Category: CONSECRATION Prayers

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Eleven – 27 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Eleven – 27 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 11 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:   Book 1, Chapter 25

On the Fervent Amendment of our Whole Life

When a certain anxious person, who often times wavered between hope and fear, once overcome with sadness, threw himself upon the ground in prayer, before one of the altars in the Church and thinking these things in his mind, said “Oh, if I only knew how to persevere,” that very instant he heard within him, this heavenly answer: “And if thou did know this, what would thou do?  Do now what you would do and thou shall be perfectly secure.”   And immediately being consoled and comforted, he committed himself to the Divine Will and his anxious thoughts ceased.   He no longer wished for curious things, searching to find out what would happen to him but studied rather to learn what was the acceptable and perfect will of God for the beginning and the perfection of every good work.

“Hope in the Lord,” said the Prophet, “And do all good and inhabit the land and thou shall be fed of the riches thereof.”

There is one thing that keeps many back from spiritual progress and from fervour in amendment, namely – the labour that is necessary for the struggle.   And assuredly they especially advance beyond others in virtues, who strive the most manfully to overcome the very things which are the hardest and most contrary to them.   For there a man does profit more and merit more abundant grace, when he does most to overcome himself and mortify his spirit.   All have not, indeed, equal difficulties to overcome and mortify but a diligent and zealous person will make a greater progress though he have more passions than another, who is well regulated but less fervent in the pursuit of virtues.

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be (See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )DAY ELEVEN - TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 27 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Ten – 26 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Ten – 26 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 10 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:  Book 3, Chapter 10

That it is sweet to despise the world and to serve God.

Now, will I speak again, O Lord and will not be silent, I will say in the hearing of my God and my King Who is on high:  Oh, how great is the abundance of Your sweetness, O Lord, which You have hidden for those that fear You!

But what are You, for those who love You?   What, to those who serve You with their whole heart?   Unspeakable indeed is the sweetness of Your contemplation, which You bestow on those who love You.   In this most of all, have You shown me the sweetness of Your love, that when I had no being, You did make me and when I was straying far from You, You brought me back again, that I might serve You and You have commanded me to serve You.

O Fountain of everlasting love, what shall I say of You?   How can I forget You, Who have vouchsafed to remember me even after I was corrupted and lost?

Beyond all hope, You show mercy to Your servant and beyond all desert, have You manifested Your grace and friendship.   What return shall I make to You for this favour? For it is granted to all who forsake these things, to renounce the world and to assume the monastic life.   Is it much that I should serve You, Whom the whole creation is bound to serve?   It ought not to seem much to me to serve You but this does rather appear great and wonderful to me, that You vouchsafe to receive one so wretched and unworthy as Your servant.   It is a great honour, a great glory, to serve You and to despise all things for You for they who willingly subject themselves to Your holy service, shall have great grace.   They shall experience the most sweet consolation of the Holy Spirit, Who for the love of You, have cast aside all carnal delight.

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be (See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )DAY TEN - TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 26 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Nine – 25 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Nine – 25 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 9 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:  Book 1, Chapter 13, cont.

Fire tries iron and temptation a just man.
We often know not what we are able to do but temptations discover what we are.   Still, we must watch, especially in the beginning of temptation, for then the enemy is more easily overcome, if he be not suffered to enter the door of the mind but is withstood upon the threshold the very moment he knocks.   Whence a certain one has said “Resist beginnings;  all too late the cure.”  When ills have gathered strength, by long delay, first there comes from the mind a simple thought, then a strong imagination, afterwards delight and the evil motion and consent and so, little by little the fiend does gain entrance, when he is not resisted in the beginning.   The longer anyone has been slothful in resisting, so much the weaker he becomes, daily in himself and the enemy, so much the stronger in him.

Some suffer grievous temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others in the end and others are troubled nearly their whole life.   Some are very lightly tempted, according to the wisdom and the equity of the ordinance of God who weighs man’s condition and merits and pre-ordains all things for the salvation of His elect.

We must not, therefore, despair when we are tempted but the more fervently pray to God to help us in every tribulation – Who, of a truth, according to the sayings of St Paul, will make such issue with the temptation, that we are able to sustain it.

Let us then humble our souls under the hand of God in every temptation and tribulation, for the humble in spirit, He will save and exalt.   In temptation and tribulations, it is proved, what progress man has made and there also, is great merit and virtue made more manifest.

Recite:  Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be (See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ ) DAY NINE- TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 25 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Eight – 24 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Eight – 24 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 8 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:   Book 1, Chapter 13
Of Resisting Temptations

As long as we live in this world, we cannot be without temptations and tribulations. Hence it is written in Job “Man’s life on earth is a temptation.”   Everyone, therefore, should be solicitous about his temptations and watch in prayer lest the devil find an opportunity to catch him – who never sleeps but goes about, seeking whom he can devour.

No-one is so perfect and holy as sometimes not to have temptations and we can never be wholly free from them.   Nevertheless, temptations are very profitable to man, troublesome and grievous though they may be, for in them, a man is humbled, purified and instructed.   All the Saints passed through many tribulations and temptations and were purified by them.   And they that could not support temptations, became reprobate, and fell away.

Many seek to flee temptations and fall worse into them.   We cannot conquer by flight alone but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies.   He who only declines them outwardly and does not pluck out their root, will profit little, nay, temptations will sooner return and he will find himself in a worse condition.

By degrees and by patience you will, by God’s grace, better overcome them than by harshness and your own importunity.   Take council the oftener in temptation and do not deal harshly with one who is tempted but pour in consolation, as thou would wish to be done unto yourself.

Inconstancy of mind and little confidence in God, is the beginning of all temptations.  For as a ship without a helm is driven to and fro by the waves, so the man who neglects and gives up his resolutions is tempted in many ways.

Recite:  Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be (See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )DAY EIGHT- TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 24 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 7 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:  Book 1, Chapter 18, cont.

Outwardly they suffered want but within they were refreshed with grace and Divine consolation.   They were aliens to the world, they seemed as nothing and the world despised them but they were precious and beloved in the sight of God.   

They persevered in true humility, they lived in simple obedience, they walked in charity and patience and so every day they advanced in spirit and gained great favour with God. They were given for example to all religious and ought more to excite us to advance in good, than the number of lukewarm to induce us to grow remiss.

Oh! how great was the fervour of all religious in the beginning of their holy institute!   Oh, how great was their devotion in prayer, how great was their zeal for virtue!   How vigorous the discipline that was kept up, what reverence and obedience, under the rule of the superior, flourished in all!   Their traces that remain still bear witness, that they were truly holy and perfect men who did battle so stoutly and trampled the world under their feet.

Now, he is thought great who is not a transgressor and who can, with patience, endure what he has undertaken.   Ah, the lukewarmness and negligence of our state! that we soon fall away from our first fervour and are even now tired with life, from slothfulness and tepidity.

Oh that advancement in virtue be not quite asleep in thee, who has so often seen the manifold examples of the devout!

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be (See See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )DAY SEVEN- TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 23 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Six – 22 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Six – 22 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 6 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:  Book 1, Chapter 18

On the examples of the Holy Fathers.
Look upon the lively examples of the holy Fathers in whom shone real perfection and the religious life and you will see how little it is and, almost nothing, that we do.   Alas, what is our life when we compare it with theirs?   Saints and friends of Christ, they served our Lord in hunger and in thirst, in cold, in nakedness, in labour and in weariness, in watching, in fasting, prayers and holy meditations and in frequent persecutions and reproaches.

Oh, how many grievous tribulations did the Apostles suffer and the Martyrs and Confessors and Virgins and all the rest who resolved to follow the steps of Christ!   For they hated their lives in this world, that they might keep them in life everlasting.   Oh what a strict and self-renouncing life the holy Fathers of the desert led!   What long and grievous temptations did they bear!   How often were they harassed by the enemy, what frequent and fervent prayers did they offer up to God, what rigorous abstinence did they practice!
What a valiant contest waged they to subdue their imperfections!   What purity and straightforwardness of purpose kept they towards God!   By day they laboured and much of the night they spent in prayer, though while they laboured, they were far from leaving off mental prayer.   They spent all their time profitably.   Every hour seemed short to spend with God and even their necessary bodily refreshment was forgotten in the great sweetness of contemplation.   They renounced all riches, dignities, honours and kindreD, they hardly took what was necessary for life.   It grieved them to serve the body even in its necessity.

Accordingly, they were poor in earthly things but very rich in grace and virtues.

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, and Glory Be (See See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )DAY SIX- TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 22 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Five – 21 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary –

Day Five – 21 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 5 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:  Book 3, Chapter 40

Wherefore but I did know well, how to cast from me all human comfort, either for the sake of devotion, or through the necessity by which I am compelled to seek You, because there is no man that can comfort me.   Then might I deservedly hope in Your favour and rejoice in the gift of a new consolation.   Thanks be to You from Whom all things proceed, as often as it happens to me.   I, indeed, am but vanity and nothing in Your sight , an inconstant and weak man.   Where, therefore, can I glory, or for what do I desire to be thought of highly?
Because of my very nothingness and this is most vain.   Truly pride is an evil plague, because it draws away from true glory and robs us of heavenly grace.   For, while a man takes complacency in himself, he displeases You, while he wants for human applause, he is deprived of true virtues.   But true, glory and holy exultation is to glory in You and not in one’s self;  to rejoice in Your Name but not in one’s own strength.   To find pleasure in no creature, save only for Your sake.   Let Your Name be praised, not mine, let Your work be magnified, not mine,  let Your Holy Name be blessed but let nothing be attributed to me of the praise of men.   You are my glory;  You are the exultation of my heart;   in You, will I glory and rejoice all the day;  but for myself, I will glory in nothing but in my infirmities.

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, and Glory Be (See See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )

DAY FIVE- TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 21 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Four – 20 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Four – 20 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 4 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis:   Book 3, Chapters 7, 40

That man has no good of himself and that he cannot glory in anything Lord, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him;  or the son of man, that Thou visit him?   What has man deserved that Thou should give him grace?   Lord, what cause have I to complain, if Thou forsake me, or what can I justly allege, if what I petition Thou shalt not grant?
This most assuredly, I may truly think and say – Lord I am nothing, I can do nothing of myself, that is good but I am in all things defective and ever tend to nothing.   And unless I am assisted and interiorly instructed by Thee, I become wholly tepid and relaxed but Thou, O Lord, are always the same and endure unto eternity, ever good, just and holy, doing all things well, justly and holy and disposing them in wisdom.

But I who am more inclined to go back, than to go forward, continue not always in one state, for I am changed, seven different times.   But it quickly becomes better when it pleases Thee and Thou stretch out Thy helping hand, for Thou alone, without man’s aid can assist me and so strengthen me, that my countenance shall be more diversely changed but my heart be converted and find its rest in Thee alone.

He who would be too secure in time of peace will often be found too much dejected in time of war.   If you could always continue to be humble and little in your own eyes and keep your spirit in due order and subjection, you would not fall so easily into danger and offence.   It is good counsel that, when you have conceived the spirit of fervour, you should meditate how it will be when that light shall be withdrawn.

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, and Glory Be ( See HERE: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )DAY FOUR- TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 20 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Three – 19 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Three – 19 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 3 of 33

Matthew 7:1-14

Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.
Do not give what is holy to dogs,* or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.g
Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread,*
or a snake when he asks for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.
Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

DAY TWO - TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 19 oct 2018

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be

(See See HERE:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )

 

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day Two 18 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

– Day Two 18 October

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation

Day 2 of 33

Matthew 5:48, 6:1-15

Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect…Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them, otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven.   Therefore, when you give an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men.   Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing.   That your alms may be in secret and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.   Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.   But you when you shall pray, enter into your chamber and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens.   For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard.   Be not you, therefore, like to them, for your Father knows what is needful for you, before you ask him. Thus, therefore, shall you pray: 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.   Give us this day our daily bread.   And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive our debtors.   And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences.   But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your
offences.

Recite: Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be
(See HERE:   https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/saint-louis-marie-de-montforts-total-consecration-to-jesus-through-mary-day-one-17-october/ )DAY TWO - TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 18 oct 2018

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day One 17 October

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Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary – Day One 17 October – About here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/10/07/thought-for-the-day-7-october-33-day-consecration-by-st-louis-marie-grignion-de-montfort/

Now begins the 33-day period of exercises.   St Louis-Marie breaks these days into sections of days, each section having its own prayers and each particular day having its own brief readings with which to fill the mind for that day (the readings come from Sacred Scripture, “The Imitation of Christ” and “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
Mary”).   Don’t just read the readings, internalise them;  don’t let your lips just mouth the prayers, truly pray them.
First comes a 12-day preparation period that consists of emptying oneself of the spirit of the world in penance and mortification.   For those 12 days, we pray the Veni Creator, the Ave Maris Stella, the Magnificat and the Glory Be.
Then follow 3 weeks, each week having a specific focus.
The first week focuses on offering up our prayers and devotions for the purpose of coming to understand ourselves and our sins;  humility is the key and the prayers help us.
During the second week, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us better understand the Blessed Virgin;  we pray the Litany of the Holy Ghost, the Litany of Loreto, the Ave Maris Stellis, the prayer to Mary by St Louis-Marie and 5 decades of the Holy Rosary each day for assistance.
During the third week, we seek to better understand Christ through meditation and the Litany of the Holy Ghost, the Ave Maris Stella and the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Montfort’s prayer to Jesus, and the prayer O Jesus Living in Mary.DAY ONE- TOTAL CONSECRATION - ST LOUIS DE MONTFORT 17 oct 2018

Readings and Prayers

12 Day Preparation
Day 1 of 33

Matthew 5:1-19
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him.   And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying:  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.   Blessed are the meek:  for they shall possess the land.   Blessed are they that mourn:  for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice:  for they shall have their fill.   Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall obtain mercy.   Blessed are the clean of heart:  for they shall see God  . Blessed are the peacemakers:  for they shall be called children of God.   Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake:  for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.   Blessed are ye when they shall revile you and persecute you and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake:  Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven.   For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you.   You are the salt of the earth.   But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?   It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men.   You are the light of the world.   A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid.   Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house.   So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.   Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.   For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled.   He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.   But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Recite:   Veni Creator, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat and Glory Be (below)

Examine your conscience, pray, practice renouncement of your own will;  mortification, purity of heart.   This purity is the indispensable condition for contemplating God in heaven, to see Him on earth and to know Him by the light of faith.   The first part of the preparation should be employed in casting off the spirit of the world which is contrary to that of Jesus Christ.   The spirit of the world consists essentially in the denial of the supreme dominion of God;  a denial which is manifested in practice by sin and disobedience;  thus it is principally opposed to the spirit of Christ, which is also that of Mary.

It manifests itself by the concupiscence of the flesh, by the concupiscence of the eyes and by the pride of life and by disobedience to God’s laws and the abuse of created things.  Its works are – sin in all forms, then all else by which the devil leads to sin;  works which bring error and darkness to the mind and seduction and corruption to the will.   Its pomps are the splendour and the charms employed by the devil to render sin alluring in persons, places and things.

Prayers of the Preparatory Period

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God’s hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father,
Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.
Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o’erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.
Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.
Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, O Star of the ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin,
gate of heav’nly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave,
which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us,
changing Eve’s name.
Break the sinners’ fetters,
make our blindness day,
Chase all evils from us,
for all blessings pray.
Show thyself a Mother,
may the Word divine
born for us thine Infant
hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us
meek and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure
till we find in Jesus,
joy for evermore.
Praise to God the Father,
honour to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit,
be the glory one.
Amen

Magnificat

My soul magnifies the Lord.
And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
Because He has regarded the humility of His handmaid;
for behold, from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
He that is mighty has done great
things to me and holy is His name.
And His mercy is from
generation to generations,
to those that fear Him.
He hsh showed might in His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones;
and has exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and the rich he has sent empty away.
He has received Israel His servant,
being mindful of His mercy.
As He spoke to our fathers, to
Abraham and to his seed forever.
Amen

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now
and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen

hail o star of the ocean - ave maris stella - 18 oct 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CONSECRATION Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, TOTAL Consecration to JESUS through MARY

Thought for the day – 7 October – 33 Day Consecration by St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort

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Thought for the day – 7 October – The Memorial of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
33 Day Consecration by St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort

St Thomas Aquinas assures us that, “following the order established by His divine Wisdom, God ordinarily imparts His graces to men through Mary.   Therefore, if we wish to go to Him, seeking union with Him, we must use the same means which He used in coming down from heaven to assume our human nature and to impart His graces to us. That means, was a complete dependence on Mary His Mother, which is true devotion to her.”

St Louis de Montfort recommends consecrating yourself on one of Mary’s Feast days.
Here is a typical list using the 33-day preparation method, set out for us by St Louis.   The method includes daily prayer, meditation and a daily Rosary of course.
Many of us have done this a few times perhaps, before but as the Holy Father has recently requested us all to pray to our Mother, most especially for the Church and for the whole world, this might be a good time to reconsecrate ourselves to her!
I am thinking 17 October – 19 November, the Memorial of Our Lady of Divine Providence.   Will you join me?MY 33 DAY CONSECRATION CHART.jpg

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Pray for Us!our-lady-of-the-rosary-pray-for-us-7 oct 2017.2

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, OPEN HOUSE...Conversations with..., PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St Louis-Marie Grignion de MONTFORT, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Open House… Conversations with … St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

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Open House… Conversations with …
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

On The Memorial of St Simón de Rojas O.SS. (1552-1624) known as “Father Ave Maria” and the “Apostle of the Ave Maria”, we learn a little from St Louis.

How do I find the Grace of God?

TO FIND THE GRACE OF GOD, WE MUST DISCOVER MARY
(Excerpt from The Secret of Mary by St Louis Marie de Montfort)

The difficulty, then, is how to arrive at the true knowledge of the most holy Virgin and so find grace in abundance through her.   God, as the absolute Master, can give directly Hhat he ordinarily dispenses only through Mary and it would be rash to deny that He sometimes does so.   However, St Thomas assures us that, following the order established by His divine Wisdom, God ordinarily imparts His graces to men through Mary  . Therefore, if we wish to go to Him, seeking union with Him, we must use the same means which He used in coming down from heaven to assume our human nature and to impart His graces to us.   That means was a complete dependence on Mary His Mother, which is true devotion to her.

28. Chosen soul, this devotion consists in surrendering oneself in the manner of a slave to Mary and to Jesus through her and then performing all our actions with Mary, in Mary, through Mary and for Mary.   Let me explain this statement further.

29. We should choose a special feast day on which to give ourselves.   Then, willingly and lovingly and under no constraint, we consecrate and sacrifice to her unreservedly our body and soul.   We give to her our material possessions, such as house, family, income, and even the inner possessions of our soul, namely, our merits, graces, virtues and atonements.   Notice that in this devotion we sacrifice to Jesus through Mary all that is most dear to us, that is, the right to dispose of ourselves, of the value of our prayers and alms, of our acts of self- denial and atonements.   This is a sacrifice which no religious order would require of its members.   We leave everything to the free disposal of our Lady, for her to use as she wills for the greater glory of God, of which she alone is perfectly aware.

30. We leave to her the right to dispose of all the satisfactory and prayer value of our good deeds, so that, after having done so and without going so far as making a vow, we cease to be master over any good we do.   Our Lady may use our good deeds either to bring relief or deliverance to a soul in purgatory, or perhaps to bring a change of heart to a poor sinner.

31. By this devotion we place our merits in the hands of our Lady but only that she may preserve, increase and embellish them, since merit for increase of grace and glory cannot be handed over to any other person.   But we give to her all our prayers and good works, inasmuch as they have intercessory and atonement value, for her to distribute and apply to whom she pleases.   If, after having thus consecrated ourselves to our Lady, we wish to help a soul in purgatory, rescue a sinner, or assist a friend by a prayer, an alms, an act of self-denial or an act of self-sacrifice, we must humbly request it of our Lady, abiding always by her decision, which of course remains unknown to us.   We can be fully convinced that the value of our actions, being dispensed by that same hand which God himself uses to distribute His gifts and graces to us, cannot fail to be applied for His greatest glory.

Act of Consecration to Mary
By St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

I, N…., a faithless sinner-
renew and ratify today in thy hands,
Immaculate Mother, the vows of my Baptism;
I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works,
and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom,
to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life
and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.
In the presence of all the heavenly court,
I choose thee this day, for my Mother and Mistress.
I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave,
my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior
and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future,
leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me
and all that belongs to me, without exception,
according to thy good pleasure,
for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity.
Amenact of consecration to mary by st louis de montfort - open house conversations with - how to become a slave of mary - 28 sept 2018

“One cannot contemplate Mary
without being attracted by Christ
and one cannot look at Christ
without immediately perceiving
the presence of Mary.”

Pope Benedict XVIone cannot contemplate mary - pope benedict - open house conversations with st louis de montfort - the secret of mary - 28 sept 2018

“Those who would receive Christ and bring Him forth must become like her . . .
her soul was virginal, so well cut loose from everything of earth,
so humble before God, that He could wholly fill her.”

(D Aemiliana Löhr, The Mass Through the Year)

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL SERMONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 26 August – The Feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland

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Thought for the Day – 26 August – The Feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland

PRAYER OF JOHN PAUL II (Excerpt)

Czestochowa — 4 June 1997

“O Mother of God, O Blessed Virgin, by God have you been glorified!”

Mother of Jasna Góra and Queen, I come to you today on a pilgrimage of faith to thank you for your ceaseless protection of all the Church and of myself, especially during the fifty years of my priesthood and those of my service in the See of Peter.   With great trust I come to this holy place — on the hill of Jasna Góra, so dear to my heart, to cry out once more:  Mother of God and our Mother, I thank you for being the guiding Star of the building of a better future for the world, for being the Patroness of the attainment of the civilisation of love among the members of the human race.   Mother, I humbly beseech you, surround with your maternal protection the days and years which still separate us from the Year 2000. I entrust to your intercession the preparation for the Great Jubilee of Christianity.   Help all the nations of the world to begin the new millennium in union with Christ, the King of the ages.

Mother of the Church, Blessed Virgin Help of Christians, in the humility of Peter’s faith I bring to your feet the whole Church, all the continents, countries and nations which have believed in Jesus Christ and have recognised in Him the signpost marking their path through history.   I bring here, O Mother, all humanity, including those still searching for the way to Christ.   Be their guide and help them to be open to the God who is coming.   I bring to you in prayer the peoples of East and West, of North and South and I entrust to your motherly care all the families of nations.   Mother of the Church’s faith, just as you persevered in prayer with Jesus’ disciples in the Upper Room, so be with us today in the Upper Room of the Church as she travels towards the third millennium of faith and obtain for us the grace to be open to the gift of God’s Spirit.

Faithful Daughter of the Eternal Father , Temple of the Love that embraces heaven and earth, I entrust to you the service of the Church in the world, a world which so needs love. Mother of God, Mother of the only-begotten Son who gave us as the principle of life the new commandment of love, help us to become builders of a united world, in which peace triumphs over war, and the civilization of death is replaced by love for life.

Mother of Unity and Peace, strengthen the bond of communion within the Church of your Son, enliven ecumenical efforts so that all Christians, by the power of the Holy Spirit, may become one family of sisters and brothers of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world yesterday, today and for ever (cf. Heb. 13:8).

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, accept our trust, strengthen it in our hearts and present it before the face of the one God in the Holy Trinity. Amen.

Our Lady of Czestochowa, Pray for us!our-lady-of-czestochowa-pray-for-us-26 aug 2017

Consecration to Our Lady of Czestochowa

Our Lady of Czestochowa,
Queen of Poland, pray for us.
Holy Mother of Czestochowa,
you are full of grace, goodness and mercy.
I consecrated to you all my thoughts,
words and actions – my soul and body.
I beseech your blessings
and especially prayers for my salvation.
Today I consecrate myself to you, good Mother, totally –
with body and soul amid joy and sufferings,
to obtain for myself and others,
your blessings on this earth
and eternal life in heaven.
Amenprayer-to-our-lady-of-czestochowa-26 aug 2017

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, FRANCISCAN OFM, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, ON the SAINTS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 14 August – The Memorial of St Maximillian Kolbe OFM Conv (1894 -1941)

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Thought for the Day – 14 August – The Memorial of St Maximillian Kolbe OFM Conv (1894 -1941) “Martyr of Charity”and “Apostle of Consecration to Mary”

“Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:13

That verse certainly comes to mind whenever I think of St Maximilian Kolbe, whose feast we celebrate today.   So it’s not surprising to read that these were the opening words of the papal decree introducing his Beatification.   St Maximilian Kolbe was arrested in Poland in February of 1941 and in May sent to the Auschwitz death camp.   As prisoner #16670, he eventually laid down his life for another prisoner on 14 August 1941, at the young age of 47.

Father Kolbe’s death was not a sudden, last-minute act of heroism.   His whole life had been a preparation.   His holiness was a limitless, passionate desire to convert the whole world to God.   And his beloved Immaculata, was his inspiration.

St Maximillian is the patron saint of families, prisoners, journalists, political prisoners, drug addicts and the pro-life movement.   St John Paul II declared him to be “the patron saint of our difficult century.”   The evils which made the twentieth century so difficult were not left behind as we moved into the twenty-first century.

Let us continue to call upon the intercession of this saint and continue to come to Jesus through His mother, Mary, the Immaculata.

Daily Consecration Renewal to the Immaculata
By St Maximillian Kolbe

Immaculata, Queen and Mother of the Church,
I renew my consecration to you for this day
and for always, so that you might use me
for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus in the whole world.
To this end, I offer you all my prayers,
actions and sacrifices of this day.
Amendaily-consecration-renewal-to-the-immaculata-by-st-maximillian-kolbe-14 aug 2017

Mary, Immaculata, Pray for us!mary, immaculata - pray for us - 12 may 2018
St Maximillian Kolbe, pray for us!st-max-pray-for-us.14 aug 2017

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONSECRATION Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL PRAYERS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, Uncategorized

Our Morning Offering – 8 June – The Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart

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Our Morning Offering – 8 June – The Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer of Consecration to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)

Most sweet Jesus,
Redeemer of the human race,
look down upon us,
humbly prostrate before Your altar.
We are Yours and Yours we wish to be
but to be more surely united with You,
behold, each one of us,
freely consecrates himself today
to Your most sacred heart.
Many, indeed, have never known You, many too,
despising your precepts, have rejected You.
Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus
and draw them to Your sacred heart.
Be You king, O Lord, not only of the faithful
who have never forsaken You
but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You;
grant that they may quickly return to their father’s house,
lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be You king, of those who are deceived
by erroneous opinions,
or whom discord keeps aloof
and call them back to the harbour of truth and unity of faith,
so that soon there may be but one flock and one shepherd.
Be you king also, of all those who sit
in the ancient superstition of the Gentiles
and refuse not You to deliver them out of darkness
into the light and kingdom of God.
Grant, O Lord, to Your Church,
assurance of freedom and immunity from harm;
give peace and order to all nations
and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry:
Praise to the divine heart that wrought our salvation;
to it be glory and honour forever.
Amen.

and

Daily Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacred Heart of Jesus,
filled with infinite love,
broken by my ingratitude,
pierced by my sins,
yet loving me still,
accept the consecration that I make to You,
of all that I am and all that I have.
Take every faculty of my soul and body,
and draw me, day by day,
nearer and nearer to Your Sacred Side,
and there, as I can bear the lesson,
teach me Your blessed ways.
Amendaily consecration to the sacred heart of jesus - 8 june 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CONSECRATION Prayers, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL PRAYERS, PAPAL SERMONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on EVANGELISATION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, QUOTES on TRUST in GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, QUOTES on VIOLENCE, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, VATICAN Resources

Quote/s of the Day – and Marian too – 29 May “Mary’s Month!” – The Memorial of Blessed Joseph Gerard O.M.I. (1831-1914)

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Quote/s of the Day – and Marian too – 29 May “Mary’s Month!” – The Memorial of Blessed Joseph Gerard O.M.I. (1831-1914)

“Always believe, in the power of love and truth,
the love of neighbour, which is rooted in the love of God
and the truth, which sets people free.”

“Reject violence as a solution to any situation,
no matter how unjust it may be.”

“Above all, trust in the God of justice,
who created all things,
who sees all human events,
who holds in His hands,
the destiny of every person and of every nation.”always believe in the power of love - above all trust in the god of justice - reject violence - st pope john paul - 29 may 2018

“Let the eyes of our faith
never wander
from the Cross of Calvary.”let the eyes of our faith - st pope john paul - 29 may 2018- no 2

“May each of you, discover Mary, as your Mother.”

“May each of you, seek to be a son, a daughter, of Mary,
who at the foot of the Cross,
becomes in a particular way for us,
the “Mother of Divine Grace”.”

May each of you, “make a place for her in your home”
and even more so in your heart,
every day and throughout your life,
especially at those times, of trial and suffering.”may each of you (on mary) - st pope john paul - 29 may 2018

Maseru Race Course (Lesotho)
Thursday, 15 September 1988

St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

Taken from the Beatification Homily of St Pope John Paul II
(See today’s thought for the Day)

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, MORNING Prayers, NOVENAS, The HOLY SPIRIT

Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts Day One – 11 May 2018

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Pentecost Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts
Day One – 11 May 2018

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena

On my knees, I before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses, offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God.   I adore the brightness of Your purity, the unerring keenness of Your justice and the might of Your love.   You are the Strength and Light of my soul.   In You I live and move and am.   I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light, listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious inspirations.   I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You, by Your compassion, to watch over me in my weakness.   Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus, looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You.   Give me grace O Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere, “Speak Lord for Your servant hears.” Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
To be recited daily during the Novena

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love.

Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding, to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth, the Spirit on Counsel, that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge, that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety, that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable and the Spirit of Fear, that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him.   Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.

FIRST DAY (Friday after Ascension or Friday of 6th Week of Easter)
Holy Spirit!   Lord of Light!   From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important — eternal salvation.   Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared–sin.   Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness and indifference.    The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength and of Love.   With His sevenfold gifts, He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will and inflames the heart, with love of God.   To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for “The Spirit helps our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought.   But the Spirit Himself asks for us.”

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who has vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit and has given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us, your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE. Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Giftday one - pentecost novena - 11 may 2018

Info on the Novena:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/05/09/announcing-a-novena-to-the-holy-spirit-for-the-seven-gifts-from-ascension-to-pentecost-begins-friday-11-may/

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONSECRATION Prayers, EASTER, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Our Morning Offering – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Easter Act of Consecration
Prayers of the Church

Mary,
We sing our Alleluias today, for Jesus is risen.
Our souls proclaim the greatness of God,
Our spirits rejoice in our Risen Saviour.
May your song be sung in our lives
At every moment of this day, so that God’s power,
Which can do far more than we can ask or imagine,
May continue to call life from death
and light from darkness,
Transforming our meager efforts
Into your Son’s victory over death.
Holy Mother of God,
Mary ever Virgin,
intercede for us with the Lord our God.
Ameneaster act of consecration - 10 may 2018 - thursday of the sixth week

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CONSECRATION Prayers, EASTER, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 9 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Our Morning Offering – 9 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Easter Act of Consecration
Marian Prayers of the Church

Mary,
In the brilliant light of Easter,
Teach us, too, that nothing is impossible with God.
All our struggles with self and others,
All our disappointments and shames,
All our failures and sinfulness
Are as nothing in this healing, life-giving light.
Accept, then, our all.
May God look upon it,
As once did the Mighty One upon your lowliness,
So that we might be gifted with that blessedness
Promised to all sons and daughters of the Resurrection.
Holy Mother of God,
Mary, ever Virgin,
intercede for us, with the Lord our God.
Ameneaster act of consecration to mary - 9 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONSECRATION Prayers, EASTER, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The RESURRECTION

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Easter Act of Consecration
(Prayers of the Church)

Mary,
We, your sons and daughters
Look to you as we treasure and ponder
The Rising of Jesus,
your Son and our brother.
Teach us how, that marvelous moment,
can topple the proud,
Elevate the lowly,
feed the hungry,
And mission the rich,
even today.
Confident in God’s power and love,
Trusting in the Risen Lord,
Relying on the Promised Advocate,
The Spirit of Life and of Truth,
We dedicate our lives,
in your name and for your honour
To the transforming power of Easter.
Holy Mother of God,
Mary ever Virgin,
intercede for us with the Lord our God.
Ameneaster act of consecration - no 2 - tuesday of the 6th week of easter - 8 may 2018

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering- 1 May – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide, the Memorial of St Joseph the Worker and the 1st day of the Month of Mary

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Our Morning Offering- 1 May – Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide, the Memorial of St Joseph the Worker and the 1st day of the Month of Mary

An Act of Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary
By St John Berchmans S.J. (1599-1621)

Holy Mary, Mother of God and Virgin,
I choose you this day for my queen,
patron and advocate
and firmly resolve and purpose,
never to abandon you,
never to say or do anything,
against you,
nor to permit that aught be done by others,
to dishonour you.
Receive me, then, I beg you,
as your perpetual servant,
assist me in all my actions
and do not abandon me
at the hour of my death.
Amenact-of-consecration-by-st-john-berchmans-one-of-my-best-ever-1-may-2017

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONSECRATION Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The CHRIST CHILD, VOCATIONS

Thought for the Day – 2 February – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life

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Thought for the Day – 2 February – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life

On this holy feast-day we each have an opportunity to consecrate our lives anew to the Lord.    How do we do this?    We can simply make a prayer of re-dedication to God which can take many forms.    It can be a simple heartfelt prayer reaffirming our baptismal promises or a re-visiting of our religious or marriage vows.    Or it can be a prayer which asks the Holy Spirit to renew our sense of vocation as a priest or religious or as a lay person in our chosen job, trade or profession.
We gave our life to the Lord when we were baptised but the call to conversion continues to resound throughout our lives and ‘this second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole church’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1428).    A re-dedication or renewal of vows or promises is a movement of conversion within our heart and is always a work of the Holy Spirit.
Today, step out in faith, whatever your vocation, whatever your calling and give your life to the Lord, in the assurance of God’s grace, blessing and renewal in the power of the Holy Spirit.

LET US PRAY FOR ALL CONSECRATED MEN & WOMEN AND FOR VOCATIONS:

Loving God, You call all who believe in You
to grow perfect in love
by following in the footsteps
of Christ Your Son.
Call from among us more men and women
who will serve You as religious.
Open the hearts of many, raise up
faithful servants of the Gospel, dedicated,
holy priests, sisters, brothers and deacons,
who will spend themselves for Your people
and their needs.
Bless those who are serving now
with courage and perseverance.
Grant that many will be inspired by their
example and faith.
By their way of life, may they provide a convincing sign
of Your Kingdom for the Church and the whole world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.prayer for the consecrated and vocations - 2018

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St PAUL!, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Our Morning Offering – 26 January – Memorial of Sts Timothy and Titus, Disciples and Companions of the Apostle Paul and Bishops of the Catholic Church

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Our Morning Offering – 26 January – Memorial of Sts Timothy and Titus, Disciples and Companions of the Apostle Paul and Bishops of the Catholic Church

Consecration to the Most Holy Trinity
by Blessed James Alberione (1884-1971) (Founder of the Pauline Family)

Divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
present and active in the Church
and in the depths of my soul,
I adore You, I thank You, I love You!
And through the hands of Mary
most holy, my Mother,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
entirely to You
for life and for eternity.
To you, Heavenly Father, I offer,
give and consecrate myself
as Your son/daughter.
To you, Jesus Master, I offer,
give and consecrate myself
as Your brother/sister and disciple.
To you, Holy Spirit,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as “a living temple”
to be consecrated and sanctified.
Mary, Mother of the Church and my Mother,
who dwells in the presence
of the Blessed Trinity,
teach me to live,
through the liturgy and the sacraments,
in ever more intimate union
with the three divine Persons,
so that my whole life may be
a “glory to the Father, to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.” Amen.prayer-to-the-holy-trinity-by-bl-james-alberione-2017

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, MARIAN PRAYERS, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 23 January – The Memorial of St Ildephonsus (607-667)

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Our Morning Offering – 23 January – The Memorial of St Ildephonsus (607-667)

Prayer of Saint Ildephonsus (607-667)

Act of Consecration to Mary

The Abundance of the Sweetness of Thy Son

I come to thee, only Virgin Mother of God,
and fall prostrate before thee,
who alone didst cooperate in the Incarnation of God.
I humble myself before thee,
who alone were found to be the Mother of my Lord.
I pray thee, who alone were found to be the handmaid of thy Son:
obtain that my sins be wiped away;
command that I be cleansed of the wickedness of my deeds,
and, that I may love the glory of thy virtue,
reveal to me the abundance of the sweetness of thy Son.

Thou Art His Co-Worker in My Redemption

Bestow upon me the gift of proclaiming the true faith of thy Son,
and of defending it.
Grant that I may cleave to God and to thee,
that I may serve thy Son and thee,
that I may be His bondsman and thine;
His, because He is my Creator,
and thine, because thou art the Mother of my Creator;
His, because He is Lord of the angelic powers,
and thine, because thou art the handmaid of the Lord of All;
His, because He is God,
and thine because thou art the Mother of God;
His, because He is my Redeemer,
and thine because thou art His co-worker in my redemption.

The Body by Which He Healed My Wounds

That which He wrought for my redemption,
verily He formed in thine own person.
That He might be my Redeemer,
He became thy Son.
That He might be the price of my ransom,
He became incarnate of thy flesh.
The Body by which He healed my wounds,
He took from thee so that He, in it, might be wounded.
The mortal Body by which He took away my death,
He took from thy mortality.
The Body by which He brought my sins to nought,
He received sinless from thee.
This nature of mine that ahead of time, in Himself,
He placed above the angels in the glory of His Father’s right hand,
He assumed — humbling Himself — out of thine own true body.

I Am Thy Slave

Therefore, I am thy slave,
because Thy Son is my Master.
Therefore thou art my Lady,
because thou art the handmaid of my Lord.
Therefore I am the slave of the handmaid of my Lord,
because thou, my Lady, didst become the Mother of my Lord.
Therefore I have become thy slave,
because thou didst become the Mother of my Maker.

By the Holy Spirit

I pray thee, I pray thee, holy Virgin,
may I, by the Spirit through Whom thou didst give birth to Jesus,
have Jesus and hold Him.
By that Spirit through Whom
thou didst conceive this same Jesus in thy flesh,
may my soul receive Jesus.

Let the Spirit gift me with the knowledge of Jesus,
this Spirit by Whom it was given Thee
to bear Jesus and to give Him birth.
Let the Spirit in Whom thou didst
declare thyself the handmaid of the Lord,
choosing that it should be done unto thee
according to the Angel’s word,
grant me to proclaim the heights of Jesus with lowliness.

To Love Jesus and to Fear Him

In the Spirit thou didst adore Jesus as thy Lord
and gaze upon Him as thy Son;
in that same Spirit may I love Him.
And may I fear this same Jesus,
with that reverence by which He, truly being God,
became subject to His parents.

“For over thirty years now, my dear old friend Father Jacob, O.P. and I have renewed our consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God annually on January 1st. Experience has taught me the wisdom of entrusting the new year to Our Blessed Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces. Readers of Vultus Christi may want to join me in asking the Mother of God again today to open her hands over the entire year.
I offer today my translation of the sublime prayer of Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo (+667). This prayer, taken from his treatise De virginitate perpetua Sanctae Mariae, is one of the earliest expressions of total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In it, heralding an expression that Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort will make famous, the Bishop of Toledo declares himself the slave of Mary, Handmaid of the Lord. He also emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit with theological keenness and tender piety.” …..By Dom Mark Daniel Kirby is Conventual Prior of Silverstream Priory in Stamullen, County Meath, Ireland. The ecclesial mandate of his Benedictine community is the adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar in a spirit of reparation, and in intercession for the sanctification of priests.

And, for the image, I have excerpted the last three stanzas and modernised the English.

I pray you, I pray you, holy Virgin,
may I, by the Spirit through Whom
you gave birth to Jesus,
have Jesus and hold Him.
By that Spirit through Whom
you conceived this same Jesus in your flesh,
may my soul receive Jesus.
Let the Spirit gift me
with the knowledge of Jesus,
this Spirit by Whom it was given to you
to bear Jesus and to give Him birth.
Let the Spirit in Whom you declared
yourself the handmaid of the Lord,
choosing that it should be done unto you
according to the Angel’s word,
grant me to proclaim
the heights of Jesus with lowliness.
In the Spirit you adored Jesus as your Lord
and gazed upon Him as your Son;
in that same Spirit may I love Him.
And may I fear this same Jesus,
with that reverence by which He,
truly being God,
became subject to His parents.
Amen

prayer of st ildephonsus - 23 jan 2018

 

Posted in ADVENT, CONSECRATION Prayers, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Loreto – 10 December – The Memorial of Our Lady and the Holy House of Loreto

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Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Loreto – 10 December – The Memorial of Our Lady and the Holy House of Loreto

O Immaculate Virgin Mary, we come to you with confidence:
welcome this day our humble prayer and our act of consecration.

O Mother, you did carry the Divine Saviour in your most pure womb:
receive our homage of faith and filial love as we come in spirit into your Holy House.

It is also, by the presence of the Holy Family, the holy home par excellence.
And it is our wish that every Christian family be inspired by it.
From Jesus, all children learn to obey and to work.
From you, O Mary, all women learn humility and the spirit of sacrifice.
From Joseph, who did live for Jesus and for you, all men learn to believe in God,
to live in the family and in society with fidelity and honesty.
O Mary, we pray for our Pope and for the Universal Church,
for our country and for all the nations of the world,
for the suffering souls for all sinners.
And we all wish to consecrate ourselves to you.
Spiritually present in the Holy House,
where you did conceive by the Holy Spirit,
we want to repeat with lively faith the words of the Archangel Gabriel:
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!”
We want to invoke you still, saying:
“Hail Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church!”

We turn to you, Mary.
Receive our consecration to your Immaculate heart.
Totally yours, we wish to confirm by this act of love our unlimited love for Jesus,
your Son, and our hope in you, our Mother.
And you, O Queen and Mother of Mercy,
grant to your children an abundance of heavenly blessings. Amenact of consecration to our lady of loreto - 10 dec 2017

Posted in ADVENT, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, CONSECRATION Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Conception – 8 December, The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

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Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Conception 
On The Feast of the Immaculate Conceptionact of consecration - 8 dec 2017

In the presence of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and with heaven and earth as our witness, we prostrate ourselves at your feet, O Mary, Our Lady.

We acknowledge you as our Mother, as the Immaculate Conception, living tabernacle of the Divinity, as Queen of angels and of men, as Mother of the Church and of the Catholic priesthood and as refuge of the afflicted.   That is why, small and weak as we are, we wish to consecrate to you our families, our persons, our works, our future, all that pertains to us and is in us and which God, in His immeasurable goodness, has entrusted to us for our good use.

We also consecrate to you the value of our good actions, past, present and future, leaving to you the entire and full right of disposing of us and all that belongs to us.   Mary, be our Mother:  sanctify us, purify us, correct us, guide us, pray for us and protect us.

Help us to perfectly fulfill the duties of our state of life.
Extinguish in us all self-love, which prevents your Divine Son, King and Sovereign Priest, from reigning in and around us.

Cover abundantly with your maternal protection all the parishes, chapels, schools, works and missions and may you forever impede the devil from reigning, in any manner in the Church which desires to be entirely yours for the greater glory of God, the protection of our Holy Father and the exaltation of our Mother, the Holy Catholic Church and for the conversion of sinners. Amen.in the presence of god almight - act of consecration immaculate conception - 8 dec 2017

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 26 August

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Our Morning Offering – 26 August
Prayer to Our Lady of Czestochowa

Our Lady of Czestochowa,
Queen of Poland, pray for us.
Holy Mother of Czestochowa,
you are full of grace, goodness and mercy.
I consecrated to you all my thoughts,
words and actions – my soul and body.
I beseech your blessings
and especially prayers for my salvation.
Today I consecrate myself to you, good Mother, totally –
with body and soul amid joy and sufferings,
to obtain for myself and others,
your blessings on this earth
and eternal life in heaven. Amen

prayer to our lady of czestochowa

Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland, pray for us.

Posted in CONSECRATION Prayers, FRANCISCAN OFM, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 14 August

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Our Morning Offering – 14 August

Consecration to the Immaculata – By St Maximillian Kolbe

O Immaculata, 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, ……………(name), a repentant 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 most pleases you.
If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve,
wholly to accomplish what was 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 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 growth in holiness, since it is through your hands
that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin
Give me strength against your enemies
Amen

A shorter version of the prayer can be used for the daily renewal of the consecration:

Daily Consecration Renewal to the Immaculata
By St Maximillian Kolbe

Immaculata, Queen and Mother of the Church,
I renew my consecration to you for this day
and for always, so that you might use me
for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus in the whole world.
To this end, I offer you all my prayers,
actions and sacrifices of this day.
Amen

daily consecration renewal to the immaculata by st maximillian kolbe

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CONSECRATION Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SAINT of the DAY

Friday 23 June 2017 Blessed and Holy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost)

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Friday 23 June 2017 Blessed and Holy Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – (Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost)

The Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart – given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will give peace in their families.

3. I will console them in all their troubles.

4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.

5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.

9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.

10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance;  they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

12 promises of the sacred heart

“And He showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin into which Satan hurls such crowds of them, that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which It contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure for Him all the honour and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those Divine treasures of which this Heart is the source.   He should be honoured under the figure of this Heart of flesh and Its image should be exposed … He promised me that wherever this image should be exposed with a view to showing It special honour, He would pour forth His blessings and graces.   This devotion was the last effort of His love that He would grant to men in these latter ages, in order to withdraw them from the empire of Satan which He desired to destroy, and thus to introduce them into the sweet liberty of the rule of His love, which He wished to restore in the hearts of all those who should embrace this devotion.”

—St. Margaret Mary

st margaret mary and the sacred heart of jesus

This Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was composed by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th Century French nun and mystic, pictured above, who saw our Lord in numerous visions.   She was instrumental in spreading devotion to His Sacred Heart after He conveyed His wish for her to do so.   In one vision she actually saw Jesus’ Sacred Heart with flames protruding from it to show His great love for us!   The burning love He showed her from His Sacred Heart certainly must have inspired her.

Clearly, our Lord wishes us to join our will to His in love for Him and each other on our earthly pilgrimage to Heaven.   And what better way than to appeal to our hearts, where our most sincere feelings and desires reside.

So too with Jesus, who we must remember, as man as well as God comes to us in Communion at Mass and in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament with His heart filled with immense love and longing for us!   As our Lord said in the Gospels “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Jesus once told St. Margaret Mary something quite similar when He said “Without me you can do nothing, but I will never let you lack help as long as you keep your weakness and nothingness buried in My strength.”

Our Lord wishes us to approach Him for help and love in humility, even when we’re feeling most uncertain or useless.   Don’t be afraid to offer up your own weaknesses and anxieties to Him!   He’ll be more than happy to fill your “nothingness” with His awesomeness!  And the best places are after receiving Him and in Eucharistic Adoration, where His Heart is calling you!

ACT of CONSECRATION to the MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS
by ST MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE

act of consecration to the sacred heart - st alacoque

I (Name…………..), give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ,
my person, my life, my actions, my pains and sufferings,
so that I may be unwilling to make use of any part of my being
save to honour, love and glorify the Sacred Heart.
It is my unchanging intention to be all His
and to do all for love of Him.
I renounce at the same time with all my heart whatever can displease Him.

I, therefore, take You, O Sacred Heart,
for the only object of my love,
the protector of my life,
the pledge of my salvation,
the remedy of my weakness and inconstancy,
the atonement for the faults of my life
and the secure refuge at the hour of my death.

Be then, O Heart of goodness,
my justification before God the Father
and turn away from me the punishment of His just anger.
O Heart of love, I put my confidence in You
because I fear everything from my own sinfulness and weakness.
I hope for all things from Your mercy and generosity.

Destroy in me all that can displease or resist Your holy Will.
Let Your pure love impress You so deeply upon my heart
that I may never forget You or be separated from You.
May my name, by your loving kindness,
be written In You
because in You I desire to place all my happiness
and all my glory in living and dying in very bondage to You.
Amen