of prayers and devotions
from the hearts of Christians are raised to Mary.
It is also the month in which from His throne, descend upon us,
the most generous and abundant gifts of the Divine Mercy.”

Saint Pope Paul VI, The Month of Mary,1967

Act of SPIRITUAL COMMUNION, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Devotion for the Month of April – The Blessed Sacrament

Posted on April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Devotion for the Month of April – The Blessed Sacrament

Holy Thursday, the day on which Catholics celebrate the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the Last Supper, falls most often in April and so it is no surprise that the Catholic Church dedicates this month to devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
In these very sad times when we cannot attend the Passion week ceremonies, we need to focus our hearts and minds, much, much more on the Passion of Our Lord, on the Holy Eucharist and on our Communion with our Lord and Saviour.
Neither are we able to attend Eucharistic Adoration, live, though there are many ‘live’ opportunities online for both Holy Mass and Adoration.

This beautiful prayer by St John Damascene, with a slight adaptation, may be used as our Spiritual Communion.

God, my God, inextinguishable and invisible fire,
You make Your angels flaming fire.
Out of Your inexpressible love,
You have given me Your divine Flesh as food
and through this communion
of Your immaculate Body and precious Blood,
You receive me as a partaker of Your divinity.
Permeate all my body and soul, all my bones and sinews.
Consume my sins in fire.
Enlighten my soul and illumine my mind.
Sanctify my body and make Your abode in me,
together with Your blessed Father and all-holy Spirit,
that I may always abide in You,
through the intercession of Your immaculate Mother and all Your saints.
Amen
Prayer of St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Now, at least, in this great depredation we suffer, we might truly understand and agree with the words of St Claude:

If we only knew the treasure we hold in our hands!
St Claude de la Colombiere SJ (1641-1682)

“God is more honoured by a single Mass
than He could be by all the actions of angels and men together,
however fervent and heroic they might be.
Yet, how FEW, hear Mass
with the intention of giving God
this sublime honour!
How FEW think,
with joy on the glory, a Mass gives to God.
How FEW rejoice,
to possess the means of honouring Him
as He deserves! . . .
If we only knew the treasure we hold in our hands!”

Let us pray, all day, for the restoration of the Holy Mass!

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES on the FAMILY, THE HOLY FAMILY - FAMILIAE SANCTAE

FEBRUARY – THE MONTH OF THE HOLY FAMILY

Posted on February 1, 2020February 1, 2020 by AnaStpaul

FEBRUARY – THE MONTH OF THE HOLY FAMILY

The spirit of the Holy Family and its characteristic virtues are pictured for us in St Paul’s words to the Colossians (3:12-17), “Brethren, put on, therefore, as the elect of God [through holy baptism], holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; bearing with one another and forgiving one another if any have a complaint against another; even ‘as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things, have charity, which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also, you are called in one body and be you thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God”.

An inspiring model, a precious instruction! The sacred liturgy, however, is not satisfied with this. She opens to us the sources of strength which are needed for a good, Christian family life. She opens these to us through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Holy Communion, and prayer.

A devoted family spirit and these family virtues are a precious possession both for the human family and for the supernatural family. Among these virtues we may call attention especially to:

the will and effort to be of one heart and one soul in chaste love;
to the disposition of devotion to one another, bearing each other’s faults and forgiving each other’s mistakes;3.
to the disposition to serve one another and to subject one’s own interests to the common good of the family; 4.
to the disposition to do whatever is necessary for mutual understanding and mutual appreciation.

To live a good, Christian family life requires sacrifice, the renunciation of one’s own wishes and a reasonable mortification of self. If it is to be perfect, it requires complete victory over self-love. It requires a high degree of virtue, deep piety and living faith, much prayer, and a close union with God.

In our day the very foundations of family life have been shaken by the failure of so many marriages. For this reason the devotion to the Holy Family of Nazareth takes on a new meaning and a new importance. The modern family must again be rejuvenated and filled with the spirit of the Holy Family of Nazareth. It must recapture the spirit of faith, the spirit of subjection to the will of God. It is for this intention that we should offer our prayers and sacrifices during the month. — The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, OSB.

Prayer for the Protection of the Holy Family

Grant unto us, Lord Jesus,
ever to follow the example
of Your Holy Family,
that in the hour of our death
Your glorious Virgin Mother
together with blessed Joseph
may come to meet us
and we may be worthily,
received by You
into everlasting dwellings,
who lives and reigns,
world without end.
Amen

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 18 January – The Golden Arrow

Posted on January 18, 2020January 17, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 January – Saturday of the First week in Ordinary Time – Month of the Holy Name of Jesus

The Golden Arrow

May the most holy,
most sacred,
most adorable,
most mysterious
and unutterable Name of God
be always praised,
blessed,
loved,
adored
and glorified in heaven.
on earth and under the earth,
by all the creatures of God
and by the Sacred Heart
of our Lord Jesus Christ
in the most Holy Sacrament
of the altar.
Amen

This prayer was revealed by Jesus Himself to a Carmelite Nun of Tours in 1843 as a reparation for blasphemy. “This Golden Arrow will wound My Heart delightfully,” He said “and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy.”

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME

Our Morning Offering – 11 January – Jesus, Name Full of Glory

Posted on January 11, 2020January 11, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 11 January – Saturday after Epiphany

Jesus, Name Full of Glory
By St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)

Jesus,
Name full of glory,
grace, love and strength!
You are the refuge of those who repent,
our banner of warfare in this life,
the medicine of souls,
the comfort of those who morn,
the delight of those who believe,
the light of those
who preach the true faith,
the wages of those who toil,
the healing of the sick.
To You our devotion aspires,
by You our prayers are received;
we delight in contemplating You.
O Name of Jesus,
You are the glory of all the saints for eternity.
Amen jesus name full of glory by st bernardine of siena - 11 jan 2020.jpg

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Second Thought for the Day – 3 January – This Name is the cure for all diseases of the soul.

Posted on January 3, 2020January 3, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Second Thought for the Day – 3 January – Christmas Weekday and the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

This Name is the cure for all diseases of the soul.

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Doctor of the Church

“The sweet Name of Jesus produces in us holy thoughts, fills the soul with noble sentiments, strengthens virtue, begets good works and nourishes pure affections. All spiritual food leaves the soul dry, if it contain not that penetrating oil, the Name Jesus. When you take your pen, write the Name Jesus, if you write books, let the Name of Jesus be contained in them, else they will possess no charm or attraction for m, you may speak, or you may reply, but if the Name of Jesus sounds not from your lips, you are without unction and without charm.

Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, light in the eyes, a flame in our heart. This Name is the cure for all diseases of the soul. Are you troubled? think but of Jesus, speak but the Name of Jesus, the clouds disperse and peace descends anew from heaven.

Have you fallen into sin? so that you fear death? invoke the Name of Jesus and you will soon feel life returning. No obduracy of the soul, no weakness, no coldness of heart can resist this holy Name, there is no heart which will not soften and open in tears at this holy name. Are you surrounded by sorrow and danger? invoke the Name of Jesus and your fears will vanish.

Never yet was human being in urgent need and on the point of perishing, who invoked this help-giving Name and was not powerfully sustained. It was given us for the cure of all our ills, to soften the impetuosity of anger, to quench the fire of concupiscence, to conquer pride, to mitigate the pain of our wounds, to overcome the thirst of avarice, to quiet sensual passions and the desires of low pleasures.

If we call to our minds the Name of Jesus, it brings before us His most meek and humble heart and gives us a new knowledge of His most loving and tender compassion. The Name of Jesus is the purest and holiest, the noblest and most indulgent of names, the Name of all blessings and of all virtues, it is the Name of the God-Man, of sanctity itself. To think of Jesus is to think of the great, infinite God Who, having given us His life as an example, has also bestowed the necessary understanding, energy and assistance to enable us to follow and imitate Him, in our thoughts, inclinations, words and actions.

If the Name of Jesus reaches the depths of our heart, it leaves heavenly virtue there. We say, therefore, with our great master, St Paul the Apostle – If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.”

Jesus, I offer You my thoughts,
that You may keep them pure,
my actions, that they may
always glorify Your Name,
my words, that they may
forever give You praise!

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – Blessed be the Most Holy Name of Jesus without end!

Posted on January 3, 2020January 3, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 3 January – Christmas Weekday

and the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

“And whatever you ask in my name,
I will do, so that the Father
may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me,
in my name,
I will do it.”

John 14:14-14

“And you shall call His name Jesus,
because in His Name we adore
the entire majesty of the Godhead.
All who dwell in the heavens,
those who abide upon the earth
and everyone of those
who are held in the depths of hell,
bow down prostate to this Name.
This is the Name which gave sight to the blind,
hearing to the deaf,
agility to the lame,
speech to the mute
and life to the dead,
The power of this Name
forced the mastery of the devil entirely,
from the bodies of the possessed.”

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“The Holy Name of Jesus is, first of all, an all-powerful prayer.
Our Lord, Himself, solemnly promises,
that whatever we ask the Father in His Name,
we shall receive.
God never fails to keep His word.
Each time we say “Jesus,”
it is an act of perfect love,
for, we offer to God,
the infinite love of Jesus”

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

”The invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus,
is the simplest way of praying always.
When the Holy Name is repeated often
by a humbly attentive heart,
the prayer is not lost by heaping up empty praises
but holds fast to the Word and
”brings forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).
This prayer is possible at all times
because it is not one occupation among others
but the only occupation –
that of loving God which animates
and transfigures every action in Christ Jesus”

CCC 2668

“We, Jesuits, want to be conferred the name of Jesus,
militate under the standard of His Cross and this means,
to have the same sentiments of Christ.
It means to think like Him,
love like Him, see like Him, walk like Him.
It means to do what He did
and with His same sentiments,
with the sentiments of His Heart.
The heart of Christ is the heart of a God
who, out of love, “emptied” Himself.

Pope Francis

(3 January 2014)

Blessed be the Most Holy Name of Jesus without end!

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One Minute Reflection – 3 January – ‘He became mortal that you might become God and put on your original beauty.’

Posted on January 3, 2020January 3, 2020 by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 3 January – Christmas Weekday and the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Readings: 1 John 2:29-3, 6, Psalm 98:1, 3-6, John 1:29-34

I did not know him but the reason why I came baptising with water, was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him”. … John 1:31-32

REFLECTION – “Upon Adam, blinded in Eden, a Sun has arisen, rising up from Bethlehem and has opened his eyes by washing them in the waters of Jordan. Upon him whom darkness and shadows were covering, that light has dawned which will never go out. Night is no more for him, all is day, Dawn is born for him, since it was dusk when he hid himself, as Scripture says (Gn 3:8). He who fell in the evening has found the Sunrise that gives him light, he has fled from the dark and advanced towards the morning which has manifested itself and illuminated all. (…)

Sing aloud, O Adam and worship Him who comes to meet you. While you were drawing back, He manifested Himself to you that you might see and touch and welcome Him. He whom you feared after you had been deceived, has been made like you for your sake. He has come down to earth to take you to heaven, He became mortal that you might become God and put on your original beauty. Wishing to open up again for you the gates of Eden, He lived in Nazareth. For all this, sing of Him, man and glorify with a psalm, the One who manifested Himself and has shone over all.

The eyes of the children of earth have received the strength to behold the heavenly Face, the sight of the creatures of clay, (Gn 2:7) has perceived the undimmed shining of the immaterial Light, that prophets and kings have not seen but longed to see (Mt 13:17). Great Daniel was called a man of desires because he desired to contemplate Him whom we behold. David, too, hoped for this decree, now we can understand what lay hidden, the One who manifested Himself and illuminated all.” … St Romanos Melodios (c 490-c 556) Monk, Composer of Hymns, Poet – 2nd hymn for the Epiphany, 1,3,8 john 1 32 I saw the spirit come down like a dove - he has come down to earth - st romanus melodios 3 jan 2020.jpg

PRAYER – Almighty God, Your Son’s manhood, born of the Virgin, was a new creation, untainted by our sinful condition. Renew us then, in Christ and cleanse us from our sins. May the Holy Name of Jesus, be our light, our safeguard and our shield. Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all time and forever, amen. the jesus prayer - 3 jan 2018.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 3 January – O Sweet Name of Jesus

Posted on January 3, 2020January 2, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 3 January – Christmas Weekday and the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

O Sweet Name of Jesus
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
(Manualis Parvulorum XIII)

O sweet Name of Jesus,
holy above all names in heaven and on earth
and to which every knee,
both of men and of angels in heaven,
on earth and in hell bends.
You are the the way of the just,
the glory of the saints,
the hope of those in need,
the balm of the sick,
the love of the devout
and the consolation of those that suffer.
O, Jesus be to me a help
and a protector
so that Your Name
may be blessed for all times…
Amen o sweet name of jesus by thomas a kempis 3 jan 2020.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, HYMNS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME

Monthly Catholic Devotions – January, the Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Posted on January 1, 2020December 31, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Monthly Catholic Devotions

JANUARY
is the Month of
THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS

The month of January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.
“In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2:10).
Christ’s name is chosen in heaven and the Angel Gabriel announces it when he informs the Blessed Virgin of the incarnation:
“Behold thou shall conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son and thou shall call his name Jesus”.
It is a name that has marvellous implications, for it means “saviour.” The very name bespeaks the magnitude of His mission, His infinite love, a love that will cause Him to offer Himself up for us.

The name of Jesus is the sweetest of all names and He who bears it is most worthy of all love. He who calls Jesus, his friend, can be assured that this friend is the most devoted and unselfish of all friends.

Jesus is our all.
In His name, we may pray to the Father with assurance of being heard.
In His name, the Church administers all her sacraments.
In His name, she offers all her prayers and blesses homes, the fields and the sick.
In the name of Jesus, she casts out evil spirits
and at the hour of our death bids us, “Go forth, Christian soul.”
She assures us, that whoever shall call upon this name will be saved. When our soul has departed this life to seek its eternal home, the Church asks in the name of Jesus, “Eternal rest give unto him, O Lord.” … Fr Benedict Baur, OSB

Jesu Dulcis Memori

By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
with sweetness fills my breast,
But sweeter far Thy face to see
and in Thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
a sweeter sound than Jesus’ name,
O Saviour of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek
to those who fall, how kind Thou art,
how good to those who seek!

But what to those who find?
Ah this nor tongue nor pen can show,
the love of Jesus, what it is none
but His loved ones know.

Jesus our only joy be Thou
as Thou our prize wilt be.
Jesus, be Thou our glory now
and through eternity.
Amen

2019:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/01/01/january-is-the-month-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus/

2018:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/01/01/monthly-catholic-devotions-january-is-the-month-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-2/ jesu, dulcis memoria st bernard of clairvaux hymn or prayer.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CONSECRATION Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Thought for the Day – 9 December – On the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Posted on December 9, 2019December 7, 2020 by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 9 December – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Infallible Teaching of the Catholic Church

On the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“Wherefore, in humility and fasting, we unceasingly offered our private prayers as well as the public prayers of the Church, to God the Father through His Son, that He would deign to direct and strengthen our mind by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In like manner did we implore the help of the entire heavenly host as we ardently invoked the Paraclete.

Accordingly, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honour of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and by our own:

We declare, pronounce and define, that the Doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her Conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a Doctrine revealed by God and, therefore, to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.
Hence, if anyone shall dare — which God forbid! — to think otherwise than as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is condemned by his own judgment, that he has suffered shipwreck in the faith, that he has separated from the unity of the Church and that, furthermore, by his own action, he incurs the penalties established by law if he should dare to express in words or writing, or by any other outward means, the errors he think in his heart.”

Blessed Pope Pius IX (1792-1878), Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854

“That one woman is both Mother and Virgin, not in spirit only but even in body. In spirit she is mother, not of our Head, who is our Saviour Himself—of whom all, even she herself, are rightly called children of the bridegroom—but plainly she is the mother of us, who are His members, because by love, she has cooperated, so that the faithful, who are the members of that Head, might be born in the Church. In body, indeed, she is the Mother of that very Head”

Saint Augustine (354-430)

Father and Doctor of the Church

Act of Consecration
By St Maximillian Kolbe (1894-1941)

O Immaculate, Queen of heaven and earth,
Refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother,
God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to You,
I, an unworthy sinner, cast myself at Your feet,
humbly imploring You
to take me with all that I am and have,
wholly to Yourself as Your possession and property.
Please make of me,
of all my powers of soul and body,
of my whole life, death and eternity,
whatever pleases You.
If it pleases You,
use all that I am and have without reserve,
wholly to accomplish what has been said of You:
“She will crush your head”,
and “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.”
Let me be a fit instrument in Your immaculate
and most merciful hands for introducing and increasing Your glory
to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls
and thus help extend as far as possible,
the blessed Kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
For, wherever You enter,
You obtain the grace of conversion and sanctification,
since it is through Your hands,
that all graces come to us.
from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

V. Allow me to praise You, O most holy Virgin.

R. Give me strength against Your enemies.
Amen act-of-consecration-8-dec-2017 and 9 dec 2019.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Quote/s of the Day – 9 December – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – From the Fathers

Posted on December 9, 2019December 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 9 December – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

From the Fathers

“He was the Ark formed of incorruptible wood.
For by this, is signified, that His Tabernacle
was exempt from putridity and corruption.”

Saint Hippolytus (c 170-c 235)

Hippolytus was one of the most important
second-third century Christian theologians.

“This Virgin Mother of the Only begotten of God is called Mary,
worthy of God, immaculate of the immaculate, one of the one.”

Origen (c 185-253)

Priest and Theologian
Origen of Alexandria, also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic and theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria.

“Thou alone and Thy Mother are in all things fair,
there is no flaw in Thee
and no stain in Thy Mother.”

Saint Ephrem of Syria (306-373)

Both Father and Doctor
Deacon, Theologian, Hymnist

“Mary, a virgin not only undefiled
but a virgin, whom grace has made inviolate,
free of every stain of sin.”

Sermon 22, in the year 338

Saint Ambrose (340-397)

Both Father and Doctor – One of the original four Fathers of the Latin Church, Bishop of Milan

“A Virgin, innocent, spotless, free of all defect,
untouched, unsullied, holy in soul and body,
like a lily, sprouting among thorns.”

Saint Theodotus of Ancrya (Died c 446)

Bishop, Theologian

“The very fact that God has elected her,
proves that none was ever holier than Mary,
if any stain had disfigured her soul,
if any other virgin had been purer and holier,
God would have selected her and rejected Mary.”

Saint Jacob of Sarug (c 451-521)

Jacob of Sarug, also called Mar Jacob, was one of the foremost Syriac poet-theologians, perhaps only second in stature to Ephrem the Syrian and equal to Narsai. Where his predecessor Ephrem is known as the ‘Harp of the Spirit’, Jacob is the ‘Flute of the Spirit’.

“Today, humanity,
in all the radiance of her immaculate nobility,
receives its ancient beauty.
The shame of sin had darkened
the splendour and attraction of human nature
but when the Mother of the Fair One par excellence is born,
this nature again regains in her person.
its ancient privileges and is fashioned
according to a perfect model,
truly worthy of God….
The reform of our nature
begins today and the aged world,
subjected to a wholly divine transformation,
receives the first fruits of the second creation.”

Saint Andrew of Crete (650-740)

Bishop, Theologian

Saint Andrew of Crete, also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was an 8th-century Bishop, theologian, homilist and hymnist. today humanity - st andrew of crete imm conception 9 dec 2019.jpg

ADVENT, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The WORD

Advent Reflection on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – 9 December – The wonderful tabernacle of Your glory,

Posted on December 9, 2019December 9, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Advent Reflection on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – 9 December – Readings: Genesis 3:9-15, 20, Psalm 98:1-4, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, Luke 1:26-38

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it what you have said be done to me.” … Luke 1:38 luke 1 38 - let what you have said be done to me - 18dec2018 ourladyofexpectation.jpg

REFLECTION – “May the holy divinity of Your glory, my God, O my gentleness, with which You deigned to fill and to inhabit for nine months the chaste viscera of the Virgin Mary, bless You. May the highest virtue of Your divinity, which bent to the humbleness of the virginal valley, bless You. May the utmost art of Your almightiness, God most high, with which You imparted onto the Virgin Rose, such virtue, radiance and comeliness as You, Yourself could yearn for, bless You. May Your wondrous wisdom, whose copious grace made all of Mary’s life and body, as well as her soul, comparable with Your worthiness, bless You. May You, strong, wise and most dulcet love which made You, the flower and spouse of virginity, become the Son of a virgin, bless You. (…)

May the worthiest heart and soul of the most glorious Virgin Mother Mary (whom, because of my need for salvation, You chose for Yourself as mother and that her motherly clemency might always be open to me) be jubilant to You, on my behalf. May that most faithful concern which is Yours for me (by which You have provided me with an advocate and patron saint of such capability that through her I may easily be able to find Your grace and in whom, I trustfully believe, Your eternal mercy is preserved for me) be jubilant to You. May that wonderful tabernacle of Your glory, which alone has ministered to You worthily, as a holy dwelling place and through which, You can best make amends for me, to Yourself, for the due measure of praise and glory that I owe You, be jubilant to You.” … Saint Gertrude of Helfta the Great (1256-1301) – Exercises VI, SC 127

MEDITATION – “All things came to be through him and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life and this life was the light of the human race.” … John 1:3-4 advent - solemnity of the imm conception 9 dec 2019.jpg

ADVENT ACTION – Remember the Babe in the Manger, keep Him before your eyes and you will not be able to forget what our sins do. Our actions with God and those, in this life, will determine our union with God and others, in eternal life. That is our great hope.

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help us to imitate Your Immaculate Daughter Mary in her love for You. Grant us the grace to love You as much as she, all our lives and grant, that through her help and her prayers, we ourselves may come to You , cleansed from our sins. O Mary Immaculate, mother of our Lord, Pray for us! Amen immaculate-mary-pray-for-us - 8 dec 2017 and 9 dec 2019.jpg

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Nine – 9 December

Posted on December 9, 2019December 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Nine – 9 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

How fair you are, 0 Mary!
The original stain is not in you.
You are the boast of Jerusalem,
You are the joy of Israel.
You are the pride of our people.
You are the advocate of sinners.
0 Mary!
You are the wisest of virgins.
You are the kindest of mothers.
Pray for us.
Intercede for us with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Virgin, you were spotless
from the very moment of your conception.
Because you bore His Son, pray to the Father for us.
Through the spotless conception of the Virgin, 0 God,
You made ready a dwelling place worthy of Your Son.
In anticipation of Your Son’s death,
You preserved her from every stain.
Please purify us by her intercession,
so that we might find our way to You.
We ask this through Christ our lord.
Amen

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 9: The Immaculata’s Fullness of Love

Reading:
The Immaculata never knew the slightest stain, in other words, her love was always full, without flaw. She loved God with all her being and from the first instant of her existence her love united her with God so perfectly, that on the day of the Annunciation the angel could say to her, “Full of grace! the Lord is with you!” (cf. Lk 1:28). She is, then, God’s creature, God’s image, God’s child and in all these respects, she is all this in the most perfect manner possible, among the ranks of mere creatures (“Sketches for a book,” 1940). Intelligent creatures love God in a conscious manner, through this love, they unite themselves more and more closely with Him and so find their way back to Him. The creature most completely filled with this love, filled with God Himself, was the Immaculata. . . . In the Holy Spirit’s union with Mary, we observe more than the love of two beings, in one, there is all the love of the Blessed Trinity, in the other, all of creation’s love. So it is, that in this union, heaven and earth are joined, all of heaven with all the earth, the totality of eternal love with the totality of created love. It is truly the summit of love (“Sketches for a book,” 17 February 1941).

Meditation:
To channel all our spiritual, physical and psychological energies into their fullest human expression, means simply to love God, as totally as possible. May the Immaculata’s flawless love of God, inspire each of u,s to channel our love, in that same ultimate direction.

Closing prayers

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

I greet you, ever-blessed Virgin,
Mother of God throne of grace,
miracle of almighty power!
I greet you, sanctuary of the most Holy Trinity
and Queen of the universe,
Mother of mercy and refuge of sinners!
Most loving Mother,
attracted by your beauty and sweetness
and by your tender compassion,
I confidently turn to you
and beg of you, to obtain for me of your dear Son
the favour I request in this novena
………………………… (here mention you request).
Obtain for me also, Queen of Heaven,
the most lively contrition for my many sins
and the grace to imitate closely,
those virtues which you practised so faithfully,
especially humility, purity and obedience.
Above all I beg you to be my mother
and protectress,
to receive me into the number of your devoted children
and to guide me from your high throne of glory.
Do not reject my petitions, Mother of mercy!
Have pity on me and do not abandon me
during life or at the moment of my death.

Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Mother of the Eternal Son,
Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
Temple of the adorable Trinity,
pray for me.
Immaculate and tender Heart of Mary,
refuge of the needy and hope of sinners,
filled with the most lively respect, love and gratitude,
I devote myself forever to your service
and I offer you my heart,
with all that I am and all that belongs to me.
Accept this offering,
sweet Queen of Heaven and earth
and obtain for me of your dear Son, Jesus Christ,
the favours I ask through your intercession in this novena.
Obtain for me also a tender, generous, constant love of God,
perfect submission to His adorable will,
the true spirit of a Christian
and the grace of final perseverance.
Amen

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

O Immaculate Conception, Mary, my Mother,
live in me, act in me, speak in and through me.
Think your thoughts in my mind,
love through my heart.
Give me your own dispositions and feelings.
Teach, lead and guide me to Jesus.
Correct, enlighten and expand my entire personality and life.
Replace me with yourself.
Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving,
pray in and through me.
Let me live in you
and keep me in this union always.
Amen

BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – Mary, Ever-Spotless Virgin

Posted on December 9, 2019December 8, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Mary, Ever-Spotless Virgin
Breviary Morning Hymn

O Virgin Mary, words cannot describe you,
Clothed with the beauty of the sun at noonday,
Twelve stars to crown you
and the moon beneath you,
Queen of creation.

Through your submission,
death and hell were conquered,
Now you are seated by your Son and Saviour,
Strong to protect us by your intercession,
As we entreat you.

Guard and watch over those within the sheepfold,
Lead to the Shepherd those who are far distant,
Pity the nations groping in the darkness,
Graciously guide them.

Tenderly pleading, win us all forgiveness,
Help those in trouble, poverty or sickness,
Hope of salvation, as a star to pilgrims
Shine through the darkness.

Praise be forever, Trinity Almighty,
Who crowned you, Mary, ever-spotless Virgin,
Making you also Queen of men and angels,
Most loving Mother.
Amen.

Lebet Den Herren, Alle, 11.11.11.5
Music: Johann Crüger, 1598-1662
Text: Solis, O Virgo, Victorius Genovesi SJ 1887–1967

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Eight – 8 December

Posted on December 8, 2019December 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Eight – 8 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 8: The Immaculata’s Fruitfulness

Reading:
God sends to us the one who personifies His love – Mary, the spouse of the Spirit—a spirit of maternal love—immaculate, all beautiful, spotless, even though she is our sister, a true daughter of the human race. God confides to her the communication of His mercy to souls. He makes of her the Mediatrix of the graces merited for us by her divine Son, for she is full of grace, the mother of all souls born of grace, reborn and always being reborn, becoming ever more godlike (Commentary on MI “Act of Consecration,” 1940).

Meditation:
Productivity is one of the chief “virtues” upheld by modern society as a measure of worldly success. May the Immaculata give witness to each of us that her (and our) ongoing spiritual fruitfulness, in bearing Christ to others, is a far greater achievement than material productivity.

Closing prayers

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Seven – 7 December

Posted on December 7, 2019December 7, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Seven – 7 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 7: The Immaculata’s Discipleship

Reading:
The Immaculata is God’s instrument. With full consciousness and total willingness she allows God to govern her, she consents to His will, desires only what He desires and acts according to His will in the most perfect manner, without failing, without ever turning aside from His will. She makes perfect use of the powers and privileges God has given her, so as to fulfil, always and in everything, whatever God wants of her, purely for love of God, One and Three. This love of God reaches such a peak that it bears the divine fruits proper to God’s own love. Her love for God brings her to such a level of union with Him that she becomes the Mother of God. The Father confides to her His Son, the Son descends into her womb and the Holy Spirit fashions out of her perfectly pure body, the very body of Jesus! (“Sketches for a book,” 1940).

Meditation:
The only way to guarantee that we are on the “right track” in our everyday activities is to listen to God’s Word and live it out. That’s discipleship! May the Immaculata’s discipleship of total conformity to God’s Word inspire us to be similar instruments of his will.

Closing prayers

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Six – 6 December

Posted on December 6, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Six – 6 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 6: The Immaculata’s Sinlessness

Reading:
Who then are you, 0 Immaculate Conception? Not God, of course, because He has no beginning. Not an angel, created directly out of nothing. Not Adam, formed out of the dust of the earth (Gn 2:7). Not Eve, moulded from Adam’s rib (Gn 2:21). Not the Incarnate Word, who exists before all ages and of Whom we should use the word “conceived” rather than “conception.” Humans do not exist before their conception, so we might call them created “conceptions.” But you, 0 Mary, are different from all other children of Eve. They are conceptions stained by original sin, whereas you, are the unique, Immaculate Conception (“Sketches for a book,” 17 February 1941).

Meditation:
Confronting the reality of sin is one of the fundamental struggles that we face in daily life. May the Immaculata, the sinless New Eve, confirm our hope in the victorious liberation from sin which Christ, the New Adam, won for each of us.

Closing prayers

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Five – 5 December

Posted on December 5, 2019December 4, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Five – 5 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 5: The Immaculata’s Dignity as a Human Person

Reading:
The Mother of God is a creature. It follows that all she is, she has from God. But she is God’s most perfect creature. For this reason, the homage paid to her is, by the very nature of the case, paid to God Himself. If we admire a statue, we honour the artist who created this masterpiece. If we honour Mary most holy we honour God. The more we pay homage to the divine perfections found in Mary, the more perfect is our homage to God, this is perfectly in order, since God created her in the highest state of perfection (Conference, 9 April 1938).

Meditation:
The greatness of every work of art is directly proportionate to the mastery of the artist who forms it. Accordingly, the dignity of every human person derives from God who has created each of us in His image. May the Immaculata teach us always, to mirror, as she did, the dignity and perfection of our God.

Closing prayers

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Four – 4 December

Posted on December 4, 2019December 3, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Four – 4 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 4: The Immaculata’s Self-Understanding

Reading:
When our Blessed Mother was asked by Bernadette to tell her name, she answered, “I am the Immaculate Conception,” this is the Immaculata’s definition of herself (Conference, 26 July 1931). By these luminous words (at Lourdes) she tells us not only that she was immaculate in her conception but beyond this that she is the Immaculate Conception as such. Something white is one thing; the whiteness of a thing is some-thing else. Something perfect is one thing; the perfection of a thing is something else. When God said to Moses, “I am the one who is,” God was telling him: “What is proper to my essence is that I should always be, by my very nature, of myself, with no other principle of being.” The Immaculate Virgin, of course, was created by God; she is a creature; she is a conception; still, she is the Immaculate Conception! What depths of mystery lie hidden in those words! (Miles Immaculatae, I, 1938, p. 294).

Meditation:
In our contemporary world, great emphasis is placed on the importance of getting to “know one-self.” May the Immaculata’s example of authentic self-understanding lead each of us to find our own true meaning as participants in the very being of God.

Closing prayers:

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Three – 3 December

Posted on December 3, 2019December 2, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Three – 3 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 3: The Immaculata’s Place in God’s Plan of Creation and Salvation

Reading:
The Immaculata appears in this world, without the least stain of sin, the masterpiece of God’s hands, full of grace. God, the most Holy Trinity, beholds the lowliness (i.e., the humility, the root of all her other virtues) of His handmaid and “does great things” for her (cf. Lk 1:49). God the Father gives her, His own Son to be her Son, God the Son descends into her womb and God the Holy Spirit forms the Body of Christ in the womb of this most pure virgin. “And the Word was made flesh” (Jn 1:14). The Immaculata becomes the Mother of God.

The fruit of the love of God in His Trinitarian life and of Mary the Immaculata, is Christ, the God-man. Henceforth, all the other sons of God must be modelled after this first Son of God, the God-man, the infinite One. They must reproduce His traits, by imitating Christ, souls reach sanctity. . . . This is the union brought about by the spousal love of the soul for Christ, through its resemblance to Him and by God’s action.

But if anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother. . . . Since the firstborn Son, the God-man was conceived only with the specific consent of the most Blessed Virgin, the same must hold true for all men, who must be conformed to their first model in all things (“Sketches for a book,” 1940).

Meditation:
From all eternity, God has designed a unique plan for each one of us, no two being identical. His ultimate aim, is that we all be fully united to the Lord. May the Immaculata, from her unique position in God’s plan, foster our growing conformity to Christ.

Closing prayers:

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, franciscan OFM, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The HOLY GHOST, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Day Two – 2 December

Posted on December 2, 2019December 1, 2019 by AnaStpaul

Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Day Two – 2 December

By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

OPENING PRAYER

Daily Readings and Meditations for each day of the Novena are given here, followed by two closing Novena Prayers for each day.

Day 2: The Immaculata as Spouse of the Holy Spirit

Reading:
United to the Holy Spirit as His Spouse, the Immaculata is one with God in an incomparably more perfect way than can be predicated of any other creature. What sort of union is this? It is above all an interior union, a union of her essence with the “essence” of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in her, lives in her. This was true from the first instant of her existence. It was always true, it will always be true.

In what does this life of the Spirit in Mary consist? He himself is uncreated Love in her, the Love of the Father and of the Son, the Love by which God loves Himself, the very love of the most Holy Trinity. He is a fruitful love, a “Conception.” Among creatures made in God’s image the union brought about by married love is the most intimate of all (cf. Mt 19:6). In a much more precise, more interior, more essential manner, the Holy Spirit lives in the soul of the Immaculata, in the depths of her very being. He makes her fruitful, from the very first instant of her existence, all during her life and for all eternity (“Sketches for a book,” 17 February 1941).

Meditation:
To grow in daily awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us is a constant challenge that God gives to each and all of us. May the Immaculata’s perfect life in the Holy Spirit, cause a sharpening, of our own attentiveness, to His presence at the core of our inner selves.

Closing prayers:

Novena Prayer to the Immaculata

Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Mother of the Eternal Son,
Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
Temple of the adorable Trinity,
pray for me.
Immaculate and tender Heart of Mary,
refuge of the needy and hope of sinners,
filled with the most lively respect, love and gratitude,
I devote myself forever to your service
and I offer you my heart,
with all that I am and all that belongs to me.
Accept this offering,
sweet Queen of Heaven and earth
and obtain for me of your dear Son, Jesus Christ,
the favours I ask, through your intercession in this novena.
Obtain for me also a tender, generous, constant love of God,
perfect submission to His adorable will,
the true spirit of a Christian
and the grace of final perseverance.
Amen

Closing Prayer of Identification with the Immaculata

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The Sweet Name of Mary Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

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Mother of Good Counsel By St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

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The Intercession of Our Lady

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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The Month of Mary

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

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Rejoice! It’s 1 May and the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Saint Pope Paul VI, The Month of Mary,1967

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Let us pray, all day, for the restoration of the Holy Mass!

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This Name is the cure for all diseases of the soul.

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From the Fathers

Saint Hippolytus (c 170-c 235)

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By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

Day 9: The Immaculata’s Fullness of Love

Closing prayers

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By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

Day 8: The Immaculata’s Fruitfulness

Closing prayers

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By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

Day 7: The Immaculata’s Discipleship

Closing prayers

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By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

Day 6: The Immaculata’s Sinlessness

Closing prayers

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By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

Day 5: The Immaculata’s Dignity as a Human Person

Closing prayers

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By St Maximillian Kolbe OFM (1894-1941) Martyr

Day 4: The Immaculata’s Self-Understanding

The Sweet Name of Mary
Moments with Saint Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

Mother of Good Counsel
By St Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Doctor of the Church

St Peter Chrysologus (c 400-450)
Father and Doctor of the Church

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

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is the Month of
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On the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saint Andrew of Crete (650-740)

Bishop, Theologian