Letter to the Friends of the Cross by St Louis de Montfort
[3. Nothing is so glorious]
So rejoice and be glad when God favours you with one of his choicest crosses; for without realising it, you are blessed with the greatest gift of heaven, the greatest gift of God. If you really appreciated it, you would have Masses offered, you would make novenas at the shrines of the saints, you would undertake long pilgrimages, as did the saints, to obtain from heaven this divine gift.
The world calls this madness, degradation, stupidity, a lack of judgement and of common sense. They are blind: let them say what they like. This blindness, which makes them view the cross in a human and distorted way, is a source of glory to us. Every time they cause us to suffer by their ridicule and insults, they are presenting us with jewels, setting us on a throne, and crowning us with laurels.
More than that, as St. John Chrysostom says, “All the wealth and honours and sceptres and jewelled crowns of kings and emperors are not to be compared with the splendour of the cross.” It is greater even than the glory of an apostle or evangelist.“If I had the choice,”continues this holy man, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, “I would willingly leave heaven in order to suffer for the God of heaven. I would prefer dungeons and prisons to the thrones of the highest heaven, and the heaviest of crosses to the glory of the seraphim. I value the honour of suffering more than the gift of miracles, giving me the power to command evil spirits, shake the elements of the world, halt the sun in its course, or raise the dead to life. St. Peter and St. Paul are more glorious in their prison chains than in being caught up into the third heaven or receiving the keys of heaven.”
Indeed, is it not the Cross which has given to Jesus Christ “the name which is above all other names, so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld should bend the knee at the name of Jesus?” The glory of one who knows how to suffer is so great that heaven, angels and men, and even God himself, gaze on him with joy as a most glorious sight. And if the saints in heaven desired anything, it would be to return to earth so as to bear some crosses.
But if this glory is so great even on earth, what will it be in heaven? Who could describe it? Who could ever understand fully that eternal weight of glory which a single moment spent in cheerfully carrying a cross obtains for us? Who could understand the glory gained in heaven by a year, and sometimes a whole lifetime, of crosses and suffering?
You can be sure, my dear Friends of the Cross, that something wonderful is awaiting you, since the Holy Spirit has united you so intimately to that which everyone so carefully avoids. And you can be sure, too, that God will make of you as many saints as there are Friends of the Cross if you are faithful to your vocation and willingly carry your cross as Christ did.
Letter to the Friends of the Cross by St Louis de Montfort
2. Nothing is so useful and so agreeable
But if, on the contrary, you suffer in the right way, the cross will become a yoke that is easy and light, since Christ himself will carry it with you. It will give you wings, as it were, to lift you to heaven; it will become your ship’s mast, bringing you smoothly and easily to the harbour of salvation.
Carry your cross patiently, and it will be a light in your spiritual darkness, for the one who has never suffered trials is ignorant. Carry your cross cheerfully, and you will be filled with divine love; for only in suffering can we dwell in the pure love of Christ.
Roses are only found among thorns. It is the cross alone which nourishes our love of God, as wood is the fuel which feeds the fire. Remember the beautiful saying in the “Imitation of Christ”, “In proportion as you do violence to yourself, by suffering patiently, so will you make progress” in divine love. Do not expect anything from those sensitive and slothful people who reject the cross when it approaches them, and who are careful not to seek out crosses. What are they but an untilled soil which will produce nothing but thorns because it has not been dug up, harrowed and turned over by an experienced farmer? They are like stagnant water, which is unfit for either washing or drinking.
Carry your cross cheerfully and you will draw from it an all-powerful strength which none of your enemies will be able to resist, and you will find in it a delight beyond anything you have known. Indeed, brethren, the true earthly paradise is found in suffering for Christ.
Ask any of the saints, and they will tell you they have never tasted a banquet more delicious for the spirit than when undergoing the severest torments. “Let all the torments of the devil come upon me,” said St. Ignatius the Martyr. “Let me suffer or die,” said St. Teresa of Avila. “Not death but suffering,” said St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi. “May I suffer and be despised for your sake,” said Blessed John of the Cross. And many others have spoken in the same terms, as we read in their lives.
My dear brothers and sisters, have faith in the word of God, for the Holy Spirit tells us that when we suffer cheerfully for God, the cross is the source of every kind of joy for all kinds of people. The joy that comes from the cross is greater than that of a poor man who suddenly comes into a fortune, or of a peasant who is raised to the throne; greater than the joy of a trader who becomes a millionaire; than of a military leader over the victories he has won; than of prisoners released from their chains. In short, imagine the greatest joy that can be experienced on earth, and then realise that the happiness of the one who bears his sufferings in the right way contains, and even surpasses, all of them.
Letter to the Friends of the Cross by St Louis de Montfort
[1. Nothing is so necessary]
Dear Friends of the Cross, we are all sinners; there is not one of us who has not deserved hell, and I more than anyone. Our offences have to be punished either in this world or in the next. If we suffer for them now, we shall not suffer for them after death. If we willingly accept punishment for them, this punishment will be an act of God’s love; for it is mercy which holds sway and chastises in this world, and not strict justice. This punishment will be light and temporary, accompanied by consolation and merit, and followed by rewards both here and in eternity.
But if the punishment due for our sins is put off till the next world, then it will be God’s avenging justice, which puts everything to fire and sword, which will inflict the punishment, a dreadful, indescribable punishment: “Who understands the power of your anger?” Judgement without mercy, without relief, without merit, without limit and without end. Yes, without end. That serious sin you committed in a few brief moments, that deliberate evil thought which now escapes your memory, that word carried away by the wind, that brief action against the law of God – they shall all be punished for eternity, in the company of the devils in hell, so long as God is God. And this avenging God will have no pity on your torments, on your cries and tears, violent enough to cleave the rocks. To suffer forever, without merit, without mercy, and without end.
Do we think of this, my dear brothers and sisters, when we have to suffer some trial in this world? How fortunate we are to be able to exchange a never-ending and unprofitable punishment for a temporary and rewarding one just by bearing our cross with patience! How many of our debts are still unpaid! How many sins have we committed which, despite a sincere confession and heartfelt contrition, will have to be atoned for in purgatory for many years, simply because in this world we contented ourselves with a few slight penances!
Ah, let us settle our debts with good grace in this life by cheerfully carrying our cross. In the next, a strict account is demanded down to the last penny, to the last idle word. If we were able to snatch from the devil the book of death in which he has entered all our sins and the punishment due to them, what a heavy debt we should find, and how delighted we should be to suffer for long years on earth rather than a single day in the world to come!
Friends of the Cross, do you not flatter yourselves that you are, or desire to become, the friends of God? Well then, resolve to drink the cup that you must drink in order to become his friends: “They drank the cup of the Lord and became the friends of God.” Benjamin, the beloved son of Jacob, was given the cup, while his other brothers received nothing but wheat. The beloved disciple of Christ, so dear to his Master’s heart, went up to Calvary and drank of his cup. “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” To desire God’s glory is excellent, but to desire and pray for it without resolving to suffer all things is both foolish and extravagant: “You do not know what you are asking…” “We must experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of heaven.” To enter this kingdom you must suffer many crosses and tribulations.
Rightly you glory in being God’s children. You should glory, then, in the correction your heavenly Father has given you and will give you in the future, for he chastises all his children. If you are not included among his beloved children, you are, alas, included among those who are lost, as St. Augustine points out. He also tells us, “The one who does not mourn in this world like a stranger and a pilgrim will not rejoice in the world to come as a citizen of heaven.” If your heavenly Father does not send you some worthwhile crosses from time to time, it is because he no longer cares about you and is angry with you; he is treating you as an outsider, no longer belonging to his family and deserving his protection, or as an illegitimate child, who, having no claim to a share of the inheritance, deserves neither care nor correction.
Friends of the Cross, disciples of a crucified God, the mystery of the Cross is a mystery unknown to the Gentiles, rejected by the Jews, and despised by heretics and bad Catholics. But it is the great mystery you must learn to practice in the school of Christ, and which can only be learnt from him. You will look in vain in all the schools of ancient times for a philosopher who taught it; in vain you will appeal to the senses or to reason to throw some light on it. It is only Jesus, through his all-powerful grace, who can teach you this mystery and give you the ability to appreciate it. Strive then to become proficient in this all-important science under your great Master, and you will understand all other sciences, for it contains them all in an eminent degree. It is our natural and supernatural philosophy, our divine and mystic theology, our philosopher’s stone, which by patience transforms the basest metals into precious ones, the bitterest pains into delight, poverty into riches, the most profound humiliations into glory. The one among you who knows best how to carry his cross, even though in other things he does not know A from B, is the most learned of all.
You are the members of Christ, a wonderful honour indeed, but one which entails suffering. If the Head is crowned with thorns, can the members expect to be crowned with roses? If the Head is jeered at and covered with dust on the road to Calvary, can the members expect to be sprinkled with perfumes on a throne? If the Head has no pillow on which to rest, can the members expect to recline on feathers and down? That would be unthinkable! No, no, my dear Companions of the Cross, do not deceive yourselves. Those Christians you see everywhere, fashionably dressed, fastidious in manner, full of importance and dignity, are not real disciples, real members of Christ crucified. To think they are would be an insult to our thorn-crowned Head and to the truth of the Gospel. How many so-called Christians imagine they are members of our Saviour when in reality they are his treacherous persecutors, for while they make the sign of the cross with their hand, in their hearts they are its enemies!
You know that you are living temples of the Holy Spirit and that, like living stones, you are to be set by the God of love into the building of the heavenly Jerusalem. And so you must expect to be shaped, cut and chiselled under the hammer of the cross; otherwise, you would remain rough stones, good for nothing but to be cast aside. Be careful that you do not cause the hammer to recoil when it strikes you; respect the chisel that is carving you and the hand that is shaping you.It may be that this skilful and loving craftsman wants you to have an important place in his eternal edifice, or to be one of the most beautiful works of art in his heavenly kingdom. So let him do what he pleases; he loves you, he knows what he is doing, he has had experience. His strokes are skilful and directed by love; not one will miscarry unless your impatience makes it do so.
Who, then, would dare claim to be exempt from the cross? Which of us would not hasten to the place where he knows the cross awaits him? Who would refuse to say with St. Ignatius of Antioch, “Come, fire and gibbet, wild beast and all the torments of hell, that I may delight in the possession of Christ.”
No, this accursed earth on which we live is not destined to make us happy; in this land of darkness we cannot expect to see clearly; there is no perfect calm on this stormy sea; we can never avoid conflicts on this field of trial and battle; we cannot escape being scratched on this thorn-covered earth. Willingly or unwillingly, all must carry their cross, both those who serve God and those who do not. Keep in mind the words of the hymn:
Three crosses stand on Calvary’s height; One must be chosen, so choose aright; You must suffer like a saint or repentant thief, Or like a reprobate, in endless grief.
That is to say, if you are not willing to suffer gladly like Jesus, or patiently like the penitent thief, then you will have to suffer like the unrepentant thief. You will have to drink the cup of bitterness to the dregs without the consoling help of grace, and you will have to bear the whole weight of your cross, deprived of the powerful support of Christ. You will even have to carry the deadly weight which the devil will add to it by means of the impatience it will cause you. And after sharing the unhappiness of the impenitent thief on earth, you will share his misery in eternity.
Letter to the Friends of the Cross by St Louis de Montfort
[C. Let him take up his cross]
“Let him take up his cross,” the one that is his. Let that man (or woman) so rare “far beyond the price of pearls,” take up his cross joyfully, embrace it lovingly, and carry it courageously on his shoulders, his own cross, and not that of another – his own cross which I, in my wisdom, designed for him in every detail of number, measure and weight; his own cross which I have fashioned with my own hands and with great exactness as regards its four dimensions of length, breadth, thickness and depth; his own cross, which out of love for him I have carved from a piece of the one I bore to Calvary;his own cross, which is the greatest gift I can bestow upon my chosen ones on earth; his own cross, whose thickness is made up of the loss of one’s possessions, humiliations, contempt, sufferings, illnesses and spiritual trials, which come to him daily till his death in accordance with my providence; his own cross, whose length consists of a certain period of days or months enduring slander, or lying on a sick-bed, or being forced to beg, or suffering from temptations, dryness, desolation, and other interior trials; his own cross, whose breadth is made up of the most harsh and bitter circumstances brought about by relatives, friends, servants; his own cross, whose depth is made up of the hidden trials I shall inflict on him without his being able to find any comfort from other people, for they also, under my guidance, will turn away from him and join with me in making him suffer.
“Let him take up,” that is, let him carry his cross and not drag it, or shake it off, or lighten it, or hide it. Instead, let him lift it on high and carry it without impatience or annoyance, without intentional complaint or grumbling, without hesitation or concealment, without shame or human respect.
“Let him take it up” and set it on his brow, saying with St. Paul, “The only thing I can boast about is the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Let him carry it on his shoulders like our Lord, that it may become the source of his victories and the sceptre of his power: “Dominion is laid upon his shoulders.” Let him set it in his heart, where it may, like the burning bush of Moses, burn day and night with the pure love of God without being consumed!
“The cross”: let him carry it, for nothing is so necessary, so beneficial, so agreeable, or so glorious as to suffer something for Jesus Christ.
Letter to the Friends of the Cross by St Louis de Montfort
[B. Let him renounce himself]
If anyone, therefore, wants to follow me thus abased and crucified, he must glory, as I did, only in the poverty, humiliations and sufferings of my Cross. “Let him renounce himself.”
Excluded, then, from the company of the Friends of the Cross are those who take pride in their sufferings; the worldly-wise, the intellectuals and the sceptics who are attached to their own ideas and puffed up with their own talents.
Away from you those endless talkers who make a great show but produce nothing but vanity. Away from you those so-called devout Catholics who in their pride display the self-sufficiency of proud Lucifer wherever they go, saying, “I am not like the rest of men;” who cannot endure being blamed without making some excuse, being attacked without answering back, being humbled without exalting themselves.
Be careful not to admit into your society those delicate and sensitive people who are afraid of the slightest pin- prick, who cry out and complain at the least pain, who know nothing of the hair-shirt, the discipline or other instruments of penance, and who mingle, with their fashionable devotions, a most refined fastidiousness and a most studied lack of mortification.
Letter to the Friends of the Cross by St Louis de Montfort
II. THE PRACTICES OF CHRISTIAN PERFECTION
Christian holiness consists in this:
Resolving to become a saint: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine;”
Self-denial: “Let him renounce himself;”
Suffering: “Let him take up his cross;”
Acting: “Let him follow
[A. If anyone wants to follow me]
“If anyone,” says our Lord, to point out the small number of chosen ones willing to conform themselves to Christ crucified by carrying their cross. Their number is so small that we would be dumbfounded if we knew it. It is so small that there is scarcely one in ten thousand, as has been revealed to several saints, including St. Simon Stylites, St. Basil, St. Ephrem and others. It is so small that, should it please God to gather them together, he would have to call them one by one as he did of old through his prophet, “You will be gathered one by one;” one from this country, one from that province.
“If anyone wants,” if anyone has a genuine desire, a determination, not prompted by nature, habit, self-love, self-interest, or human respect, but by the all-conquering grace of the Holy Spirit, which is not given to everyone. “It is not given to all men to know this mystery.”
In fact, only a few people have the knowledge of how to live out the mystery of the Cross in daily life. For a man to climb Mount Calvary and allow himself to be nailed to the cross with Christ in the midst of his own people, he must be courageous, heroic, resolute; one who is close to God, and treats with indifference the world and the devil, his own body and his own desires; one who is determined to leave all things, to undertake all things, and to suffer all things for Christ.
You must realise, my dear Friends of the Cross, that should there be anyone among you without this determination, he is only walking on one foot, flying with one wing. He is not worthy to be one of your company, since he is not worthy to be called a Friend of the Cross, which we must, like Jesus, love “with a generous mind and a willing heart.”
It only needs one half-hearted member to spoil the whole group, like a mangy sheep. If such a one has entered your fold through the evil door of the world, then in the name of Christ crucified drive him out as you would a wolf from the flock.
“If anyone wants to be a follower of mine.” If anyone wants to follow me who so humbled and emptied myself that I became a worm rather than a man; who came into the world only to embrace the Cross, to set it in my heart, to love it from my youth, to long for it all the days of my life, to carry it joyfully, preferring it to all the joys and delights that heaven and earth could offer, and not being content till I had died in its divine embrace.
Letter to the Friends of the Cross by St Louis de Montfort
B. The Two Companies
My dear brothers and sisters, there are two companies that appear before you each day: the followers of Christ and the followers of the world.
Our dear Saviour’s company is on the right, climbing up a narrow road, made all the narrower by the world’s immorality. Our Master leads the way, barefooted, crowned with thorns, covered with blood, and laden with a heavy cross. Those who follow him, though most valiant, are only a handful, either because his quiet voice is not heard amid the tumult of the world, or because people lack the courage to follow him in his poverty, sufferings, humiliations and other crosses which his servants must carry all the days of their life.
On the left hand is the company of the world or of the devil. This is far more numerous, more imposing and more illustrious, at least in appearance. Most of the fashionable people run to join it, all crowded together, although the road is wide and is continually being made wider than ever by the crowds that pour along it like a torrent. It is strewn with flowers, bordered with all kinds of amusements and attractions, and paved with gold and silver.
On the right, the little groups which follow Jesus speak about sorrow and penance, prayer and indifference to worldly things. They continually encourage one another saying, “Now is the time to suffer and to mourn, to pray and do penance, to live in retirement and poverty, to humble and mortify ourselves; for those who do not possess the spirit of Christ, which is the spirit of the cross, do not belong to him.
Those who belong to Christ have crucified all self-indulgent passions and desires. We must be true images of Christ or be eternally lost. “Have confidence,” they say to each other. If God is on our side, within us and before us, who can be against us? He who is within us is stronger than the one who is in the world. The servant is not greater than his master. This slight and temporary distress we suffer will bring us a tremendous and everlasting glory. The number of those who will be saved is not as great as some people imagine. It is only the brave and the daring who take heaven by storm, where only those are crowned who strive to live according to the law of the Gospel and not according to the maxims of the world. Let us fight with all our strength, let us run with all speed, that we may attain our goal and win the crown.
Such are some of the heavenly counsels with which the Friends of the Cross inspire each other.
Those who follow the world, on the contrary, urge each other to continue in their evil ways without scruple, calling to one another day after day, “Let us eat and drink, sing and dance, and enjoy ourselves. God is good; he has not made us to damn us. He does not forbid us to amuse ourselves. We shall not be damned for so little. We are not to be scrupulous. ‘No, you will not die’.”
Dear brothers and sisters, remember that our loving Saviour has his eyes on you at this moment, and he says to each one of you individually, “See how almost everyone deserts me on the royal road of the Cross. Pagans in their blindness ridicule my Cross as foolishness; obstinate Jews are repelled by it as by an object of horror; heretics pull it down and break it to pieces as something contemptible. “Even my own people – and I say this with tears in my eyes and grief in my heart – my own children whom I have brought up and instructed in my ways, my members whom I have quickened with my own Spirit, have turned their backs on me and forsaken me by becoming enemies of my Cross. ‘Will you also go away?’ Will you also desert me by running away from my Cross like the worldlings, who thus become so many antichrists? Will you also follow the world; despise the poverty of my Cross in order to seek after wealth; shun the sufferings of my Cross to look for enjoyment; avoid the humiliations of my Cross in order to chase after the honours of the world? ‘There are many who pretend they are friends of mine and protest that they love me, but in their hearts they hate me. I have many friends of my table, but very few of my Cross.’ (Imit. II, 11, 1).”
At this loving appeal of Jesus, let us rise above our human nature; let us not be seduced by our senses, as Eve was; but keep our eyes fixed on Jesus crucified, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection (Heb 12.2). Let us keep ourselves apart from the evil practices of the world; let us show our love for Jesus in the best way, that is, through all kinds of crosses. Reflect well on these remarkable words of our Saviour, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16.24; Lk 9.23).
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 7. The Burial of Jesus
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.
Bid me bear, O Mother Blest, On my heart, the wounds imprest, Suffered by the Crucified!
An Indulgence of 50 days each time. Plenary Indulgence once a month under the usual conditions.
Friends of the Cross, you are like crusaders united to fight against the world; not like Religious who retreat from the world lest they be overcome, but like brave and valiant warriors on the battle-field, who refuse to retreat or even yield an inch. Be brave and fight courageously.
You must be joined together in a close union of mind and heart, which is stronger and far more formidable to the world and to hell than are the armed forces of a great nation to its enemies. Evil spirits are united to destroy you; you must be united to crush them. The avaricious are united to make money and amass gold and silver; you must combine your efforts to acquire the eternal treasures hidden in the Cross. Pleasure- seekers unite to enjoy themselves; you must be united to suffer.
A. Greatness of Your Title
You call yourselves “Friends of the Cross.” What a glorious title! I must confess that I am charmed and captivated by it. It is brighter than the sun, higher than the heavens, more magnificent and resplendent than all the titles given to kings and emperors. It is the glorious title of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
It is the genuine title of a Christian.
But, if I am captivated by its splendour, I am no less frightened by its responsibility, for it is a title that embraces difficult and inescapable obligations, summed up in the words of the Holy Spirit, “A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart.”
A Friend of the Cross is one chosen by God, from among thousands who live only according to their reason and senses, to be wholly divine, raised above mere reason and completely opposed to material things, living in the light of pure faith, and inspired by a deep love of the Cross.
A Friend of the Cross is an all-powerful king, a champion who triumphs over the devil, the world and the flesh in their three-fold concupiscence. He crushes the pride of Satan by his love of humiliations; he overcomes the greed of the world by his love of poverty; he retrains the sensuality of the flesh by his love of suffering.
A Friend of the Cross is one who is holy and set apart from the things that are visible, for his heart is raised above all that is transient and perishable, and his homeland is in heaven; he travels through this world like a visitor and a pilgrim, and, far from setting his heart on it, he looks on it with indifference and tramples it underfoot with contempt.
A Friend of the Cross is a glorious trophy gained by the crucified Christ on Calvary, in union with his holy Mother. He is a Benoni or Benjamin, a child of sorrow and of the right hand, conceived in the suffering heart of Jesus, born from his pierced side, and baptised in his blood. True to his origin, his life embraces the cross, and death to the world, the flesh, and sin, so as to live here below a life hidden with Christ in God.
In short, a perfect Friend of the Cross is a true Christ-bearer, or rather another Christ, so that he can truly say, “I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me.”
My dear Friends of the Cross, do you live in accordance with the noble title you bear? Or, at least, have you a real desire and a sincere determination to do so with the help of God’s grace, under the shelter of Christ’s Cross and of our Lady of Sorrows? Are you taking the means necessary for this? Are you walking along the true way of life, which is the narrow and stony way of Calvary? Or are you, without perhaps realizing it, on the wide road of the world which leads to perdition? Are you aware that there is a highway which is to all appearances a straight and safe road, but which really leads to eternal death?
Do you clearly distinguish the voice of God and his grace from that of the world and of human nature? Do you listen to the voice of God, our heavenly Father, pronouncing his three- fold malediction on all who follow the desires of the world: “Woe, woe, woe to all the people on earth;” the Father who stretches out his arms to you in loving appeal, “Come out, my chosen people,” dear friends of my Son’s Cross, away from worldlings, who have been cursed by myself, rejected by my Son, and condemned by my Holy Spirit? Beware of following their counsels, of sitting in their company, or even lingering on the road they take. Hasten away from the infamous Babylon. Listen only to the voice of my beloved Son and follow only him, whom I have given you to be your way, your truth, your life, and your model. “Listen to him.”
Do you listen to the voice of Jesus who, burdened with his Cross, calls out to you, “Come after me; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; be brave; I have conquered the world.”
Quote/s of the Day – 3 May – The Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24
“Let us detach ourselves in spirit from all that we see and cling to that which we believe. This is the Cross which we must imprint on all our daily actions and behaviour.”
St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
“Behold Jesus Christ Crucified, Who is the only Foundation of our hope; He is our Mediator and Advocate; the Victim and Sacrifice for our sins. He is Goodness and Patience itself; His Mercy is moved by the tears o sinners and He never refuses pardon and grace to those who ask it with a truly contrite and humbled heart.”
St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)
“The endurance of darkness is the preparation for great Light!”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 3 May – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Thr 4th Sunday of Easter – The Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross – Philippians 2:5-11 – John 13:1-15 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Light came into the world” – John 3:19
REFLECTION – “The commandment of the Lord shines clearly, enlightening the eyes” (Ps 18:9). Receive Christ, receive power to see, receive your light, which you may plainly recognise both God and man… Let us open ourselves to the light then and so to God. Let us open ourselves to the light and become disciples of the Lord… Let us, then, shake off forgetfulness of truth, shake off the mist of ignorance and darkness which dims our eyes and contemplate the true God… For upon us, buried in darkness, imprisoned in the shadow of death, a heavenly light has shone, a light of a clarity, surpassing the sun’s and of a sweetness, exceeding any this earthly life can offer. That light is eternal life and those who receive it live. Night, on the other hand, is afraid of the light and melting away in terror gives place to the day of the Lord. Unfailing light has penetrated everywhere and sunset has turned into dawn.
This is the meaning of the new creation (Gal 6:15; Rv 21:1) for the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 3:20), pursuing His course through the universe, visits all alike, in imitation of His Father, “who makes His Sun rise upon all” (Mt 5:45) and bedews everyone with His Truth… He, it is, Who has changed sunset into dawn and death into life by His Crucifixion, He, it is, Who has snatched the human race from perdition and exalted it to the skies. Transplanting what was corruptible, to make it incorruptible, He has transformed earth into Heaven…
He deifies us by His heavenly teaching, by “instilling His laws into our minds and writing them on our hearts. That all, be they of high estate or low, shall know God. And I will be merciful to them, God says and I will remember their sin no more” (Jr 31,33f.). Let us accept the laws of life, then; let us obey God’s promptings, let us learn to know Him.” – St Clement of Alexandria (150- 215) Theologian, Father of the Church (Exhortation to the Greeks, 11, 113).
PRAYER – O God, Who didst cause the Cross of our salvation should in a most honourable wise, be found and Who didst manifest thereby, the marvellous efficacy of Thy Sufferings, mercifully grant that by the Ransom which Thou didst pay upon that Tree of Life, we may finally attain unto life eternal. Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghostr, God, world without end. ℟. Amen (Collect).
Quote/s of the Day – 30 April – – St Catherine of Siena OP (1347-1380) Virgin
“Rejoice and be happy! Persevere to the end and prefer to die rather than abandon the post, to which God has called you!”
“Speak the truth in a million voices. It is silence that kills!”
“Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified, raising to Him the eyes of your desire! Consider His burning Love for you which made Jesus pour out His Blood from every part of His Body! Embrace Jesus Crucified, loving and beloved and in Him, you will find true life because He is God made Man. Let your heart and your soul burn with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross! … You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus! Run, … do not stay asleep because time flies and does not wait one moment! Dwell in God’s sweet Love!”
O Come And Mourn With Me Awhile By Fr Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863) (This is the full, original text from an 1852 edition of Fr Faber’s H ymnal “Jesus and Mary”)
O come and mourn with me awhile, O come ye to the Saviour’s side, O come, together let us mourn, Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
Have we no tears to shed for Him, While soldiers scoff and foes deride? Ah! Look how patiently He hangs, Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!
How fast His Hands and Feet are nailed, His blessed Tongue with thirst is tied, His failing Eyes are blind with blood, Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
His Mother cannot reach His Face; She stands in helplessness beside. Her heart is Martyred with her Son’s; Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
Seven times He spoke, seven words of love And all three hours His silence cried For mercy, on the souls of men. Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!
What was Thy crime, my dearest Lord? By earth, by heaven, Thou hast been tried, And guilty found of too much love. Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
Found guilty of excess of love, It was Thine own sweet Will that tied Thee tighter far than helpless nails; Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
Death came and Jesus meekly bowed; His failing Eyes He strove to guide With mindful love to Mary’s face; Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
O break, O break, hard heart of mine! Thy weak self-love and guilty pride, His Pilate and His Judas were! Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
Come, take thy stand beneath the Cross, And let the Blood from out that Side Fall gently on thee, drop by drop; Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
A broken heart, a fount of tears, Ask and they will not be denied. A broken heart, love’s cradle is, Jesus, our Love, is Crucified!
O Love of God! O sin of man! In this dread act, your strength is tried And victory remains with love, Jesus, our Lord, is Crucified!
Our Morning Offering – 2 April – Maundy Thursday in Holy Week
Man of Sorrows—Wrapt in Grief From an old French Hymn Author Unknown
Man of Sorrows—wrapt in grief, Bow Thine ear to our relief; Thou for us the path hast trod Of the dreadful wrath of God. Thou the cup of fire hast drain’d Till its light alone remain’d: Lamb of Love!—we look to Thee, Hear our mournful litany!
By the garden—fraught with woe, Whither Thou full oft wouldst go: By Thine Agony of prayer In the desolation there! By the chains of sleep, which bound Watchers in their trance profound; Lord!—behold our bended knee,— Listen to our litany!
By the conflict foul and fell With the loosen’d fiends of hell, By the darkness of the hour Shadow’d with the tempter’s power, By the dire and deep distress Of that mystery fathomless;— Lord! our tears in mercy see Mingling with our litany!
By the vision then, which stole Looming o’er Thy spotless soul, Of the pride and guilt of man, Since his fall from grace began,— Seas of sin, with billowy waves, Yawning into countless graves;— Lord! ourselves from shipwreck free, Hear our solemn litany!
By the Chalice, when it came Pregnant with a hell of flame: By those Lips—which fain would pray That it might but pass away: By the Heart, which drank it dry, Lest a rebel race should die;— Let Thy Pity be our plea, Hear our solemn litany!
Man of Sorrows! —let Thy grief Purchase for us our relief— Lord of Mercy—bow Thine ear, Slow to anger—swift to hear: Let the garden Thou hast trod Draw us to the throne of God; So Gethsemane shall be Sweet in every litany!
This translation by Matthew Bridges (1800-1894) (The Passion of Jesus 1852) Hymnist, Poet, Writer Converted to Catholicism in 1848, by the influence of John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
One Minute Reflection – 30 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – Monday in Holy Week – Isaias 50:5-10 – John 12:1-9 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For the poor you have always with you but Me, you have not always.” – John 12:8
REFLECTION – “The Father did not spare Him for your sake and this, even though He was indeed His Son (Rom 8:32). And yet, you do not look at Him even when He faints with hunger and this too, when you have only to spend for your own food, which is His own! What could be worse than such a breach of law as this?! He was given up for you, slain for you; He lives in hunger for you. You have only to give that which belongs to Him and you, yourself, will get the gain and still, you do not give! What sort of stone is there in place of your heart, besides which these people are not more senseless and who, in spite of such great inducements, continue in this devilish hard-heartedness?
For He was not even satisfied with death and the Cross alone but also, assumed poverty, becoming a stranger and a beggar, naked and cast into prison, undergoing sickness (Mt 25:36) that so, at least, He might call upon you. If you wilt not requite Me, He says, as one Who suffered for your sake, show mercy upon Me for My poverty. And if you are not minded to pity Me for My poverty, at least be moved by My diseases, be softened by My imprisonment . And if, even these do not make you charitable, then for the easiness of the request, comply with Me. For it is no costly gift I ask but bread and lodging and words of comfort … Then I was bound for you, indeed I am so still, so that whether moved on grounds of the former or stirred by the latter, you might be minded to show Me some pity. I fasted for your sake and now, hunger for you; I thirsted when hanging on the Cross and now thirst in the poor, that just as by the former, so also by the latter I may draw you to Myself and make you charitable for your own salvation!..
Indeed, He says: “Whoever welcomes a child such as this, for My Sake, welcomes Me” (Mk 9:37) … For I am able indeed, to crown you even without all these things and yet, I would prefer to be your debtor, so that the crown may make you feel secure. That is why, although I am able to support Myself, yet, I come begging and stand at your door and stretch out My Hand, since My wish is to be supported by you. For I Love you exceedingly and desire to eat at your table!” – St John Chrysostom (347-407) Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church (Sermon 15 on the Letter to the Romans).
PRAYER – In Thy mercy, O Lord, may this hallowing fast enlighten the hearts of Thy faithful people and since Thou have given them the desire to serve Thee, lend a gracious ear to their prayers.Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Monday in Holy Week
Sing, My Tongue, The Saviour’s Glory By St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) Bishop, Father of the Church Trans. Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)
Sing, my tongue, the Saviour’s glory; Tell His triumph far and wide; Tell aloud the famous story Of His Body Crucified; How upon the Cross a Victim, Vanquishing in death, He Died.
Thus did Christ to perfect manhood In our mortal flesh attain: Then of His free choice He goeth To a death of bitter pain; And as a Lamb, upon the altar Of the Cross, for us is slain.
Lo, with gall His thirst He quenches! See the thorns upon His Brow! Nails His tender Flesh are rending! See, His Side is open’d now! Whence, to cleanse the whole creation, Streams of Blood and Water flow.
Faithful Cross, O Tree all beauteous! Tree all peerless and Divine! Not a grove on earth can shew us Such a flower and leaf as thine. Sweet the nails and sweet the wood, Laden with so sweet a load!
Lofty Tree, bend down thy branches, To embrace thy Sacred load; Oh, relax the native tension Of that all too rigid wood; Gently, gently bear the Members Of thy dying King and God.
Tree, which solely wast found worthy The world’s great Victim to sustain; Harbour from the raging tempest! Ark, which sav’d the world again! Tree, with sacred Blood anointed Of the Lamb for sinners slain.
Blessing, honour everlasting, To the immortal Deity; To the Father, Son, and Spirit, Equal praises ever be: Glory through the earth and Heaven To Trinity in Unity.
This Hymn is used for Passiontide and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 Sept) in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Breviary. This is the original text as it appears in the Lyra Catholica (1849). Part I is used for Matins and Part II is used for Lauds. Tune (Church Hymns): “St Lawrence”
Quote/s of the Day – 29 March – Holy Week, Palm Sunday – Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-60 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Matthew 26:45
“Because of sin, O innocent One, You were set before the criminal’s judgement seat; When Thou return in the Father’s glory Do not judge me together with him. Thou have put on crimson, Set the scarlet cloak over Thee As a dishonour and an affront, As Pontius Pilate’s soldiers thought it to be.”
St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop
(Jesus, Only Son of the Father 708-724)
“Lord Jesus, whether Thy Face be glorious or humiliated, we always see wisdom shining in It. On Thy Face shines the refulgence of Eternal Light (Wis 7:26). O Lord, may Thy Light, the Light of Thy Face (Ps 4:7), always shine upon us, in sorrow as in happiness… Thou art joy and salvation for all, both when Thou ride on a donkey and when Thou hang from a Cross!”
Blessed Guerric of Igny (c1080-1157) Cistercian Abbot
Quote/s of the Day – 28 March – Saturday in Passion Week – Jeremias18:18-23, John 12:10-36 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“He who loves his life, loses it and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I am, there also shall My servant be.”
John 12:25-26
“For he who will save his life, will lose it and he who will lose his life for My sake, will find it. ”
Matthew 16:25
“Let us detach ourselves in spirit from all that we see and cling to that which we believe. This is the Cross which we must imprint on all our daily actions and behaviour.”
St Peter Damian (1007-1072) Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
O My God, I Thank Thee An Act of Abandonment to the Divine Will By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor Caritas
O my God, I thank Thee and I praise Thee for accomplishing Thy Holy and all-lovable Will without any regard for mine. With my whole heart, in spite of my heart, do I receive this cross I feared so much! It is the cross of Thy choice, the cross of Thy Love. I venerate it; nor for anything in the world would I wish it had not come, since Thou hast willed it. I keep it with gratitude and with joy, as I do everything which comes from Thy Hand and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag, with all the respect and all the affection which Thy works deserve. Amen
“My soul, live henceforward amid the scourges and the thorns of thy Saviour and there, as a nightingale in its bush, sing sweetly: Live Jesus, Who didst die that my soul might live! Ah, Eternal Father! What can the world return Thee for the gift Thou hast made it of Thy only Son? Alas! to redeem a thing so vile as I, the Saviour delivered Himself to death and, unhappy me! I hesitate to surrender my nothingness to Him, Who has given me everything!”“
Our Morning Offering – 28 March – Saturday in Passion Week
What Can I Say? By St Anselm (1033-1109) Magnificent Doctor Marian Doctor
My most merciful Lady, what can I say about the fountains which flowed from thy most pure eyes when thou saw thy only Son before thee, bound, beaten and suffering? What do I know of the flood which drenched thy matchless face, when thou beheld thy Son, thy Lord and thy God, stretched on the Cross without guilt, when the flesh of thy flesh was cruelly butchered by wicked men? How can I judge, what sobs, troubled thy most pure breast, when thou heard, “Woman, behold thy son,” and the disciple, “Behold, thy Mother,” when thou 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.”
Passion Friday – 27 March – Our Lenten Journey With St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
Passion Friday Our Lady’s Suffering During the Passion
“Thy own soul a sword shall pierce” Luke ii. 35
In these words there is noted the close association of Our Lady with the Passion of Christ. Four elements, most especially, rendered the Passion excrutiatingly bitter for her.
Firstly, the Goodness of her Son, Who did notsin (i Pet ii. 22).
Secondly, the cruelty of those who Crucified Him, shown, for example, in this – as He was Dying they refused Him even water, nor would they allow His Mother, who would most lovingly have given it, to help Him.
Thirdly, the disgrace of the punishment, “Let us condemn Him to a most shameful Death” (Wis ii. 20).
Fourthly, the cruelty of the torment. “O ye that pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like to My Sorroiv (Lam i. 12).
The words of Simeon, “Thy own soul a sword shall pierce,“ Origen and other scholars with him, explain with reference to the pain felt by Our Lady during he Passion of Christ. St Ambrose, however, says that by the sword is signified Our Lady’s prudence, thanks to which she was not without knowledge of the heavenly Mystery. “For the Word of God is a living thing, strong and keener than the keenest sword” (cf. Heb iv. 12).
Other writers again, St Augustine for example, understand by the sword, the stupefaction which overcame Our Lady at the Death of her Son, not the doubt which goes with lack of faith but, a certain fluctuation of bewilderment, a staggering of the mind. St Basil too say,s as Our Lady stood by the Cross with all the detail of the Passion before her and in her mind the testimony of Gabriel, the message which words cannot tell of her Divine conception and all the vast array of miracles, her mind swayed, for she saw Him, the Victim of such vileness and yet, knew Him as the Author of such Wonders.
Although Our Lady knew by faith, it was God’s Will that Christ should Suffer and although, she brought her will into unity with God’s Will in this matter, as the Saints do, nevertheless, sadness filled her soul at the Death of Christ. This was because her lower will revolted at the particular horrors she had witnessed and this is not contrary to perfection.
ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274) Priest, Theologian, Dominican Doctor Angelicus (Angelic Doctor) Doctor Communis (Common Doctor) Added by Pope Saint Pius V in 1568
Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – Friday of Passion Week – The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows and – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church
“Behold, thy mother” John 19:27
“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
Hail Mary, Full of Sorrows! A Short Prayer to the Most Holy Virgin in her Desolation By Pope Pius IX (1792-1878) Papal Reign 1846-1878 (+102 Raccolta)
His Holiness Pope Pius IX, by a Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, of 23 December 1847, deigned to grant:
An Indulgence of 100 days to all the faithful, everytime they say, with contrite heart, the following prayer in honour of the most Holy Virgin in her desolation.
HAIL MARY, full of sorrows! the Crucified is with thee; tearful art thou amongst women and tearful is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of the Crucified, grant tears to us crucifiers of thy Son, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
LATIN
Ave Maria, doloribus plena, Crucifixus tecum; lacrymabilis te in mulieribus et lacrymabilis Fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Crucifixi, lacrymas impertire nobis crucifixoribus Filii tui, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
“You are more to be valued than the entire creation, for from you alone the Creator received a share in the first-fruits of our humanity. His Flesh was made of your flesh, His Blood of your blood; God was nourished by your milk and your lips kissed the lips of God. … In His foreknowledge of your dignity, the God of all the world, has loved you and, in accordance with His Love for you, He predestined you and called you into being ”
Our Morning Offering – 27 March – The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows
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 didst 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
Martyrs of Bardiaboch: A group of Christians who were arrested, tortured and executed together for their faith during the persecutions of Persian King Shapur II. Martyrs. – Abibus, Helias, Lazarus, Mares, Maruthas, Narses, Sabas, Sembeeth and Zanitas. 27 March 326 at Bardiaboch, Persia.
Quote/s of the Day – 23 March – Monday in Passion Week
“Let us walk becomingly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 13:13-14
“By the Cross, death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The Cross is the glory of all the Apostles, the Crown of the Martyrs, the Sanctification of the Saints. By the Cross, we put on Christ and cast aside our former self. By the Cross we, the sheep of Christ, have been gathered into one flock, destined for the Sheepfold of Heaven.”
St Theodore the Studite (759-826) Abbot, Confessor, Father of the Church
“He who findeth his life, shall lose it and he, who shall lose his life for Me, shall find it. ” Matthew 10:39
“My dear child, accept this cross from God and bear it – it will turn into a truly lovable cross, if you would hand these trials over to God, accept them from Him with true abandonment and thank God for them: “My soul magnifies the Lord” in everything (cf Lk 1:46). Whether God takes or gives, the Son of Man must be raised up on the Cross … Dear child, leave all that behind; rather, give your attention to true abandonment … and think about accepting to bear the cross of temptation, rather than going in search of spiritual sweetness … Our Lord has said: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow Me” (Lk 9:23).”
Fr JohannesTauler OP (c1300-1361) Dominican Priest and Friar, renowned Preacher and Theologian
“… How can anyone put on Jesus Christ and imitate His example, if he does not study this Jesus, Who must inspire and perfect our faith? He must run the race to which he is challenged, the glorious race in which, he overcomes the enemy of the human family and follows the Way of the Cross. Under the lordly banner of that Cross, he will attain eternal life.”
Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Monday of Passion Week
This is My Joy, To Follow My Saviour A Prayer to Seek the Consolation of the Cross By St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ (1532-1617)
Jesus, love of my soul, centre of my heart! Why am I not more eager to endure pains and tribulations for love of Thee, when Thou, my God, have suffered so many for me? Come, then, every sort of trial in the world, for this is my delight, to suffer for Jesus. This is my joy, to follow my Saviour and to find my consolation with my Consoler on the Cross. This is my happiness, this my pleasure – to live with Jesus, to walk with Jesus, to converse with Jesus, to suffer with and for Him, this is my treasure! Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 20 March – The Lenten FEAST of the MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD of JESUS is a Feast for the Fridays of Lent
“Carry me, O Christ, on Thy Cross which is salvation to the wanderer, rest for the wearied and, in which alone, is Life for those who die.”
St Ambrose (340-397) Father and Doctor of the Church
“Embrace, then, Jesus Crucified, raising to Him the eyes of your desire! Consider His burning love for you which made Jesus pour out His Blood from every part of His Body! Embrace Jesus Crucified, loving and beloved and in Him, you will find true life because He is God made Man. Let your heart and your soul burn with the fire of love drawn from Jesus on the Cross! … You will have no other desire than to follow Jesus! Run, … do not stay asleep because time flies and does not wait one moment! Dwell in God’s sweet love!”
St Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380)
“O souls! Seek a refuge, like pure doves, in the shadow of the Crucifix. There, mourn the Passion of your Divine Spouse and drawing from your hearts, flames of love and rivers of tears, make of them a precious balm with which to anoint the Wounds of your Saviour.”
Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face To end on Shrove Tuesday, The Feast of the Holy Face
“All those who, attracted by My Love and venerating My Countenance, shall receive, by virtue of My Humanity, a brilliant and vivid impression of My Divinity. This splendour shall enlighten the depths of their souls, so that in eternal glory the celestial court shall marvel at the marked likeness of their features, with My Divine Countenance.” … (Our Lord Jesus Christ to St Gertrude the Great)
(Console the Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer) below.
Psalm 51:8-9:
Indeed you love truth in the heart, then in the secret of my heart, teach me Wisdom. O purify me, then I shall be clean, O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER
O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, through the intercession of Holy Mary, whose soul was pierced through by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the Passion of her Divine Son, we ask Thy help, in making a perfect Novena of Reparation with Jesus, united with all His sorrows, love and total abandonment. We now implore all the Angels and Saints to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena to the Most Holy Face of Jesus and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen
THE FOURTH DAY:
O Lord Jesus, Who has said, learn of Me for I am meek and gentle of heart and Who didst manifest upon Thy Holy Face, the sentiments of Thy Divine Heart, grant that we may love to meditate upon Thy Divine Countenance, that we may read there, Thy gentleness and Thy humility and learn from Thee to form our hearts in the practice of these two virtues, which Thou desires to see shine in Thy servants.
Mary our Mother and Saint Joseph help us.
Through the merits of Thy Precious Blood and Thy Holy Face, O Jesus, grant us our petition ……………… Pardon and mercy. Amen
Prayer in Honour of the Dolours of the Blessed Virgin By St Bonaventure (1217-1274) 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, as well as 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 to our Divine Lord Jesus, and to you, the Holy and Immaculate Mother of God. Amen
Pray (1) Our Father, three (3) Hail Marys, one (1) Glory Be.
O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every Adoration Thine (Three times)
Quote of the Day – 1 December – The Feast of St Andrew, Apostle of Christ, Martyr on the Cross for Christ
It is claimed, that the words below were spoken by St Andrew, according to an ancient account (which dates to the beginning of the 6th Century), entitled –
The Passion of Andrew
“Hail, O Cross, inaugurated by the Body of Christ and adorned with His Limbs as though they were precious pearls. Before the Lord mounted you, you inspired an earthly fear. Now, instead, endowed with heavenly love, you are accepted as a gift.
Believers know of the great joy that you possess and of the multitude of gifts you have prepared. I come to you, therefore, confident and joyful, so that you too may receive me, exultant as a disciple of the One Who was hung upon you….
O blessed Cross, clothed in the majesty and beauty of the Lord’s Limbs!…
Take me, carry me far from men and restore me to my Teacher, so that, through you, the One Who redeemed me by you, may receive me.
One Minute Reflection – 26 September – “The Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Holy Cross” – St Isaac Jogues SJ (1607-1646) Priest, Martyr, Missionary and Companions – Hebrews 10:32-38 – Luke 12:1-8 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Yes, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore, do not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:6-7
REFLECTION – “I appeal to you by the Mercy of God. This appeal is made by Paul, or rather, it is made by God through Paul because of God’s desire to be loved, rather than feared, to be a Father, rather than a Lord. God appeals to us in His Mercy to avoid having to punish us in His severity.
Listen to the Lord’s appeal: In Me, I want you to see your own body, your members, your heart, your bones, your blood. You may fear what is Divine but why not love what is human? You may run away from Me as the Lord but why not run to Me as your Father? Perhaps you are filled with shame for causing My bitter Passion. Do not be afraid. This Cross inflicts a mortal injury, not on Me but on death! These nails no longer pain Me but only deepen your love for Me. I do not cry out because of these Wounds but through them, I draw you into My Heart. My Body was stretched on the Cross as a symbol, not of how much I suffered but of My all-embracing Love. I count it no less, to shed My Blood, it is the price I have paid for your ransom. Come then, return to Me and learn to know Me as your Father, Who repays good for evil, love for injury and boundless charity for piercing wounds!” – St Peter Chrysologus (c400-450) Bishop of Ravenna, Father and Doctor of the Church (An Excerpt from Sermon 108).
PRAYER – May the continual protection of the blessed Martyrs comfort us, O Lord, for Thou do not cease to behold with favour those whom You have granted the grace of such assistance. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
AnaStpaul 
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