Our Morning Offering – 8 December – Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Conception
Act of Consecration By St Maximillian Kolbe (1894-1941)
O Immaculate, Queen of heaven and earth,
Refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother,
God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to You,
I, an unworthy sinner, cast myself at Your feet,
humbly imploring You
to take me with all that I am and have,
wholly to Yourself as Your possession and property.
Please make of me,
of all my powers of soul and body,
of my whole life, death and eternity,
whatever pleases You.
If it pleases You,
use all that I am and have without reserve,
wholly to accomplish what has been said of You:
“She will crush your head”,
and “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.”
Let me be a fit instrument in Your immaculate
and most merciful hands for introducing and increasing Your glory
to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls
and thus help extend as far as possible,
the blessed Kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
For, wherever You enter,
You obtain the grace of conversion and sanctification,
since it is through Your hands,
that all graces come to us.
from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Today, 8 December, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. I wish you all a Blessed and Holy Feast Day!
Murillo 1678
Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 8 December 2012
“I would like to emphasise that Mary is Immaculate through a freely given gift of God’s grace, which, however, found perfect willingness and cooperation in her. It is in this sense that she is “blessed” because “she believed” (Lk 1:45) and because she had steadfast faith in God. Mary represents that “remnant of Israel”, that holy root which the Prophets proclaimed. The promises of the Old Covenant find a ready welcome in her. In Mary, the Word of God is met with listening, acceptance and a response, He encounters that “yes” which enables Him to take flesh and to come and dwell among us.
Prado
In Mary, humanity and history are truly opened to God, they welcome His grace and are prepared to do His will. Mary is a genuine expression of Grace. She represents the new Israel, which the Scriptures of the Old Testament describe with the symbol of the bride. And St Paul takes up this language in his Letter to the Ephesians where he speaks of marriage and says “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the Church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (5:25-27). The Fathers of the Church developed this image and thus the Doctrine of the Immaculate Virgin first came into being with reference to the Church virgin-mother and, subsequently, to Mary. Thus Ephraim the Syrian writes poetically: “Just as [it was] because these bodies themselves have sinned and are themselves dying, that the earth, their mother was also accursed (cf. Gen 3:7-19), because of this body which is the incorruptible Church, her land was blessed from the outset. This land is the body of Mary, a temple in which a seed was sown” (Diatessaron 4, 15: sc 121, 102).
Francesco de Mura
The light that shines from the figure of Mary, also helps us to understand the true meaning of original sin. Indeed that relationship with God which sin truncates is fully alive and active in Mary. In her there is no opposition between God and her being, there is full communion, full understanding. There is a reciprocal “yes” – God to her and her to God. Mary is free from sin because she belongs entirely to God, she empties herself totally for Him. She is full of His Grace and of His Love.
To conclude, the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary expresses the certainty of faith that God’s promises have been fulfilled and that His Covenant does not fail but has produced a holy root from which came forth the blessed Fruit of the whole universe, Jesus the Saviour. The Immaculate Virgin shows that Grace can give rise to a response, that God’s fidelity can bring forth a true and good faith.”
Jusepe de Ribera (1637)
Room of the Immaculate Conception
Following the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pius IX, which took place on 8 December 1854, the pontiff decide to celebrate the event with a cycle of frescoes.
The large room adjacent to the Raphael Rooms was chosen and the task was assigned to Francis Podesti (1800-1895), a painter originally from Ancona but rooted in the Roman artistic and academic panorama. The artist, along with his team of workers, worked on the commission from 1856 to 1865, planning it and following its execution in all its aspects – the wooden doors and window frames and the inlaid marble work, as well as the installation of the Roman mosaic from Ostia Antica, purchased specifically for this space.
The pictorial decoration proceeds from the ceiling, with allegorical scenes alluding to the virtues of the Virgin; it continues along the northern wall with the homage of the continents to the Church enthroned; it continues on the west wall, devoted to the Discussion of dogma in St Peter’s Basilica and concludes on the east wall, with the Coronation of the Image of Mary, an event following the Proclamation, which took place in St Peter’s. Podesti, who was present, included a self-portrait here.
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY NINE – 8 December
Our Lady Queen of Apostles
If we have this filial contact with Mary, we won’t be able to think just about ourselves and our problems. Selfish personal problems will find no place in our mind. Mary brings us to Jesus and Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers.” And so, if we know Jesus, we realise that we can live only by giving ourselves to the service of others. Christians can’t be caught up in personal problems;they must be concerned about the universal Church and the salvation of all souls. (Christ is Passing By, 145)
If we are imbued with this spirit, our conversations with God eventually aid other people, even though they may begin on an apparently personal level. And if we take our Lady’s hand, she will make us realise more fully that all men and women are our brothers and sisters – because we are all children of that God whose daughter, spouse and mother she is. (Christ is Passing By, 145)
Be daring. Count on the help of Mary, Queen of Apostles. Without ceasing to be a mother, our Lady is able to get each of her children to face their own responsibilities.
Mary always does the immense favour of bringing to the Cross, of placing face to face with the example of the Son of God, those who come close to her and contemplate her life. It is in this confrontation that Christian life is decided. And here Mary intercedes for us so that our behaviour may lead to a reconciliation of the younger brother – you and me – with the firstborn Son of the Father.
Many conversions, many decisions to give oneself to the service of God have been preceded by an encounter with Mary. Our Lady has encouraged us to look for God, to desire to change, to lead a new life. And so her counsel “Do whatever he tells you” has turned into real self-giving, into a Christian vocation, which from then on enlightens all our personal life. (Christ is Passing By, 149)
Let us Pray
Mary, who brought Jesus up and accompanied Him through His life and is now beside Him in heaven, will help us recognise Jesus as He crosses our path and makes Himself present to us in the needs of our fellow men.
Our mother, you brought to earth Jesus, who reveals the love of our Father God. Help us to recognise Him in the midst of the cares of each day. Stir up our mind and will, so that we may listen to the voice of God, to the calls of grace.”
Sancta Maria, spes nostra, ancilla Domini, sedes sapientiæ, ora por nobis! Holy Mary, our hope, handmaid of the Lord, seat of wisdom, pray for us! Amen (Christ is Passing By, 149)
Bl Alojzy Liguda
St Anastasia of Pomerania
St Anthusa of Africa
St Antonio García Fernández
St Casari of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
St Eucharius of Trier
St Pope Eutychian
St Gunthildis of Ohrdruf
Bl Jacob Gwon Sang-yeon
Bl Johanna of Cáceres
Bl José María Zabal Blasco
St Macarius of Alexandria
St Marin Shkurti
St Noel Chabanel
St Patapius
Bl Paul Yun Ji-chung
St Rafael Román Donaire
St Romaric of Remiremont
St Sofronius of Cyprus
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Five – 7 December
Fifth Day
O most holy Mother,
I beg you to obtain for me
pardon of all my sins,
abundant graces
to serve your Son
more faithfully from now on
and lastly,
the grace to praise Him
with you forever in heaven.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY EIGHT – 7 December
Mary, our teacher in everyday life
We must imitate her natural and supernatural refinement. She is a privileged creature in the history of salvation, for in Mary “the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.”
But she is a reserved, quiet witness. She never wished to be praised, for she never sought her own glory. Mary is present at the mysteries surrounding the infancy of her Son but these are “normal” mysteries, so to speak. When the great miracles take place and the crowds acclaim them in amazement, she is nowhere to be found. In Jerusalem when Christ, riding a little donkey, is proclaimed king, we don’t catch a glimpse of Mary. But after all have fled, she reappears next to the Cross. This way of acting bespeaks personal greatness and depth, the sanctity of her soul….(Christ is Passing By, 173)
To become God-like, to be divinised, we must begin by being very human, accepting from God our condition as ordinary men and women, and sanctifying its apparent worthlessness. That is how Mary lived. She who is full of grace, the object of God’s pleasure, exalted above all the angels and the saints, lived an ordinary life.
Mary is as much a creature as we are, with a heart like ours, made for joy and mirth as well as suffering and tears. Before Gabriel communicates God’s plan to her, our Lady does not know she has been chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of the Messiah. She sees herself as a humble creature. That is why she can acknowledge, with full humility, that “he who is mighty has done great things” in her. (Christ is Passing By, 172)
We can’t forget that Mary spent nearly every day of her life just like millions of other women who look after their family, bring up their children and take care of the house. Mary sanctifies the ordinary everyday things – what some people wrongly regard as unimportant and insignificant: everyday work, looking after those closest to you, visits to friends and relatives. What a blessed ordinariness, that can be so full of love of God!
For that’s what explains Mary’s life – her love. A complete love, so complete that she forgets herself and is happy just to be there where God wants her, fulfilling with care what God wants her to do. That is why even her slightest action is never routine or vain but, rather, full of meaning. Mary, our mother, is for us both an example and a way. We have to try to be like her, in the specific circumstances in which God wants us to live. (Christ is Passing By, 148)
Let us Pray
We turn to Our Lady for protection, because we can be quite sure that each of us, in our own state in life – priest or lay-person, single, married or widowed – if we are faithful in the daily fulfilment of our duties, will achieve victory on this earth, the victory of being always loyal to Our Lord. And afterwards we will reach Heaven and rejoice for ever in the friendship and love of God, with the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Prayer before Our Lady of Guadalupe, 24 May 1970)
Hail Mary full of grace!
It’s fair, gentle Lady,
for me to ask you for a present,
a proof of your affection –
contrition, compunction for my sins,
sorrow of love.
Hear me, O Lady, my life, my hope.
Take me by the hand
and if there is anything in me now
that is displeasing to my Father God,
make me see it,
and between the two of us,
we’ll tear it out.
Amen
Again, all I can do is pray and beg of you all, your prayers too. My country is in chaos, power is being ‘loadshedded’ on and off all day across the land. Damage control is all we can do. Much trauma to many systems and appliances. The software I use to make my pics has also corrupted along with some other software. I know others who have lost their telephone connections due to corrupted and burnt out telephone cables, etc etc. Sorry!
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Four – 6 December
Fourth Day
Dearest Mother of Guadalupe,
I beg you for a fortified will to imitate
your divine Son’s charity,
to always seek the good of others in need.
Grant me this,
I humbly ask of you.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Again, all I can do is pray and beg of you all, your prayers too. My country is in chaos, power is being ‘loadshedded’ on and off all day across the land. Damage control is all we can do. Much trauma to many systems and appliances. The software I use to make my pics has also corrupted along with some other software. I know others who have lost their telephone connections due to corrupted and burnt out telephone cables, etc etc. Sorry! Mary, our refuge and our strength!
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY SEVEN – 6 December
Mary, our refuge and our strength
When it comes to the scandal of the Sacrifice of the Cross, Mary is there, hearing with sadness how “the passers-by blasphemed against him, tossing their heads, ‘Come now, they said, you would destroy the temple and build it up in three days, rescue yourself; come down from that cross, if you are the Son of God’.” Our Lady is there listening to the words of her Son, united to Him in His suffering, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” What could she do? She united herself fully with the redemptive love of her Son and offered to the Father her immense sorrow, which pierced her pure Heart like a sharp-edged sword.
Jesus is comforted anew by the quiet, loving presence of His Mother. Mary does not shout; she does not run about frantically. Stabat: she is there, standing next to her Son. It is then that Jesus looks at her and then turning His gaze to John He exclaims, “Woman, this is thy son.” Then He said to the disciple, “This is thy Mother.” In the person of John, Christ is entrusting all men to His Mother and especially His disciples: those who were to believe in Him. Felix culpa the Church sings. Happy fault, that has brought us so great and wonderful a Redeemer. Happy fault, we could add, which has merited that we should receive Mary as our Mother. Now we are safe. Nothing should worry us now, because Our Lady, the crowned Queen of heaven and earth, is omnipotent in her supplication before our Father God. Jesus cannot deny anything to Mary, nor to us, who are children of his own Mother. (Friends of God, 288)
Marvel at Mary’s courage: at the foot of the Cross, with the greatest of human sorrows – there is no sorrow like her sorrow – filled with fortitude. And ask her for that same strength, so that you too can remain beside the Cross. (The Way, 508)
Don’t let discouragement enter into your apostolate. You haven’t failed, just as Christ didn’t fail on the Cross. Take courage!… Keep going, against the tide, protected by Mary’s Immaculate and Motherly Heart: Sancta Maria, refugium nostrum et virtus!, you are my refuge and my strength. Hold your peace. Be calm… God has very few friends on earth. Don’t yearn to leave this world. Don’t shy away from the burden of the days, even though at times we find them very long. (The Way of the Cross, 13th Station, 3)
We can’t forget that Mary spent nearly every day of her life just like millions of other women who look after their family, bring up their children and take care of the house. Mary sanctifies the ordinary everyday things – what some people wrongly regard as unimportant and insignificant: everyday work, looking after those closest to you, visits to friends and relatives. What a blessed ordinariness, that can be so full of love of God!
For that’s what explains Mary’s life – her love. A complete love, so complete that she forgets herself and is happy just to be there where God wants her, fulfilling with care what God wants her to do. That is why even her slightest action is never routine or vain but, rather, full of meaning. Mary, our mother, is for us both an example and a way. We have to try to be like her, in the specific circumstances in which God wants us to live (Christ is Passing By, 148)
Let us Pray
Say to her:
Mother, my Mother – yours,
because you are hers on many counts –
may your love bind me to your Son’s Cross,
may I not lack the Faith,
nor the courage,
nor the daring,
to carry out the will of our Jesus.
Amen The Way, 497
Sincere apologies for the late arrival of today’s Novena – I have been unable to post anything due to a national electricity crises!
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Three – 5 December
Third Day
O Mary,
whose Immaculate Heart was pierced
by seven swords of grief,
help me to walk valiantly
amid the sharp thorns
strewn across my pathway.
Obtain for me the strength
to be a true imitator of you.
This I ask you, my dear Mother.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Sincere apologies for the late arrival of today’s Novena – I have been unable to post anything due to a national electricity crises!
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY SIX – 5 December
Holy Mary, our hope
Mary teaches us to hope. She proclaimed: “All generations will call me blessed.” Humanly speaking, how could she hope for such a thing? Who was she, in the eyes of the men and women of her time? The great heroines of the Old Testament – Judith, Esther, Deborah – won a measure of human glory even here on earth, for they were acclaimed and exalted by the people. Mary’s throne, by contrast, like that of her Son, is the Cross. During the rest of her life, until she was taken body and soul into Heaven, what most impresses us about her is her quiet presence. St Luke, who knew her well, describes her as being close to the first disciples, in prayer. This was the way she lived to the end of her days on earth, she who was to be praised by all creatures for all eternity.
What a contrast between Our Lady’s hope and our own impatience! So often we call upon God to reward us at once for any little good we have done. No sooner does the first difficulty appear than we start to complain. Often we are incapable of sustaining our efforts, of keeping our hope alive. Why? Because we lack faith. “Blessed art thou for thy believing; the message that was brought to thee from the Lord shall have fulfilment.” (Friends of God, 286)
Let us be full of hope! This is the great thing about being a contemplative soul. We live by Faith, Hope and Love and Hope makes us powerful. Do you remember what St John says? “I am writing to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have conquered the evil one.” God is urging us on, for the sake of the eternal youthfulness of the Church and of all mankind. You have the power to transform everything human into something divine, just as King Midas turned everything he touched into gold!
Do not ever forget that after death you will be welcomed by Love itself. And in the love of God you will find as well all the noble loves which you had on earth. Our Lord has arranged for us to spend this brief day of our earthly existence working and, like His only-begotten Son, “doing good.” Meanwhile we have to be on our guard, alert to the call St Ignatius of Antioch felt within his soul as the hour of his martyrdom approached.
“Come to the Father,” come to your Father, who anxiously awaits you. (Friends of God, 221)
Let us Pray
Let us ask Holy Mary, Spes Nostra, our hope, to kindle in us a holy desire that we may all come together to dwell in the house of the Father. Nothing need disturb us if we make up our minds to anchor our hearts in a real longing for our true fatherland. Our Lord will lead us there with His grace and He will send a good wind to carry our ship to the bright shores of our destination. (Friends of God, 221)
Teach us Holy Mother Mary,
teach us your holy hope!
This virtue that comes from the grace of God.
Intercede on our behalf that we may
be always guided by hope
that the great love of our Father,
will be our strength and our stay.
Pray for us Holy Mother of Hope.
Grant us your guiding hand.
Amen
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Two – 4 December
Second Day
O Mary, conceived without sin,
I come to your throne of grace
to share the fervent devotion
of your faithful Mexican children
who call to you under the
glorious title of Guadalupe.
Obtain for me a lively faith
to do your Son’s holy will always.
May His will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be
and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY FIVE – 4 December
Mary, Mother of Fair Love
“I am the Mother of fair love and of fear and of knowledge and of holy hope.” These are he lessons which Mary reminds us of today. The lesson of fair love, of living a clean life, of having a sensitive and passionate heart, so that we may learn to be faithful in our service to the Church. This is no ordinary love. It is Love itself. There is no room here for betrayal, or calculation, or forgetfulness. It is a fair, a beautiful love, because its beginning and end is God, who is thrice Holy, who is all Beauty, all Goodness and all Greatness.
But there is also a reference to fear. For myself, the only fear I can imagine is that of turning away from Love. God Our Lord, certainly does not want us to be inhibited, timid or lukewarm about our dedication to Him. He wants us to be daring, courageous and refined. When the sacred text speaks of fear here I am reminded of a complaint we find elsewhere in Scripture, “I searched for my heart’s love but found him not.” This can happen, if one has not yet fully understood what it means to love God. Then our hearts can be swayed by things which do not lead to Our Lord and so we lose sight of Him. At other times it may be Our Lord who hides Himself. He knows the reason why. In such cases, He will be encouraging us to seek Him more earnestly and, when we find Him, we shall be able to cry out with joy, “I took hold of Him and I will never let Him go.” (Friends of God, 277)
The spotless purity of John’s whole life makes him strong before the Cross. The other apostles fly from Golgotha: he, with the Mother of Christ, remains. Don’t forget that purity strengthens and invigorates the character. (The Way, 144)
This heart of ours was born to love. But when it is not given something pure, clean and noble to love, it takes revenge and fills itself with squalor. True love of God and consequently purity of life, is as far removed from sensuality as it is from insensitivity and as far from sentimentality as it is from heartlessness or hard-heartedness. (Friends of God, 183)
Why don’t you give yourself to God once and for all… really…, now? (The Way, 902)
Mary, the holy Mother of our King, the Queen of our heart, looks after us as only she knows how. Mother of mercy, throne of grace, we ask you to help us compose, verse by verse, the simple poem of charity in our own life and the lives of the people around us; it is “like a river of peace.” For you are a sea of inexhaustible mercy: “ All streams run to the sea, but the sea is never full.” (Christ is Passing By, 187)
Let us Pray:
At this very moment, you should trustingly beg Our Lady, as you accompany her in the solitude of your heart, without saying anything out loud:
“Mother, this poor heart of mine rebels so foolishly! If you don’t protect me…” Holy Mother, come to my aid, help me here and now. Help me always to love with a pure heart, to love my Lord and my God, to seek Him always! For you, who I dearly love, are my Mother, amen.
And she will help you, to keep it pure and to follow the way to which God has called you. (Friends of God, 180)
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day One – 3 December
The miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Gospel in picture form. She is the Immaculate Conception, as the Apocalypse describes, “a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon at her feet.” Those who saw it realised immediately she is greater than the sun, moon, stars which they had worshipped as gods.
For people today in what is called the “New Age” she is also a sign not to worship the “forces” of nature. But she herself is not a goddess. She has her hands folded in prayer, her eyes looking down to humility. To whom is she praying? The clue is in the brooch under her neck. It has a small cross. But she is not only praying to God, she has God within her. You can see the compassion in the face of the Blessed Virgin. Hearing her tender message and gazing on this picture lesson of Catholicism, it is easy to understand that the Mother of Jesus is our Mother also! [Father Lawrence G Lovasik (1913–1986)]
The Prayer for the Protection of Human Life
is to be prayed everyday of the Novena.
First Day:
Dearest Lady of Guadalupe,
fruitful Mother of holiness,
teach me your ways
of gentleness and strength.
Hear my humble prayer
offered with heartfelt confidence
to beg this favour………..
trusting always in your intercession.
Amen
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be and the Prayer for the Protection of Human Life
Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amen
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY FOUR – 3 December
Mary, Woman of Faith
She teaches us to have faith. “Blessed art thou for thy believing,” were the words of greeting uttered by her cousin Elizabeth when Our Lady went up into the hill country to visit her. Mary’s act of faith had been a wonderful one, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.” When her Son was born she contemplated the greatness of God on earth: a choir of angels was present and not only the shepherds but also important men of this world came to adore the Child. Afterwards,however, the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt, to escape Herod’s murderous intent. Then, silence, thirty long years of simple, ordinary life, just like that of any other home in a small village in Galilee. (Friends of God, 284)
Lord, I do believe! I have been brought up to believe in You. I have decided to follow You closely. Repeatedly during my life I have implored Your mercy. And repeatedly too have thought it impossible that You could perform such marvels in the hearts of Your children.
Lord, I do believe but help me to believe more and better!
Let us address this same plea to Our Lady, Mother of God and our Mother and Teacher of faith: “Blessed art thou for thy believing. the message that was brought to thee from the Lord shall have fulfilment.” (Friends of God, 204)
The Virgin did not merely pronounce her fiat, in every moment she fulfilled that firm and irrevocable decision. So should we. When God’s love gets through to us and we come to know what He desires, we ought to commit ourselves to be faithful and loyal and then be so in fact. Because “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Christ is Passing By, 173)
Don’t forget: if God exalted His Mother, it is equally true that He did not spare her pain, exhaustion in her work or trials of her faith. A village woman one day broke into praise for Jesus, exclaiming: “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nourished you!” Jesus said in reply: “Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.” It was a compliment to His Mother on her fiat, her “be it done.” She lived it sincerely, unstintingly, fulfilling its every consequence but never amid fanfare, rather in the hidden and silent sacrifice of each day. (Christ is Passing By, 172)
Let us Pray
“Mother!” Call her again and again. She is listening, she sees you in danger perhaps and with her Son’s grace she, your holy Mother Mary, offers you the refuge of her arms, the tenderness of her embrace. Call her and you will find yourself with added strength for the new struggle. The Way, 516
Hail Mary, Holy Mother! I cry unto you, help and assist me, lead me mother, teach me and guide me. Amen
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY THREE – 2 December
Mary, Teacher of Prayer
The Lord will grant you the ability to discover many other aspects of the faithful response to grace of the blessed Virgin. And to know these facets of her life is to want to imitate them: her purity, her humility, her fortitude, her generosity, her fidelity… But now I want to speak to you of an aspect that in a way encompasses all the others because it is a condition for spiritual growth. I’m speaking of her life of prayer.
To take advantage of the grace which our Mother offers us today and to follow up at anytime the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, the shepherd of our souls, we ought to be seriously committed to talking with God. We cannot take refuge in the anonymous crowd. If interior life doesn’t involve a personal encounter with God, it doesn’t exist – it’s as simple as that.
There are few things more at odds with Christianity than superficiality. To settle down to routine in our Christian life is to dismiss the possibility of becoming a contemplative soul.
God seeks us out, one by one. And we ought to answer Him, one by one: “Here I am, Lord, because you have called me.”
We are ordinary Christians. We work at the most varied professions. All our activity takes place amid everyday circumstances. Everything follows a customary rhythm in our lives.
The days seem the same, even monotonous . But don’t forget that our condition which is apparently so common has a divine value. God is interested in everything we do, because Christ wishes to become incarnate in our things, to vivify from within even our most insignificant actions.
Review these thoughts in your prayer. Take occasion of them to tell Jesus that you adore Him. And thus you have a formula to become contemplatives in the middle of the world, amid the noises of the street, at all times and in all places. This is the first lesson we should learn in the school of intimacy with Christ. And in this school, Mary is the best teacher, because the Virgin always kept this attitude of faith, of supernatural vision, regardless of what happened around her: “And his mother kept all these words in her heart.” (Christ is Passing By, 174)
Our Mother had meditated deep and long on the words of the holy men and women of the Old Testament who awaited the Saviour and on the events that they had taken part in. She must have marvelled at all the great things that God, in His boundless mercy, had done for His people, who were so often ungrateful. As she considers the tenderness shown time after time by God towards His people, Mary’s immaculate Heart breaks out in loving words, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour, for he has looked graciously upon the lowliness of his handmaid.” The early Christians, children of this good Mother, learned from her; we can, and we ought to do likewise. (Friends of God, 241)
Let us Pray
Let us ask the blessed Virgin to make us contemplatives, to teach us to recognise the constant calls from God at the door of our heart. Let us ask her now:
Our mother, you brought to earth Jesus, who reveals the love of our Father God. Help us to recognise Him in the midst of the cares of each day. Stir up our mind and will, so that we may listen to the voice of God, to the calls of grace.” Amen
Our Lady of Liesse/Our Lady, Cause of our Joy: An ancient statue of the Madonna and Child. It was brought from Egypt to France during the Crusades by three Knights of Malta who had been briefly captured by Saracens. It was enshrined at Liesse, diocese of Soissons. The original statue was destroyed during the French Revolution. A duplicate was installed and crowned in 1857. Patronage: Diocese of Soissons, France.
St Chromatius of Aquileia
St Evasius of Brescia
Bl Francisco del Valle Villar
St Habakkuk the Prophet
Bl Ivan Sleziuk
Bl John Amero
Bl John van Ruysbroeck (c 1293-1382)
St Lupus of Verona
Bl Maria Angela Astorch
St Nonnus of Edessa
St Oderisius de Marsi
St Pimenio in Rome
St Pontian
Bl Rafal Chylinski
Bl Robert of Matallana
St Silvanus
St Pope Silverio
—
Greek Martyrs of Rome – (9 saints): Several Greek Christians martyred in the persecutions of Valerian – Adria, Aurelia, Eusebius, Hippolytus, Marcellus, Mary Martana, Maximus, Neon and Paulina. They were martyred by various means between 254 and 259 in Rome, Italy and are buried in the Callistus catacombs, Rome.
Martyrs of Africa – (4 saints): Four Christians martyred in Africa in the persecutions of Arian Vandals – Januarius, Securus, Severus and Victorinus.
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY TWO – 1 December
Mother of us all, Mother of each of us
The divine Motherhood of Mary is the source of all the perfections and privileges with
which she is endowed. Because of it, she was conceived immaculate and is full of
grace, because of it, she is ever virgin, she was taken up body and soul to heaven and
has been crowned Queen of all creation, above the angels and saints. Greater than she,
there is none but God. “The Blessed Virgin, from the fact that she is the Mother of God, has a certain infinite dignity which comes from the infinite good which is God.” There is no danger of exaggerating. We can never hope to fathom this inexpressible mystery; nor will we ever be able to give sufficient thanks to our Mother for bringing us into such intimacy with the Blessed Trinity. (Friends of God, 276)
There is no heart more human than that of a person overflowing with supernatural
sense. Think of Holy Mary, who is full of grace, daughter of God the Father, Mother of
God the Son, spouse of God the Holy Spirit. Her heart has room for all humanity and
makes no distinction or discrimination. Every person is her son or her daughter. (Furrow, 801)
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, brought Mary into his home, into his life. Spiritual writers have seen these words of the Gospel as an invitation to all Christians to bring Mary into their lives. Mary certainly wants us to invoke her, to approach her confidently, to appeal to her as our mother, asking her to “show that you are our mother.”
But she is a mother who anticipates our requests. Knowing our needs, she comes quickly to our aid. If we recall that God’s mercies come to us through the hands of our Lady, each of us can find many reasons for feeling that Mary is our mother in a very special way. (Christ is Passing By, 140)
Because Mary is our mother, devotion to her teaches us to be authentic sons and daughters: to love truly, without limit; to be simple, without the complications which come from selfishly thinking only about ourselves; to be happy, knowing that nothing can destroy our hope. “The beginning of the way, at the end of which you will find yourself completely carried away by love for Jesus, is a trusting love for Mary.” I wrote that many years ago, in the introduction to a short book on the rosary and since then I have often experienced the truth of those words. I am not going to complete that thought here with all sorts of reasons. I invite you to discover it for yourself, showing your love for Mary, opening your heart to her, confiding to her your joys and sorrows, asking her to help you recognise and follow Jesus. (Christ is Passing By, 143)
Let us Pray
Mother, we thank you for your intercession before Jesus. Without you, we would not have been able to reach Him. How true it is that one always goes to Jesus and returns to Him through Mary! Amen
Catholic Devotion for December – The Immaculate Conception
The Solemnity of the The Immaculate Conception, is celebrated on 8 December.
In 1854, Pope Pius IX’s solemn declaration, Ineffabilis Deus, clarified with finality the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. In proclaiming the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as a dogma of the Church, the pope expressed precisely and clearly that Mary was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This privilege of Mary’s, derives from God’s having chosen her as Mother of the Saviour, thus she received the benefits of salvation in Christ, from the very moment of her conception.
This great gift to Mary, an ordinary human being just like us, was fitting because she was destined to be Mother of God. The purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for all Christians.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says of the Immaculate Conception of Mary:
490. To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role”. The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.
491. Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception . That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1844: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854.)
492. The “splendour of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ – she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.” The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.”
493. The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia) and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.
Immaculate Mary, Pray for the Church, the Mystical Body of your Son!
Novena in Preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
By St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975)
DAY ONE – 30 November
MARY FULL OF GRACE
She is the one who is full of grace and the sum of all perfections and she is also our
Mother. Her power before God is such that she can obtain anything we ask for and,
like any mother, she wants to answer our prayers. Like any mother also, she knows and understands our weaknesses. She encourages us and makes excuses for us. She makes the way easy for us and, even when we think there is no possible solution for our worry, she always has one ready to offer us.
Perhaps some of you might be thinking that the ordinary comings and goings, of your
working day, are not going to help you much to stay close to someone, as pure as Our
Lady. But I would just ask you to reflect a little. What are we looking for all the time
in things we do, even without thinking about it especially? If we are motivated by the love of God and we work with a right intention, then we are seeking whatever is good and clean, whatever brings peace to our conscience and happiness to our soul. Yes, you might say but don’t we still have our faults? Indeed, but it is precisely by acknowledging our faults that we are able to see, more clearly than ever, just what our goal has to be. What we are looking for is happiness, not a momentary happiness but one that is deep and lasting and both human and supernatural.
There is one creature who achieved such happiness here on earth, because she is God’s masterpiece, our most holy Mother Mary. She lives now and is protecting us. She is
there, body and soul, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Friends of God, 292)
Holy Rosary, 4th joyful mystery:
When the days of the Mother’s purification are accomplished, according to the Law of
Moses, the Child must be taken to Jerusalem, to be presented to the Lord (Luke 2:22).
And this time it will be you, my friend, who will carry the cage with the doves (Luke
2:24). Just think: She – Mary Immaculate! – submits to the Law as if she were defiled.
Through this example, foolish child, will you learn to obey the Holy Law of God, regardless of any personal sacrifice?
Purification! You and I surely do need purification! Atonement and more than atonement, Love. Love as a searing iron to cauterise our souls’ uncleanness and as a fire to kindle with divine flames the wretched tinder of our hearts.
Let us turn to her, tota pulchra! – all beautiful!– taking to heart the advice I gave many years ago to those who felt uneasy in their daily struggle to be humble, pure, sincere, cheerful and generous. “All the sins of your life seem to be rising up against you. Don’t give up hope! On the contrary, call your holy Mother Mary, with the faith and abandonment of a child. She will bring peace to your soul.” (Friends of God, 189)
Let us Pray!
Hail Mary full of grace! It’s fair, gentle Lady, for me to ask you for a present, a proof of your affection – contrition, compunction for my sins, sorrow of love. Hear me, O Lady, my life, my hope. Take me by the hand and if there is anything in me now that is displeasing to my Father God, make me see it, and between the two of us, we’ll tear it out. Amen
All Saints of the Seraphic Order (Franciscan): the Church celebrates the many Franciscan saints who followed in the footsteps of St Francis. It is a special day for all Franciscans to celebrate the feast of ‘All the Saints of the Seraphic Order.’
According to tradition, St Francis of Assisi prayed the following prayer:
“O Lord Jesus Christ, two favours I beg of You before I die. The first is that I may, as far as it is possible, feel in my soul and in my body the suffering in which You, O gentle Jesus, sustained in Your bitter passion. And the second favour is that I, as far as it is possible, may receive in my heart that excessive charity by which You, the Son of God, were inflamed and which actuated You willingly to suffer so much for us sinners.”
In response to his earnest prayer, the Lord appeared in the form of a seraph, or a six-winged angel (They are usually considered the highest order of angelic beings, immediately above the Cherubim and their special duty is to love God). Then Jesus bestowed on St Francis the wounds of His suffering. St Francis had been marked with the love of Christ, the stigmata. St Francis died two years later in 1226, leaving the world the Franciscan Order, which became synonymous with the Seraphic Order. To this day, seraph wings and seraphs are symbolic of the Franciscan Order.
The final Rule of life for Franciscan friars was also approved on this day in 1223. To commemorate this and all the saintly examples produced in the Franciscan Order, on this day all the saints of the Seraphic order are remembered at Franciscan churches.
Our Lady of Beauraing/Our Lady of the Golden Heart:
Appeared multiple occasions between 29 November 1932 and 3 January 1933 On 2 February 1943, Bishop Andre Marie Charue authorized public devotion to Our Lady of Beauraing. On 2 July 1949 the Bishop declared that the Queen of Heaven had truly appeared to the children. Pilgrims flock to the small town of Beauraing, province of Namur (Belgium) and many cures are claimed. She is celebrated under this title on 29 November.
Bl Alfredo Simón Colomina
Bl Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos Seña
St Blaise of Veroli
St Brendan of Birr
St Demetrius of Veroli
Bl Denis of the Nativity
Bl Edward Burden
St Francesco Antonio Fasani OFM Conv (1681 – 1742)
Bl Frederick of Ratisbon
Bl George Errington
St Hardoin of Brittany
St Illuminata of Todi
St James of Saroug
Bl Jutta of Heiligenthal
St Paphnutius of Heracleopolis
St Paramon
St Philomenus of Ancyra
St Radbod of Utrecht
Bl Redemptorus of the Cross
St Sadwen of Wales
St Saturninus of Rome
St Saturninus of Toulouse
St Sisinius of Rome
St Walderic of Murrhardt
Bl William Gibson
Bl William Knight
Thought for the Day – 28 November – The Memorial of St Catherine Labouré DC (1806-1876)
The Miraculous Medal has been called “a summary of the Church’s teaching on Our Lady, a mini-catechism of the faith for everyone.” Indeed, the Marian vision that inspired the medal included some important symbolism!
For starters, the reference to Mary’s having been conceived without sin on the medal, shown in its original French in the photo above, was defined as a Dogma by the church in 1854, hence the reason that the Medal is actually officially known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception – (Note that this refers to Mary’s conception, not to Jesus’ birth, a common misconception!)
Note also that Mary is shown in the photo above standing on a globe crushing the head of a serpent. This is in line with scripture, from Genesis 3:15, which foretells Satan’s ultimate defeat at the hands of her Son. (Granted, this is not readily visible here or indeed on many Miraculous Medals, particularly small ones!)
On the back of the medal (the picture on the right above) we see symbols of Jesus and Mary, in the Cross (the symbol of her Son’s victory over sin and death for us at Calvary) with the Letter “M” for Mary right underneath it. Directly underneath that are two hearts, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, both filled with great love for each other and for us too! We see their sadness over our sins as well in this depiction. On the left side are the thorns of our indifference and ingratitude piercing our Lord’s Sacred Heart even while it burns with love for us. On the right side we see a sword piercing Mary’s heart, which is filled with sorrow as well as love (as described here). Surrounding these poignant images we see twelve stars symbolising the twelve apostles.
On the front of the medal (left) we see our Lady’s hands outstretched with rays of light, symbolising grace, streaming from her fingers. (Again, granted, this may be hard to see on a small medal!) We are reminded here of St Louis de Montfort’s reference to her as the “treasurer and dispenser of God’s graces.”
We can see from all this that the Miraculous Medal is an important sacramental, indeed, as it can give us the graces Our Lady wishes us to have on behalf of her Divine Son. Indeed, she herself said to St Catherine when giving her the vision of the medal “Have a medal made according to this model. Everybody who wears it will receive great graces by wearing it around the neck. The graces will be abundant for persons who wear it with confidence.” Remember, however, that the most important place of honour for Mary must be in our hearts, not around our necks.
It is important to note as well that, as with all sacramentals, the Miraculous Medal is not some “lucky charm”. Keep in mind also, that in expressing devotion to Mary, we do not worship her, as many Christians in other denominations, especially some Evangelicals, believe, but rather honour her in her devotion to our Lord! As the popular saying goes “to Jesus through Mary.”
Remember also her last words in Scripture, which could almost be her motto, in which she told the attendants at the wedding feast of Cana “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you” (John 2:5).
Prayers such as the Hail Mary and the Memorare can also help do us worlds of good in receiving and sharing the graces she wishes to give us. They are all meant to lead us to a closer relationship with Jesus!
Mary showed St Catherine an intriguing symbol in her Miraculous Medal vision. The rays of light emanating graces came from sparkling jewels on Our Lady’s fingers. St Catherine noticed, however that some of these jewels were dark and not giving forth any light. Mary explained that “those stones which remain dark symbolise the graces people have forgotten to request.”Don’t let such graces be lost on you! And don’t ever be afraid to ask for her help in obtaining Christ’s mercy!
Our Morning Offering – 28 November – The Memorial of Our Lady of Kibeho
Official Prayer to Our Lady of Kibeho
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Word,
Mother of all those who believe in Him
and who welcome Him into their life,
we are here before you to contemplate You.
We believe that you are amongst us,
like a mother in the midst of her children,
even though we do not see You with our bodily eyes.
We bless You, the Sure Way that leads us to Jesus the Saviour,
for all the favours which You endlessly pour out upon us,
especially, that, in your meekness, You were gracious enough
to appear miraculously in Kibeho, just when our world needed it most.
Grant us always the light and the strength necessary to accept,
with all seriousness, your call to us to be converted,
to repent, and to live according to your Son’s Gospel.
Teach us how to pray with sincerity,
and to love one another as He loved us,
so that, just as You have requested,
we may always be beautiful flowers
diffusing their pleasant fragrance everywhere and upon everyone.
Holy Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows,
teach us to understand the value of the cross in our lives,
so that whatever is still lacking to the sufferings of Christ
we may fill up in our own bodies for His mystical Body,
which is the Church.
And, when our pilgrimage on this earth comes to an end,
may we live eternally with You in the kingdom of Heaven.
Amen.
During Mary’s apparitions to Marie-Claire Mukangango, she assigned the young visionary a mission to reintroduce this special rosary to the world. Before her untimely death, Marie Claire did just that, traveling widely to teach it to thousands of people, who then taught it to thousands of others. (Marie-Claire was killed in the genocide of over a million people in Rwanda, a tragedy that was foretold through visions of rivers of blood that the young people in Kibeho received several years before the killings.)
Saint of the Day – 28 November – St Catherine Labouré DC (1806-1876) Virgin, Religious Sister of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and is a Marian visionary. St Catherine was born on 2 May 1806 at Fain-les-Moûtiers, Côte d’Or, Burgundy, France as Zoe Labouré and died on 31 December 1876 at Enghien-Reuilly, France. Her body is incorrupt and is entombed in glass beneath the side altar in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at 140 Rue du Bac, Paris. Patronages – Miraculous Medal, infirm people, the elderly.
Catherine Zoé Labouré was born in a small village of France in 1806, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer who had at one time wanted to become a priest and his very Christian wife. Catherine, the ninth of the eleven living children, lost her mother when she was only nine years old and had to abandon school to go to live with an aunt, accompanied by her younger sister. Two years later she was recalled to take charge of the household, because the older children had all left, one to become a Sister of Saint Vincent de Paul, the others to marry or seek a living elsewhere.
She made a vow of virginity when still very young, desiring to imitate the Holy Virgin, to whom she had confided herself when her mother died. She longed to see Her and she prayed, in her simplicity, for that grace. She spent as many hours as possible in the Chapel of the Virgin in the village church, without, however, neglecting the work of the household. She talked to Our Lady as to a veritable mother and indeed the Mother of Christ and ours, would prove Herself to be such. Catherine wished to become a nun, without having opted for any particular community but one day she saw a venerable priest in a dream, saying Mass in her little village church. He turned to her afterwards and made a sign for her to come forward but in her dream she retreated, walking backwards, unable to take her gaze from his face. He said to her – ‘Now you flee me,but later you will be happy to come to me, God has plans for you.’ The dream was realised and, as a postulant in the Community of Saint Vincent de Paul, she assisted at the translation of his relics to a nearby church of Paris. She had indeed recognised his picture one day in one of the convents of the Sisters of Charity and obtained her father’s consent to enter that Congregation when her younger sister was old enough to replace her at home.
Catherine’s interior life was filled with the visions she frequently had of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, where once she saw Him as Christ the King. And the designs of God for this humble novice began to be fulfilled, after Our Lady appeared to her in July of 1830 and confided to her the mission of having a Medal struck according to the living picture she saw one night, when a little Angel led her to the convent Chapel, and there she knelt at the Virgin’s feet to hear the words which would be the motivating force of her forty-six years of religious life. The Blessed Mother displayed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe, rays of light came out of her hands in the direction of a globe. Around the margin of the frame appeared the words “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” As Catherine watched, the frame seemed to rotate, showing a circle of twelve stars, a large letter M surmounted by a cross, and the stylized Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary underneath. Asked why some of the rays of light did not reach the Earth, Mary reportedly replied “Those are the graces for which people forget to ask.” Catherine then heard Mary ask her to take these images to her father confessor, telling him that they should be put on medallions. “All who wear them will receive great graces.”
Once more, she would see the Blessed Mother, on 27 November of the same year, when one afternoon while at prayer with her Sisters, she beheld Her to one side of the chapel, Her feet poised on a globe, on which was prostrate a greenish serpent; the hands of the Virgin were holding a golden globe at the level of the heart, as though offering it to God, said Catherine later, in an attitude of supplication, Her eyes sometimes raised to heaven, sometimes looking down at the earth and Her lips murmuring a prayer for the entire world. The face of the Virgin was of incomparable, indescribable beauty, with a pleading expression which plunged the Sister into ravishment, while she listened to Her prayers. The Immaculate Virgin, after having offered to God Her Compassion with the suffering Christ, prayed for all men and for each one in particular; she prayed for this poor world, that God might take pity on its ignorance, its weakness and faults and that by pardoning He would hold back the arm of Divine Justice, raised to strike. She prayed the Lord to give peace to the universe.
For many years Catherine kept her secrets from all save her confessor, Father Jean-Marie Aladel (1800-1865), priest of the Mission of Saint Vincent, who, wanting to be able to continue with his penitent, saw to it that she was not sent far from Paris, after he had fulfilled the first mission of having the Medal struck. He died, however, before having the statue made according to this second vision, as Our Lady desired. Catherine suffered much from her inability to accomplish the second part of her mission. When she finally confided this second desire of Our Lady to her Sister Superior, a statue of Our Lady, Queen of the World and Mediatrix of all Graces, was made for two Chapels of the nuns.
Fr Jean-Marie Aladel
Saint Catherine died in 1876, after spending the next 40 years of her life in the domestic and agricultural duties associated with the kitchen and garden and in general caring for the elderly of the Hospice of Enghien at Reuilly, only about three miles southeast of Paris. Among her writings recounting the apparitions, we read: “Oh, how beautiful it will be to hear it said, Mary is Queen of the universe. That will be a time of peace, joy and happiness which will be long… She will be borne like a banner and will make a tour of the world. The Virgin foretold that this time would come only after the entire world will be in sadness… Afterwards, peace.”
She was Beatified on 28 May 1933 by Pope Pius XI and Canonised on 27 July 1947 by Pope Pius XII.
Our Lady of Kibeho: is the name given to Marian apparitions concerning several adolescents, in the 1980s in Kibeho, south-western Rwanda. The apparitions communicated various messages to the schoolchildren, including an apocalyptic vision of Rwanda descending into violence and hatred. The visions may be regarded as an ominous foreshadowing of the Rwandan Genocide, and particularly the second Kibeho Massacre in 1995. The school where the visions occurred became a place of slaughter during the Genocide as dozens of children were shot and hacked to death by Hutu terrorists.
In 2001, the local bishop of the Catholic Church officially recognised the visions of three schoolchildren as authentic. The feast day of Our Lady of Kibeho is today, 28 November, the anniversary of the initial apparition to Alphonsine Mumureke in 1981. The Marian sanctuary at Kibeho was named “Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows” in 1992. The first stone was laid on 28 November 1992. In a 2003 agreement between the local ordinary and the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallotines), the rectorate of the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho is entrusted to the Pallotine Fathers. The rector is appointed by the local bishop and the Regional Pallottine Rector.
St Anrê Tran Van Trông
Bl Calimerius of Montechiaro
St Catherine Labouré DC (1806-1876) Incorrupt
St Fionnchu of Bangor
St Hilary of Dijon
St Hippolytus of Saint Claude
St Honestus of Nimes
St Irenarcus
St James of the Marches
Bl James Thompson
St Papius
St Quieta of Dijon
St Rufus
St Simeon the Logothete
St Sosthenes of Colophon
St Stephen the Younger
Bl Theodora of Rossano
—
Martyrs of Constantinople – 8 saints: A group of over 300 Christians martyred during the persecutions of the Iconoclast emperors. We have a lot of information on Saint Stephen the Younger, but for the others we have nothing but seven of their names – Andrew, Auxentius, Basil, Gregor, John, Peter and Stefan. They were
scourged, stoned and/or dragged to death through the streets of Constantinople in 764.
Martyrs of North Africa – 13 saints: A group of thirteen clerics killed or exiled in the persecutions of Arian Vandals in North Africa – Crescens, Crescentian, Cresconius, Eustace, Felix, Florentian, Habetdeum, Hortulanus, Mansuetus, Papinianus, Quodvultdeus, Urban and Valerian.
Martyrs of Tiberiopolis – 14 saints: A group of fourteen Christian laymen, deacons, priests and bishops who were martyred together in the persecutions of Julian the Apostate – Basil, Chariton, Comasios, Daniel, Etymasius, Hierotheos, John, Nicephorus, Peter, Sergius, Socrates, Theodore, Thomas and Timothy.
361 at Tiberiopolis, Phyrgia (in modern Turkey)
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War – Martyred Augustinians of Madrid – 12 beati; Martyred Hospitallers of Madrid – 15 beati; Oblate Martyrs – 23 beati.
• Blessed Ángel Francisco Bocos Hernández
• Blessed Ángel Sastre Corporales
• Blessed Antonio Hilario Delgado Vílchez
• Blessed Antonio Meléndez Sánchez
• Blessed Avelino Rodríguez Alonso
• Blessed Balbino Villaroel y Villaroel
• Blessed Benito Alcalde González
• Blessed Bernardino Álvarez Melcón
• Blessed Cándido Castán San José
• Blessed Cecilio Vega Domínguez
• Blessed Clemente Díez Sahagún
• Blessed Clemente Rodríguez Tejerina
• Blessed Daniel Gómez Lucas
• Blessed Eduardo Bautista Jiménez
• Blessed Eleuterio Prado Villaroel
• Blessed Francisco Esteban Lacal
• Blessed Francisco Polvorinos Gómez
• Blessed Gregorio Escobar García
• Blessed Isidoro Martínez Izquierdo
• Blessed José Guerra Andrés
• Blessed José Mora Velasco
• Blessed José Peque Iglesias
• Blessed José Prieto Fuentes
• Blessed José Ruiz Cuesta
• Blessed José Vega Riaño
• Blessed Juan Alcalde y Alcalde
• Blessed Juan Antonio Pérez Mayo
• Blessed Juan Baldajos Pérez
• Blessed Juan Herrero Arroyo
• Blessed Juan Jesús Adradas Gonzalo
• Blessed Juan José Caballero Rodríguez
• Blessed Juan María Múgica Goiburu
• Blessed Juan Pedro del Cotillo Fernández
• Blessed Julián Plazaola Artola
• Blessed Justo Fernández González
• Blessed Justo Gil Pardo
• Blessed Justo González Lorente
• Blessed Lucinio Ruiz Valtierra
• Blessed Luis Campos Górriz
• Blessed Manuel álvarez Rego
• Blessed Manuel Gutiérrez Martín
• Blessed Marcelino Sánchez Fernández
• Blessed Marcos Pérez Andrés
• Blessed Pascual Aláez Medina
• Blessed Pedro de Alcántara Bernalte Calzado
• Blessed Pedro María Alcalde Negredo
• Blessed Vicente Andrés Llop Gaya
• Blessed Publio Rodríguez Moslares
• Blessed Ramiro Frías García
• Blessed Sabino Rodrigo Fierro
• Blessed Samuel Pajares García
• Blessed Senén García González
• Blessed Serviliano Riaño Herrero
• Blessed Vicente Blanco Guadilla
Our Morning Offering – 27 November – The Memorial of The Medal of the Immaculate Conception/Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Prayer to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate,
we unite ourselves to you
under your title of Blessed Mother,
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
May this medal be for each one of us
a sure sign of your motherly affection for us and a
constant reminder of our filial duties towards you.
While wearing it, may we be blessed
by your loving protection
and preserved in the grace of your Son.
Most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Saviour,
keep us close to you every moment of our lives
so that like you, we may live and act
according to the teaching and example of your Son.
Obtain for us, your children,
the grace of a happy death
so that in union with you we may enjoy
the happiness of heaven forever.
Amen
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
Memorial of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal/The Medal of the Immaculate Conception (the correct title is the latter) :
27 November is the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and is celebrated by it’s own Mass in Some Places.
The Miraculous Medal is a devotion to the Virgin Mary called the “Miraculous” Medal for the many miracles associated with those that wear it. It is one of my favorite medals to wear.
The Miraculous Medal came to the world through an Apparition of the Virgin Mary to Catherine Labouré in Paris, France in 1830. In Mary’s second apparition, she asked that “a medal should be struck in this image. The people wearing it will receive my indulgence and those who piously say this short prayer will enjoy my very special protection”.
Two of the most famous conversions due to the miraculous medal was that of Fr Alphonse Ratisbonne NDS (1814-1884), an anti-Catholic Jewish banker and Claude Newman (1923-1944). He received a vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. After his conversion, he became a priest and worked for the conversion of the Jewish people.
St Acacius of Sebaste
St Acharius of Noyon
St Apollinaris of Monte Cassino
St Barlaam
Bl Bernardine of Fossa
St Bilhild of Altmünster
Bl Bronislao Kostkowski
St Eusician
St Facundus
St Fergus the Pict
St Gallgo of Wales
St Gulstan
St Hirenarchus of Sebaste
St James Intercisus
St John Angeloptes
St John of Pavia
St Josaphat
Bl José Pérez González
Bl Juan Antonio de Bengoa Larriñaga
St Laverius
St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)
St Maximus of Reiz
St Primitivus of Sahagun
St Secundinus of Ireland
St Severinus the Hermit
St Siffred of Carpentras
St Valerian of Aquileia
St Virgilius of Salzburg
—
Martyrs of Antioch – (3 saints): A group of Christians martyred together for their faith. Little information has survived except for their names – Auxilius, Basileus and Saturninus.
Martyrs of Nagasaki – (11 beati): A group of eleven Christians martyred together for their faith during a period of official persecution in Japan. They are:
• Blessed Alexius Nakamura
• Blessed Antonius Kimura
• Blessed Bartholomaeus Seki
• Blessed Ioannes Iwanaga
• Blessed Ioannes Motoyama
• Blessed Leo Nakanishi
• Blessed Matthias Kozasa
• Blessed Matthias Nakano
• Blessed Michaël Takeshita
• Blessed Romanus Motoyama Myotaro
• Blessed Thomas Koteda Kyumi
They were martyred on 27 November 1619 in Nagasaki, Japan and Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Bartolomé Gelabert Pericás
• Blessed Eduardo Camps Vasallo
• Blessed José Pérez González
• Blessed Juan Antonio de Bengoa Larriñaga
• Blessed Miguel Aguado Camarillo
• Blessed Pedro Armendáriz Zabaleta
Our Morning Offering – 19 November – Feast of Our Lady of Divine Providence
Prayer to Mary, Mother of Divine Providence
Virgin Mary, Immaculate Mother of Divine Providence,
protect our life and sanctify us with the gift of grace.
Obtain for us from the Father of mercy
and the God of consolation, pardon for our sins,
reconciliation with our brothers and sisters
and comfort in the midst of afflictions.
Renew our hearts,
that they may be come worthy dwelling places
of your Divine Son, Jesus.
Help us in our struggles against mediocrity,
self-seeking and pride,
so we can generously serve our neighbour.
We entrust ourselves to you, o Mary,
in our pilgrimage in this world.
We invoke you as our guide
and our defence against dangers.
In the present tribulations, give us secure refuge.
O sweet Mother of Divine Providence,
turn your eyes toward us,
you who are our hope on earth.
Grant that we may have you as our Mother
in the glory of heaven.
Amen
Our Lady of Divine Providence : The title of “Mary, Mother of Divine Providence” is often traced to her intervention at the wedding in Cana. Christ’s first public miracle was occasioned in part by the intercession of His Mother. She assisted, through her foresight and concern, the avoidance of an embarrassing situation for the newlywed couple. Our Lady of Providence is also identified as Queen of the Home.
Devotion to Our Lady of Divine Providence originated in Italy and spread to France and Spain. The devotion was brought to Puerto Rico in the early 1850s by the Servite Fathers. According to tradition, Philip Benizi (1233 – 1285) prayed to Mary for aid in providing food for his Friars and subsequently, found several baskets of provisions left at the door of the convent. Our Lady of Providence was declared the Patroness of Puerto Rico on 19 November 1969. Her feast day is celebrated in many immigrant Puerto Rican communities.
Around 1580, the Italian Painter Scipione Pulzone created a work titled “Mater Divinae Providentiae” which depicted the Blessed Mother cradling the Infant Jesus. Devotion to Mary, Mother of Divine Providence in the first house of the Congregation of the Clerics Regular of St Paul (Barnabites) in Rome at San Carlo ai Catinari church began around year 1611, when one of the clerics travelled to Loreto to pray for assistance in finding the financial resources to complete the Church of San Carlo. Upon his return, they received the necessary assistance and the Barnabites began to promote devotion to Our Lady of Providence.
Pulzone’s painting was given to the Barnabites in 1663. It was placed on the Altar of a Chapel on the first floor of the Saint Charles rectory behind the main Altar. In 1732, a copy of the painting was placed in a location adjacent to the main Altar of the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari in Rome, where it drew many faithful visitors.
In 1774, Pope Benedict XIV authorised the Confraternity of Our Lady of Providence, a lay organisation created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety. Pope Gregory XVI elevated it to an Archconfraternity in 1839. In 1888, Pope Leo XIII ordered the solemn Crowning of the “Miraculous Lady” and approved the Mass and Office of Mary, Mother of Divine Providence. On 5 August 1896, Superior General of the Barnabites, Father Benedict Nisser decreed that every Barnabite have a copy of the painting in their home.
Patronage:
Our Lady of Providence is the Patroness of the Barnabite Order.
Our Lady of Providence is the Patroness of Indiana and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. The Chapel of Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts is dedicated to Our Lady of Providence.
Our Lady of Divine Providence is the patroness of St Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas.
Our Lady of Divine Providence is also the Patroness of the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.
Bl Alexandre Planas Saurí
St Atto of Tordino
St Azas of Isauria
St Barlaam of Antioch
St Ebbe of Minster-of-Thanet
Bl Eliseo García y García
Bl James Benefatti
St James of Sasseau
St Maximus of Caesarea
St Maximus of Rome
St Mechtilde of Helfta
St Medana
St Nerses the Great
Obadiah the Prophet
St Pope Pontian
St Raphael Kalinowski, O.C.D. (1835-1907)
St Tuto
—
Martyrs of Heraclea
Martyrs of Vienne: – 3 saints
St Exuperius
St Felicianus
St Severinus
St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302) (Optional Memorial)
St Margaret of Scotland (1045-1093) Queen (Optional Memorial)
Patronage of Our Lady: Feast permitted by a 1679 decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites for all provinces of Spain, in memory of the victories obtained there over infidels. Pope Benedict XIII granted it to the Papal States and it may now be celebrated with due permission by churches throughout the world.
Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn/Our Lady of Ostra Brama: is the prominent Catholic painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. The painting was historically displayed above the Vilnius city gate; city gates of the time often contained religious artefacts intended to ward off attacks and bless passing travellers.
The painting is in the Northern Renaissance style and was completed most likely around 1630. The Virgin Mary is depicted without the infant Jesus . The artwork soon became known as miraculous and inspired a following. A dedicated chapel was built in 1671 by the Discalced Carmelites. At the same time, possibly borrowing from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the painting was covered inexpensive and elaborate silver and gold clothes leaving only the face and hands visible.
In 1702, when Vilnius was captured by the Swedish army during the Great Northern War, Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn came to her people’s rescue. At dawn, the heavy iron city gates of the gate fell crushing and killing four Swedish sold iers. After this, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Army successfully counter-attacked near the gate.
In the following centuries, the following grew stronger and Our Lady became an important part of religious life in Vilnius. The following inspired many copies in Lithuania, Poland and diaspora communities worldwide. In 5 July 1927, the image was canonically crowned as Mother of Mercy. The chapel was visited by St Pope John Paul II in 1993. It is a major site of pilgrimage in Vilnius and attracts many visitors, especially from Poland.
The Gate of Dawn
The Gate of Dawn in Vilnius; the painting can be seen through the glass window
St Afan of Wales
St Africus of Comminges
Bl Agnes of Assisi
St Agostino of Capua
St Alfric of Canterbury
St Anianus of Asti
St Céronne
St Edmund Rich of Abingdon
Bl Edward Osbaldeston
St Elpidius the Martyr
St Eucherius of Lyon
St Eustochius the Martyr
St Felicita of Capua
St Fidentius of Padua
St Gobrain of Vannes
St Ludre
St Marcellus the Martyr
St Othmar of Saint Gal
Bl Simeon of Cava
—
Martyrs of Africa – (11 saints)
Martyrs of Almeria – (9 saints): Soon after the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the Communist-oriented Popular Front had all clergy and religious arrested and abused as they considered staunch Christians to be enemies of the revolution. Many of these prisoners were executed for having promoted the faith and this memorial remembers several of them killed in the province of Almeria.
• Adrián Saiz y Saiz
• Bienvenido Villalón Acebrón
• Bonifacio Rodríguez González
• Diego Ventaja Milán
• Eusebio Alonso Uyarra
• Isidoro Primo Rodríguez
• Justo Zariquiegui Mendoza
• Manuel Medina Olmos
• Marciano Herrero Martínez
Beatification – 10 October 1993 by St Pope John Paul II
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.