Our Morning Offering – 24 January – Feast of Saint Timothy, Bishop and Martyr
O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith
O Fathers of our ancient faith, With all the heav’n, we sing your fame Whose sound went forth in all the earth To tell of Christ and bless His Name.
You took the Gospel to the poor, The Word of God alight in you, Which in our day is told again, That timeless Word, forever new.
You told of God, Who died for us And out of death triumphant rose, Who gave the Truth which made us free and changeless through the ages goes.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Whose gift is faith that never dies, A light in darkness now, until The Day-Star in our hearts arise.
O Fathers of Our Ancient Faith is written by the Benedictine Nuns of Stanbrook Abbey. In the Divine Office it is sung at Morning Prayer in the Common of Apostles. It is set to the anonymous tune associated with the 7th century Latin hymn, Creator Alme Siderum.
Our Morning Offering – 18 January – Feast of the Chair of the Apostle, St Peter at Rome
O Peter, Who was Named by Christ! By Stanbrook Abbey For the Feast of the Chair of St Peter
O Peter who was named by Christ! The guardian-shepherd of His flock, Protect the Church He built on thee To stand unyielding, firm on rock.
Thy weakness, Christ exchanged for strength, Thou faltered but He made thee true. He knew the greatness of thy love And gave the keys of heav’n to thee.
Unseen, eternal Trinity, We give Thee glory, praise Thy Name, Thy love keeps faith, with faithless men, Through change and stress, Thou art the same. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 13 January – “The Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and of the Holy Family” – The Eighth Day, The Octave of the Epiphany
Jesus Refulsit Omnium Jesus, Light of All the Nations By St Hilary (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church Doctor of the Divinity of Christ
Jesus, the merciful Redeemer of all nations, shone forth on this day; let the faithful of every race celebrate Him in their songs of praise.
A Star, shining in the heavens, announces His Birth; it leads the way and guides them to His Crib.
Prostrating, they adore the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes; they confess Him to be the true God, offering Him their mystic gifts.
Thirty years of His life had passed and He, the infinitely pure God, seeks the laver of baptism.
John, the favoured Baptist trembles as he bends the head of Jesus beneath the waters–that Jesus whose Blood was to purify the whole earth from its sins.
The Divine Voice of the Father is heard from Heaven, bearing testimony to His Son and the Holy Ghost, too, is present, the Giver of holy grace.
We beseech Thee in humble supplication, O Jesus! protect Thy people; we ask it of Thee by the power Thou didst show when Thou didst command the water to be changed into wine.
May praise, honour and all power be to the Trinity forever and forever. Amen
(Verses 4-6 omitted on the image). I could not find the name of the Translator of this version of this Hymn, often referred to as “the oldest” Christmas Hymn.
Our Morning Offering – 11 January – “The Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Holy Family”
Consecration to the Holy Family Approved by Pope Leo XIII 20 June 1892
O Most Loving Jesus, Who by Thy ineffable virtues and by the example of Thy domestic life, didst Consecrate the family which Thou didst choose on earth. In Thy clemency, look down upon this household, humbly prostrate before Thee and imploring Thy mercy. Remember that this family belongs to Thee, for to Thee we have, in a special way, dedicated and devoted ourselves. Look upon us in Thy loving kindness, preserve us from every danger, give us help in the time of need and grant us the grace to persevere to the end, in the imitation of Thy Holy Family that having revered Thee and loved Thee faithfully upon earth, we may bless and praise Thee eternally in Heaven.
O Mary, most sweet Mother, to thy intercession we have recourse, knowing that thy Divine Son will hear thy prayers.
And do thee, O glorious Patriarch, Saint Joseph, assist us by thy powerful mediation and offer, by the hands of Mary, our prayers to Jesus. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 25 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and Redeemer – Its Christmas Day!
Afar from Where the Sun Doth Rise A Solis Ortus Cardine By Coelius Sedulius (Died c450) Trans Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)
Afar from where the sun doth rise To lands beneath the western skies, Homage to Christ our King we pay, Born of a Virgin’s womb this day
Blessed Creator, Thou didst take__ A servant’s likeness for our sake, And didst in flesh our flesh restore To bid Thy creature live once more.
Chaste was the womb where Thou didst dwell, Of heavenly grace the hidden cell; Nor might the blessed Maid proclaim Whence her dread Guest in secret came.
Down from on high God came to rest__ His glory in a sinless breast; Obedience at His word believed, And virgin innocence conceived.
Ere long, that holy child she bore By Gabriel’s message named before, Whom yet unborn, with eager pride, The swift forerunner prophesied.
Fast doth He sleep, where straw doth spread, A humble manger for His bed. A Mother’s milk that strength renewed, Which gives the birds of heaven their food.
Glory to God, the angels cry; Earth hears the echo from on high; Mankind’s true Shepherd and it’s Lord By shepherd hearts is first adored.
Our Morning Offering – 24 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Magnis Prophetæ Vocibus With Mighty Voice the Prophets Cry Unknown Author
With mighty voice the prophets cry that Christ the Lord is drawing nigh; rejoicing, they foresee the grace by which He saves us and redeems.
And so our morning sun shines forth, our hearts ablaze with radiant joy; we hear the faithful voice resound, precursor of God’s glorious gift.
At that first Advent, Christ our God came forth not to condemn the world, but came to cleanse our gaping wound, to seek and save what had been lost.
Christ’s Second Coming warns us all that He is standing at the gates, to give to saints their glorious crowns and open wide the heav’nly realm.
Eternal light is now foretold, the saving star is shining forth, its radiant splendour summons us and calls us to the heav’nly court.
Christ Jesus, Thou alone we seek to see Thee face-to-face as God; may this unending vision be an everlasting hymn of praise. Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 21 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of St Thomas, Apostle
Exsultet Orbis! Let the World Rejoice! Unknown Author
Now let the earth with joy resound, And Heaven the chant re-echo round; Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise The great Apostles’ glorious praise.
O ye who, throned in glory dread, Shall judge the living and the dead, Lights of the world forever more! To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
Ye close the Sacred Gates on high. At your command apart they fly. O loose for us the guilty chain We strive to break and strive in vain.
Sickness and health your voice obey, At your command they go or stay. From sin’s disease our souls restore; In good confirm us more and more.
So when the world is at its end. And Christ to Judgment shall descend, May we be called, those joys to see Prepared from all eternity.
Praise to the Father, with the Son, And Holy Spirit, Three in One; As ever was in ages past And so shall be while ages last. Amen
(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles) An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.
Our Morning Offering – 19 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
Creator Alme Siderum Creator of the Starry Frame 7th Century Advent Hymn
Creator of the starry frame; Eternal Light of all who live; Jesu, Redeemer of mankind, An ear to Thy poor suppliants give.
When man was sunk in sin and death, Lost in the depth of Satan’s snare, Love brought Thee down to cure our ills, By taking of those ills a share.
Thou for the sake of guilty men, Causing Thine own pure blood to flow, Didst issue from Thy Virgin-shrine, And to the Cross a Victim go.
So great the glory of Thy might, If we but chance Thy Name to sound, At once all Heaven and Hell unite In bending low with awe profound.
Great Judge of all, in that last day, When friends shall fail and foes combine, Be present then with us, we pray, To guard us with Thy arm divine.
To God the Father and the Son, All praise and power and glory be, With Thee, O holy Comforter, Henceforth through all eternity.
Also known as Advent Hymn, this translation of the Latin hymn Creator Alme Siderum (Pope Urban VIII’s 1632 revision of the 7th Century Hymn Conditor alme siderum) was first published in Fr Edward Caswall’s Lyra Catholica,
Our Morning Offering – 18 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation
Awaiting Baby Jesus Traditional Catholic Advent Prayer
My heart is beating, filled with joy, awaiting Mary’s Baby Boy. For with this Child, we embrace the birth of God’s most precious grace. Baby Jesus, soon to come! For us comes the Promised One. Baby Jesus, God’s own Son, Thou will be the Chosen One to lead Thy flock unto salvation. Our eternal life awaits. The birth of Jesus brings us nearer Heaven’s Holy Gates. Sing with joy and count the days, for soon to come, the Lord we’ll praise. Rejoice that Jesus will soon arrive, the Messiah and our faith alive. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 12 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Within the Octave
O Gloriosa Femina O Glorious Maid, Exalted Far By St Venantius Fortunatus (c530 – c609) Bishop, Father o the Church
O Glorious Maid, exalted far Beyond the light of burning star, From Him who made thee, thou hast won Grace to be Mother of His Son.
That which was lost in hapless Eve Thy holy Scion did retrieve: The tear-worn sons of Adam’s race Through thee have seen the heavenly place.
Thou wast the gate of Heaven’s high Lord, The door through which the Light hath poured. Christians rejoice, for through a Maid To all mankind is life conveyed!
All honour, laud and glory be, O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee; All glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.
This Hymn was used for Lauds in the Sarum Breviary for the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation, the Assumption and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The above is the original text of this Hymn as it appears in The English Hymnal (1906), where it is listed as a Morning Office Hymn for Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Chant Tone: “O Gloriosa Domina” Gregorian Chant, Mode II, traditional.
Quote/s of the Day – 7 December – St Ambrose (340-397) Confessor, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church
Nunc, Sancte, nobis Spiritus Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One By St Ambrose (340-397) Trans John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Trans 1836
Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever One Art with the Father and the Son. Come, Holy Ghost, our souls possess With Thy full flood of holiness.
In will and deed, by heart and tongue, With all our powers, Thy praise be sung. And love, light up our mortal frame, Till others catch the living flame.
Almighty Father, hear our cry Through Jesus Christ our Lord most high, Who with the Holy Ghost and Thee Doth live and reign eternally.
“So Peter wept and wept bitterly; he wept so fiercly he washed away his offence with his tears. And you, too, if you would win pardon, wipe out your guilt with tears. At that very moment, in that same hour, Christ will look at you. If some kind of fall happens to you, then He, the ever-present Witness of your intimate life, looks at you to call you back and cause you to confess your lapse. Then do as Peter did, who thrice said: “Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee” (Jn 21:15). He denied three times and three times he also confessed. But he denied by night; he confessed in broad daylight!”
“… Behold, now is the acceptable time. behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6). And so, you must be more earnest in prayer and in alms-giving, in fasting and in watching. He who until now has given alms, in these days, let him give more – for as water quencheth a flaming fire, so does almsgiving wipe out sin (Eccles 3:3). He that, until now, fasted and prayed, let him fast and pray still more – for there are certain sins which are not cast out, except by prayer and fasting (Mc 27:20).”
“Fasting is the death of sin, the destruction of our crimes and the remedy of our salvation.”
Our Morning Offering – 1 December – “The Month of the Divine Infancy and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – The First Sunday of Advent
O Come, O come, Emmanuel
O Come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!
O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high And order all things far and nigh, To us the path of knowledge show And teach us in her ways to go. Refrain
O come, o come, Thou Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height In ancient times did give the law, In cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem, From ev’ry foe deliver them That trust Thy mighty power to save And give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Refrain
O come, Thou Key of David, come And open wide our heav’nly home, Make safe the way that leads on high, That we no more have cause to sigh. Refrain
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh. Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadow put to flight. Refrain
O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind. Bid every strife and quarrel cease And fill the world with heaven’s peace. Refrain
The favourite O Come, O Come Emmanuel carol was originally written in Latin text in the 12th Century. The author of the words and composer to the music of O Come, O Come Emmanuel is unknown. It is, however, believed that the melody was of French origin and added to the text a hundred years later. The Latin was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851.
Our Morning Offering – 30 November – Feast of St Andrew Apostle and Martyr
Exsultet Orbis! Let the World Rejoice! Unknown Author
Now let the earth with joy resound, And Heaven the chant re-echo round; Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise The great Apostles’ glorious praise.
O ye who, throned in glory dread, Shall judge the living and the dead, Lights of the world forever more! To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
Ye close the Sacred Gates on high. At your command apart they fly. O loose for us the guilty chain We strive to break and strive in vain.
Sickness and health your voice obey, At your command they go or stay. From sin’s disease our souls restore; In good confirm us more and more.
So when the world is at its end. And Christ to Judgment shall descend, May we be called, those joys to see Prepared from all eternity.
Praise to the Father, with the Son, And Holy Spirit, Three in One; As ever was in ages past And so shall be while ages last. Amen
(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles) An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.
Our Morning Offering – 24 November – The Last Sunday after Pentecost
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name By Fr Ignaz Franz Poland (1719-1790) (Attri) Archbishop of Schlawa, Germany
Holy God, we praise Thy Name. Lord of all, we bow before Thee. All on earth Thy sceptre claim; all in heav’n above adore Thee. Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign.
Hark, the loud celestial hymn, Angel choirs above are raising. Cherubim and seraphim, in unceasing chorus praising, fill the heav’ns with sweet accord: Holy, holy, holy Lord.
Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Ghost, three we name Thee While in essence only One, Undivided God, we claim Thee and adoring, bend the knee, while we own the Mystery.
Spare Thy people Lord, we pray, By a thousand snares surrounded. Keep us without sin today, Never let us be confounded. Lo, I put my trust in Thee, Never Lord, abandon me.
Fr Ignaz Franz Poland (1719-1790) Archbishop of Schlawa, Germany, Hymnist, Musician He also functioned as the Assessor for Theological Affairs at the Apostolic Vicariate. He wrote hymn lyrics and compiled religious music. Trans. by Fr Clarence A Walworth (1820-1900) Convert, writer. He was one of the Founders of the Order of the Paulists in the U.S.A.
Quote/s of the Day – 20 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
“May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace, amen.”
Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory By St Ignatius of Antioch (c35-c108) Apostolic Father of the Church
Receive in tranquility and peace, O Lord, the souls of Thy servants, who have departed this present life to come to Thee. Grant them rest and place them in the habitations of Light, the abodes of blessed spirits. Give them the life that will not age, good things that will not pass away, delights that have no end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“ … Yet only grant me repentance here below That I may make reparation for my sins, … That these tears may extinguish the blazing furnace With its burning flames. …
And, instead of acting like the merciless, Set merciful compassion within me, That, by showing mercy to the poor, I may obtain Your mercy.”
St Nerses Chnorhali (1102-1173) Armenian Bishop
“How pleasing to Him it will be, if you sometimes forget yourself and speak to Him of His own glory; of the miseries of others, especially those who mourn in sorrow; of the souls in purgatory, His spouses, who long to behold Him in Heaven and, of poor sinners, who live deprived of His grace.”
St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
Our Morning Offering – 20 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
The De Profundis Psalm 129
A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The Sixth Penitential Psalm.
Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it. For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness and because of Thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord. My soul hath waited on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch, even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
(Eternal rest or “Requiem aeternam”) Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 7 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – On Thursday we devote our hearts and souls to the most holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is the greatest Gift of God to mankind, as it is nothing less than Jesus Himself. Therefore today too, we pray for our Priests AND as today is the Feast Day of All the Saints of the Order of Preachers or the Dominicans, we pray a prayer by one of their greatest sons.
Lauda Sion Salvatorem Sion, Lift Up thy Voice and Sing (Excerpt) By St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis
Sion, lift thy voice and sing, Praise thy Saviour and thy King, Praise with hymns thy Shepherd true, Dare thy most to praise Him well, For He doth all praise excel, None can ever reach His due.
Special theme of praise is Thine, That true living Bread divine, That life-giving flesh adored, Which the brethren twelve received, As most faithfully believed, At the Supper of the Lord.
Let the chant be loud and high, Sweet and tranquil be the joy Felt to-day in every breast; On this festival divine Which recounts the origin Of the glorious Eucharist.
St Thomas Aquinas wrote the Liturgy for Corpus Christi when Pope Urban IV added the Solemnity to the universal Church’s Liturgical calendar in 1264. He provided a great sequence, one of the great poems chanted or recited before the proclamation of the Gospel. Lauda Sion is one of only four medieval sequences which were preserved in the Roman Missal published in 1570 following the Council of Trent (1545–1563)—the others being Victimae Paschali Laudes (Easter), Veni Sancte Spiritus (Pentecost) and Dies irae (requiem masses). (A fifth, Stabat Mater, would later be added in 1727.) Before Trent, many feasts had their own sequences. The existing versions were unified in the Roman Missal promulgated in 1570. The Lauda Sion is still sung today as solemn Eucharistic hymn, though its use is optional in the post-Vatican II Ordinary form. As with St Thomas’s other three Eucharistic Hymns, the last few stanzas of the Lauda Sion are often used alone, in this case, to form the “Ecce Panis Angelorum”.
Our Morning Offering – 31 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Goodbye October
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. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Exsultet Orbis! Let the World Rejoice! Unknown Author
Now let the earth with joy resound, And Heaven the chant re-echo round; Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise The great Apostles’ glorious praise.
O ye who, throned in glory dread, Shall judge the living and the dead, Lights of the world forever more! To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
Ye close the Sacred Gates on high. At your command apart they fly. O loose for us the guilty chain We strive to break and strive in vain.
Sickness and health your voice obey, At your command they go or stay. From sin’s disease our souls restore; In good confirm us more and more.
So when the world is at its end. And Christ to Judgment shall descend, May we be called, those joys to see Prepared from all eternity.
Praise to the Father, with the Son, And Holy Spirit, Three in One; As ever was in ages past And so shall be while ages last. Amen
(Roman Breviary for the Common of Apostles) An Office Hymn that was traditionally prescribed for Vespers and Lauds on the Feasts of Apostles and Evangelists outside Easter time. The Hymn is found as early as the tenth century in a hymnal of Moissac Abbey.
Our Morning Offering – 27 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – The Feast of Christ the King
Te Saeculorum Principem Thee, Lord of Every Age, We Sing Breviary Hymn for Christ the King (1925)_ By Fr Vittorio Genovesi SJ (1887-1967) Trans: Alan G McDougall ( 1895-1965)
Thee, Lord of every age, we sing Thee, Christ, we hail the nations’ King, Confess Thy right Thy realm to find Within the hearts of all mankind.
The hate-swayed mob cries, pride-enticed, They will not have Thy kingdom, Chris; But we exultant round Thy Throne Thy reign o’er all creation own!
O Christ, our Prince, Who bringest peace, Let every rebel impulse cease And gather into Thy One Fold The wanderers whom Thy Love doth hold.
For this Thine arms wide-stretched in plea Hung bleeding on the atoning Tree; For this the spear’s revealing dart Laid bare Thy Love-enflamèd Heart.
For this Thou didst Thy glory hide, Outpouring from Thy piercèd side The riches of Thy Love Divine Beneath the veils of bread and wine.
May realms and they that rule them vie With solemn rites to raise Thee high; May laws and arts Thy servants be, All life be sanctified in Thee.
Their kingly gear and royal state Kings to their King shall consecrate; Subjects their all before Thee lay In service of Thy gentle sway.
Jesu, to Thee, beneath Whose sway All earth shall bow, all praise we pay; With Father and with Spirit be All glory Thine eternally!
℣. His empire shall be multiplied. ℟. And there shall be no end of peace.
(Post Vaticasn II, Stanzas 2 and 6 have been removed!)
Our Morning Offering – 24 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – The Feast of Saint Raphael the Archangel
O Raphael, Divinely Sent Guide St Raphael Archangel, 24 October From the Ambrosian Breviary
O Raphael, divinely sent guide, graciously receive the hymn we suppliants address to thee with joyful voice.
Make straight for us the way of salvation and forward our steps, lest at any time, we wander astray and turn from the path to heaven.
Look down upon us from on high; reflect into our souls the splendour shining from above, from the holy Father of lights.
Give perfect health to the sick, dispel the darkness of the blin and while driving away diseases of the body, give spiritual strength to our souls.
Thou who standest before the Sovereign Judge, plead for the pardon of our crimes and, as a trusty advocate, appease the avenging wrath of the Most High.
Renewer of the great battle, crush our proud enemy; against the rebel spirits give us strength and increase our grace.
To God the Father be glory, and to His Only Son, together with the Paraclete Spirit, now and forevermore. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 20 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of Mater Admirabilis / Mother Most Admirable
O Purest of Creatures, Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)
O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid, The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid! Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world, And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled; And the tempest-tossed Church,— all her eyes are on thee; They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair, For the empire of sin—it had never been there; None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He. And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast, And God found a home where the sinner finds rest; His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee, He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!
Our Morning Offering – 18 October – The Feast of St Luke, the Evangelist
Holy and Learned, Great Saint Luke Prayer/Hymn in Honour of St Luke “Plausibus Luca canimus” Trans the Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK
Holy and learned, great Saint Luke, we praise you, Closely you followed in the steps of Jesus, As supreme witness to His life and teaching Shedding your life-blood.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, You left in writing, for all time to study Stories unrivalled for their depth and beauty, Christ’s love revealing.
Yours are the records which we read with pleasure Of the beginning of the Church so fervent, Under the impulse of the true and living Spirit of Jesus.
Paul’s earnest helper, sharer in his travels, Zealous as he was, with a heart as loving, Make our souls also steadfast and devoted To the Lord Jesus.
Tender physician, use your gift of healing, Comfort our weakness with a faith unswerving, So that rejoicing, we may praise forever God the Almighty. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 16 October – “The Month of the Most Holy Rosary and of the Angels” – Feast of the Purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tota Pulchra Es, Maria You Are All Beautiful, Mary Unknown Author – 4th Century
You are all beautiful, Mary, and the original stain is not in you. You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you give honour to our people. You are an advocate of sinners. O Mary, O Mary, Virgin most intelligent, Mother most merciful. Pray for us, Plead for us, To the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tota pulchra es, Maria. Et macula originalis non est in Te. Tu gloria Ierusalem. Tu laetitia Israel. Tu honorificentia populi nostri. Tu advocata peccatorum. O Maria, O Maria, Virgo prudentissima. Mater clementissima. Ora pro nobis. Intercede pro nobis. Ad Dominum Iesum Christum.
This prayer used by the Church since the 4th Century for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Purity of the Blessed Virgin. It takes some text from the book of Judith and other text from Song of Songs, specifically 4:7. Many composers have set this prayer to music over the centuries.
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