Our Morning Offering – 8 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” and Mary’s Day
O Mary, I Give You My Heart
By St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)
O Mary, I give you my heart.
Grant me to be always yours.
Jesus and Mary,
be ever my friends
and, for love of you,
grant me to die, a thousand deaths
rather than to have the misfortune
of committing a single mortal sin.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 7 October – “The Month and Feast of the Most Holy Rosary”
Through Thee, to Us,Our Saviour Came
To Our Lady of the Rosary
By St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1108-1159)
Through thee, to us, our Saviour came,
Through thee, to Him, we fain would go.
Our lives are marred by wrong and shame,
Yet, confidence in thee we know.
The friendship thou dost give to all
Who love thy name, shall ever be
Assurance thou wilt hear our call,
Sweet Lady of the Rosary!
Thou art our Strength upon the way,
Our Morning Star, to cheer and guide;
Our Beacon Light to show the day,
And lead us to the Saviour’s Side;
A Comforter in ev’ry pain
We find, O Mother blest, in thee,
And seek we, never, thee in vain,
Fair Lady of the Rosary!
Thy praises, Mary, we would sing,
And all our faculties employ,
That unto thee our hearts might bring
A glory-crown of love and joy.
Bless thou each humble effort made
In thy regard and grant that we,
May by thy influence be swayed,
Our Lady of the Rosary!
Thought for the Day – 1 October – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
“It is untrue to say that the Rosary is a monotomous prayer in that it neccessitates a constant repetition of the same formulae.
In the first place, recitation of these prayers should be accompanied by meditation on the principal Mysteries of our Religion.
Secondly, if we are inspired by love, the repetition of the same words can draw from them, each time, a new significance.
The Catholic who loves God and His Divine Mother, will be happy to call on his heavenly Father with filial confidence and to pray to the Blessed Virgin, with trust in her maternal protection.
An affectionate son does not find it boring to speak with his own Mother!”
PART ONE:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/10/01/thought-for-the-day-1-october-the-month-of-the-holy-rosary/
PART TWO:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/10/01/thought-for-the-day-1-october-the-month-of-the-holy-rosary-2/
Our Morning Offering – 1 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels”
The Holy Rosary
By Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)
Accept, mighty Maid, we beseech thee,
This prayer with its fragrance of flowers;
With one soul we seek thus to reach thee
And hail thee, God’s Mother and ours.
Thy heart is made glad by our praying;
Thy bounty is generous and wise;
Thy hands are enriched for conveying
What God’s tender Mercy supplies.
We kneel at thy Shrines in the Churches;
Oh, gently look down from above,
And welcome the heart that then searches
For worthy expressions of love.
Let others present precious caskets
Of gems, or heap Altars with gold;
Slight prayer-beads shall serve us for baskets
To bring thee the garland they hold.
With violets lowly we fashion
This wreath and with these combined
Red roses–our faith in the Passion
With Chastity’s lilies entwined.
Our minds, as the Mysteries vary,
Are active, our hands play their part;
And always thy name, Holy Mary,
Oft-uttered, rejoices the heart.
Be with us, we trust thee to guide us
Through life and when labouring breath
At the last, seeks thine aid, be beside us
To help at the hour of our death.
Anen
Our Morning Offering – 28 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross”
O Mother of Sorrows,
Stand by Me in My Last Agony
By St Gabriel Francis Possenti
of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)
O Mother of Sorrows,
by the anguish and love
with which thou did stand at the Cross of Jesus,
stand by me in my last agony.
To thy maternal heart
I commend the last three hours of my life.
Offer these hours to the Eternal Father
in union with the agony of our dearest Lord,
in atonement for my sins.
Offer to the Eternal Father
the most precious blood of Jesus,
mingled with your tears on Calvary,
that I may obtain the grace of receiving Holy Communion
with the most perfect love and contrition
before my death
and that I may breathe forth my soul
in the adorable presence of Jesus.
Dearest Mother,
when the moment of my death has at last come,
present me as your child to Jesus.
Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him,
for I knew not what I did.
Beg Him to receive me into His kingdom of glory
to be united with Him forever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering –24 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross” and Mary’s Day
O Afflicted Virgin!
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
O afflicted Virgin!
O soul, great in virtues
and great also in sorrows!
for both arise from that great fire of love
thou hast for God;
thou “whose heart can love nothing but God.”
O Mother, have pity on me,
for I have not loved God
and I have so much offended Him.
Thy sorrows give me great confidence
to hope for pardon.
But this is not enough;
I wish to love my Lord
and who can better obtain this for me
than thou,
thou who art the Mother of fair love?
O Mary, thou dost console all,
comfort me also.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 September – “The Month of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Cross”
My Most Sorrowful Lady
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Marian Doctor
Magnificent Doctor
My most sorrowful Lady,
what can I say about the fountains,
that flowed from your most pure eyes,
when you saw your only Son before you,
bound, beaten and suffering?
What do I know of the flood,
that drenched your matchless face,
when you beheld your Son,
your Lord and your God,
stretched on the Cross without guilt,
when the flesh of your flesh,
was cruelly butchered by wicked me?
How can I judge
what sobs troubled your most pure breast
when you heard,
“Woman, behold your son,”
and the disciple,
“Behold, your Mother,”
when you received, as a son,
the disciple, in place of the Master,
the servant, for the Lord?
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and Feast of Our Lady Health of the Sick and Mary’s Day
Virgin Full of Goodness,
Mother of Mercy
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor angelicus
Doctor communis
Virgin full of goodness,
Mother of mercy,
I entrust to you my body and my soul,
my thoughts and my actions,
my life and my death.
My Queen,
come to my aid
and deliver me from the snares of the devil.
Obtain for me the grace of loving
my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
with a true and perfect love,
and after Him,
O Mary,
of loving you with all my heart
and above all things.
Amen.
Saint of the Day – 27 August – Feast of the Seven Joys of Our Lady. This Feast is also known as “The Franciscan Crown,” The Seven Joys of the Virgin. Today was kept by the Franciscans as the Feast of the Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary. As an expression of the Seraphic Order’s devotional life, it corresponds to the Feast of the Holy Rosary, which began among the Dominicans and the observance on 15 September of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin,
The devotion to the Seven Joys in and of itself, however,is much older; the story of its origin is told thus in the Manual for Franciscan Tertiaries.
About the year 1420, a young man, deeply devoted to Our Lady, took the habit of St Francis. Before joining the Order, he had, among other practices, been accustomed daily, to make a Chaplet of flowers,and with it, to Crown a Statue of the Blessed Virgin. Having in his novitiate no longer an opportunity of making this Crown for his Most Beloved Queen, he, in his simplicity, thought that she would withdraw her affection from him; this temptation of the devil disturbed his vocation. He resolved to abandon the cloister. The merciful mother appeared to him and gently rebuking him, strengthened him in his vocation by telling him to offer her, instead of the Chaplet of Flowers, a Crown much more pleasing to her, composed of seventy two Ave Marias and a Pater after each decade of Ave Marias. Our Lady instructed him to meditate at each decade upon the seven joys she had experienced, during years of her exile upon the earth.
The novice immediately commenced reciting the new Crown or Chaplet and derived, therefrom, many spiritual and temporal graces.
This pious practice spread quickly through the whole Order, and even throughout the world… St Bernardin of Siena used to say that it was by the Crown of the Seven Joys that he had obtained all the graces which Heaven has heaped upon him.
The Seven Joys listed in the Manual are the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Christ, the Adoration of the Magi, the Finding of the Christ Child in the Temple, the Resurrection and the Assumption but other version of the list may be found. Two more Aves are added to make the number seventy-two mentioned above and another Pater and Ave for the intentions of the Pope. The recitation concludes with a versicle and response and with the Collect of the Immaculate Conception.
The recitation concludes with a versicle and response and with the Collect of the Immaculate Conception.
V. In thy Conception, o Virgin, thou wast immaculate.
R. Pray for us to the Father, whose Son thou didst bear.
Let us pray.
O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling place for Thy Son; we beseech Thee, that, as by the foreseen death of Thy sam, Son, Thou preserved her from every stain, so Thou may grant us also, through Her intercession, to come to Thee with pure hearts. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 23 August – – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
Mary, I Beg You
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor
Mary, I beg you,
by that grace through which
the Lord is with you
and you will to be with Him,
let your mercy be with me.
Let love for you always be with me,
and the care for me be always with you.
Let the cry of my need,
as long as it persists,
be with you,
and the care of your goodness,
as long as I need it,
be with me.
Let joy in your blessedness
be always with me,
and compassion for my wretchedness,
where I need it,
be with you.
Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – Month and Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Octave Day of the Assumption)
“In the end,
my Immaculate Heart
will triumph.”
“Let us decide to become one,
with all the faithful,
in offering the prayers and actions
and sufferings of each day
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
through the Immaculate Heart of His Mother Mary.
We shall certainly receive showers of graces,
both for ourselves
and for the salvation of the souls of our neighbours.”
Prayer to the Two Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary
O Heart of Jesus pierced for our sins
and giving us Your Mother on Calvary!
O Heart of Mary pierced by sorrow
and sharing in the sufferings of your divine Son
for our redemption!
O sacred union of these Two Hearts!
Praised be the God of Love who united them together!
May we unite our hearts and every heart
so that all hearts may live in unity and in imitation
of that sacred unity which exists in these Two Hearts.
Triumph, O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Reign, O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus!
– in our hearts, in our homes and families,
in the hearts of those who as yet do not know You
and in all nations of the world.
Establish in the hearts of all mankind the sovereign triumph
and reign of your Two Hearts so that the earth may resound
from pole to pole with one cry:
Blessed forever be the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Obtain for me a greater purity of heart
and a fervent love of the spiritual life.
May all my actions be done for the greater glory of God
in unions with the divine heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Hear and answer our prayers and intentions
according to Your most merciful will.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 August – Month and Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Octave Day of the Assumption)
O Immaculate Heart of Mary
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I have nothing in myself to offer thee
which is worthy of thee
but what thankgiving I ought I to pay thee,
for all the favours
which thou hast obtained for me
from the Heart of Jesus!
What reparation ought I to make thee
for all my tepidity, in thy service!
I desire to return thee love for love,
the only good which I possess,
is the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
which thou, thyself hast given me.
I offer thee this Treasure of Infinite Price,
I cannot do more
and thou dost not deserve less, at my hand
but, receiving from me,
this Gift most Precious in thy sight,
be pleased, I beseech thee,
to accept too, my poor heart,
which I here offer to thee
and I shall be forever blessed.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 20 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” and the Memorial of St Bernard (1090-1153) Confessor, “The Bard of Mary”
To Thee We Cry,
O Queen of Mercy!
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor of the Church
To thee we cry,
O Queen of Mercy!
Return, that we may behold
thee, dispensing favours,
bestowing remedies,
giving strength.
Ah, tender Mother!
Tell thy All-powerful Son
that we have no more wine.
We are thirsty after the wine of His Love,
of that marvellous wine,
which fills souls with a holy inebriation,
inflames them
and gives them the strength
to despise the things of this world
and to seek, with ardour,
Heavenly goods.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 17 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
Deign, O Immaculate Virgin
By St Paschasius Radbertus (785–865)
Deign, O Immaculate Virgin,
Mother most pure,
to accept the loving cry of praise
which we send up to you
from the depths of our hearts.
Though they can but add little to your glory,
O Queen of Angels,
you do not despise, in your love,
the praises of the humble and the poor.
Cast down upon us a glance of mercy,
O most glorious Queen,
graciously receive our petitions.
Through your immaculate purity of body and mind,
which rendered you so pleasing to God,
inspire us with a love of innocence and purity.
Teach us to guard carefully the gifts of grace,
striving ever after sanctity, so that,
being made like the image of your beauty,
we may be worthy to become,
the sharers of your eternal happiness.
Amen
St Paschasius Radbertus was a Theologian
and the Abbot of Corbie.
Read about him here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-saint-paschasius-radbertus-785-865/
Quote/s of the Day – 16 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
Mary, Mother of Grace
St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church
It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master, Who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called full of grace.
Remember us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of graces.
Amen
“Go to Mary and sing her praises
and you will be enlightened.
For it is through her,
that the true Light
shines on the
sea of this life.”
“… The design of the Redeemer of our race
was to bring about a birth and, as it were,
a new creation to replace the one that went before.
Therefore, just as in Paradise,
He had taken a little clay
out of the pure and spotless earth,
to fashion the first Adam (Gn 2,7),
so, at the moment of bringing about
His Own Incarnation,
He made use of another earth, so to speak,
namely, this Pure and Immaculate Virgin,
chosen from among all other beings He had created.
It is in her that He, Adam’s Creator,
has remade us in our very substance
and become a new Adam (1Cor 15,45)
that the old might be saved by the new and eternal.”
Our Morning Offering – 16 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
Save Us, O Mary!
By Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
(Pontiff 1939-1958)
O Virgin, fair as the moon,
delight of the Angels
and Saints in Heaven,
grant that we may become like thee
and that our souls
may receive a ray of thou beauty,
which does not decline with the years
but shines forth into eternity.
O Mary, sun of Heaven,
restore life where there is death
and enlighten spirits,
where there is darkness.
Turn thy countenance to thy children
and radiate upon us
thy light and thy fervour.
O Mary, powerful as an army,
grant victory to our ranks.
We are very weak
and our enemy rages with uttermost conceit.
But under thy banner
we are confident of overcoming him. ….
Save us, O Mary,
fair as the moon,
bright as the sun,
awe-inspiring as an army set in battle array
and sustained, not by hatred
but by the ardour of love.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 15 August – The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Fly, My Soul, with Mary Fly!
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
(From “The Glories of Mary”
Trans. Redemptoris Fathers, 1931)
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly!
Soar beyond the golden sky,
Mount to Mary’s throne on high.
Bright the queenly crown she won,
Sweet the reign she has begun,
As she stands beside her Son.
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly.
How endure this long delay?
Living here, how can I stay
From such beauty far away?
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly.
Sad my lot is here below;
Who can hope or life bestow?
Who will help or pity show?
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly.
But, although far away from me,
Still our sovereign Queen will be
Full of love and clemency.
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly.
With a mother’s loving care
She will lift those hands so fair
And will save us by her prayer.
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly.
Mother’s heart can ne’er forget
That we are her children yet,
By such dangers fierce beset.
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly.
Gently, still, she bends her eyes
On the soul that longs and sighs
For her love, the heavenly prize.
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly.
Blest the soul who, like the dove
Borne upon the wings of love,
Follows her to Heaven above.
Fly, my soul, with Mary fly!
Preparatory Prayer
by St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
O Mary, Virgin most Blessed
and Mother of Our Lord
and Redeemer Jesus Christ,
through thy mercy I beseech thee,
to come to my aid
and to inspire me
with such confidence in thy power
that I may have recourse to thee,
pray to thee
and implore thy aid,
in all needs of soul and body.
Amen
Meditation:
Mary is, then, a Queen and what a consolation to know it!–
a Queen always mild and gentle, always willing to confer benefits upon us.
Hence the Church teaches us, to call her the Mother of mercy.
The pious and learned Poet and Writer, Jean Charlier de Gerson (1363-1429) says:
“God’s dominion comprises Justice and mMrcy. He divided it, retaining the administration of Justice for Himself and relinquishing, in a certain sense, the dispensation of mercy to Mary, by conferring through her hands, all graces He grants to mankind.”
H,ow consoling, then, the assurance that our merciful Mother is so mighty and so loving a queen!
Practice:
So great is the tenderness of Mary’s maternal heart: “that never was it known that anyone who fled to her protection, implored her help and sought her intercession, was left unaided. How many prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, ascend daily to the throne of this our exalted and merciful protectress!
There is not a cry of an afflicted, struggling and suffering soul that she does not graciously hear. Join, therefore, confidently in the prayer of Holy Church, “Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy.” Approach her with filial trust.
Neglect not to honour her yourself and do all in your power, to lead others to do her honour.
Prayer of the Church: We beseech Thee, O Lord, pardon the shortcomings of Thy servants that we who, by our own works, are not able to please Thee, may be saved by the intercession of the Mother of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Indulgence. (1) 100 days, every time. (2) A Plenary Indulgence, once a month, on any day, to all who shall have said it everyday for a month, under the usual conditions.
Quote/s of the Day – 13 August – Feast of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinner and the Memorial of St Maximus the Confessor (c 580-662) Father of the Church
“To the extent that you pray
with all your soul
for the person who slanders you,
God will make the truth known, to those,
who have been scandalised
by the slander.”
“Theology without practice,
is the theology of demons!”
“The demons that wage war on us,
through our shortcomings in virtue,
are those which teach —
impurity, drunkenness, avarice and envy.
Those that wage war on us,
through our excessive zeal for virtue,
teach — conceit, self-esteem and pride.
They [the demons] secretly pervert,
what is commendable,
into what is reprehensible!”
MORE ST MAXIMUS QUOTES:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/08/13/quote-s-of-the-day-13-august-st-maximus/
Shelter Me Under Your Mantle,
O Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to you who are the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the hope, the refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate you, great Queen
and I thank you for the many graces
you have bestowed upon me even unto this day,
in particular for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often served by my sins.
I love you, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve you willingly forever
and to do what I can,
to make you loved by others also.
I place in you all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as your servant
and shelter me under your mantle,
you who are the Mother of Mercy.
And since you are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From you I implore a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through you I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by your love for Almighty God,
I pray you to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until you shall see me safe in heaven,
there to bless you
and sing of your mercies through all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen
Preparatory Prayer
by St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
O Mary, Virgin most Blessed
and Mother of Our Lord
and Redeemer Jesus Christ,
through thy mercy I beseech thee,
to come to my aid
and to inspire me
with such confidence in thy power
that I may have recourse to thee,
pray to thee
and implore thy aid,
in all needs of soul and body.
Amen
Meditation:
Mary’s glory received its culmination by her coronation as Queen of Heaven and earth.
It was meet that in her, should be fulfilled, the words of Holy Scripture: “Come from Libanus, my Spouse, come, thou shalt be crowned” (Cant. 4:81) and, that her own prophetic words, “He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble” (Luke 1:52) should be exemplified in her.
For it was reasonable and becoming that she, who once with Jesus, wore the crown of shame and contempt, should now share with Him, the crown of immortal glory.
It was but fair and just that, the immaculate being, who was chosen above all inhabitants of heaven and earth, to be the true and worthy Mother of God, should now be solemnly installed over all creatures in Heaven and on earth, as the Queen of Angels and men and that, to her, should be offered homage, praise and honour, by the blessed spirits and by the souls of the Saints.
But the crown which she received,is not one made of gold and precious stones, it is composed of the virtues with which Mary, in faithful co-operation with Divine grace, embellished herself.
It consists, too, of all the homage and glory, which she receives, as Queen of Heaven.
The most precious gem, in this crown, is the filial love and gratitude, Jesus shows toward His Mother in Heaven.
Practice:
Indeed, “eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man,” what the heavenly Father has prepared in the mansions of eternal bliss, for His beloved Daughter, the Son for His Blessed Mother, and the Holy Ghost, for His chosen Spouse.
She is now Queen of Heaven and earth – of Heaven, for she is the Queen of all Angels and Saints; of earth, for as Mother of God, she is the Mother of all mankind, the mediatrix between the Redeemer and the redeemed.
You, too, may contribute a gem toward the crown of your heavenly Mother, by paying her filial homage, imitating her virtues and preserving, for the love of her, your innocence and purity of heart and body.
Prayer of the Church: We beseech Thee, O Lord, pardon the shortcomings of Thy servants that we who, by our own works, are not able to please Thee, may be saved by the intercession of the Mother of Thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Ejaculation: Sweet heart of Mary be my salvation!
Indulgence. (1) 100 days, every time. (2) A Plenary Indulgence, once a month, on any day, to all who shall have said it everyday for a month, under the usual conditions.
Our Morning Offering – 11 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
Hail, O Mother!
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church
Hail, O Mother!
Virgin, heaven, throne, glory of our Church,
it’s foundation and ornament.
Earnestly pray for us to Jesus,
your Son and Our Lord,
that through your intercession,
we may have mercy on the day of judgement.
Pray that we may receive, all those good things
which are reserved for those who love God.
Through the grace and favour of Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be power, honour and glory,
now and forever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 8 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
O Mother Blest
By St Alphonsus Maira Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Edmund Vaughn C.SS,R, (1827 – 1908 )
O Mother blest, whom God bestows
On sinners and on just,
What joy, what hope thou givest those
Who in thy mercy trust.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste,
Mary thou art fair,
Of all mothers, sweetest best,
none with thee compare.
O heavenly Mother, mistress sweet!
it never yet was told
that suppliant sinner left thy feet,
unpitied, unconsoloed.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste, …
O Mother, pitiful and mild,
Cease not to pray for me;
For I do love thee as a child,
And sigh for love of thee.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …
Most powerful Mother, all men know
Thy Son denies thee nought;
Thou askest, wishest it, and lo!
His power thy will hath wrought.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …
O Mother blest, for me obtain,
Ungrateful though I be,
To love that God who first could deign
To show such love for me.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste,
Mary, thou art fair.
Of all mothers, sweetest, best,
None with thee compare.
Our Morning Offering – 5 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Dedication of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows
Blessed Virgin Mary,
Receive Our Gratitude!
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace
Blessed Virgin Mary,
who can worthily repay you
with praise and thanks
for having rescued a fallen world
by your generous consent!
Receive our gratitude
and by your prayers,
obtain the pardon of our sins.
Take our prayers into the Sanctuary of Heaven
and enable them to make our peace with God.
Holy Mary, help the miserable,
strengthen the discouraged,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for your people,
plead for the clergy,
intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate you
feel now your help and protection.
Be ready to help us when we pray
and bring back to us,
the answers to our prayers.
Make it your continual concern
to pray for the people of God,
for you were blessed by God
and were made worthy
to bear the Redeemer of the world,
Who lives and reigns forever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 1 August – “The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”
INVIOLATA!
INVIOLATE!
Unknown Author
(11th Century)
Thou art inviolate, undefiled and chaste, O Mary.
Thou has been made the resplendent Gate of Heaven,
O loving and dearest Mother of Christ,
Accept our devout acclamations in praise of thee.
That our minds and bodies may be pure,
Devoted hearts and lips now implore thee.
Through thy sweet sounding prayers,
Gain us pardon forever.
O kind one, who alone didst remain inviolate.
The Hymn Inviolata has been claimed by the Carmelite Order, as a Traditional Hymn originating within their ranks. The Hymn is also used by Dominican Friars in the chanting of Compline. Its origins trace to the 11th century. It appears in Hymnals from 1860 to 1920.
Inviolata, integra, et casta es Maria,
quae es effecta fulgida caeli porta.
O Mater alma Christi carissima,
suscipe pia laudum praeconia.
Te nunc flagitant devota corda et ora,
nostra ut pura pectora sint et corpora.
Tua per precata dulcisona,
nobis concedas veniam per saecula.
O benigna! O Regina! O Maria,
quae sola inviolata permansisti.
Quote of the Day – 30 July – Our Lady’s Saturday – Ecclesiasticus 24:14-16, Luke 11:27-28
“Gracious Lady,
you are a Mother and Virgin,
you are the Mother
of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer,
you are also truly Mother
of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through your love,
you have co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
you are Mother and Virgin,
Mother of Christ and Virgin of Christ.
You are the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
You are, forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came life,
yes, through you, O Mother of God.“
Our Morning Offering – 30 July – Mary’s Day
Most Holy Virgin, My Consolation
By St Germanus of Paris (c 490-576)
Most Holy Virgin!
Who are the greatest consolation
that I receive from God,
you, who art the heavenly dew
which assuages all my pains,
you, who are the light of my soul
when it is enveloped in darkness,
you, who are my guide in unknown paths,
the support of my weakness,
my treasure, in poverty,
my remedy, in sickness,
my consolation, in trouble,
my refuge, in misery,
and the hope of my salvation,
hear my supplications,
have pity on me,
as becomes the Mother of so good a God
and obtain for me
a favourable reception
of all my petitions at the throne of mercy.
Amen
St Germanus of Paris (c 490-576) “Father of the Poor”
HIS LIFE HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/05/28/saint-of-the-day-28-may-st-germanus-of-paris-c-496-576-father-of-the-poor/
Our Morning Offering – 26 July – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Grandmother of Jesus.
Holy Anne, Juda’s Glory
Unknown Author
Transl. Fr Edward Caswell CO (1814-1878)
Holy Anne, Juda’s glory,
Through the Church from east to west
Every tongue proclaims thy praises,
Holy Mary’s mother blest!
Saintly kings and priestly sires
Blended in thy sacred line;
Thou in virtue all before thee
Didst excel by grace divine.
Link’d in bonds of purest wedlock,
Thine it was for us to bear,
By the favour of high Heaven,
Our immortal Virgin star.
From thy stem in beauty budded
Ancient Jesse’s mystic rod.
Earth from thee received the mother
Of the eternal Son of God.
All the human race benighted
In the depths of darkness lay,
“When in Anne it saw the dawning
Of the long-expected day.
Our Morning Offering – 24 July – “Month of the Most Precious Blood”
Virgin Full of Goodness,
Mother of Mercy
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor angelicus
Doctor communis
Virgin full of goodness,
Mother of mercy,
I entrust to you my body and my soul,
my thoughts and my actions,
my life and my death.
My Queen,
come to my aid
and deliver me from the snares of the devil.
Obtain for me the grace of loving
my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
with a true and perfect love,
and after Him,
O Mary,
of loving you with all my heart
and above all things.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 23 July – Mary’s Day
Salve Regina
Hail Holy Queen
By Blessed Herman of Reichenau (1013–1054)
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
Poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs,
Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us;
And after this our exile,
Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
This line, below, by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.
℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
℟ that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Our Morning Offering – 20 July – The Memorial of St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537) Confessor
O Mary, Twice Mother of Mercy
By St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)
O Mary,
thou art twice Mother of Mercy
because thou hast been made
Mother of our most merciful Saviour,
and, furthermore because,
thou hast given to us
so many signs
of thy maternal care and love.
Turn upon us, we beseech thee,
thy glance of compassion
and grant, that we may always
live free from sin,
which is the only impediment
to receiving the fruits
of the Divine Mercies.
Amen.
AnaStpaul 
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