Category: PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 3 April – “Alleluia!” Now We Cry!

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Our Morning Offering – 3 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter Wednesday

“Alleluia!” Now We Cry!
(Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain)
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Trans. John Mason Neale

Come, you faithful, raise the strain
of triumphant gladness!
God has brought His Israel
into joy from sadness,
loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters,
led them with unmoistened foot
through the Red Sea waters.

See the spring of souls today;
Christ has burst His prison,
and from three days’ sleep in death
as a Sun hath risen;
all the winter of our sins,
long and dark, is flying
from His Light, to Whom we give
laud and praise undying.

Now the queen of seasons, bright
with the day of splendour,
with the Royal Feast of Feasts,
comes its joy to render;
comes to gladden faithful hearts
which with true affection
welcome in unwearied strains
Jesus’ Resurrection!

For today among His own
Christ appeared, bestowing
blessed peace which evermore
passes human knowing.
Neither could the gates of death,
nor the tomb’s dark portal,
nor the watchers, nor the seal,
hold Him as a mortal.

“Alleluia!” Now we cry
to our King immortal,
Who, triumphant, burst the bars
of the tomb’s dark portal.
Come, you faithful, raise the strain
of triumphant gladness!
God has brought His Israel
into joy from sadness!

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 1 April – Easter Prayer of Praise

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Our Morning Offering – 1 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter Monday

Easter Prayer of Praise
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church

It is only right, with all the powers
of our heart and mind,
to praise Thee Father
and Thine Only-Begotten Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, by Thy wondrous condescension
of Loving-Kindness toward us, Thy servants,
Thou gave us Thy Son.
Dear Jesus Thou paid the debt of Adam for us,
to the Eternal Father by Thy Blood
poured forth in Loving-Kindness.
Thou cleared away the darkness of sin
by Thy magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
Thou broke the bonds of death
and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
Thou reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness
before Thou Redeemed us.
Thy Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence
and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness of Thy Love!
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, HOLY SATURDAY, HOLY WEEK, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 30 March – My Most Sorrowful Lady By St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 30 March – Holy Saturday

My Most Sorrowful Lady
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Marian Doctor
Magnificent Doctor

My most sorrowful Lady,
what can I say about the fountains,
that flowed from your most pure eyes,
when you saw your only Son before you,
bound, beaten and suffering?
What do I know of the flood,
that drenched your matchless face,
when you beheld your Son,
your Lord and your God,
stretched on the Cross without guilt,
when the flesh of your flesh,
was cruelly butchered by wicked me?
How can I judge
what sobs troubled your most pure breast
when you heard,
“Woman, behold your son,”
and the disciple,
“Behold, your Mother,”
when you received, as a son,
the disciple, in place of the Master,
the servant, for the Lord?
Amen

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD ALONE!, GOOD FRIDAY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on SIN, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Membra Jesu Nostri, O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

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Our Morning Offering – 29 March – Good Friday

Membra Jesu Nostri
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
By Blessed Arnulf of Leuven O.Cist. (c1200-1276)

O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,
was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine, was the transgression
but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!
’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favour,
vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee,
Thou noble Countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee
and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy Visage languish
that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished,
their colour once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished
the splendour that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigour,
hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigour,
Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion,
Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression
which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee,
wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee;
Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow
to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me;
my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me,
O Source of gifts Divine.
Thy Lips have often fed me
with words of Truth and Love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me
to Heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee,
from Thee I will not part;
O Saviour, do not chide me!
When breaks Thy loving Heart,
When soul and body languish
in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish,
Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken,
above all joys beside,
When in Thy Body broken
I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring
Thy Glory now to see,
Beside Thy Cross expiring,
I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Saviour, be Thou near me
when death is at my door;
Then let Thy Presence cheer me,
forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish,
oh, leave me not alone
But take away mine anguish
by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation,
my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy Passion
when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
upon Thy Cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee.
Who dieth thus dies well!

This Poem/Hymn was incorrectly ascribed to St Bernard of Clairvaux, for they are consistent with his style and his devotion. However, “the external proof for this ascription is so slight as to be negligible” (Hurlbut, VII, 18).
The “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” did appear in St Bernard’s collected works but only two hundred years after his death. When the Monasteries were suppressed in the French Revolution, all of the relevant manuscripts disappeared. The only surviving manuscript, dated 1320, bears Arnulf’s name (Arnulfus de louan). Here is Blessed Arnulf’s story:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/02/saint-of-the-day-2-april-blessed-arnulf-of-leuven-o-cist-c1200-1276-abbot/

Arnulf’s Poem consists of a cycle of seven Poems, each a meditation on one of the Wounds of the Crucified Christ.
The words of the Hymn remind us, not only of the depth of Christ’s love but also how much He suffers because of our sins.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, LENT 2024, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 27 March – In Thine Hour of Holy Sadness

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Our Morning Offering – 27 March – “Spy” Wednesday in Holy Week

In Thine Hour of Holy Sadness
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father & Doctor of the Church

In Thine hour of holy sadness
could I share with Thee, what gladness
should Thine Cross to me be showing.
Gladness past all thought of knowing,
bowed beneath Thine Cross to die!
Blessed Jesus, thanks I render
that in bitter death, so tender,
Thou now hear Thy supplicant calling,
Save me Lord!
and keep from falling, from Thee,
when my hour is nigh.
Amen.

Posted in CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CONSOLATION

Our Morning Offering – 24 March – To Thee, O Jesus, Hosanna!

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Our Morning Offering – 24 March – Palm Sunday

To Thee, O Jesus, Hosanna!
By St Bonaventure (1217-1274)
Seraphic Doctor of the Church

To Thee, O Jesus,
do I turn, as my true and last end.
Thou art the River of Life
which alone can satisfy my thirst.
Without Thee, all else is barren and void.
Without all else, Thou alone art enough for me.
Thou art the Redeemer of those that are lost,
the sweet Consoler of the sorrowful,
the Crown of Glory of the victors,
the recompense of the Blessed.
One day I hope to receive of Thy Fullness
and to sing the song of praise, in my true home.
Give me only on earth, some few drops of consolation
and I will patiently await Thy Coming,
when I hope to enter into the joy of my Lord.
Hosanna!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Our Morning Offering – 23 March – What Can I Say? My Most Merciful Lady … By St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Saturday in Passion Week

What Can I Say?
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

My most merciful Lady,
what can I say about the fountains
which flowed from thy most pure eyes
when thou saw thy only Son before thee,
bound, beaten and suffering?
What do I know of the flood
which drenched thy matchless face,
when thou beheld thy Son,
thy Lord and thy God,
stretched on the Cross without guilt,
when the flesh of thy flesh
was cruelly butchered by wicked men?
How can I judge, what sobs,
troubled thy most pure breast,
when thou heard,
“Woman, behold thy son,”
and the disciple, “Behold, thy Mother,”
when thou received as a son,
the disciple, in place of the Master,
the servant, for the Lord?
Amen

From “The Prayers and Meditations of Saint Anselm with the Proslogion,” Benedicta Ward, trans,1973, Penguin classics, Penguin Group (UK)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, OUR Cross, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SIN, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Our Morning Offering – 22 March – My Sorrowful Mother, Help Me to Bear My Crosses

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Our Morning Offering – 22 March – Friday in Passion Week, the Fifth Friday in Lent, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows

My Sorrowful Mother,
Help Me to Bear My Crosses
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church

My sorrowful Mother,
by the merit of that grief
which you felt
at seeing your beloved Jesus
led to death,
obtain for me the grace
to bear with patience,
those crosses which God sends me.
I will be fortunate
if I also shall know how
to accompany you
with my cross until death.
You and Jesus,
both innocent,
have borne a heavy cross
and shall I,
a sinner who has merited hell,
refuse mine?
Immaculate Virgin,
I hope you will help me
to bear my crosses with patience.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on PEACE

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – St Benedict

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 March – St Benedict OSB (c480-547) Abbot

“Listen and attend
with the ear of your heart.”

“Be careful to be gentle,
lest in removing the rust,
you break the whole instrument.”

“Idleness is an enemy of the soul.”

O God, Be With Us
By St Benedict (c480-547)

O God,
from Whom to be turned,
is to fall,
to Whom to be turned,
is to rise,
and in Whom to stand,
is to abide forever.
Grant us in all our duties, Thy help,
in all our perplexities, Thy guidance,
in all our dangers, Thy protection,
and in all our sorrows, Thy peace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/21/quote-s-of-the-day-21-march-st-benedict-2/

St Benedict (c480-547)

Posted in CARMELITES, LENT 2024, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, LENTEN THOUGHTS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 21 March – A Lenten Offering

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Our Morning Offering – 21 March – Thursday in Passion Week

A Lenten Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face of Lisieux (1873-1897)

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this Lent
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to Its Infinite Merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of Its Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask of Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day
be united together in Heaven,
for all eternity.
Amen

Posted in GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP

Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 19 March – A Happy or Miserable Eternity

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Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 19 March – The Month and Feast of St Joseph

MEDITATION on the Feast of St Joseph,
The Patron of a Holy and Happy Death

A Happy or Miserable Eternity

“When a person thinks seriously that on the moment of death, depends a happy or miserable eternity, his heart must be obdurate, indeed, if he be not struck with fear, for if the just be scarcely saved, where will the sinner appear?
O, Lord! enter not into judgement with Thy servant, for no-one living is justified in Thy sight!

The holy Abbot Agatho, being seized with trembling at his last hour and his religious having asked him the cause — he replied that although, by the great mercy of God, his conscience did not reproach him with anything, yet that the Divine Judgement being very different from those of men, he was in great alarm.
No wonder he should have felt so — all our good works are imperfect in the sight of the Divine Majesty.

If the Angels succour us in this dread moment, do they not prove themselves our true friends?
It is in the time of affliction a person knows a sincere friend and behold, in the hour of death, when all abandon us to our fate, when our bodies are consigned to the solitary tomb and our soul “goes to the house of its eternity,” the Angels, faithful to their charge, never depart from us. ” – (Devotion to the Holy Angels)

O My Good Angel
Prayer to One’s Guardian Angel
Appointing him Intercessory at the Hour of Death
By St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

My good Angel – I know not when or how I shall die.
It is possible I may be carried off suddenly
and before my last sigh, I may be deprived of all intelligence.
Yet, how many things I would wish to say to God,
on the threshold of eternity.
In the full freedom of my will today,
I come to charge thee to speak for me
at that fearful moment.
Thou will say to Him, then, O my good Angel –
That I wish to die
in the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church
in which all the Saints, since Jesus Christ, have died
and, out of which, there is no salvation.
That I ask the grace, of sharing
in the Infinite Merits of my Redeemer
and that I desire to die, in pressing to my lips,
the Cross which was bathed in His Blood!
That I detest my sins because they displease Him
and that I pardon, through love of Him,
all my enemies, as I wish myself to be pardoned.
That I die willingly because He orders it
and that I throw myself, with confidence,
into His adorable Heart, awaiting all His mercy.
That in my inexpressible desire to go to Heaven,
I am disposed to suffer everything
it may please His Sovereign Justice to inflict on me.
That I love Him before all things,
above all things and for His own sake;
that I wish and hope, to love Him with the elect,
His Angels and the Blessed Mother,
during all eternity.
Do not refuse, O my Angel,
to be my interpreter with God
and to protest to Him, that these,
are my sentiments and my will.
Amen.

Posted in ArchAngels and Angels, BLESSED TRINITY PRAYERS, FEBRUARY - THE BLESSED TRINITY (Traditional), GOD ALONE!, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on WATCHING, QUOTES on WISDOM, The MOST HOLY & BLESSED TRINITY

Quote/s of the Day – 17 March – St Patrick

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 March – St Patrick (c386-461) “The Apostle of Ireland,” Bishop, Confessor

Excerpt from St Patrick’s Breastplate
(also known as “The Deer Cry”)

I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
His Eye to watch, His Might to stay,
His Ear to hearken to my need;
the Wisdom of my God to teach,
His Hand to guide, His shield to ward;
the Word of God to give me speech,
His Heavenly Host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
the vice which gives temptation force,
the natural lusts which war within,
the hostile men who mar my course;
of few or many, far or nigh,
in every place and in all hours
against their fierce hostility, …….
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all who love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three,
of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation:
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", ArchAngels and Angels, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, GOD ALONE!, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, LENT 2024, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HOPE, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, SAINT of the DAY

Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 17 March – Binding Ourselves

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Our Lenten Journey with the Angels and the Saints – 17 March – Passion Sunday and the Feast of St Patrick (c386-461) “The Apostle of Ireland,” Bishop, Confessor, Missionary. – Hebrews 9:11-15, John 8:46-59 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“To execute upon them
the judgement which is written,
this glory is to all His saints.
Alleluia.”
Psalm 149:9

“Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see My day,
he saw it and was glad.”
John 8:56

Binding Ourselves

St Patrick (c386-461)
“The Apostle of Ireland”

“The man of God, Patrick, was
marvellously favoured with heavenly visions
and revelations in prayer.
‘When,’ says his biographer, ‘he everyday,
in the Mass, sacrificed the Son to the Father,
or devoutly recited the Apocalypse of St John,
it was granted to him to see the heavens opened
and Jesus standing there,
surrounded by a multitude of Angels
and whilst he meditated on these great visions,
his soul was altogether lost in God.’
Three times in the week the Angel Victor,
visited and conversed with him,
filling his soul with celestial consolations.
The labours of the day, amongst men,
seem to have been less arduous
than those of the night with God.”
(The Life of St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland)

Prayer of St Patrick:

I bind unto myself today
the power in the love of the Seraphim,
in the obedience of the Angels,
in the ministration of the Archangels,
in the hope of Resurrection unto reward,
in the prayers of the Patriarchs,
in the predictions of the Prophets,
in the preaching of the Apostles,
in the faith of the Confessors,
in the purity of the holy Virgins,
in the deeds of Righteous men.
Amen

Posted in CATHOLIC TIME, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 17 March – Faithful Cross Above All Others

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Our Morning Offering – 17 March – Passion Sunday

Faithful Cross! Above All Other
By St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609)

Faithful Cross! above all other,
one and only noble tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
none in fruit thy peer may be;
sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
sweetest weight is hung on thee.

Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
for awhile the ancient rigour
that thy birth bestowed, suspend
and the King of heavenly beauty
gently on thine arms extend.

Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One:
One in might and One in glory
while eternal ages run.

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on REPENTANCE, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, To JESUS through MARY

Our Morning Offering – 16 March – Look Down, O Mother Mary! By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 16 March – Saturday of the Fourth Week in Lent and our Mother Mary’s Day

Look Down, O Mother Mary!
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
Transl, Fr Edmund Vaughan, CSSR in 1863

Look down, O Mother Mary!
From thy bright throne above;
Cast down upon thy children
One only glance of love.

And if a heart so tender
With pity flows not o’er,
Then turn away, O Mother!
And look on us no more.

See how, ungrateful sinners,
We stand before thy Son;
His loving heart upbraids us
The evil we have done.

But if thou wilt appease Him,
Speak for us—but one word;
Thou only canst obtain as
The pardon of our Lord.

O Mary, dearest Mother!
If thou wouldst have us live,
Say that we are thy children,
And Jesus will forgive.

Our sins make us unworthy
That title still to bear
But thou art still our Mother,
Then show a Mother’s care.

Open to us thy mantle,
There stay we without fear,
What evil can befall us
If, Mother, thou art near?

O sweetest, dearest Mother!
Thy sinful children save;
Look down on us with pity,
Who thy protection crave.

Posted in INDULGENCES, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS for the SOULS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Indulgenced prayer, By the Merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus

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Our Morning Offering – 15 March – Feast of the Most Precious Blood for the Friday after Laetare Sunday

By the Merits of the
Precious Blood of Jesus
By Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823)
Papacy from 1800 to 1823
Indulgenced Act of Oblation to Our Father

Eternal Father!
I offer Thee the merits
of the Precious Blood of Jesus,
Thy well-beloved Son,
my Saviour and my God,
for all my wants,
spiritual and temporal,
in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
and chiefly for those
who most loved this Precious Blood,
the price of our redemption
and who were most devout
to the sorrows and pains
of most Holy Mary,
our dear Mother.

Glory be to the Blood of Jesus,
now and forever
and throughout all ages.
Amen.

Indulgence of 300 days, each time this prayed is offered,
22 September 1817 with a Plenary Indulgence, once a month,
under the usual conditions.

Note of Interest: On 15 August 1811 – the Feast of the Assumption – it is recorded that the Pope celebrated Mass and was said to have entered a trance and began to levitate in a manner that drew him to the Altar. This particular episode aroused great wonder and awe among attendants, which included the French soldiers guarding him, who were awestruck at what had occurred and left records of it.

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, The HEART, The HOLY FACE

Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – I am the Light of the world

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent – Isaias 1:16-19, John 9:1-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the Light of the world;
he who follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

“Arise, be enlightened, …
for thy Light is come!”

Isaias 60:1

“Let us listen to the holy Voice of God
which summons us from on high,
from the holy mountain top.
There, we must hasten – I make bold to say –
like Jesus, Who is our leader
and has gone before us into Heaven.
There, with Him, may the eyes of our mind
shine with His light and the features of our soul
be made new; may we be transfigured with Him
and moulded to His image,
ever becoming divine,
being transformed in an ever greater degree of glory.”

St Anastasius Sinaita (Died 6th Century)
Priest and Abbot

Eternal Light, Shine into our Hearts
By St Alcuin of York (735-804)

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts,
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil,
Eternal Power, be our support,
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the
darkness of our ignorance,
Eternal Pity, have mercy on us
that with all our heart
and mind
and soul
and strength,
we may seek Thy Face
and be brought,
by Thine Infinite Mercy
to Thy Holy Presence;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord
Amen

“The endurance of darkness
is the preparation for great light!”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)

Posted in CATHOLIC TIME, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, St Francis de Sales, St JOSEPH

Our Morning Offering – 13 March – Glorious St Joseph! By St Francis de Sales

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Our Morning Offering – 13 March – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Lent – “The Month of the St Joseph” and his special day of the week in Catholic time

Glorious St Joseph!
Prayer for the Intercession
of St Joseph in All Our Needs
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Glorious St Joseph, Spouse of Mary,
grant us thy paternal protection,
we beseech thee, by the Heart of Jesus Christ.
O thou, whose power extends
to all our necessities
and can render possible for us,
the most impossible things.
Open thy fatherly eyes
to the needs of thy children.
In the trouble and distress
which afflicts us,
we confidently have recourse to thee.
Deign to take under thy charitable charge
this important and difficult matter,
cause of our worries.
Make its happy outcome
be for God’s glory
and for the good of His devoted servants.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – St Gregory the Great

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Quote/s of the Day – 12 March – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Pope, Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church, “Father of the Fathers” “The Apostle of England”

Anglorum Iam Apostolus
The Apostle of England
By St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Bishop, Confesssor, Father and Doctor
A Tribute to his fellow Monk
St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church

Apostle to the English lands
Now with the Angel hosts he stands.
Make haste, St Gregory, relieve
And help the people who believe.

From riches and from wealth you turned.
The glory of the world you spurned
That you might follow, being poor,
Prince Jesus, Who was poor before.

This Christ, High Pontifex, decreed
That you would take His Church’s lead
And learn St Peter’s steps to tread,
The rule of all called in his stead.

You wondrously solved, riddles deep
The mystic secrets Scriptures keep,
For Truth Himself, has taught you these:
The lofty sacred Mysteries.

O Pontifex, our leader bright,
The Church’s honour and its light,
Through dangers let them all be brought,
The ones you carefully have taught.

The unborn Father, let us praise
And to His Son like glory raise
And to their Equal, Majesty.
All glory to the Trinity.
Amen

FOR:
St Gregory the Great (540-604)
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/12/quote-s-of-the-day-12-march-f-st-gregory-the-great/

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, LENT 2024, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 12 March – Lucis Creator Optime, O Blest Creator of the Light By St Gregory the Great

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Our Morning Offering – 12 March – Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Lent and the Memorial of St Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) – Father & Doctor

Lucis Creator Optime
O Blest Creator of the Light
By St Gregory the Great (540-604)
Pope, Father & Doctor
“Father of the Fathers”

O blest Creator of the light,
Who mak’st the day with radiance bright,
And o’er the forming world did’st call
The Light from Chaos First of all.

Whose wisdom join’d in meet array
The morn and eve and nam’d them day;
Night comes with all its darkling fears;
Regard Thy people’s pray’rs and tears.

Lest, sunk in sin and whelm’d with strife,
They lose the gift of endless life;
While thinking but the thoughts of time,
They weave new chains of woe and crime.

But grant them grace that they may strain
The heav’nly gate and prize to gain;
Each harmful lure, aside to cast,
And purge away each error past.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
Shall live and reign eternally.
Amen

This hymn is used for Vespers (II) on Sundays throughout the year in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Breviary.
Trans John M Neale (1818-1866), 1851.
Tune: “Lucis Creator Optime” Gregorian Chant, Mode VIII, traditional.

Posted in GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 11 March – I Will Love Thee, Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 11 March – Monday of the Fourth Week in Lent

I Will Love Thee, Lord
By St Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)

I will love Thee, Lord,
in every way
and without setting limits
to my love.
Thou set no limits to what Thou
hast done for me;
Thou hast not measured Thy gifts.
I will not measure my love.
I will love Thee, Lord,
with all my strength,
with all my powers,
as much as I am able.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CREATION, QUOTES on DIVINE PROVIDENCE, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on The SOUL, QUOTES on TRUST and complete CONFIDENCE in GOD, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY NAME

Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa

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Quote/s of the Day – 9 March – St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395) Bishop, Father of the Church

On the Soul and the Resurrection
in Two Parts

“[He], Who gives you the day
will give you also the things
necessary for the day.”

“As no darkness can be seen
by anyone surrounded by light,
so, no trivialities can capture,
the attention of anyone,
who has his eyes on Christ.”

“For when one considers the universe,
can anyone be so simple-minded,
as NOT to believe that the Divine is present
in everything, pervading, embracing and penetrating it?”

“It is impossible for one
to live without tears,
who considers things,
exactly as they are!”

“For the purity of Christ and the purity
which is manifest in our hearts are identical.
Christ’s purity, however, is the Fountainhead;
ours has its Source in Him and flows out of Him.
Our life is stamped with the beauty of His thought.
The inner and the outer man,
are harmonised in a kind of music.
The mind of Christ is the controlling influence
which inspires us to moderation and goodness in our behaviour.
As I see it, Christian perfection consists in this –
sharing the title which expresses the meaning of Christ’s Name,
we bring out this meaning in our minds,
our prayers and our way of life.”

“If you draw from Him,
the thoughts in your mind
and the inclinations of your heart,
you will show a likeness to Christ,
your Source and Origin,
as the gleaming water in a jar
resembles the flowing water,
from which it was obtained.”

O Good Shepherd,
You Whom My Soul Loves
By St Gregory of Nyssa (c 335–C 395)
Father of the Church

Where are You pasturing Your flock,
O good Shepherd,
Who carry the whole flock on Your shoulders?
(For the whole of human nature is one sheep
and You have lifted it onto Your shoulders).
Show me the place of peace,
lead me to the good grass that will nourish me,
call me by name so that I,
Your sheep, hear Your voice
and by Your speech,
give me eternal life.
Answer me, You Whom my soul loves.
… Show me then (my soul says),
where You pasture Your flock,
so that I can find that saving pasture too
and fill myself with the food of heaven,
without which, no-one can come to eternal life
and run to the spring
and fill myself with the drink of God.
You give it, as from a spring,
to those who thirst –
water pouring from Your side, cut open by the lance,
water that, to whoever drinks it,
is a spring of water,
welling up to eternal life.
Amen

This is a tiny excerpt from St Gregory of Nyssa’s commentary on the Song of Songs (Cap 2: PG 44, 802), using the imagery of Psalm 23, appeals to the Lord Jesus Christ for the promised green pastures, restful waters and noonday rest that is the final, eternal destination of those who love God and walk in His ways.

St Gregory of Nyssa (c335–c395)
Father of the Church

Posted in GOD ALONE!, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on THANKSGIVING, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 8 March – St John of God

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Quote/s of the Day – 8 March – St John of God OH (1495-1550) Confessor, Founder of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God

Lord be Blessed!
(A Prayer of Thanksgiving and Self-oblation)
By St John of God (1495-1550)

Lord be blessed!
for in Thy great kindness to me,
who art such a great sinner,
having performed so many wicked things,
yet Thou seest fit to set me free,
from such a tremendous temptation
and deception into which I fell,
through my own sinfulness.
Thou hast brought me into a safe harbour,
where I shall endeavour to serve Thee
with all my strength.
My Lord, I beg Thee, with all my might,
give me the strength of Thine grace
and always let me see Thine clemency.
I wish to be Thy slave,
so kindly show me what I should do.
Give peace and quiet to my soul
which greatly desires this.
O most worthy Lord,
may this creature of Thine,
serve and praise Thee.
May I give my whole heart
and mind, to Thee.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/08/quote-s-of-the-day-8-march-st-john-of-god-oh-1495-1550/

St John of God (1495-1550)

Posted in HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The PASSION, The SEVEN PASSION Feasts

Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Excerpt from the Prayer to the Five Wounds of Jesus By St Clare of Assisi

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Our Morning Offering – 8 March – Friday of the Third Week in Lent and the Feast of the Five Holy Wounds

Excerpt from the Prayer
to the Five Wounds of Jesus
By St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)

I pray Thee, O most gentle Jesus,
that having redeemed me
by Baptism from original sin,
so now, by Thy Precious Blood,
which is offered and received,
throughout the world,
deliver me from all evils,
past, present and to come.
And by Thy most bitter Death,
give me a lively faith,
a firm hope
and perfect charity,
so that I may love Thee
with all my heart and all my soul
and all my strength.
Make me firm and steadfast in good works
and grant me perseverance in Thy service,
so that I may be able to please Thee always.
Amen.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, Holy Name PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HAPPINESS, QUOTES on LOVE, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on VIRTUE, QUOTES on WILL (Reasonable or Superior), SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – St Thomas Aquinas

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Quote/s of the Day – 7 March – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor

“We are like children,
who stand in need of masters,
to enlighten us and direct us
and God has provided for this,
by appointing His Angels,
to be our teachers and guides.”

“To one who has faith,
no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith,
no explanations is possible.”

“Love takes up,
where knowledge leaves off.”

“If the highest aim of a Captain
were to preserve his ship,
he would keep it in Port, forever!”

“If then, you are looking for the way
by which you should go,
take Christ, for He, Himself, is the Way.”

“Happiness is secured through virtue;
it is a good attained by man’s own will.”

Grant Me Grace,
O Merciful God
Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus & Doctor Communis
which he was accustomed to recite everyday
before the image of Christ.

Grant me grace,
O merciful God,
to desire ardently
all that is pleasing to Thee,
to examine it prudently,
to acknowledge it truthfully
and to accomplish it perfectly,
for the praise
and glory of Thy Name.
Amen

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/03/07/quote-s-of-the-day-7-march-st-thomas-aquinas/

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on JOY, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on TRUTH, SAINT of the DAY, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 7 March – O Merciful God By St Thomas Aquinas

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Our Morning Offering – 7 March – Thursday of the Third Week in Lent – St Thomas Aquinas OP (1225-1274) Confessor, Doctor

O Merciful God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis

O merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Thy Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Thy honour and glory.
Let me rejoice in nothing
but that which leads to Thee,
nor grieve for anything,
which leads away from Thee.
May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes
and may all which is Thine be dear to me
and Thou, my God, dear above them all.
May all joy be meaningless without Thee
and may I desire nothing apart from Thee.
May all labour and toil delight me, when it is for Thee.
Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretence,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, franciscan OFM, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY

Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Hear Me, O Lord By St Peter of Alcantara

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Our Morning Offering – 5 March – Tuesday of the Third Week in Lent

Hear Me, O Lord
By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

Hear me, O Lord,
my soul’s delight,
joy of my heart,
not because of my merits
but because of Thy boundless goodness.
Teach me, enlighten me, direct me,
help me in all things
that I may never say
or do anything
but that which I know
to be pleasing in Thou sight.
Guide me, O God,
my Love, my Light and my Life!
Amen

Posted in CARMELITES, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on REPARATION/EXPIATION, QUOTES on UNITY/with GOD, The WILL of GOD

Our Morning Offering – 4 March – Morning Offering By St Thérèse

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Our Morning Offering – 4 March – Monday of the Third Week in Lent

Morning Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 – 1897)

O my God!
I offer Thee all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to It’s infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of It’s Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask Thee for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly Thy Holy Will,
to accept for love of Thee,
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in Heaven for all Eternity.
Amen.

Posted in ACT of CONTRITION, CONFESSION/PENANCE, DOCTORS of the Church, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, SOLDIERS/ARMOUR of CHRIST, St Francis de Sales

Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – ‘…I too have kept Thee suffering …’

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Quote/s of the Day – 3 March – The Third Sunday of Lent – Ephesians 5:1-9; Luke 11:14-28 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“We fight the monsters of Africa
in imagination
but, from lack of attention,
we allow ourselves, in reality,
to be killed by the little serpents
which lie in our way!”

(Intro to the Devout Life III:37)

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity of the Church

O Jesus, My Sweet Love!
(I too have kept Thee suffering)
Prayer of Contrition
By St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

O Jesus, my sweet Love!
I too have kept Thee suffering
through all Thy life.
Tell me, then, what I must do
in order to win Thy forgiveness.
I am ready to do all Thou askest of me.
I am sorry, O sovereign Good,
for all the offences I have committed against Thee.
I love Thee more than myself,
or at least, I feel a great desire to love Thee.
Since it is Thou Who hast given me this desire,
do Thou also give me the strength to love Thee exceedingly.

It is only right that I,
who have offended Thee so much,
should love Thee very much.
Always remind me of the love
Thou hast borne me,
in order that my soul may ever burn
with love of Thee and long to please Thee alone.
O God of love,
I, who was once a slave of hell,
now give myself all to Thee.
Graciously accept me and bind me to Thee
with the bonds of Thy love.
My Jesus, from this day and forever,
in loving Thee will I live
and in loving Thee will I die.

O Mary, my Mother and my hope,
help me to love Thy dear God and mine.
This is the only favour I ask of thee
and through thee, I hope to receive it.
Amen

Posted in HOLY WEEK, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The PASSION, The REDEMPTION, The SIGN of the CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 3 March – Prayer Before The Crucifix

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Our Morning Offering – 3 March – The Third Sunday in Lent

Prayer Before The Crucifix
(The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass)
By St Vincent Strambi (1745-1824)

Jesus, by this Saving Sign,
bless this listless soul of mine.
Jesus, by Thine feet nailed fast,
mend the missteps of my past.
Jesus, with Thine riven hands,
bend my will to love’s demands.
Jesus, in Thine Heart laid bare,
warm my inner coldness there.
Jesus, by Thine thorn-crowned head,
still my pride till it is dead.
Jesus, by Thine muted tongue,
stay my words that hurt someone.
Jesus, by Thine tired eyes,
open mine to faith’s surprise.
Jesus, by Thine fading breath,
keep me faithful until death.
Yes, Lord, by this Saving Sign,
save this wayward soul of mine.
Amen